I just wanted to thank everyone for your kind words, thoughts and prayers in response to my mom's passing. Your outpouring of love and kindness was overwhelming, and I could feel your love though your words!! We miss her every day, but my heart feels happy knowing she's where she wanted to be (with my dad)!
I finally made it out of our 14-day-post-Spain quarantine.... Woohoo!! Carol and I had a lovely time together and enjoyed each others' company (entertaining ourselves daily with our Spanish telenovela, Italian detective show, crosswords, Carol made cooking videos and read a book to me (kinda fun.... try it!!), and lots of chatting of course)!! Not being able to see people and hug her grandbabies was probably the most stressful aspect (and coordinating a "germ-free bathroom" for her husband who graciously hung out, cooked, ate and slept downstairs for 2 weeks), but overall it wasn't too bad!!
As we neared the end of our quarantine, we realized that quarantine had been simple (challenging, but simple), and things were about to get VERY complicated (from a "who might infect who" perspective) now that Carol would be babysitting her grandkids again and Dave would be back in our sphere (but also out-and-about a bit with others).
Since my sister, Sheryl, was alone and in isolation by herself (since my mom passed), I decided to take a risk, strap on a mask and catch a flight to Spokane.... washing my hands like crazy all the way there! We figured if I picked up the virus while flying, I could always quarantine myself in her cute little cottage out back! The first time I saw pictures of her house, I claimed the cottage as "mine" since I've been wanting a Tiny House for forever!!
Soooo.... I picked the shortest flight with the fewest connections and hoped for the best, but alas.... the travel gods were NOT with me this time!! As I was sitting in the South Bend airport nervously being observed like I MIGHT be the sick person with my mask on (it was very unnerving and made me feel self-conscious!!), I received a last-minute text from Delta telling me my flight from Minneapolis to Spokane had been cancelled.... ugh... seriously?!?! I went to the ticket agent (who was busy loading another plane), but she said whatever they were offering on the Delta App was probably the best thing possible, so I should just confirm it as quickly as possible!!
Sooooo..... I was rerouted through Atlanta AND Salt Lake, and my "short" 8 hour day turned into a 13-hour mask-wearing ordeal! Let me tell you.... wearing a mask for 13 hours is NOT a fun thing (especially if you have claustrophobia!!), but I did as I was told and kept it on (other than when I would hide in the corner away from everyone, sanitize my area and eat a few snacks along the way)!!
Carol and I had discussed the possibility that they might start cancelling flights (which is why I left the morning our quarantine was over because it started looking like what we experienced in Barcelona might start happening on domestic flights with some states threatening to close their borders)!! Even though I knew my flight getting cancelled might be a possibility, I was shocked (and disappointed) when it actually happened less than an HOUR before I was supposed to fly!! Oh well.... Travel during a pandemic, huh?!? What's a girl to do?!?
In the longrun, I was just SO happy to finally make it to Spokane (where I changed my clothes and was finally able to take off that darn mask just before I got into Sheryl's car)!! (One thing I know for sure is that I could NEVER work in a hospital if I had to wear a mask all the time! My sympathy goes out to all the medical professionals who have to wear those all the time.... yikes!!)
So I'm here, hanging out in Coeur d'Alene with Sheryl, and we are hunkered down in isolation together! I'm sure our days will be similar to my quarantine with Carol (both sisters are very good cookie makers and I love being the official "bowl-cleaner-upper" like my dad)!! And I'll give you a little tidbit of advice for where you want to be "sheltering safe" for your NEXT pandemic.... you want to be with a massage therapist who doesn't have any other clients to work on but you!! Sheryl was very kind today and worked out all my "wearing a stupid/claustrophobic mask on an airplane and flying 13 hour" stress, and I'm eternally grateful!!
One last thing.... It seems I have so much time on my hands that I finally got my Life Coaching website put together! I've been planning on putting something together because when I meet people and explain what I do, they always want to see my website. I have my travel blog/website, but this one is more about Life Coaching instead of Travel Coaching (even though the process is similar because it's ALL about the Inner Journey)!! It's not super fancy, but it will hopefully give people a sense of what I do!
Also, for anyone looking for something to read in-between the "scary stuff" these days, I've posted my "10 Steps for Living More Joyfully From the Inside Out" (an email series I put together about 13 years ago when I was first getting my Life Coaching business up and running)! In these challenging times, I thought I'd put it out there in case it helps anyone get grounded and centered in a peaceful place (something many of us need these days)!!
https://coachingwithjudi.blogspot.com/
Hopefully I'll get my "Madrid post" done within the next few days, but in the meantime much love to all of you!! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!!
I finally made it out of our 14-day-post-Spain quarantine.... Woohoo!! Carol and I had a lovely time together and enjoyed each others' company (entertaining ourselves daily with our Spanish telenovela, Italian detective show, crosswords, Carol made cooking videos and read a book to me (kinda fun.... try it!!), and lots of chatting of course)!! Not being able to see people and hug her grandbabies was probably the most stressful aspect (and coordinating a "germ-free bathroom" for her husband who graciously hung out, cooked, ate and slept downstairs for 2 weeks), but overall it wasn't too bad!!
As we neared the end of our quarantine, we realized that quarantine had been simple (challenging, but simple), and things were about to get VERY complicated (from a "who might infect who" perspective) now that Carol would be babysitting her grandkids again and Dave would be back in our sphere (but also out-and-about a bit with others).
Since my sister, Sheryl, was alone and in isolation by herself (since my mom passed), I decided to take a risk, strap on a mask and catch a flight to Spokane.... washing my hands like crazy all the way there! We figured if I picked up the virus while flying, I could always quarantine myself in her cute little cottage out back! The first time I saw pictures of her house, I claimed the cottage as "mine" since I've been wanting a Tiny House for forever!!
Soooo.... I picked the shortest flight with the fewest connections and hoped for the best, but alas.... the travel gods were NOT with me this time!! As I was sitting in the South Bend airport nervously being observed like I MIGHT be the sick person with my mask on (it was very unnerving and made me feel self-conscious!!), I received a last-minute text from Delta telling me my flight from Minneapolis to Spokane had been cancelled.... ugh... seriously?!?! I went to the ticket agent (who was busy loading another plane), but she said whatever they were offering on the Delta App was probably the best thing possible, so I should just confirm it as quickly as possible!!
Sooooo..... I was rerouted through Atlanta AND Salt Lake, and my "short" 8 hour day turned into a 13-hour mask-wearing ordeal! Let me tell you.... wearing a mask for 13 hours is NOT a fun thing (especially if you have claustrophobia!!), but I did as I was told and kept it on (other than when I would hide in the corner away from everyone, sanitize my area and eat a few snacks along the way)!!
Carol and I had discussed the possibility that they might start cancelling flights (which is why I left the morning our quarantine was over because it started looking like what we experienced in Barcelona might start happening on domestic flights with some states threatening to close their borders)!! Even though I knew my flight getting cancelled might be a possibility, I was shocked (and disappointed) when it actually happened less than an HOUR before I was supposed to fly!! Oh well.... Travel during a pandemic, huh?!? What's a girl to do?!?
So I'm here, hanging out in Coeur d'Alene with Sheryl, and we are hunkered down in isolation together! I'm sure our days will be similar to my quarantine with Carol (both sisters are very good cookie makers and I love being the official "bowl-cleaner-upper" like my dad)!! And I'll give you a little tidbit of advice for where you want to be "sheltering safe" for your NEXT pandemic.... you want to be with a massage therapist who doesn't have any other clients to work on but you!! Sheryl was very kind today and worked out all my "wearing a stupid/claustrophobic mask on an airplane and flying 13 hour" stress, and I'm eternally grateful!!
One last thing.... It seems I have so much time on my hands that I finally got my Life Coaching website put together! I've been planning on putting something together because when I meet people and explain what I do, they always want to see my website. I have my travel blog/website, but this one is more about Life Coaching instead of Travel Coaching (even though the process is similar because it's ALL about the Inner Journey)!! It's not super fancy, but it will hopefully give people a sense of what I do!
Also, for anyone looking for something to read in-between the "scary stuff" these days, I've posted my "10 Steps for Living More Joyfully From the Inside Out" (an email series I put together about 13 years ago when I was first getting my Life Coaching business up and running)! In these challenging times, I thought I'd put it out there in case it helps anyone get grounded and centered in a peaceful place (something many of us need these days)!!
https://coachingwithjudi.blogspot.com/
Hopefully I'll get my "Madrid post" done within the next few days, but in the meantime much love to all of you!! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!!
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