Year 2, Week 36: St.Patrick's Day and Celebration

Hello, there! I hope everyone is doing alright in quarantine! We are doing pretty well over here. No current changes since both of our jobs have stayed the same, so we are just hanging in there until all of the craziness dims. 

Last week life was pretty crazy for me at work, but Jonathan has just been at home. They switched everyone to working from home, so he is the most prepared for that and I am very happy to have him home all the time! Until they change everything back he is basically just home all the time - so prayers for him as he navigates that, especially since I am gone for long days. Prayers for me would be greatly appreciated as I work with the public. People are frightened and have a lot of questions that we don't necessarily have the answers for...I mean, other than "Do you have thermometers?", the answer to that is "No."

It was an off week for me last week, so I went grocery shopping on Monday - which was an interesting experience to say the least! In the evening we went to my parent's house for game night. It was just the five of us, so it was a lot of fun. Tuesday I was working, so it was basically a normal day around here.

Wednesday we spent a lot of time together, relaxed, hung out with each other and worked through insurance and financial stuff that we needed to reassess...so that was a fantastic time. We had Parmesan breaded pork chops for the first time - and they were delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe!

Thursday I worked, but then I had the weekend off. Again, it was not the most exciting. I slept horribly Thursday night, so Friday I got tired really early. We started watching the movie, Lincoln, but I started dropping off, so we postponed that to Sunday. Saturday we had Mom, Dad, Shem and Abby over for corned beef. It was really delicious and we enjoyed catching up with everyone and playing some games.

Sunday we had framily church at my parent's house since church as a collective group is canceled. It was wonderful to get together, watch the sermon, pray and fellowship together. Afterward we went on a walk with Mom - it was a really nice day and we got a little over 4 miles in! On the way home we went for a drive on some roads we hadn't been on recently, so that was fun. Then we had some dinner and finished Lincoln. It was a really good movie.

This week has been especially odd. With a lot of people not working it has been odd and I can't imagine we will have a lot of other things to report, but we will see what happens!

Have a great week - stay safe - and we can't wait to see you after the quarantine is over!

Love,

Alli and Jonathan

Year 2, Week 35: Chicago, Coronavirus and Crazies

(Sorry this is so late... I have been forgetting to read it... This is the week of March 8th-15th. Enjoy!      - Jonathan) 

What a time to be alive...it's crazy town out there! It has been a pretty wild week. The coronavirus has made everything crazy! As the week progressed everything just seemed to get more and more different.

Jonathan was in Chicago Sunday-Wednesday for training. It was the longest we had been apart, but he learned a lot, we talked a lot and it was nice to be back together again on Wednesday! I worked Monday and Tuesday, then went to get some shots on Wednesday and hung out with Mandi a little bit Wednesday afternoon. On the way home from the airport we stopped, got milkshakes and I got to hear all about Jonathan's trip! His classes were really informative, he got a lot of reading done on his off time and his flights were super smooth.

Thursday we were supposed to help with the Community Salute, but Thursday was also the day all of the insanity started to hit, so we ended up getting Arby's and eating at home. It ended up being a nice, relaxing time for us at home before I worked the weekend. 

It was a rough weekend considering how everyone has been reacting to the virus. Our store has been very busy and people are really scared about everything. Jonathan got to relax at home for most of the weekend though! He watched some of a documentary he has been enjoying, worked in the garage, and worked out. Saturday evening we went over to a family member's home that they are cleaning out. We found an old typewriter that has been super fun! Jonathan worked on it Sunday and got it working! We can be a little goofy, but it's fun for us! So we are excited!

When I got home Sunday we watched church, since we couldn't have it, but it actually works out pretty well for me since I couldn't have gone this week anyway. Overall, we are trying to stay in our little bubble and hope you all are doing the same!

Stay safe, we love you,

Alli and Jonathan

Year 2, Week 34: Maple Syrup!

Well, we had a great week around here! It was a good week to get ready for this one! There is always a lot to do, but the weeks we have to relax and catch up give us the energy go on all our exciting adventures!

Monday we relaxed at home, I went grocery shopping in the morning and we just had a good evening together. We tried a new recipe - steak alfredo - which was delicious, and we watched a show while we ate. Afterward, Jonathan did some dishes while I made Pineapple Upside Down Cake for dessert! While it baked we played 7 Wonders Duel...Jonathan won...which was a bit of a bummer, but we both did really well, it was a very high scoring game!

Tuesday I worked, so Jonathan worked, then came to see me! He stopped by the pharmacy to get a shot and some of his medicine for our trip....it wasn't until I got home that I realized he got me some flowers too...they are still beautiful right now!!! After that he went to play basketball, then met me out by my car at the end of my shift so we could take the truck to get worked on...never a great time, but now it is running really well!

Wednesday I was off, as usual, and I met Mary Anne for lunch at Panera, which was delicious and a great chance to catch up! I loved working with her, so it is great to get to spend time with her and catch up on life! It worked out really well so I could go up to get shots as well, nice trip to Canton and I got back in time to finish dinner and make a snack for small group! We had Fiesta chicken over rice and I made Cowboy Queso for snack. Small group was a fantastic time with great people who we completely love. They are a ton of fun and we enjoy spending time with all of those people. 

I worked on Thursday, so Jonathan spent the day at home. He organized the garage since he just got a bunch of tools. They are now in much better order than they were earlier! He also did the dishes for me...which was a challenge, since there were a LOT of them! Earlier in the evening he came to the pharmacy to pick a few things up for his trip.

It was actually my weekend off, which was fantastic. Friday, I stayed at home and didn't do a whole lot. We had Beef Stroganoff, watched Dinner for Schmucks, played some music and worked on the puzzle. The evening was fantastic and super necessary. 

Saturdays always seem to have something going on! This weekend we slept in, Jonathan made pancakes, then we went to the Landis' house to make maple syrup. It was a great time and a beautiful day! Sara, Dustin and Emily were all there and Sara brought some friends from school, so it was fun to meet them and spend some time with all of them! We stayed all day, then we enjoyed some syrup on ice cream. Both of us love a good day outside making syrup, which makes it even more fun!

Sunday we got to go to church, which was great, then we went to a meeting after church for volunteers for the dinner coming up in town! Later in the afternoon I took Jonathan up to the airport for him to leave for Chicago. Once I said goodbye I headed to Alliance, got some dinner, hung out with Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad, then came home and got ready for the rest of the week!

We love you all and can't wait to see you soon! Have a good week!

- Alli and Jonathan

 Gathering some sap!

Year 2, Week 33: Finally "Normal"

Look at us! Finally letting you know how our week went in a timely manner! We actually had a normal week, so that helps a lot! It was my busy week, but thankfully we still got to relax and enjoy some time at home.

Jonathan went out to work Monday and Tuesday while I worked my back-to-back 13 hour days. Wednesday was a long day for me, but I got my doctor's appointment and hair cut out of the way, so it was a very productive! It was a rough week at work for Jonathan, so he worked late on Wednesday. Before we went to small group I made some quesadillas while he finished up work then we headed out to hang out with our friends! 

Thursday I relaxed a lot while Jonathan worked, then we had a meeting with our accountant to get our taxes done. Throughout the day, I got a meal plan done for March and prepared for the next month coming up. After that, we came home, had some sausage and potato chowder, then played a game and watched some TV. 

I worked the weekend, so Jonathan spent some time at home. Friday night he worked on organizing the garage a little bit and then got to relax a little bit. Saturday Jonathan took me to work, then picked me up afterward to take me to Mom and Dad's for brats and hanging out with Shem before he went back to school. Sunday Jonathan had a really busy day! He went to church, then headed to the Landis' to do maple syrup for the day, then we met back up at the church for youth group.

Overall - a pretty boring week, but we got Jonathan some of the vaccines he needs for our trip this spring, so he should be almost ready to go there. I have been pretty miserable lately, but we are getting to the bottom of why my allergies have been a problem, so that has been extremely helpful! Work is slower right now for both of us, which makes everything better and we are thoroughly enjoying it!

Hopefully you will hear from us again next week!

Love you all,

Alli and Jonathan