May 12th, 2020 Day 128 of 128

So today is the day we were supposed to get off the MS Amsterdam in Fort Lauderdale. We are currently on day 49 of quarantine. We have been experiencing this “new” lifestyle since arriving back to our home in CA on March 23rd. It has been definitely full of its share of ups and downs. We have been following the ship through the Holland America app and it is currently off the coast of the Philippines waiting to disembark the Filipino crew. 172 crew were already allowed off in Indonesia earlier this month. Our luggage has now traveled over 10,000 additional miles then we have, as it is still onto ship. We therefore, have no souvenirs from our world cruise and we are hoping to see them within the next few months. We have realized the lion’s share of our summer clothes are still on the ship and since it was 80 degrees here last week, we splurged and bought the girls a few new pairs of shorts to boost their spirits. As we were already homeschooling the transitions for education have been seamless for us here. We strive to stay in routines. School work, games, puzzles, crocheting (not as much as on the ship), cooking and baking, arts and craft, walks on the beach and to the tide pools, watching movies and educational programming and some cuddling time on the couch. We have been able to secure some masks and hand sanitizer if we ever get off shelter in place restrictions. We are having our groceries delivered to minimize exposure. They girls have learned a valuable lesson of what is truly important in this world. Food, shelter, clothing and loved ones. We had a hard time adjusting to ship life to quarantine life for sure. We all went through a loss, and it triggered grief, and it brought back a lot of emotional memories about the passing of Don. So we had to go through a period of grief recovery all over again. I have recently started doing some meditation and yoga to try and help me to cope, center myself, and make my mind and body stronger. We are also adjusting to having a boy in the house. My second oldest son who is 22, moved in with us two weeks ago after a difficult time adjusting to this quarantine life as well. It is nice to have another adult in the house and I looking forward to working alongside him to complete many projects around my home. We miss our friends and Amsterdam family immensely. We have touched base with a handful of friends we exchanged contact information with before getting off the ship, but I have sadly not stayed in touch as best as I should. There’s a goal for me for this next week. I am happy to stay I have stayed true to my commitment to staying prioritized on what is important to me emotionally, physically and psychologically. I have not allowed myself to get overwhelmed with the burdens of day to day life, thanks to president Trump and Gavin Newsome. Hard not to keep your family a priority if you are with them 24/7 LOL!! I hope I can stay true to myself and them when some normalcy returns. First stop, if it can’t be Disneyland, will be a weekend away for me solo. It still good to have dreams and goals. But we have learned we need to be flexible as well and to not let disappointment wash us away when things don’t go as we planned. I pray you wonderful Mom’s had a great Mother’s Day. I was sadly not with my mom. She spent two weeks isolated with us upon return to CA and is blissfully back at home with her fur baby. It has been a difficult transition not having her around daily as well. I was blessed to have all four of my children here, please enjoy the photo we took. Sorry, no make up, no fancy attire, but lots of love in that photo. Many of my life’s blessings all in one frame. We look forward to new and exciting adventures when life allows. There is still so much of the world we want to live and share with you so you can live vicariously through me. Sending love and prayers for safety, healthy and peace. Wherever you are right now, choose to feel blessed in it.