Safe at home

Never would we have ever imagined that we would still be sheltering in place and hunkering down because of COVID-19. CJ & I celebrated our anniversary and CJ celebrated his birthday inside. Thought it would be a fun way to recap how we have been spending our time for everyone with the optimism that things opening have been.

We have tried lots of new recipes. 
We went to the grocery about once every two weeks to stock up on food and only once a week if we ran out of something that needed to be fresh. The quest for toilet paper the first month was rough. Our favorite cookbook is a classic: Better Home & Garden’s The New Cook Book. We got it for Christmas before we got married and cooked lots of things here. 

• Cast Iron Steaks & Asparagus  for our anniversary & CJ’s birthday​
• ​Shrimp Po’ Boys to reminisce on our honeymoon to New Orleans
  
• Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells 
  
• Our version of Teriyaki Chicken Bowls with Broccoli, Rice, Peppers & Cashews
  
• Homemade, not in the box, brownies
  
• Homemade cheesecake. It was better than the Cheesecake Factory, we swear. 
  
• Charcuterie board when we were craving fresh veggies
  
• Jodi’s chili recipe & deviled eggs
  
• Homemade Guacamole 
  
• Whipped Coffee is CJ’s new favorite 

We shopped small. 
Viva Maria’s was our go-to stop when we needed some cannolis. 
Once we were allowed to carry-out drinks, we got margaritas and Mexican food from El Campo. 
We made a special trip to Gillig’s in Findlay, Ohio for a couple bottles of our favorite wine to stock up for date nights in place.

We played games with each other and our friends.
​Small World
Jack Box TV with large groups of our friends via Zoom. 
Catan virtually in small

We used our arts background.
We crafted and tried to be like Bob Ross. Way more frustrating than we thought, but we ended up with a good product. 
We played our instruments, sometimes with each other. 

We adapted. 
CJ transitioned to working at home and teaching virtually. He submitted things online for his students to do in addition to making them paper-friendly for students who didn’t have access to wifi. 

Helen transitioned to working at home full time and moving forward without events for the foreseeable future. Due to these major changes, Helen was put on furlough with an adjusted schedule for the University. Because of this, I have spent more time developing and prepping Brincefield Studios and spending more time with CJ. 

We both gave each other space to process these changes apart and together. For Helen that meant using blue light glasses to protect her eyes from screens, using the face masks for skin care and taking naps. For CJ that meant sleeping in, playing Guitar Hero & Rock Band and watching Pokemon. Of course we watched shows on Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. 
We are optimistic for the future but recognize that nothing is normal and the new normal will look a lot different for us in our professions. Because of these changes, we decided to shelter in place in Indiana with my family for two weeks to wrap up some family items that were neglected because of the virus-taxes as a married couple, name change, etc. Looking forward to moving forward and being together with everyone soon. 

What has been your favorite at home activity while you have been staying safe at home?