COVID-19 Quarantine Day 141 – 08032020:
Well, here we are again. Another four weeks have passed – we are at 20 weeks so far. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s been that long. Jacob is still working from home and I’m still bored out of my mind. I miss my friends. I miss going places. I was watching In The Dark on Netflix and Murphy and her friends were hanging out at a bar and it made me realize how much I miss just being able to go to the bar and people watch. I’ve always liked that but I never thought I’d miss it…Well, I do. I’ve seen a few more friends recently, which has been amazing for my mental health, but I feel like it’s never enough. And it’s just not the same. It’s hard to explain, so I’m not even going to try.
Let’s talk about something better – like our little getaway to Catalina Island for the weekend early last month! It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING to go somewhere, I had a great time, made a new friend (Regina, the Park Ranger at Hermit Gulch), and I cannot wait to go back! Camping at Hermit Gulch in Avalon was definitely a new experience for me because the last time I was in Avalon we stayed at Hotel Atwater the night before we started our trek to backpack the Trans Catalina Trail, but the campground had running water which meant showers and real toilets, so I didn’t miss anything. Although we mostly ate in Avalon, I got a chance to try my new jetboil stove at the campground and I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of it! Then I made the mistake of letting a neighbor camper borrow it because he needed to boil some water and he ruined my stove. :-( I mean, it still works, but it was brand new and now it’s … damaged. He paid for the part he ruined so at least there’s that. I learned from Regina that I should’ve offered to boil his water instead of letting him borrow my stove, but hey – now I know for next time!
The weekend was not enough time to be there so we are already planning to go back - hopefully soon! I don’t know how things are now but when we were there, most of the restaurants in Avalon were open for take out or delivery and some offered beachside dining which we really enjoyed! The beach was amazing and we got lots of sun! Walking back and forth from the campground to Avalon meant we logged over 50000 steps in the 3 days we were there – but it was all worth it! And we also got a little hike on the TCT which reminded me of my backpacking trip with Jess and Fred five years ago. That was so much fun! Let’s do it again, ladies!!!
After the weekend in Catalina, we had to go back to real life. Jess had made appointments for us to go donate blood, which included a COVID-19 antibody test, at the Red Cross. It was Jacob’s first time donating blood and he did great! It took about a week for us to get our antibodies results and Spoiler Alert: we all got negative results. It’s all good though, we did a good deed, and me being an O- my blood is sought after, so I’m glad I was able to help. If you are able to, please go donate blood. It’s always needed no matter what blood type you are, but if you’re O- like me, it’s needed even more, so please, go donate!
We recently got the chance to see our friends Fred and Ali, and baby Alia, and it was great to do so after not seeing them for like five months!!! At the end of the evening after dinner and catching up, Jacob and I drove back home and my heart was happy. I really miss my friends. I know I’ve said this already, but I do. Alia is getting bigger by the minute and I love watching her grow. I hope to see them again soon.
I am still logging miles and this time around I got over 67 miles. Not too bad I’d say, but then again, I have something to keep me moving now! I signed up for not one, but two virtual races!!! The Mermaid Series Virtual Run Across California started on July 18th and I have until October 26th to log 200 miles – walking, running, or hiking! I also signed up for the Virtual TransRockies Run that started today - so I logged my first 12 miles for it this morning! That one ends on August 17th, so I have 15 days to log 120 miles…Wheeew! Let’s do this! Having these virtual races has kept me moving even when I don’t feel like doing anything. I’m hoping to be able to find different places to log my miles so I don’t get bored. And yes, lots of books will be listened to on Audible to keep me entertained! Any recommendations?
Speaking of TransRockies, recently a dear friend of mine whom I met at TransRockies in 2016 was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary NK T-Cell Lymphoma. Tommy is a very well known and extremely loved ultrarunner and I have faith that he will recover from this…But it’s still not easy for Steph and the girls these days. His family is going through something really difficult that I can’t even imagine, and they need our help. I am in awe of how many people and companies are so selflessly helping – but it really shouldn’t be a surprise. If you've ever met Tommy, you know his kindness and light shine through and radiate to everyone around him. Some of Tommy’s friends started a GoFundMe, so if you’re able to donate to it, please do. RunSignUp also started a fundraiser where people can create individual platforms to raise funds, so here’s my link if you’d like to donate to it. It doesn’t matter where you donate because in the end it all goes to Tommy, Steph, and the girls, and that’s what’s important.
Jacob and I with Steph and Tommy in Colorado circa 2018
Nothing else going on really. We’re not going anywhere or doing anything exciting. We still wear a mask when out in public and we limit our outings. I know it seems like we do a lot, but that’s just what I’m sharing on here. Honestly, if we didn’t have any restrictions, we’d be doing a lot more – and if you know me, you know this is absolutely true. Did I mention I miss my friends? Ugh. Here are some photos of the last four weeks!
Catalina Day 1
First night in the tent at Hermit Gulch
Short hike on the TCT #NTBCP
Our new friend Regina - Park Ranger at Hermit Gulch
We donated blood - yay!
I started the Mermaid Series Run Across California!
I'm so excited - who wants to join in on it?!
Baby Alia is getting so big!!! I just love her so much!
Those were some fun times had - I mean, I'm trying to make the best of what I got! It's hard, and I'm often bored, but I'm trying to stay positive, I really am. As usual, I’ll end this with the most recent COVID-19 numbers. There are over 18 million cases worldwide, 4.8 million in the US, over half a million in California, and almost 30,000 in San Diego County, of which slightly over 700 are in my city. For those of you tracking, that’s close to 6 million more cases worldwide since my last update, almost 2 million more in the US, practically double the number of cases in California, and over 10,000 more cases in San Diego County, of which over 500 are in my city. That part scares me! I’m not gonna lie, seeing that number go up by so much in four weeks is worrisome! The last few times I’ve posted the number of cases in my city has only gone up by a few every four weeks – no more than 100 - so the fact that this time it went up by so many more cases is actually frightening.
Stay safe, people! Let's hope we can get past this and be back to normal soon – whatever that may be!
(note: the COVID-19 numbers above are current as of 03 August 2020)