Covid....yep, I said it. Life changing.

Covid.

Yep I said it. Life changing is an understatement in this season. Yes, there have been struggles but there have also been so many positives. The end of March saw the world slow down. I went on furlough for work from a job of almost 17 years. We took our boys out of daycare since I was home everyday, and thinking it would be a safer environment for them. The daycare my boys go to closed 1 center but left the other open for essential families. So for 2 months Tommy and Kyle stayed home with me. It was a scary time. Not knowing how the pandemic would progress but also an extremely special and blessed time. I got to see them grow each day. Learn new things and play better together as brothers. I took on a new role as teacher and we had school time everyday. Yes, we weren’t consistent. Some days we missed. Some days they were all over the place and learning became extremely frustrating, some days just clicked and they really dug in to their A, B, C’s and 1, 2, 3’s. There were days we laid on the couch all day watching movies, days we went on 4 walks just to get their energy out. It was just a time of being together and I am grateful for that time.

Other things that changed during this quarantine time… I found Bailey Sarian and learned different ways to do my makeup, different techniques, different products and fell in love with Murder, Mystery and Makeup Mondays. Setting powder? I can honestly say until April I didn’t know what that was. I also bought my first full set of makeup brushes. I had to label them all, and I can’t keep track of what to use for what, but I have options now. Makeup is fun. Never would have thought I would say that. Working in a restaurant you have a uniform. You wear the same thing every day. I didn’t spend a bunch of time on my makeup. I didn’t wear any of my James Avery or nicer jewelry. No cowboy boots or cute shoes. Jeans, T-shirt and non-slip shoes was the daily. I honestly forgot what jewelry I had and the fact that I have like 10 beautiful pairs of boots I never wear. Its fun to get to “dress up” every day. Today I put on my favorite turquoise and black cowboy boots and thought hey I have a turquoise necklace, then thought wait I have a bracelet that matches too. Granted, I actually have to put some thought into what I wear everyday but makeup, clothes and jewelry are fun again!

What things have changed in your life during this new season? Did you learn a new craft or pick up on a new hobby? Have you spent more time with your family? More time talking on the phone having conversations with extended loved ones you hadn’t been able to see? Covid has brought forth lots of hardships but also has slowed down the fast pace of life and allowed us to really prioritize what and who is important.

Embrace the little things in life, for the little things are often the biggest things.