Covid19-Log Day 139

Thursday July 31, 2020
Warm but nice

I started my day early and met friends at the track for a speed workout. It was nice. We did our usual 1-mi warm-up followed by 6x 1-min hard effort, 2-min recovery, then another mile for cool-down for a total of 4 miles. Then, when I got home, the boy was ready to go for a run, so we ran another mile. I love mornings like these. They make a huge difference in the rest of the day.

We got home, showered, ate, bid farewell to my Man as he left to go to his office, and then went on a walk. We ventured on a different route per the boy's request, and ended up walking over a mile, which was nice. Then we got home and got to Spanish. I continue to be amazed by how well he's doing considering the crappy instruction (mine). It only makes me wish we had pushed for extra languages when he was younger! But alas, 3 is not bad thus far.

The furry student was more interested in napping than in learning...

Then he worked some on Math and Science and I got to work. I continue to be thankful for my stand-up desk this week; it's made a huge difference in my productivity!

I made some stir-fry for lunch and we ate and watched some Friends. We went on another walk, then I got back to work before taking the boy to a dental appointment; his first in these new Covid19 times. It went fairly well. We wore our masks; I was annoyed that the people at the office had them on/off while I waited in the waiting area, but they had barriers between them and the general waiting area, so perhaps that is helpful. His teeth are fine, except he got a friendly reminder to not eat as much sugar and brush more often. I'm thankful when the reminders come from someone else.

We got home and I went straight to a meeting, then we practiced Tae Kwon Do in preparation for our test tomorrow. In all honesty, I'm not feeling great about his training, and I told him so. He just hasn't been that focused, so we'll see how it goes.

The rest of the evening was pretty mellow. My Man made some pan-grilled salmon and I made a salad, so we had a really nice dinner. Dessert was fruit and a couple of imperial chocolate-covered cherries from our recent visit to Cherry Republic. They were glorious.

Hope your week is going well!

Covid19-Log Day 138

Wednesday July 29, 2020
Sunny and nice

I started my day with slightly more energy than the day before and got out for a nice, easy 6-mi run on the zone 2. My legs actually felt rested and it was nice to just get some miles in. When I got back home, the boy was still sleeping, so I got ready and then we had breakfast. My Man left, and the boy and I got ready for our walk. He's been wanting to go to different places (I get it, we've been walking in the same areas since mid March!) so we went on a slightly different route in the morning.

We came home, worked on Spanish some, then I got to work. I got a lot of work done in the morning. Gena, the wonderful woman who helps us keep our house clean (thus giving me some sanity) got here around 11:45 am, and at that time the boy and I went to pick up JJ sandwiches and drove to Hawk Island park to meet Adrianna for lunch and a mid-day walk. The pandemic has definitely made it easier in a way to shower her some of my favorite outside places, so we ate near the playground, talked about languages and video games (evidently she also plays Pokemon, so the boy was excited), and then went on a walk around the lake.

It's funny - I know the turns and nooks around Hawk Island to heart because of all the running I have done there in the last 11 years, but there are many things I miss while running. For example, I think the last time I actually walked on the board walk was probably in the half marathon in 2011! And I had never been up the sledding hill (the boy had, with friends). So we walked on the board walk, then went up the hill, then walked around the lake.

The board walk...

With the boy and Adrianna on the board walk

The hill on a beautiful day!

Going up the hill with the boy

Adrianna and the park

Love the view

After we finished the walk, I let the boy play on the playground for a bit. Adrianna left, and eventually the boy got tired and warm, so we left too. The idea was to stop at Sugar Berry for frozen yogurt after, then stop by UPS to return a package, but alas, Sugar Berry was closed, so we went to UPS and then the boy wanted to stop by JoAnn's to buy some craft supplies. His latest thing is that he thinks he wants to get into making models (yay, more crap for my house!) so we got some foam, model maker, and tools. At least he is entertained with that.

We got home and Gena was about done, so I went back to work and he watched TV and read. I started feeling really tired in the afternoon, for some reason. I had a video call with my brother, so that was nice. Sadly, because of my being tired (and his lack of motivation!) we ended up not calling into our Tae Kwon Do class, which just means we'll have to catch up tomorrow, as we have our test on Friday. Instead, we watched Friends and I just rested. It was nice. We had leftovers for dinner, the boy and I (orzo greek salad for me, the rest of his JJ sandwich for him); my Man had quesadillas he made when he got home. 

And that was pretty much the day. It was nice to get out for sure, and also, it was nice to rest. Just like everything in life. Hope you had a great Wednesday!

Covid19-Log Day 137

Tuesday July 28, 2020
Warm and sunny

The day did not start well. I slept horribly the night before; a combination of feeling hot, my Man not sleeping well and waking up at 3 am, the damn cat waking us up, and just overall crappiness. So of course, when I was still awake at 5 am, I turned the alarm off and eventually was able to sleep a little more. I felt bad; the boy woke up at 6:50 am and woke me up in the process; he actually put his running clothes on and came in the room and saw me in bed, and I could tell he was disappointed I wasn't already out running. Oh well. Moms get tired too. Instead, we went on a long walk, over 2-miles, to get our legs moving. Then we came home, had breakfast, and started working on Spanish.

After Spanish, he proceeded to do some of his morning activities (reading, Math, his BrainQuest book with various subjects, and IXL; and sure, some Roblox, which at least he tells me when he plays) and I got to work. It's amazing the difference that working while standing has made. I am definitely more productive when I stand, for sure. I don't think that is so obvious at work given that my sitting set-up is also good, but at home, it's been amazing. Definitely glad I got the stand-up converter! I was also able to get on the elliptical for 10 minutes in the morning just to move a little extra, especially since I hadn't gone on a run.

The boy at my work station...

We had lunch (salad for me, stir-fry leftovers for the boy) and finished watching Season 4 of Friends. Then we went for another walk; he insisted he wanted to go somewhere different, so we went to another neighborhood. The change in scenery was welcome. Then he read and played some, and I worked more until it was time to get on Zoom with my family to celebrate my sister Claudia's birthday.

It was cute - they were driving back from being out and about during the day, so we go to see the drive scenery into Bathgate. It looked nice. And it was nice that we all could call, too. We still struggle to sing Las Mañanitas all together but oh well. I don't understand what it is about a group setting that makes everyone speak slower - it's the same at church. But at least with my family it is entertaining and my sister Tania made a video so we will be able to laugh many times about it. And because I was at my computer, I got the elliptical out and did 15 minutes on it while talking to them - so yay for extra moving!

The other major thing I did during the day was finally ordering an Echelon bike (Peloton's cheaper cousin, ha!). My brother-in-law had mentioned they got one and they liked it, so he sent me a link, and after much reviewing and thinking about it, we went for it. We got the bike and a 2-year plan for their classes, so I'm excited to start that once my crazy virtual run across Tennessee is done (only 70 km left!). It's been fun to do all this running, but my body is starting to feel it. I'll probably still do 4 days of running during the week and 2 of biking; I really need to get back to being more consistent with Tae Kwon Do, so hopefully the upcoming belt test will help on that regard. I should also get back to strength training but I really have lost a lot of motivation for that. Oh well, one can only do so much.

I made greek orzo pasta for dinner (and mac and cheese for the boy) and we ate as soon as my Man got home. Then the boy and I practiced our Tae Kwon Do poomse for a while before going on a walk the 3 of us (with a really pissy child). The child's mood swings have been really hard for me to deal with. I'm not used to them, and I feel bad for him, but at the same time, I am frustrated at not knowing how to respond. I am not ok with people being insolent "just because they're angry" without them acknowledging their rude behavior. And the boy definitely goes from 0 to 100 for minimal things. I know these times we're living in are harder for him, what with being an only child used to a routine. It's not like he has a lot of friends he can talk to, and in all honesty, he's been great for the most part. But I too get exhausted constantly hearing about minecraft, roblox, splatoon, nintendo, etc. When I try to ask him about books he's reading, he gets annoyed. And sometimes, like last night, I just feel at a complete overwhelmed loss. Sigh.

And that was pretty much the day. Pretty meh and uneventful, which I guess all things considered, is not a bad thing.

Covid19-Log Day 136

Monday July 27, 2020
Warm and humid AF

After a weird night of sleep with random dreams but much-needed rest, I overslept a bit. My Man actually started his week on the right track and was running when I woke up. Then I went on a 3-mi easy run. My Garmin watch was having issues again (and the damn thing didn't save my activity), so basically I only used it to see what my heart rate was and used the Strava app on my phone to track the run, just like in biblical times. It was gross out. Warm and humid, but alas, conditions should improve the rest of the week.

I got home and immediately got in the shower; was hoping a cold shower would help with the sweating but it didn't really help much. I was still sweating after changing and all, yuck. The boy was still sleeping after I showered, which is very atypical of him; he's usually up by 6:30 am, but I guess some days of sun and swimming meant he needed some rest. He finally got up around 7:30 am. I had some müsli and yogurt for breakfast (with chia, hemp seeds, walnuts, and craisins); he wasn't that hungry so only had milk and a mandarin, and then we went on a 1-mi walk. We talked some about the beginning of 5th grade might look like, with online instruction, and I told him we will have a tutor for him for ~8 h a week, I hope. We shall see how that goes.

We got home and worked on Spanish. Then he did some Math work both on his book and IXL/Prodigy. While he did that I got my new stand-up desk converter, which had just arrived, put together and I'm very excited about the improvement to my working-from-home conditions.

My helper...

Standing position with elliptical... but you don't have to use it if you don't want to!

Sitting position...

It was SO nice to be able to work while standing! That had been one of the things I had missed the most about my office! Very productive morning, indeed.

I made rice and stir-fry for lunch and the boy and I ate while watching some Friends. Then went on another 1-mi walk. After that, he did some Science work both on his book and IXL, then played Roblox (he's taking a break from Minecraft right now, evidently, in preparation for his old iPad not being great for the newest version of it). I was able to get some work done in the afternoon, which was appreciated, especially after having been on vacation. When I realized my 2 pm meeting wasn't actually until 3 pm, I called my parents to check on them. They're doing well and we talked about some of the hurricane-related memes. My favorite is the one of Shamu jumping out of a flooded Gonzalitos under Fleteros in Monterrey. The second favorite is of a rat on top of a sandal, floating away to My Heart Will Go on. People.

The meeting was great and quick, then I stayed longer talking to Adrianna to catch up on work things. All good.

The boy and I did our Tae Kwon Do class in preparation for our upcoming virtual belt test. Then he did piano and my Man and I had salads for dinner and we relaxed for a while. My plan the next couple of weeks is to put the crack down on eating; it's gotten out of control the last 2 weeks. So yay for a Monday for new eating beginnings! Hope you have a fantastic week!

Also, the pictures from Spider Lake are up, enjoy!

Covid19-Log Day 135

Sunday July 26, 2020
Warm and humid AF

I got up with the best intentions of going on a run, a last enjoyment of the hills, but alas, that didn't happen. As soon as I got out I knew it would not happen - it was so hot and humid (dew point was 71 F). That said, the sunrise over Spider Lake looked beautiful.

Last sunrise over Spider Lake...

I started running and then noticed my Garmin watch wasn't tracking distance. I knew it was having issues since Thursday, when they evidently got hit by ransomware, so I thought I could just stop and restart, but instead, my Garmin got stuck on "discarding the activity" basically for the duration of the run. Whatever, I started recording on Strava and took off. I only ran 1 mile and walked the rest back. It was disgusting, but at least I moved my legs a bit.

Thanks, Garmin...

We had breakfast, enjoyed a nice morning for the last day, and then proceeded to pack up, clean the place, and by 11 am we were leaving. Mayra and Brian headed back north to the Leelanau Peninsula; we just headed back home, and I'm glad we did because it took forever. Between construction on M-115 and heavy traffic, it ended up taking us almost 4 hours to get back. We also placed an order on Shipt so we could have food when we got back without having to run to the grocery store upon our return.

Michigan scenes...

Michigan scenes...

We got home and I got in my usual unpacking crazy mode, but it paid off. Within 1.5 hours, we had unpacked, started laundry, put together a small elliptical I got for my stand-up desk which should be arriving soon, disinfected and put away the groceries, and we could relax the rest of the afternoon. It was really, really hot and muggy, so it was nice to be inside.

And that was pretty much the day. Overall, a bit short but so nice to be able to get away some days! Hope your weekend went well!

Covid19-Log Day 134

Saturday July 25, 2020
Warm

I wasn't feeling well when I got up, so after some back and forth, I decided I'd take the day off from running and proceeded to enjoy my morning coffee. Eventually Mayra and I took the kids for a long walk and they enjoyed themselves. Then we got back and my Man had made breakfast so we ate.

Mayra and the kids on a walk

Breakfast of champions

After breakfast, Mayra and I decided to go on a kayak tour around the lake. The men stayed back swimming with the children. It was already after the high speed hours, so we knew the water wouldn't be as calm, but still, we carried on. It was fun. We went around the public island on the lake and saw all the people parked around it partying, no social-distance, no worries. Must be nice. We saw 2 bald eagles, too. Those were awesome. We were, for the most part, staying close to the shore, so we could see the houses and say hi to people. We skipped the last bit of the lake and ended up crossing the whole thing because at that point, after 1:30 h of almost constant paddling, we were tired. It was warm and sunny, too. Still, we got almost 4-mi of distance covered, so it was a nice workout. I'm sure my shoulders and lats will feel it soon.

Taking off with some help from my Man

Off we go...

Mayra and the party island

When we got back it was close to 3 pm and we were thirsty and hungry, so we ate, again. I made some delicious micheladas for myself and Brian, and had more watermelon and a tuna salad sandwich. It was pretty tasty, and we spent a lot of the afternoon just talking on the deck. As Brian says, we are constantly talking because we talk about everything we dislike "in detail".

Delicious lunch

After a lot of lazying around, I finally showered. Mayra and Brian took the kids to the water to play and swim and fish, and my Man and I stayed up on the big deck. I read and he played the guitar for a while. Very enjoyable.

We relaxed...

And they played...

And that was pretty much the day. We played Dragonwood a bit. The child is definitely having anger issues when things don't go his way or when he's corrected (or not winning). At some point he got really angry and left, so my Man took over his cards and continued playing. Eventually the child calmed down and by the time we finished playing, he was happy again, but I'm not entirely sure how to deal with the whole situation.

The rest of the evening was pretty mellow. I can't believe it's gone this quickly! We've been lucky to have really nice weather (albeit warm) too! Hope you are having a great weekend!

Covid19-Log Day 133

Friday July 24, 2020
Beautiful

I woke up to a sunny morning (unlike the previous day which had been cloudy). I had some coffee, and the boys were all up by the time I left to run. I did a slightly longer route (over 4 miles) than the day before; I added the loop Mayra and I had walked the previous day. So. Hilly. But pretty.

When I got back to the house it was only Maya and the kids; the adult men had left to play golf (only 9 holes so not an all-day event). Mayra had started playing monopoly with the kids (a UofM / college version, which was amusing to hear "I buy the Michigan stadium for $100") and I used that time to stretch a bit and cool down. Then we took the kids on the kayaks and went on the lake for a bit. My idea was to go around the whole lake but that was a short-lived dream; kayaking with a kid on tow is not as relaxing as you might think... Still, it was a really pretty morning and the boy behaved for the most part (other than constantly asking when we were getting back, which gets old).

Mama y niño en el kayak... 

Nice morning views...

When we got back, we ate and then the boys wanted to swim, so we let them and enjoyed some of the morning. The guys got back from golfing and we continued hanging around the lake house. We had tuna salad sandwiches for lunch.

Bombas!

Happy people swimming...

Later in the afternoon we headed north to Traverse City to do our annual pilgrimage to the M22 store and Cherry Republic. We took 2 cars: one with the women, and the other with all the boys, so it was a nice, relaxing drive because clearly Mayra and I never run out of stuff to talk about.

I will confess I wasn't expecting to see the place as crowded as it was. We were there for 1 hour, which included the visit to the stores above, as well as a spice store and some ice cream (which I skipped; too much eating!). We were outside for the most part, trying to sit on the sidewalk to stay away from high traffic areas. They had closed the main street but still, so many people. Most of them had masks (and definitely when going inside the stores), but it was a little too crowded for our taste, so eventually we left.

Traverse City - Covid times

We then headed more north to the Old Mission Peninsula. Our plan was to stop at 2 Lads winery to pick up some wine and see the beautiful views. Mayra and I got there and did just that, but by the time the guys got there the place was closing. 

View of the Traverse Bay from 2 Lads...

Then we continued north to check out the Lighthouse, which I love. On the way there we placed our food order at the Jolly Pumpkin. The lighthouse was nice though a lot of the beach is gone. We've been there many times in the past 5 years and it is quite noticeable. Still, the kids enjoyed playing on the beach for a while. Mayra and Brian had never been there, so it was fun, even if the actual lighthouse was closed.

The Traverse Bay

Old Mission Lighthouse

Got my feet on the water...

On the way back the guys drove straight to the house and Mayra and I stopped at the Jolly Pumpkin to pick up the food. I showed her where the Bayshore half marathon started, and it was nice to reminisce about that race on the way there. On the drive back to the house we drove on Peninsula Drive, which is also really beautiful.

We got home and ate (falafel wrap for me) on the deck and enjoyed the nice view of the lake. Then at some point as Mayra and I stayed out talking, the boys actually went to sleep. By the time I got to bed, they were out. I guess golfing and being out on the water will do that to you! Overall, a fantastic, relaxing day!

Covid19-Log Day 132

Thursday July 23, 2020
Beautiful

I started my day by waking up and enjoying my coffee in silence while looking outside every now and then and seeing the lake. I could get used to this for more than a couple of days for sure! The boy woke up and came to the couch near me, and then went back to sleep, which was nice; he'll need the energy!

Around 8 am, I went for a run around the community surrounding the lake. Holy hills, Batman! I did see a couple of people walking and running, and felt a lot better after seeing many BLM signs around. Doesn't inspire much confidence to run when one constantly sees Trump signs and confederate flags around... Other than the hills, the run was fun. And I'll say, even the hills were a fun challenge, especially considering I was running less than 4 miles. So I took it easy, tried to stay in Z2 for the most part (certainly not when running up hill) and enjoyed the change of scenery.

When I got back, the boys said they wanted to go on the kayak so I got some more water and then helped the boy get on a kayak and I thought Patrick would come with me in the other but he said he wanted to stay and fish, so the boy and I just went to a smaller lake that connects to the big one; no wake, so way more enjoyable (though at that time of day it didn't really matter!).

Morning paddle... 

Nice morning clouds...

After kayaking, we got back, had some delicious breakfast and then I sat on the deck for a while. There are a lot of baby squirrels and chipmunks, some of them getting really close to where we sit.

Deck visitor... 

Most of my morning was spent on the deck. I rolled, stretched, practiced some Tae Kwon Do... It was nice. I also took my time showering and getting ready. It's nice to not hurry! We had leftovers from the night before for lunch, then the guys went to a fishing shop and Mayra and I went on a walk. It was nice to look at some of the houses on the lake.

Walk views... 

The guys got back right after we did, and then the boys got back in the water. There's a platform off the (flooded) beach area/dock, and the boy has been loving swimming there and then jumping over and over. At some point Brian and Mayra joined him and Patrick on the fun. I, of course, just sat like a civilized person on the edge and just laughed at them and took pictures. 

Jumping child!

I read most of the afternoon, on and off, still working on Faulkner's Sanctuary. At some point I made micheladas for myself and Brian since the other adults don't like them. Fools. We ate lots of chips in the afternoon and at some point, Mayra and I considered skipping dinner. After she attempted to play the guitar, I unearthed my college videos when I participated in a song festival (and got to the final with a song that I wrote the music and lyrics for!) so she could see me playing the guitar.  As we looked at old videos, it was fun to reminisce about our summer trip to Spain 13 years ago when we went to our friends Hugo and Isabel's wedding. Fun times!

Afternoon relaxation...

After looking at videos and passing time, we decided we could eat after all, so the guys made burgers and we sat outside and had dinner. At some point Brian and my Man kept making voices from a movie and the child was cracking up. I adore when he laughs like that. 

Smiling boys...

Then we played telestrations. It's always hilarious when there's a large group with a range of ages. See exhibit A below for a close second to my baby therapy's #1 "door coffin" from 3 years ago. 

Rocking chair... 

... Obviously is a ladder on skis...

And that was pretty much our night. We went to bed later than my usual time but it was fun. Overall a really nice, relaxing day!

Covid19-Log Day 131

Wednesday July 22, 2020
Beautiful

I started my day with a text from Katharine canceling on our run, so I woke up and decided to check my oxygen levels. Total hypochondria but I woke up with a stuffy nose (that most likely was caused by the fan blowing directly on my face) and I was still half asleep. You get the idea. It took forever to get the oximeter to read (which always annoys me!) but as it turned out, I was fine.

Beautiful blood pressure!

No covid here so far...

I also opened the new anti-chafe stick that Adrianna recommended (and which had arrived the day before). It's definitely thicker than the other one I use.

Megababe indeed!

I went on a much-needed, easy Z2 run on campus. Ended up doing 4 miles. Very slow, yes (10:30 min/mi) but my HR never really went above 150 so that was awesome considering it was humid! When I got home, the boy was ready to go for a run, so we ran another mile together. Really nice way to start my day! And the megababe stick worked fine - next try will be on a long run and see if it holds up!

When we got back home we sang Las Mañanitas to my Man and gave him his presents and cards. It was very sweet and the child had been very excited about making sure we had a gift for him and getting his card put together.

My Man and I had taken the day (and the rest of the week in fact!) off, but he still had to go into a work meeting early in the morning as he was worried about some experiments they'll be running while we're gone. While he left, I took some time to have my coffee and do my blogging, then I showered and started packing and getting ready for the trip. The last time I had packed a bag was ~150 days ago, which honestly seems like an eternity ago considering that, for sure since 2007, we've gone on trips at least once a month! Surprisingly, it was a quick pack, mostly due to the fact that we'll just be lazying around at a lake house with friends and not going anywhere but still!

After packing the suitcase (and my Man was awesome and packed for the child), the next thing was to pack the food and the things we would be bringing. Evidently when the world ends, Men have to make sure there are cheetos, doritos, and pringles around! My Man and Brian (Mayra's husband, whom we are traveling with) had the same idea! I thought the gathering and packing of food would take longer, but by 10:15 am we were done and wondering what else to do, which naturally, resulted in me being all crazy about picking up the house. It's nice to come to an organized, clean house after a trip! We also finished some laundry, which will be nice as well.

We had an early lunch, watched some Friends, then packed the car and headed to Kroger for some last-minute purchases, and got on the road headed north. It was nice. It was a beautiful day for a drive, for sure. Blue skies and big, white, puffy clouds. We had some rain on the way, but short-lived and then back to the white, puffy clouds. We only stopped once to get gas (and for me to use the bathroom), and by 3:15 pm we were arriving at the AirBnB on Spider Lake.

Driving north!

When we arrived, I immediately called into my weekly family zoom call but only my brother had connected, so he got to see us as we were checking out the place which was nice. I told him I wish he were here with us - he would love it. Then Mayra and Brian arrived as my parents were calling in; my sisters had not called in yet, so I just talked to my parents briefly and disconnected.

We settled in. The boys were excited to go down to the dock and fish, so Brian helped them get their fishing rods ready.

Tio Brian with the children...

The fishing didn't last long though - the boys immediately wanted to jump in the water and go to the platform on the lake. They spent a lot of time there in the afternoon, which was nice. We're in the bigger part of the lake so the boats can go fast around, which isn't really nice (lots of wake), but they enjoyed it. At some point Brian joined them there as well. I told the boy to accept I wouldn't get in the water unless it was on a kayak.

Celebratory floss...

Eventually the boy got on a kayak and I got on the other one (with Patrick on tow, as he's still too young to be on a kayak solo as he wanted). We went on a very short trip as the wake was not fun and I wasn't really prepared to do a longer ride. I did tell the boys I'll take them on a longer trip in the next few days; one of the lakes is a slow/no wake zone, so that should be a lot better.

Testing the waters...

We got back and the kids cleaned up and my Man went to pick up pizza. I used that time to call my parents and catch up. That was nice. When I came inside, everybody was downstairs playing.

Nice playroom!

We had pizza and cake to celebrate my Man's birthday. Then we played hedbanz in Spanish, which was fun. The men went back downstairs to play and Mayra and I talked for a while. Then I cleaned up the kitchen and called it a day.

43 is looking good all things considered!

So now we'll enjoy the 2 months of the year where my Man and I are the same age before I go back to being wiser. It should be a nice couple of days here!