Email Update January 18, 2021
Thanks for your updates - we loved reading them and hearing what is happening with everyone. Can't believe college is near for so many of your kids! The time sure passes fast!
We have some family news (unless Mom already broke it to you all - which knowing Mom, I'm sure she did ;)) - we caught the Covid (or more accurately, it caught us). As you know, there is a spectrum of "carefulness" with this virus, and everyone is at a different point on the continuum. To quote Joshua: As for me and my house...we have been quite careful. :) We've been able to avoid the rona so far, and have been pretty strict about wearing masks whenever we're with people. Ani and Layla go to school, but they are really great about wearing their masks and Danielle and Noe and me hang out at home and are careful if/when we need to go out.
Danielle had an orthodontist appointment last week and that was really our only time out of the house for a while. The ortho tech did scans of her teeth and had her mouth open for 30 minutes or so with lots of tools and scanners, etc. Last Sunday, Danielle started feeling sick (chest pain, fever, fatigue) and drove herself to get tested the next day. We got her test results back at night and she promptly kicked me out of the bedroom (for the first time in 14 years). Since then, she has been locked up like Rapunzel in her tower, with her only companion being Roxy (who is not as fun as Rapunzel's pal Pascal). The girls and I got tested (we actually hoped for positive tests so we could all just quarantine together at home) but all of our tests came back negative.
Isolation has been hard! Turns out... Danielle does A LOT for our family and I'm not loving the single parenting gig. The girls clothes don't match. Their hair looks...well..."fundementalist?" (I only know how to do braids and ponytails). Their diets have been mostly Cap'n Crunch and the donuts and lasagna that friends and neighbors have brought us. I'm counting down the days to January 20th (not only to see my least favorite adult baby out of office but) because I get my wife back and my kids get their favorite parent back.
Danielle is doing pretty well and is recovering more each day. Her chest still hurts and her sense of taste and smell is all messed up - with the only clear taste being salt. The girls have made her sweet love notes every day, and I bring her food three times a day -- so it's pretty much prison life for her. Do prisoners have Netflix? At least we have that going for us. We did Come Follow Me via Facetime, and we've all made Danielle some "scavenger hunts" for her to work out. I tried to make one VERY hard, with 10, pretty tough clues, but she cracked it in about 3 hours.
So, that's our family news. Our neighbors and Danielle's parents have taken good care of us dropping food and treats off, and the weather has been nice enough for me and the girls to play in the yard everyday.
Thanks for the shout-out about my article Shane. :) Funny story about that - I wrote it like 4 months ago, but someone on the Church website side held it specifically for this week since it complemented the Come, Follow Me lesson. Well, yesterday morning my buddy texted me and said "No! I just found this article on the the Church homepage and I'm literally giving this SAME talk today in Church! I won't even read yours until after I give mine because I don't want it to influence my talk!" He gave his talk and it was identical. A bunch of people from the ward texted me during the meeting and said "What is the Church's policy on plagiarism?" :)
Our other news from this week is that we decided to refinance our mortgage and re-financed into a 15-year loan at 2.0 percent. When we did it, we used Shane's company's software to process the loan and it was great! The loan officer said this was the lowest interest rate she had ever locked, so we feel good about it. :)
We hope you're all doing well and staying safe. Love you all!
D&D&A&L&N&R
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Replies~
Wendy: Sorry to hear that Danielle has Covid! Having taste and smell messed up isn't good for anyone, but especially for a gourmet chef! All our family has their taste and smell back except Josh, and it has been over two months so I am starting to worry a little. Boy, quarantine sounds rough! We were not that strict at all at home, but of course that is probably why we all got it! Great job on the article!!
Jen:I'm still completely shocked that our family has been spared so far (knock on wood). I don't know that we have been that careful. I mean we do all wear masks as required and such, but with Colton's basketball ... and especially when half the team got hit over Christmas break (and they had all been together for a bowling activity and out to eat after). Gray has had a few near misses at work (in meetings with coworkers/clients who found out they were positive). Keaton has still been working, and somewhat social. Coop works at the elementary and I still shop and have my Zumba class (we are super spread out though, even today, when we had all our regulars, that was 11 people, with plenty of space in-between). I can't even comprehend the loss of taste. With my picky eating habits, there is this sense of "what if" with me ... could I then eat some of the things I don't now, or does everything else still apply (with smell gone too though) ... but sight, anticipation of texture, and just MY mind block about things. Could I eat things if I knew I couldn't taste? Eat something healthy like a salad? Something normal, like a hamburger? We have wondered what to do if someone in the family tested positive - if we would quarantine them to a room. Are you sleeping on the couch then Derek? ♥Jen
Derek: Thanks Wendy and Jen! Yeah, the sense of smell and taste have been rough - makes food so unenjoyable for her! I can't believe it's been more than two months for Josh! Yikes! That sounds miserable! Haha - Jen, I think you need to eat a few of those things if this ever gets you and you lose your sense of taste! Later, we might do a blind taste test with Danielle with different kinds of candy or foods to see if she can tell what it is! I'm so surprised when some people get it, and others don't - but at least Danielle will be able to do a little more outside of the house after she's had it (for a few months anyway). I was sleeping on a little extra mattress for a few days (outside of the room), but last night I told Ani and Layla they had to have a "sleepover" so I could take Layla's room. :) I'm very excited to be invited back to my bedroom soon!
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