The One Before Spring Break

March 13 - 15, 2020

I think this entry would have been a bit different if it had been written closer to March 15.  But the past 2 weeks have brought about a lot of change and challenges.  And looking back to create this entry, my world has been colored in ways that couldn't even be imagined on March 13th.

So many things happened for the last time this weekend, but we didn't know it at the time.  So I will review the things Emma and Lara did and didn't know it was the last time...

For Lara, it was SMAC Week, and time to pack for her trip to Alabama. Emma was starting spring sports and looking forward to working with her Grandpa for Spring Break.  But this was the week where the threat of the COVID-19 Coronavirus started to change everything in our lives.

It was SMAC week for Stillwater High School.  "Stillwater Makes A Change" is a student-led fundraising effort with all kinds of events.  This year's benefactor was Habitat for Humanity.  The group raised almost $190,000 this year.  Lara and her friend Erika chaired the Hat Day event.  Each day of the week, a different school in our district allowed students to spot hats if they donated a dollar to the event.  Friday was Finn's elementary, middle school, and high school.  Lara had gone to other schools early in the morning previously in the week, but Friday she got to go to Finn's school and see all her old teachers.  

SMAC Hat Day

Co-Head Hat Lady (other co-Erika)

Meanwhile, Emma and her welding friends had a huge undertaking they were working on as well.  Stillwater was to host the MidSough Gravel Bike race this weekend.  To help commemorate it, the design, welding, and metal fab classes designed and constructed a 12.5 foot tall bicycle to put erected on top of a downtown business.  They later put led timed lights on it and made a light show for all the bicyclers and visitors.  It was quite a sight!

In the meantime, this is when the COVID-19 crisis really started to hit home.  Lara's much-anticipated Spring Break trip to Alabama was canceled.  University classes were moved online for at least 2 weeks following Spring Break.  Stillwater Public School declared school was out until at least April 6.  Professional and college sports team canceled the rest of their seasons and all spring sports.  The grand opening of OSU's new Baseball Complex, O'Brate Stadium, is postponed for an entire year.  Proms are postponed.  Graduation is up in the air.  It has been a TOUGH time, and we are all learning to live in a new, temporary, normal.

There were a couple of bright spots, of course. For one, we found a rent house and were able to move in immediately.  We spent Friday night unloading the U-Haul and some of the weekend putting furniture in the house.  We didn't stay there until mid-week, but it was good to know we weren't homeless anymore.

And on Sunday, our favorite photographer met us on The OSU campus for a quick "Cap and Gown" photoshoot.  Emma and Lara each got to pick out a new OSU T-shirt as their reveal shirt, and we had fun even though it was cloudy and had just stopped raining.  Here are some of our favorites.

Class of 2020

Emma chose a simple OK State shirt, Lara chose the 2020 OSU BAseball O'Brate Stadium commemorative T.

ANd this fun, sassy, and personality capturing pic the girls took from the car after we were done with pictures:

Twins.  Sisters.  Twisters

As we face these unprecedented, scary, and sad times, the world of social media has allowed up to cry together, laugh together, and come together.  I found this post, and copied it for my kids:

Time is still marching on.  We are weeks away from these 2 amazing red-heads celebrating their eighteenth birthday!  It's different now.  This is a generation-defining moment for these kids.  And the internet is reminding us daily.  Here are some pictures and memes from this week that try to sum up the way we are feeling.

Emma - Age 6

Lara - age 6