COVID 19 - Shelter in place, at a hotel

Now it's Sunday, March 22nd and we are checked into a local hotel. It seems as if we might be the only people at the hotel, which gives me relief that first, we are not annoying any other patrons and second, that we are not worried about catching or spreading the virus, so long as we keep our hands clean of course.

The first night was probably the hardest. Those of you with kids, especially those under 10, know how hard it is to get them to sleep in a hotel room. There's just too much excitement. It was probably 11:00 before all the kids were asleep. I crashed with them, but new sleeping arrangements provided many fitful sleepers. Jonathan and I were probably up together from two to four AM stressing about everything. Should we go home and clean up? Did we do the right thing, not getting second opinions? How are we going to pay for this? How long should we stay at the hotel? It was a long anxious, sleepless night.

The kids were up bright and early that first Monday morning. Did I mention our first full day in the hotel was also a busy work day for me? My employer, a bank, is an essential service. My work didn't stop. Instead it accelerated. We started preparing for upcoming changes while not yet feeling the economic impacts of the soon to be named "Great Lockdown". I was right in the middle of launching an 18 month long project that, as of now, is not expected to see the light of day for a long, long time.

They wanted breakfast, they wanted the pool, they wanted to explore, they wanted all the things. Honestly a month later, I'm trying to remember all the details but I think my brain is protecting me from remembering all the anxiety inducing aspects. I do remember the grace my friends and family showed and shared with me.

I worked. The kids swam. Joe ignored nap time. Jonathan managed the construction site at home. The dog came and went from the hotel. And I worked some more. I had conference calls from the pool, from the room, and pacing the hallways just trying not to get locked out of the hotel room (which did happen).

The staff was amazing, and became our hotel family. They tried to maintain all their normal services while maintaining social distancing restrictions. The morning breakfast was limited to danishes, fruit and coffee/juice. The eating area was closed off, but since we were almost the ONLY guests, they let us pull the chairs down and sit at a table like a normal family.

One of the perks they offered was a daily happy hour with wine and snacks. They graciously called us in our room to let us know when the cookies were warm from the oven, dubbing one of the employees forever in our hearts, "the cookie lady".

Still at the end of March, getting outside was only an option for one of those rare spring Ohio days. We rejoiced in the sunshine and walked around the commercial park on a rock hunt.

We were at the hotel from Sunday, March 22nd through Thursday March 26th. I wish could say that weekend was one of celebration, but instead we had two weeks of laundry, a sink full of dishes and muddy floors from many construction boots in and out of basement.

It also took a while for me to gain some control over my anxiety, given that huge expenses are usually a personal trigger.

I am so thankful that Jonathan handled all the construction logistics, negotiations and worked with ALL the subcontractors that were involved. He made sure all of the details were taken care of, the job was done well and the basement was SANITIZED. I know he probably doesn't know how much I appreciated it, considering I was losing my mind and yelling at him that he was running away from the hotel.That was me deflecting because I WANTED TO RUN AWAY. Being trapped in a hotel is NOT FUN.

I really do think the kids will remember it more as spring break and swimming, even if my memory is stunted due to the amount of my own anxiety and pressure. So now, we're back home and have been for a month. What does that look like? Well I'll need an entire new post to share my thoughts, reactions and opinions on how we are 'handling' this....

COVID-19 - the sewage story

So yeah,

This is one for the ages.We are currently under orders from the government to shelter-in-place as a public health crisis of a world pandemic is upon us.I'm sure once this is over, or once we have a vaccine, there will be all kinds of views of how this impacted the world and the economy.

But for posterity's sake, this is about what we're experiencing right here, right now. School was canceled the week of March 16 for three weeks. Earlier this week, the closure was extended to May 1. There is a lot of doubt that the kids will go back this year. Our dear Nonnie also had to close March 23 through May 1 as well. 

So what does that mean for us. It means I am working from home for a bank (an essential service during this time of crisis). Jonathan is not working. And we have lesson plans for the Caroline and Maggie so they don't fall behind. 

As you gathered from my previous post I was feeling pretty sorry for myself because my big 40th birthday party was cancelled. No going out, no spa day, no time with my parents. I was sad, but that quickly turned into anxiety about all the small businesses that I know will not survive this. I quickly got over any self-pity and decided to take it all on - the work from home, co-parenting, teacher, toddler-wrangler and number-one mom.

It was Sunday, March 22 and I was motivated. (Total tangent this was the day that Jonathan and I met in Panama City 19 years ago!!) After a big breakfast for the whole family, I headed downstairs to start the mounds of laundry. 

I opened the door and was smacked in the face with stink. I pushed it away and went to discover what had died in our basement. I round the corner of the stairs to make out in the dark that the floor was wet and.... chunky. I pulled the string light on to see POOP. Solid turds resting on my basement floor as if the dog had been defecating in the basement. The only reason I knew this was not the case was the toilet-paper remains in the water that soaked the cement. 

I ran up the stairs, yelling "WE HAVE A PROBLEM! THERE IS POOP IN THE BASEMENT!" Obviously, I wasn't thinking. This proclamation only spiked their curiosity and drove all within earshot (everyone) down the stairs to see for themselves. 

After freaking out, calling anyone we could for help, confirming that they would come THAT DAY, the poop jokes, questions and accusations started...

Those aren't my poops, they must be stranger poop

They can't be the kids poop, it's too big

HOW did they come up from the drain fully formed? 

HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST 

Should we try and clean it up before someone comes to fix the problem?

The first person on the scene was Keenan. We greeted him at the door with all the gratitude and thanks. Keenan even jumped in on the jokes - "wow, those are some fresh turds." That comment struck me because I wondered what he usually sees when responding to a sewage backup? Stale turds? A question for another day...

Keenan outlined the options for us and the one that was recommended was cleaning the entire line with a blade (really just a high powered water jet). Yes, yes and yes - just fix the problem.

About an hour later reinforcements arrived to do the dirty work. As is typical fashion, Jonathan had a connection with the head of the crew. He had worked with his wife. Through the small talk, we learned that he was also a friend of Buck's. I think it was more divine intervention than happy accident that this Marine was the head of the crew.

As the crew got to work clearing the pipes, I busied the girls with tablets, shut Khali in the kennel, put Joe to bed for a nap and generally stayed out of their way. A flurry of activity ensued, including shouting to turn things on, people up and down the basement stairs and even some shouting. I tried to imagine this is all normal unless they tell me otherwise. The flurry calmed down and I hoped they were solving the problem.

They did not solve the problem, instead they FOUND the problem. The head of the crew came to find me. He didn't mince words, "you're screwed". I quickly grabbed Jonathan before I let him say any more. I needed us both to hear the extent of our screwage at the same time. My anxiety was already screaming in my face and I was fighting to ignore it.

He took us out to the back yard, right outside the house and pointed to a spray painted spot on the ground, only 2 feet from the foundation.

"The pipe is crushed. This is where we think it's crushed"

More words

"It could be crushed in other places in the yard."

More words.

"We have to dig. Homeowners insurance usually doesn't cover anything outside of the house. Just to dig costs $6,000 and then the remaining fees depend on what other problems we find"

More words.

Jonathan negotiating.

Anxiety screaming,

"The earliest we can have an excavation team here is Thursday."

Wait WHAT? Even that last statement made my anxiety shut up for a second. We are under shelter in place orders and have NO INDOOR PLUMBING with three little kids?

Considering how my mind was racing, I was surprised that I was able to calmly ask, "How are we supposed to go to the bathroom in the meantime?"

His response was akin to a shoulder shrug. I think he said something along the lines of let it sit in the toilet and don't flush....

At that point I told Jonathan to take over and excused myself before I melted into a pile of tears and anxiety. I went up to my bedroom and crawled into bed paralyzed with what to do next.

All the while the girls were annoying everyone on the internet with video calls through an app that I installed for distraction. Bubby and Grandpa were two of lucky recipients of the incessant call attempts. I should also add that the family was very aware of my current status because of the frantic WTF texts I was sending.

From the girls room I hear Grandpa, in his dad voice, instruct Maggie to bring the tablet to her mom. She brings it to me and I facetime with Dad as he tells me he's booked us a hotel for the night with adjoining rooms and a pool for the kids. No arguing, just go.

I cried with relief, exhaustion and gratitude to have someone just make the next decision. Thank you Mom and Dad.

The story will continue in the next post COVID-19 - Shelter in Place, Hotel Style

Turning 40 during a worldwide pandemic

This is the post I wrote when it all started, before the drama of the following three weeks ensued.

Watch for the next post shortly.


Written March 19 - 2020
Here I am, at home, where I shall be for the next three weeks AT LEAST. The Corona virus, COVID-19 has been named a pandemic. As I type this, here is the heart of the country, Ohio has closed all school, all major business with the exception of groceries, banks and hospitals. The restaurant industry is forced to only allow carryout. The financial markets are threatening to drop as fast as they did in the great depression. Interest rates are at 0%, but who can borrow money when they don't have a job to pay back the loan?

I am lucky that I work for a bank. Right now our focus is on crisis communication and digging deep to see what programs we can pull together to help the communities. Other than that, all initiatives have been halted. So I'm here, at home, with my whole family, trying to keep a sense of normalcy that is the last illusion of control over our lives. 

It feels like every day the pendulum of how I'm feeling emotionally swings dramatically and quickly from one side to the other. 

One moment I'm feeling safe, secure and purposeful. We'll ride this out for a couple weeks, weather the storm, protect those that are susceptible and be thankful we're in a position to do so. 

The next moment I'm reading scary reports of the death tolls in Italy, watching the stock market drop by double digit percentage points and thinking life will never be normal again. 

Just as quickly JoJo asks for a hug and I'm back to grateful that this virus is sparing most of the young children. 

Oh yeah, and yesterday was my 40th birthday. I mad a big fuss about my birthday this year, wanting to do something fun and different that included a night on the town. Well that didn't happen. And I'm really ok with that. The most frustrating part is all the people that said we'll get together when this is over. No we wont. I know that as quickly as this all began, we're going to want to erase it from our memory. Life will get busy again. People will be busy with their preoccupations and life will go on. I'm sure it was meant to be, but I'm going to feel sorry for myself all the same and admit that I"m disappointed.




  Added today,  4/7/20 - wow, I sound like a whiny baby. Little did I know, my plumbing had a lovely birthday present in store for me....