The Hughes Family: March

March started out like any other month and we were excited to see it arrive because it meant our long awaited Spring Break cruise vacation would soon be happening. We never anticipated that this month would actually turn out to be the month that our entire lives were changed forever.

We had an unexpected surprise when I found this little guy wandering down the street in front of our house one afternoon. He came right to me so of course I scooped him up and brought him inside. He stayed with us the entire day until we were finally able to track down his owners, who lived on the other side of the neighborhood. Kyndall was sad to see him go because I think she was hoping he might become a permanent fixture in our household. I have to admit I might have agreed, had his family not been found. He was super sweet and very smart. But, he was SO excited when his owners and their four little girls showed up at our door to claim him. We had named him "Lucky" but as it turns out his real name is Oreo and he apparently escaped out the front door when nobody was looking and made his way through traffic all the way across the neighborhood safely to our house.

Our dogs loved him a little too much and just wouldn't give him his space so we confined them to the bathtub!

We are still picking up Kyndall's friend Adara and taking her to church with us each Sunday and I just love this picture that I saw of them on our church website. Adara looks so happy to be with Kyndall at church!

Getting ready for Spring Break by making me and Kyndall matching monogrammed tank tops

We hung Kyndall's new sign from Grammy and G-Daddy in her craft room and it's perfect!

Our small group from church had a family game night which was a lot of fun! Matthew was really good at picking up cheerios with a piece of dry spaghetti!

Holding a baby during game night--Something I haven't seen in a long time!

More Spring Break prep--a pedicure treat!

Each year Kyndall's school does a "Fun Run" to help raise money for things that are needed but beyond the school's budget. This year it was new swings for the playground and more chromebooks for the classrooms. Kyndall is always so blessed to have SO many generous friends and family members donate towards her personal goal and this year was no exception. Here's the video she made which I sent out via social media....

She ended up raising $950 which helped put her class in first place for the entire school, and she was also the top student at Crosby Elementary! She had donations from eight different states which just proves that she is loved and supported by many, both near and far.

On Friday March 6th her school hosted the fun run, which unfortunately had to be moved indoors due to bad weather. But the kids still had a blast just the same! It was also the last day of school before Spring Break so everyone was extra happy and excited!

Kyndall and her friend Avarie

Each class had to come up with a team name and naturally Kyndall convinced her class to be the turtles since she's obsessed with them. But that didn't sound very fierce so they settled on the toxic turtles--Ha! She even made a class mascot to go along with the name.

As soon as the fun run was over we headed home to pack up our last few items and then took off for Spring Break. We flew from Dallas to Orlando on Friday March 6th and our cruise would leave port on Sunday March 8th.

For a few weeks we had been hearing things here and there in the news about this new virus called the Coronavirus, specifically the COVID-19 strand of the virus. It had originated in China and had made a whole lot of people sick and had killed a large number as well. The hospitals were overrun with patients sick with this virus and many healthcare workers were also contracting it. It had began spreading to Italy and other parts of the world and had made its way to the US but there were only a few confirmed cases at the time. People were saying it wasn't anything to be overly scared of and that more people die from the flu annually than from this virus. The scariest part of the virus was how easily it spreads and how symptoms often do not show up until two weeks after onset so it was being unknowingly spread quite rapidly. The virus itself was most threatening to the elderly and those with chronic health conditions or immunocompromised individuals--that would be me. The virus causes difficulty breathing and in extreme cases patients were dying within just a few days of being admitted to the hospital. It was definitely in the news but it wasn't something that we were hearing about 24/7 and definitely wasn't something I personally saw as a threat to me or my family at the time.

Some were taking extreme measures by stockpiling food, toilet paper, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and such. Honestly, we kind of laughed at those "dooms day preppers" and thought they were crazy. A lot of people also began cancelling travel plans specifically those which involved flying or cruising. I got a little nervous so I contacted my transplant team at Vanderbilt to get their take on it. I was told to go ahead but to proceed with caution and to wash hands frequently. So, since we had planned this trip nearly a year in advance we decided it was safe to go ahead with it. Cruise lines had started taking extra precautions such as screening passengers by taking their temps before they were permitted onto the boat. Also, if any passengers had traveled to certain countries like China or Italy in the past few weeks they would not be allowed to sail. All of this made me feel like it was safe enough to proceed with our plans.

When we got on the plane we were surprised to see passengers frantically wiping down their seats, tray tables, seatbelts and windows with sanitizing wipes. Some of them even had on masks, though the CDC had already told us this was not an effective defense against the virus because it was small enough to penetrate standard surgical masks. Again, I laughed under my breath at these people and rolled my eyes at their paranoia.

Nonetheless, we had an uneventful flight from Dallas to Orlando where we had a BIG surprise waiting for Kyndall.

She had no idea, but for many months Nonie and Poppie had been planning to pick us up at the Orlando airport! Here are two videos of her reaction--The first one is from my view and the second one is from Nonie's view...

We had told her ahead of time that we would be taking an Uber from the airport to our hotel but she had no idea the Uber would be this familiar face!

It was late when we arrived but we were starving so we headed to dinner, where we gave her another big surprise which had been in the works just as long!

We would be spending the next day at Sea World!

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning, ready to tackle Sea World. A few of them got up early enough for breakfast in the hotel lobby--I was not one of those!

Excited for her very first visit!

The animal lover was truly in her happy place!

Her most anticipated exhibit was of course the sea turtle encounter

This was the moment she saw a real, live sea turtle for the very first time and she was literally giddy!

I think if her heart could have exploded from happiness, it would have! The turtle queen was as happy as a clam seeing these turtles up close.

Waiting for the dolphin show...

No surprise, she wanted all the stuffed animals but we treated her to two--One from us and one from Nonie and Poppie. She carried them around the rest of our entire vacation!

I had arranged one last surprise and that was a lunch experience called "Dining with the Orcas" in which we enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch while watching the orca whales up close and personal. I highly recommend this for anyone who visits Sea World!

When this tray of sweets came out for dessert her eyes almost popped out of her head

This might be my favorite picture from our day at Sea World!

She was smiling and giggling non stop and I love how you can see her waving to the wale in the reflection.

This sea lion was so funny! He was smart enough to realize that if he did a few tricks for us, he'd get all the fish!

Sea World has changed so much since my days of coming as a kid, but this moment took me right back to my childhood and seeing it through my own child's eyes was priceless!

The dolphins were so drawn to Kyndall. There were people all around the tank but it was fascinating to me that they kept coming back to her over and over. She thought they liked her stuffed turtles but I think they sensed her kind and gentle spirit.

Matthew was having a moment with one of the dolphins--Ha!

Penguins!

Penguins are one of my very favorite animals. They are absolutely fascinating to me so I was pretty excited about our last exhibit of the day!

Sunday morning we said goodbye to Nonie and Poppie at the hotel as they headed back to Georgia and we loaded our bus headed for the port! This would be mine and Matthew's 7th cruise and Kyndall's 4th cruise. We were excited!

Gotta love a man who supports your cause!

We went through all of the health screenings processes to board and all was well. We were a little disappointed to find out upon boarding that our itinerary had completely changed, due to bad weather. We were supposed to be going to San Juan, St. Maarten and CoCo Cay but due to the treat of weather we would now be going west to Cozumel, Costa Maya and CoCo Cay. We had already been to Cozumel and Costa Maya several times plus we already had all of our excursions booked in the other places. It was pretty stressful getting all of those canceled, refunded and finding new excursions to book but we made it work.

Of course Kyndall would seek out the two dogs in a stroller on board...but my question is who brings dogs on a cruise anyway?!

We had a little surprise arranged to be waiting for her in our room--This octopus holding a soft Royal Caribbean blanket

As soon as we put our things in our room we headed out to check out the ship. The Harmony of the Seas is the second largest cruise ship in the entire world so we knew there would be a lot of ground to cover in a week!

Our daily ice cream intake started right away!

A view of Central Park, complete with real trees!

Sunday was cold and a little rainy as we departed Florida but we were hopeful for prettier days as we headed south

We have cruised several times on ships where Marc Walker is the cruise director and he is absolutely fantastic! We were so happy to find out he was on Harmony at the same time we were and since he know who we are now, he offered to meet up with us and give us some special VIP treatment. He put these red dots on our sea pass cards which basically meant we could get into any show or performance without a reservation. It was great and we were so appreciative!

First night at dinner. Kyndall absolutely loves going to the formal dining room each night during our cruises.

Dessert!

Front row seats for the ice show after dinner!

Hughes Cruise day 2--We all slept until 10:30 a.m. and then dragged our lazy selves directly to the buffet.

We watched a parade after lunch

Then went exploring around the boat

The Ultimate Abyss slide is the tallest slide at sea!

These two were excited to try it out

Riding a carousel in the middle of the ocean

This bar moves up and down in the middle of the ship

Central Park

We played a around of BINGO and won a whole dollar!

Thew view from our stateroom balcony

Playing mini golf

For a family that doesn't even drink, we spent an awful lot of time watching this robot mix drinks at the bionic bar! It was pretty cool!

Drinking her Shirley Temple

Daily dose of ice cream

We always look forward to getting dressed up for formal night

She was so excited to discover the ship only uses paper straws

The only person I know who would get dressed up for a formal full course dinner with delicious menu options yet order a mayonaise and cheese sandwich for their meal.

Front row seats for Grease after dinner

Hughes Cruise day 3--We slept until 10:30 again...whoops! We spent our entire day lounging by the pool, riding water slides and eating. Kyndall even tried the flowrider for the very first time and she did great!

Daily ice cream intake, this time by the pool

Hot tub fun

Kyndall coming down the water slide...

Matthew coming down the slide...

Sunset view from our balcony before dinner

After dinner we watched the amazing aqua show which was exciting and thrilling and unlike anything I've ever seen before!

Hughes Cruise day 4 was a port day in Cozumel Mexico and it was a dream come true, bucket list, once in a lifetime kind of experience for our sweet girl. Kyndall is crazy about sea turtles and can tell you all about their habitat, which ones are endangered, how long they live, etc. She has made it her mission in life to save the sea turtles from extinction and after her encounter on this day I believe she will accomplish that someday! We started our morning in Cozumel by diving into and swimming through the cenotes in Tulum which are naturally formed underwater sinkholes and caves--the longest underwater cave system in the world, in fact. It was thrilling and amazing but not quite as amazing as our second stop of the day when we snorkeled with sea turtles! It was truly magical for Kyndall and because it made her so happy, it made us happy too. She will certainly remember this day for a very long time!

We had to take a 30 minute ferry ride from the port over to the place where we would meet out guide for the day

On the bus, heading to our excursion

Cozumel has Sam's too!

We made it to the cenotes and as we were waiting to hike to our entry point, we found this bench which I truly believe was MADE for me!

These two wasted no time climbing to the top of the cliff and jumping off into the frigid water below!

Matthew and the Go Pro...ha!

We followed our guide as we swam up the cenote which was REALLY cold! Here's a video of us as we floated/swam...

Kyndall is a good swimmer but the required life jacket made it hard for her so I did some swimming while dragging her along! Definitely got my workout in for the day!

Pit stop during our swim to jump off another cliff...No fear in this girl!

We got out of the water and did some more hiking to the next entry point and along the way we spotted this iguana! Of course our animal loving girl wanted an up close encounter.

Down into the caves we go...

It was dark in the cenotes but you can see in this video a little bit of what it was like...

We made it to the other side!

Back at our bus and Kyndall found a stray dog--Of course!

A few minutes of free time before we loaded up on our bus. We enjoyed Mexican Cokes (so much better than Cokes in America!) while swinging and enjoying the breeze.

Another sign made just for me!

And one made just for Kyndall!

Our bus took us to our next stop where we would swim with the green sea turtles in this gorgeous water!

On the boat which took us out to the deeper water where we would jump off and look for turtles

Our guide helped us spot these!! It was amazing to see them in their natural habitat and of course Kyndall was beside herself with excitement!

Kyndall noticed that this little guy was missing a back flipper

Biting on a snorkel with braces is harder than I imagined!

Back on land and Kyndall bought this little ceramic turtle in the gift shop as a keepsake

She left her mark by drawing this sea turtle in the sand

The things you see in Mexican restrooms....

The streets of Cozumel were so pretty with these long stem roses hanging from above

Heading back to our ferry

Back at our ship

This was our second time in Cozumel so we recreated a picture from our last visit...

2020....

2018....

Rebels!

Our ship was SO big!

Our nightly routine after returning from an excursion--Showers and then watching the boat push off and leave the port before getting ready for dinner.

Wearing her new shirt from our snorkel excursion

On this night we actually opted to have a more casual dinner at the buffet rather than the dining room because we were pretty exhausted from our fun-filled day. After dinner we walked around the ship and played a little bit of ping pong.

It was about this point in our trip when we started hearing news from back home about how serious the Corona virus was becoming. Major sporting events were being cancelled, colleges were closing their doors and travel restrictions were becoming more and more strict. More positive cases were showing up in the US and each day more and more people were dying. I admit, it made me a little nervous but not because of being on the ship. I honestly felt safer on that ship where things were being meticulously cleaned non stop and people were being made to wash their hands than I did thinking about going back into the "real world"where there was nobody overseeing this. I was nervous about the situation with essential goods like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap and even certain groceries like meat, eggs, bread and milk. From what we were hearing the shelves were empty and people were starting to panic. But again, as long as we were on that ship I felt completely safe. We had everything we needed, including an endless supply of food and plenty of soap and toilet paper. The President was holding daily press conferences giving important updates about changes being made. I believe it was on this day of our trip when he ordered all cruise ships to stop sailing but he said that those already en route could finish their trips--that included us. I was relieved that we would be able to complete our vacation but it was weird knowing that as soon as we docked back in Port Canaveral, the Harmony of the Seas would be parked indefinitely.

Signs like this one were placed all around the ship, reminding passengers to take precautions and use good common sense. I appreciated this very much because I feel confident it was the efforts of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line that kept our family safe and healthy that week.

The headliner show that evening was a ventriloquist and we had front row seats once again so Kyndall brought her own puppet along to the show.

Each night they would place this piano man in one of the elevators on the ship, but you never knew which one he would be on. We were SO excited when the doors opened and we saw him on our elevator! We actually rode the elevator longer than we were supposed to just so we could enjoy him a little longer!

Here's a video of him in action...

Hughes Cruise day 5 was another perfect day spent in Costa Maya Mexico where we swam with dolphins! It goes without saying that once again Kyndall was in her element. The dolphins loved her and kept swimming up to her even when they weren't instructed to and when it wasn't her turn with them. Out of 20 people in the water they kept making their way over to her alone, as if they sensed her sweet animal loving spirit. It was amazing to watch! My life was also made complete when we indulged on homemade tortilla chips and fresh salsa with virgin pina coladas wile sitting next to the ocean. I can't think of anything better!

Of course she had to have a stuffed animal...

Browsing the shops in Costa Maya

This girl LOVES to shop and insisted that we stop at every single vendor.

Fresh chips and salsa, cold pina coladas and this gorgeous view. My idea of a perfect afternoon!

Back on the boat, showered and watching the push off from the port

Front row seats again for another ice show before dinner!

By this point in our trip our waiter no longer even handed Kyndall a menu but rather said "Will you be having the usual, Miss Kyndall?" She never got tired of the mayo and cheese sandwiches!

That night Kyndall went to kids camp while Matthew and I went to the adult only show at 10:30 pm

Hughes Cruise day 6 was a sea day and that meant more adventures around the ship.....

We had lunch at Johnny Rocket's

Kyndall played on the playground

Matthew went zip lining across the ship...

He said it was fun but didn't really care to do it again. Kyndall was bummed that she didn't meet the weight requirement or else she definitely would have tried it.

We helped judge the belly flop contest

Watched another performance at the aqua theater....

Spent way too much money in the arcade...

Had a snack in Central Park (of all the food on the ship these coconut cookies are my very favorite! I could eat them all!!)

That night was our second formal dinner so we got dressed up once again which is always fun.

Hughes Cruise day 7 was our very last day of vacation and we spent it at Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CoCo Cay and perfect it was! Matthew and Kyndall took a ride on the tallest water slide in North America and lived to tell about it. We relaxed on the beach, played in the water park, danced to live music, and best of all we sipped on more virgin pina coladas while eating warm funnel cake while sitting on the beach. I can't think of a more perfect ending to our wonderful week!

Matthew was so proud of his shirt and even more proud when a few people stopped him to ask for a picture!

In line for the water slides

The view from the top of the slides

My water slide buddy

Matthew on the speed slide

Just before tackling the tallest water slide in North America!

I myself did not attempt the tallest water slide in North America--I was happy just to watch!

Collecting shells

Cold pina coladas and warm funnel cake

She was more interested in feeding the stray chicken than eating her food! Typical Kyndall.

I love the water slides--Just not the tallest one in North America!

Matthew on the speed slide

Pushing off from the island

We had a few hours before dinner so we hit up the kid pool on the ship and Kyndall was excited to find that she had the entire thing all to herself! That never happens!

One of the best parts about taking a cruise is getting to know the cruise staff that takes such fantastic care of us all week long. Kyndall especially loved our stateroom attendant, Amilda. She called us by name and always had such nice things to say when we passed her in the hallways.

Our last night of getting dressed up for dinner

One last mayo and cheese sandwich

I was proud of her for agreeing to try my tiger shrimp. Although she was not a fan, this is a huge deal for this picky girl!

One last night of delicious desserts

Our head waiter, Nilesh was so good to us! He has a daughter about Kyndall's age back home in India who he misses very much which might be why he gave Kyndall such special attention.

Our stateroom attendant knew Kyndall loved sea turtles so she made a special towel creation just for her!

We met up with our amazing cruise director, Marc to say goodbye and thank him once more for giving is VIP treatment. Marc was especially excited because he'd be getting off the ship the next day with us for his seven week break after SIX MONTHS on the boat!

One last night at kids camp while we went to another show

One of our very favorite things to do is to explore the ship late at night when everyone else is asleep. It's so peaceful and kind of enchanting to feel like you have it all to yourself!

Normally we love when Saturdays roll around, but when you're on a cruise Saturday means you're only one day away from vacation ending!

We ate our body weight in pizza that week but we had to have one more slice at midnight on our last night.

We got off the boat bright and early Sunday morning and caught our bus back to the Orlando airport. It was so strange knowing that we were some of the last people on that boat and it is now out to sea indefinitely, until the President allows cruise lines to sail once again. I am so thankful for the timing of our trip!

We now needed a vacation from our vacation!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the week that we had. In the midst of such chaos I'm grateful for our little escape where we were happy and carefree and able to essentially tune out the mind numbing madness back home in the real world. We had been planning this trip for almost a year and while to most people the timing seemed awful, to us it was perfect.

We soon found out that schools would be closed the next week, extending our Spring Break into two weeks rather than one week. Kyndall was pretty excited about this and I admit that I was too, but it also made me realize just how serious this virus was becoming.

We made it back home late Sunday night, exhausted from our travels and not quite sure what the following week would hold. We had no food in the house due to being out of town and from what I had heard there wasn't much to be found in the stores and if you even wanted a fighting chance at finding anything, you'd have to be there when the stores opened up. So, first thing Monday morning I left Kyndall alone sleeping at home and headed to Kroger at 5:45 a.m. in order to be there when the doors opened at 6:00. I was shocked at what I saw and frankly I wasn't prepared for it. There was no bread, no meat, very few dairy goods and absolutely no paper products. Even things like spaghetti sauce, canned goods, bottled and frozen foods were in scarce supply. Tylenol, rubbing alcohol, cold medications, hand soaps, bleach and antibacterial wipes were also wiped out. It was like something out of a nightmare. Thankfully I was able to wait around until some of the shelves were restocked and I was able to get what our family needed, for the most part.

With so many schools across the country closing indefinitely, many states began announcing that they would not be going through with the end of year standardized testing. On March 16th the governor of Texas announced that he would be waiving this year's STAAR test. This would have been Kyndall's very first year to take the test and although she did excellent on the simulation a few weeks prior, she had still been stressing about this test for many months. I knew she would be SO relieved so when she came downstairs that morning I told her the happy news and I captured her reaction on video...

If you've been around me for any amount of time then you probably know that I'm a "germ juice" fanatic. With a compromised immune system I am always prepared with a bottle of Bath and Body Works germ juice hanging from my purse, plus a back up inside my purse should I run low. I go through it pretty quickly so for Christmas Matthew gave me a bulk order of the stuff halfway as a joke, not realizing that it would actually be a rare, coveted necessity just a few months later. Now, if only he had given me toilet paper for Christmas we'd really be set!

During that first week of school closures we weren't really sure what to expect as far as a plan from our school district. About halfway through the week they announced that school would be closed yet another week due to the growing threat of the virus. Forney Independent School District told us they would be putting into place "distance learning" plans but we weren't exactly sure what that entailed. Since schools were closed all over the nation, I began seeing lots of posts from fellow parents about the grand plans they had for their kiddos as they waited on instruction from their respective school districts. High fives to all those parents who were posting about their kids' strict daily schedules, creative learning strategies and amazing ways to conquer the quarantine boredom. My kid was eating breakfast at 1:00 pm because that's what time she work up. After that she would veg out on her ipad for a while and then play her Nintendo Switch until her eyes went blurry. We didn't even put on real pants for a few days. To each their own as we navigated these uncertain times. Everyone was doing the best they could, given the situation.

St. Patrick's Day tradition--A green breakfast, even if it was 1:00 pm!

Since there was no school, there was no bedtime and therefore we got to spend lots of extra quality time with Matthew.

At this time we were all being told to quarantine ourselves but we weren't under any strict orders to stay in our homes. However, Kyndall and I decided not to take any chances so we did not leave the house except to get outside in the neighborhood for some fresh air. More and more the term "social distancing" was used which basically meant to stay away from anyone who isn't normally a part of your household. We were advised to stay at least 6 feet away from other people if we went out in public and hand washing was pounded into our heads constantly. Slowly over the next week more and more restrictions were put in place and eventually our county was ordered to "shelter in place" which meant that unless you were an essential worker you were to stay in your home. The only exceptions were if you needed to get out for groceries or to get food from a restaurant. All restaurants were ordered to close their doors and could only offer drive through or curbside pick up. All non-essential businesses were ordered to close which included basically everything except grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and first responders. All theaters, gyms, churches, schools, bars, nail salons, dentist offices, etc were ordered to stop business until further notice. That's when things really started to sink in and I began to realize that what we had been seeing happen in foreign countries was slowly happening here too. Unfortunately with the closing of so many businesses the economy began to suffer and many people were laid off, furloughed or had their pay cut by a significant amount. As if the threat of a deadly disease wasn't enough, now many families had the added burden of financial stress upon them as well. As much as I hated the fact that Matthew is considered an essential worker and must continue to report to work each day, I am thankful that he still as a job and we have not been impacted financially.

Quarantine Chronicles—Week 1 ~ It’s now been an entire week since we’ve had any contact with the outside world, with the exception of Matthew who still has to report to work each day. We’re taking this social distancing thing pretty seriously and for good reason. This is some scary stuff for everyone, but especially for someone who is immunocompromised. So, we’ve stayed inside of our safe little bubble and made the best of a less than ideal situation. However, to my surprise this has been such a welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of our usual daily lives. It has essentially forced us to slow down and just be still which is not something we are typically very good at. I actually can‘t remember the last time we had a weekend with absolutely nothing on the calendar, let alone an entire week. It’s also been raining non stop for 83759 days so we’ve gotten pretty creative with the way we spend our time together. This chapter in our lives is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced (and hopefully never will again) but I pray that we come out of this with a deeper appreciation for the little things in life and a greater awareness of our need to just get back to the basics, which for us is our faith and our family. Nothing else in this life really matters outside of those two things and this experience has certainly reminded me of that. Despite the inconveniences and frustrations that this virus has caused I am choosing to see this extra time with the ones I love as an unexpected gift.

“Be STILL and know that I am God.” ~ Psalm 46:10

During one of our daily walks Kyndall discovered roly polies for the first time and of course she was fascinated by them.

One good thing about being confined to home is that it forced us to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather.

She also found a snail during our walk--I count this as our daily science lesson!

We had a craving for something sweet so made a quick trip to DQ for blizzards

Checking our neighbors' mail while they were out of town--Any excuse to get out of the house!

Kyndall found innovative new ways to entertain herself. When you can't build legos with your friend in person, you improvise and do it through FaceTime. Technology is great!

Our school district put a plan into place very quickly and helped us transition to virtual school for the foreseeable future. Each day Kyndall spent time completing assignments from her weekly checklist and "choice board" and then submitted them electronically to her teacher. Her teacher also checked in with her once a week for a one-on-one meeting via Zoom video conferencing and once a week the entire class jumped on a Zoom call so that they could all see each other and catch up. Side note--I am SO glad we bought her this laptop for Christmas. She wanted it and we said it was a waste of money but boy has it been an essential pat of her distance learning!

Doing her school work on the laptop while FacTiming her classmate Katie on the ipad who was also working on the same school work--genius use of technology!

We decided to decorate our house for Easter, even though we knew nobody would be allowed in to even see it. Still, it helped us keep a sense of normalcy during this weird time. We filled our home with all the pretty Easter things in order to remind us that Jesus came back once and He is coming again VERY soon!

Matthew's Mom gave me these sweet salt and pepper shakers while I was in the hospital over Easter weekend in 2010. I was 12 weeks pregnant and my liver started acting up for the first time. I was so disappointed that we wouldn't be able to travel home for Easter, but our parents all came to Charleston to be with us instead and Mrs. Jody went down to the hospital gift shop and bought these for me as a little Easter gift. I'll never forget that and I love pulling them out each year at Easter and recalling that special memory.

Kyndall decorated her craft room for Easter too

Pants are optional during the quarantine but chores are not!

Where she chooses to do her school work each day

Doing our part to support local businesses--This yummy pie shop had just opened a few weeks before the virus forced restaurants to close their dining rooms. But this pie shop has a drive through! Key lime pie for the win!

I cannot even remember the last time we've had a Saturday with no plans. I definitely did not hate having an entire weekend with nowhere to be!

Cinnamon rolls for breakfast

More school work

Saturday afternoon yard work--Everyone has a job around here

Distracted by more roly polys

Little known fact--I LOVE doing yard work! Mama got a new toy to make trimming much easier!

Social distancing was quickly becoming my new favorite weekend activity

Supporting another local business with take out for dinner. Pizzas so cheap that I let everyone get their own! Working on our "quarantine 15" weight gain!

Movie night

With the doors of the church closed we found new ways to continue our Sunday morning online and from the comfort of our bed!

This is what church looks like when you're social distancing

We even had Sunday School with our small group via Zoom. Where there's a will, there's a way!

In our boredom Kyndall convinced us to have an early Easter egg hunt inside the house, complete with a golden prize egg

Passing the time playing the X Box

Hanging out with Bob the Beta fish

Reading a National Geographic book about sea turtles to her Nonie on FaceTime

Kyndall chose DQ as her golden Easter egg prize so off we went in our pajamas for some ice cream!

We broke out the old school Nintendo and I showed them my super mario skills. It may have been decades since I last played this thing but somehow I remembered how!

Thanks to the magic of technology Kyndall was able to be reunited with her teacher and her classmates that she has missed SO much over the last few weeks. They gathered as a class and shared their "good things" as they always do on regular school days and Mrs. Bailey even read them a story. She encouraged them and uplifted them and told them how much she loves and misses them. I am so thankful for an amazing school district and a wonderful teacher who have worked hard to make the transition to virtual learning as easy as possible for the kiddos.

Quarantine Chronicles—Week 2....

It’s now been 14 days since Kyndall and I have left our home or had any contact with anyone other than Matthew. Earlier this week our city went into a mandatory shelter in place but like many others, Matthew is considered essential so he must continue reporting to work each day.

There is no denying that this virus has turned everyone’s lives upside down. It has crashed the economy and broken our healthcare system. It has filled hospitals and emptied public spaces. It has separated people from their work places, their schools, their friends and their loved ones. This invisible enemy has disrupted modern society on a scale that most people have never witnessed in their lifetime. Soon, almost everyone will know someone who has been infected. Three months ago none of us knew that COVID-19 existed and we certainly had no idea that it would soon be a serious and terrifying threat to every human on the planet. Just a few weeks ago the term “social distancing” was a phrase we had never even heard of and now it’s a fundamental part of our daily vocabulary. Much like WW II or the 9/11 attacks this pandemic has already imprinted itself upon our nation’s history.

Ready or not, we’ve all been thrust into these unpredictable and unprecedented times and it is very easy (and natural) to feel sad, angry, scared and confused. I am generally a “glass half full” type of girl but at certain moments I have found myself literally paralyzed with fear and overcome with uncertainty as my mind was consumed with thoughts of “what if”.

In an effort to regain control of my thoughts and find my peace again I adopted a new motto and way of life for our family which is “Find the Good•Be the Good” I’ve been making a strong effort to look for the good in all of this and I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was, once I adopted this new way of thinking. And...if we can’t find the good, we are making an effort to BE the good. So, here are a few GOOD things we found/did this week....

•We have spent SO much great family time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We’ve ridden our bikes gone fishing done yard work decorated the driveway with sidewalk chalk and even enjoyed a couple of breathtaking sunsets This abundance of precious family time has been an absolute gift and such a refreshing change from our usual busy schedules.

•We have jumped head first into virtual school with lots of Zoom meetings with Kyndall’s teacher and even her classmates. Seeing her laugh and interact with her school friends through the safety of a laptop screen was like medicine for my soul. When these kiddos left for spring break three weeks ago they had no idea it would likely be the last time they would see one another again in a classroom setting. Although we are still adjusting to our “new normal” as far as virtual homeschooling goes, I am really enjoying getting to spend this extra time with my girl each day.

•We live in the best neighborhood and that is never more obvious than in times like these. One of our neighbors set up a sharing table in her driveway in which families can donate things they don’t need or pick up an item that they do need. It has been such a blessing to see this table getting more and more full each day and we were thankful to have a surplus of some items that we were able to donate.

•Our neighborhood also organized a “bear hunt” in which participants placed teddy bears in their windows, out in their yards, even in their vehicles so that families could take their kiddos around looking for bears. Some of our neighbors got very creative and it was so much fun seeing all of the cute ideas while also getting out and getting some fresh air and exercise.

•In keeping with the theme of how awesome our neighborhood is, today we were able to participate in a drive by “birthday parade” to honor all of the kids who have upcoming birthdays that are stuck at home with canceled party plans. Those with birthdays stood in their driveway as the caravan of decorated cars passed by honking, clapping and cheering in their honor. It was the most heartwarming thing I have been a part of in a very long time and it brought so much joy to all involved!

•We’ve done a LOT of FaceTime and Zoom calls with our friends and family and we’ve used the magic of technology to still attend church and small group bible study. I even hopped on a Zoom call with my church girlfriends on Saturday morning just because we miss each other so much and wanted to catch up! Keeping these connections has made the sting of distancing ourselves a little less painful.

When all of this is over (which I pray is soon) my sincere desire is that I continue living my life in a way that seeks to find the good in every situation and if I can’t find the good in my circumstances then I will remember to BE the good. As I tell Kyndall...every day may not be good but there is something good in every day.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Quality Daddy/Daughter time

Our neighborhood offers incredible views of downtown Dallas and sunset is my favorite time to admire it!

Not a part of her actual school work, but Mama decided it was time she brushed up on her money counting skills.

Huckabee loves to sit in the window of Kyndall's loft and watch the neighborhood

These two refuse to social distance themselves

We called my Grandma on FaceTime and Kyndall drew her a picture while they were chatting and then we snail mailed it to her.

We've watched a lot of Animal Planet--no surprise there

I surprised our sea turtle loving girl by adopting a real live sea turtle named LuLu that she can track each day. She has loved logging on and seeing how far LuLu has traveled.

Checking in with her teacher

I hope this doesn't count as cheating!

Lest you think virtual home school is all sunshine and rainbows...this is how she really feels about having me as her teacher.

One of our neighbors is a photographer and he captured this shot of Matthew and Kyndall the night they were out fishing in the neighborhood pond

Our bear for the neighborhood "bear hunt"

We left an important message for the neighborhood...and the world!

The artist at work

Daddy got the dreaded job of putting together her new robot that she won as a prize for her school fundraiser

Another Zoom call with her classmates

Our new family motto on display for us to see each day

We dropped off a few things at our neighborhood sharing table

For Kyndall the hardest part of this whole social distancing thing has been looking out her window and seeing her best friend outside playing but knowing she can't play with her. She understands the reason but that doesn't make it any easier when I have to tell her no. On this particular day they met in the park in front of our house where they chatted and giggled and socialized from a safe distance. Kyndall even drew a 6 foot chalk line to make sure they were following the rules--Ha!

Nightly walks with the whole family

On Saturday mornings I hop on a Zoom call with my girlfriends from church. It's not quite the same as visiting in person, but it definitely fills the void!

When you have an entire Saturday with no plans, you start marking things off your ongoing to-do list. In our case it was cleaning out the garage. These two supervised.

Matthew put our cool new bike lights on our bike wheels

A relaxing Saturday night--It's been too long since we had a night like this!

A girl and her dog....and the Dude Perfect show

Making signs for the neighborhood birthday parade

Math lesson/breakfast preparation all wrapped into one!

Ready for the neighborhood birthday parade

In all this free time she's found a new love for basketball and says she might even want to play next season. Who is this kid?!

How I spend most of my days...

On Sunday afternoons Matthew and I have our marriage Bible study via Zoom

The driveway is basically her canvas these days

We've done a lot of family bike rides

Watching her Girls in Action leader from church conduct their usual Sunday night class via Facebook live

Quarantine Chronicles—Week 3

April distance brings May existence!

It’s now been 21 days since Kyndall and I have left our home. Matthew continues to report to work each day but his hours have gotten much longer and some nights he doesn’t get home until almost 10:00 pm, making for a 15 hour workday. But, we are continuing to make the best of it by upholding our family motto, “Find the good~Be the good” Most days it still feels a lot like summer break...that is until we turn on the news and we’re quickly reminded of the reality we’re living in.

We’re still embracing the virtual homeschool way of life and our typical day goes something like this....I wake Kyndall up and forcefully remove her from her bed around 10:30 am She eats breakfast while I read our daily Bible devotion and we discuss it and then I send her upstairs to write in her journal for 30 minutes while I get a chore or two done. I join her upstairs in our “classroom” and she uses her virtual choice board to pick her assignments for the day and and I oversee her while simultaneously popping in and out to tackle my own to-do list. We practice math facts together each day for 15 minutes using flash cards that I made and she also reads independently for 30 minutes every day. We can usually knock all of this out in about two hours and then she spends the rest of the day doing basically wherever she wants. If it’s nice outside we go fishing, ride bikes, go for a walk, play with sidewalk chalk or sit on the back porch. She also spends a lot of time FaceTiming with her friends, the Grandparents or her cousin. We do a lot of crafts, watch a lot of Dude Perfect and eat a lot of snacks. She checks in with her teacher via Zoom each Thursday for a one-on-one meeting and each Friday the whole class jumps on Zoom to share their “good things” and socialize. We’re pretty lenient on her bedtime and since she’s such a night owl most nights it’s close to midnight when I finally make her go to bed. We wake up the next day and do it all over again! Obviously all of her extra curricular activities are on hold so she’s really missing her art lessons, her sewing class, gymnastics and her Sunday church activities—kids choir and GAs. With all of this extra time the two of us have I’ve decided that I want to teach her something new each week, specifically a life skill that I am normally just too busy to tackle. This week we started with some basic cooking lessons in the kitchen.

Sadly, we officially canceled our plans to travel home for Easter this past week. Although we knew it was coming, canceling the flights home to Florida just made it a little more real. This will be the first Easter in my entire 37 years that I haven’t been with my family and that just feels so strange. But, whether we’re able to travel or not doesn’t change the reason for the season and we are grateful for a risen Savior who still reigns even in the midst of such uncertain times.

In this crazy season of life where hugs and kisses have suddenly become weapons and not visiting family and friends is an act of love I have found a few ways to keep my peace and remain hopeful despite being inundated with so much negativity and sadness. Maybe they will help you too? The main thing I do is turn OFF the news except once a day when I check in and get the latest update. I keep praise music playing from my phone throughout the house all day long I look forward to watching Ellen with Kyndall each afternoon because she can ALWAYS make us laugh I try to get outside and get fresh air and sunshine every single day I journal my thoughts and feelings as a form of a therapeutic brain dump which also doubles as a time capsule for this chapter of my life that I want to always remember. I spend time in God’s word, reminding myself of the promises He’s made and clinging to the hope of what’s to come. And just for fun I belt out at least one Celine Dion classic every day because...well, she just makes me happy.

Week 3 has been a full one and we’re looking forward to entering Holy Week, as we will have an entirely new perspective on it this year.

“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the Earth. The Lord has spoken.” ~Isaiah 25:8

The daily struggle of my 9 year old college student who just wants to sleep all day

Working hard on her choice board activities

Trying out some Pinterest craft ideas--We melted pony beads to turn them into sun catchers

It worked pretty well except for the black teflon from the pan that stuck to them

Our cooking lessons started out pretty basic with some instant pudding. You've gotta start somewhere!

The dogs wanted to practice math facts too!

Getting our daily dose of happiness in the form of an hour with Ellen

Doing her part to keep the sidewalk in front of our house happy and beautiful

Homeschool art class--Ha!

I decided to see what the dogs would do if I stuffed them in my bike basket....

They ended up loving it!

My favorite way to spend an evening. So very thankful for this slower pace of life which allows for moments like these!

Dude Perfect's biggest fan

We think Huckabee might be part cat

Another gorgeous Texas sunset!

A mom in the neighborhood posted on the group Facebook page that her daughter was very sad about having to cancel her birthday party so she asked if any kiddos would like to make some cards and drop them off. We had never met this family but we gladly dropped off some cards and goodies for this sweet girl and we now have a new friend to play with once all of this is over!

Anything goes these days--Including eating dinner in the brand new room which is typically a big no no

Masks are now in high demand and we have been encouraged to wear them. It's not mandatory at this time but it is encouraged as a means to help slow the spread. Disposable masks cannot be found anywhere so many people have started sewing cloth masks. Kyndall's sweet sewing teacher Mrs. Dian is one of those people. She has sewn several thousand masks and is giving them away for free.

When she put this shirt on I couldn't help but laugh. I'm not sure "magical" is exactly the right word these days!

This girl has taken this homeschool stuff to an entirely new level. She now rings this bell anytime she needs me and she fully expects me to come running. Am I a teacher or a butler??

During their Zoom meeting this week, Kyndall's class had a scavenger hunt which was SO fun!

One of the items was a salt and pepper shaker. Here they are holding them up!

Of course my mask is monogrammed!

Each day we go around the house wiping down and sanitizing all of the doorknobs, light switches, drawer pulls, etc. She's gotten pretty good at helping me tackle the germs!

These things are super hard to come by these days so I was really excited when Matthew was able to find them!

Matthew wanted to try out the "no sew" homemade mask trick. He did pretty good!

Saturday morning nerf wars...

Followed by a drawing contest

Supporting our favorite local businesses. All dining rooms are closed but take out is still available and encouraged in order to keep these places open.

I had a craving for chocolate pie so we supported two local businesses that night!

We may be in the middle of a global pandemic but the Hughes family created our own happiness by pretending we're still in the Caribbean drinking virgin pina coladas. (And one of us refuses to take off our cruise wrist band despite being on dry land for three weeks!)

Perspective--Six years ago this week, this was our reality. As bad as things seem now, I'm so thankful for how far we've come!

One of Kyndall's assignments for GA's at church was to write a note of encouragement to someone who might need it. She chose her Aunt Kelly since she was still having to work and be exposed to possible germs.