Well, here we are in February 2022 still talking about COVID. So it's time for another pandemic check in. In this update I'll share our family's experience with getting COVID and how returning to quarantine was. And I'll talk about what our current practices are for staying healthy and the ways that COVID does and does not still impact our everyday life. Our experience getting COVID The biggest news is that in mid-January the boys and I tested positive for COVID. Chris and Maeve were tested multiple times across several days and always tested negative. The boys were completely asymptomatic... Read more →

This post is also available in podcast format in which I read the post. Search for "rising shining" on most podcast platforms and subscribe! Around June I remember thinking that I should write one last pandemic check-in post since it seemed that life was heading back to normal. All the adults in my family and many friends were fully vaccinated. New cases numbers for our county seemed to be holding steady in the low hundreds, which was a significant improvement from making headlines in the New York Times as a hot spot months earlier. Mask requirements were significantly eased in... Read more →

This post is also available as a podcast in which I read the post. Search for "rising shining" on most podcast platforms to listen. As the year rounds August and heads into September the pace of life starts speeding up. As evidenced by my September goals post mid-month! There's weekly homework, sports get underway (soccer and basketball this fall), and we're starting to talk about Halloween. On the one hand I love getting into our school year routines. The boys seem to thrive with the structure, socializing, and challenge of school. And I'm so thankful it's in-person this year. Maeve... Read more →

I'm sitting alone in a quiet, empty house. It is a revelation. The revelation is not only the fact of these hours today but that this will happen again later this week. And again next week. For the first time since early March 2020 my weeks will have some predictability, routine, and, most importantly, consistent time to myself. I think it's the beginning of a new season. I don't think I've ever experienced such a long stretch of time with so little dependable time to myself. Simultaneously I've been navigating demanding emotional and physical challenges. There's been the anxiety over... Read more →

Usually I'm a glass half-full kind of gal but lately it's been easier for me to see what's not working rather than what's going really well. A recent post by Sarah reflecting on what's great versus what's hard inspired me to write my own reflection. When one or a few things are hard in life I can use that paintbrush to color everything. Taking a step back to be more precise about what's hard and, importantly, what's not hard helps me to stop globalizing. Challenging + Very limited time to work or "time off." Essentially I feel like I'm trying... Read more →

Inspired by... creating content for my RISING*SHINING audioblog and the lovely comments I've received from listeners. Thank you! My goal this year was to produce audioblog content for the months of April and October but now I'm wondering if I can keep it up regularly. I'm not ready to fully commit to that but I'm percolating the idea. Purchased... summer capsule wardrobe items like another pair of my favorite Patagonia quick-dry shorts, two tank tops, and swim shorts. I also bought the percale sheets from Brooklinen I've been eyeing for awhile. I am obsessed with them! They're soft yet cool... Read more →

Chris takes a break from his backyard office to catch up with Maeve and me It's time for another stay-at-home check in and I wonder if this could be my last one, or maybe second to last. Although life is not completely back to "normal" I do feel that we are leaving the season of staying at home behind. The boys are in school, Chris and I are both fully vaccinated, and generally we're feeling less worried about COVID-19 although we are still staying home for the most part. I'm feeling very optimistic that the increasing rate of vaccinations will... Read more →

Inspired by... Coronavirus numbers going down and vaccination numbers going up, especially in Arizona. I'm also feeling inspired by a new project that I've been working on and will share with you this week! Watching... Flowers and new growth popping up all over. I let out a small excited squeal to see our ocotillo plant with tiny green leaves. In previous years leaves have appeared but then turned brown and fell off. This year I'm going to try watering it more consistently (previously I was told not to give it much water). I've also been rewatching Ted Lasso. I think... Read more →

Chris was one of the first people I know to start wearing a mask – kudos, Chris! / Remember the chalk art season of the pandemic? / Getting vaccinated! Then I had a mounting sense of unease as rising cases of COVID-19 caused the NBA to suspend its season, as professional conferences were cancelled, and schools began shuttering. Then we started to feel the world shift beneath our feet as more and more aspects of "normal" life were paused. Each day brought more anxiety as the foreign word "coronavirus" began to dominate conversations. We wondered how long it would take... Read more →

Last Thursday we dropped the boys off at school for the first time this school year. To describe it to you I want to overuse the word familiar and keep deleting the sentences. So much has felt unfamiliar this past year, and hard in its unfamiliarity, that being familiar is wonderfully novel. And yet familiar does not fully capture the ache of normalcy that returning to our school community brought to me. It felt so good (so! good!) to see so many people I recognized and to exchange pleasantries even if hampered a bit by our masks and tinged by... Read more →