Changes

How quickly things change!  In the past 24 hours, I've received messages about all of the following:

LDS Church meetings suspended worldwide
Expanding Your Horizons STEM day at SLCC--cancelled
Wasatch Family Art Night--cancelled
Emerson Parent Teacher conferences--cancelled
Cello recital--cancelled
California choir trip--cancelled
A'Capella concerts--cancelled
Barber of Seville Opera night--cancelled
Classes at the U of U--cancelled
Schools in Seattle area--closed until April 24th
Omaha Public Schools--closed for a week
NCAA tournaments--cancelled
College World Series--cancelled
Ultimate Frisbee games--cancelled
Salt Lake County Library--closed
Avenues baseball--postponed until the end of March
Spirit Bowl--cancelled
After school activities--cancelled
Disneyland--closed
Girl Scouts-large gatherings cancelled
Cello lessons--changed to Skype
Etcetera...

Needless to say, we are reeling.  It feels like our entire world has been turned upside down in an instant.  Our ridiculously overscheduled calendar is suddenly empty.  Salt Lake City Schools are currently open, but it feels like a matter of time before they close as well.

It's hard to see our children confused, disappointed, and frightened.  Brooklyn is naturally bummed about missing her choir trip to Disneyland.  Eli is distressed about the College World Series with his grandpa.  While it hasn't been cancelled yet, I suspect Annika's Ninja Warrior class will be put on hold.  She will doubtless be heartbroken.

As a response to all the chaos, Jason and I slipped away to go night skiing for a couple hours this evening.  It's peaceful up the mountain with the cold, fresh air in your face.

While riding the chair lift, we got a phone call from Grandma Susie.  Great-Grandpa Hansen passed away this evening. Due to the final stages of dementia, he started sleeping more and more until he stopped waking to eat or drink.  After five days without fluids, his body shut down.

How quickly things change.  Many of these changes are hard.  After 94 years of meaningful living, I feel deep in my heart that for Grandpa Hansen, the transition to the other side was a joyful one.  Even so, he is missed here.

We love your grandpa.  Praying for peace of mind and health of body for all in this world we share.

Stop the Panic?

Okay, an explanation: I wrote and posted the following about six hours ago.  I then proceeded to take the post down because in those six hours, Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz Center) tested positive for Covid-19 and the NBA suspended games for the rest of the season.  With the Jazz arena neighboring West High where Brooklyn, Talia and I spend our days, this virus suddenly feels close to home.  General Conference has been closed to the public, our stake conference is cancelled, and the University of Utah is supposed to make an announcement tomorrow morning about whether it will switch to all online classes.  Whatever is happening, it feels big.

***

So yeah.  Coronavirus.  COVID-19.  It's all anyone is talking about these days.  In many ways, I feel conflicted about it.  Are we blowing things out of proportion?  I mean, at its root, we're really just talking about the flu.  I don't mean to sound callous, but people get the flu.  Vulnerable populations suffer, but we don't flip out.  A cursory internet search just told me that on average, somewhere between 290,000 and 650,000 people die from the flu globally each year.  To date, coronavirus has killed 4200 worldwide. 

On the other hand, the World Health Organization just declared a worldwide pandemic.  Apparently the last time that happened was in 2009 with H1N1.  I remember H1N1 being a big deal since Eli had just been born and I was extra cautious as a new mother.  However, I don't recall the same sense of pandemonium.  

COVID-19 does concern me.  I worry about the global economic implications.  I worry about fear-mongering.  To date, there are only two identified cases of Coronavirus in Utah, yet the state has declared a state of emergency.  Even if the illness hasn't arrived yet, the threat of school closures and quarantine affects our lives.  Conferences and other large gatherings are being cancelled.  There's a run on toilet paper, and you can forget about buying hand sanitizer.  I worry about people from hotspots being treated as pariahs.  Annika and I happened to visit Seattle right as everything started unfolding there.  It was unnerving coming home and having people give us the side-eye and step away when they found out where we'd been.

I recognize that coronavirus is novel and serious.  We certainly ought to follow CDC guidelines and be vigilant about hand-washing and social distancing.  Our family is prepared for a couple of weeks of self-quarantine if necessary.  But for Pete's sake--let's all calm down and stop the panic.

Enjoying Edgewood

Aw shucks.  Guess I haven't been doing so well on the blog updates every couple of days.  Bet no one saw that coming.

Plenty to catch up on!  After all,  couple weeks ago we had a lovely visit from our cousin Alesia combined with a trip to Southern Utah.  Instead, let me tell you what I'm up to at the moment.  On Thursday morning, Annika and I hopped an airplane to Seattle to see the Wilhoits.  Annika brought her dog Casey and invited at least a dozen people to pet her.  (The stuffed animal, that is.)

Luckily for us, the flight was not full and Casey got her own seat.

The mountain views flying out of Salt Lake and into Seattle were gorgeous.  It's so much fun flying with a little one who appreciates the miracle of air travel.

Since our cousins Anders and Eila were still in school when we arrived, Annika and I headed to Alki beach to explore.

The perfect way to spend a morning with my nature girl, topped off by clam chowder for lunch.  Yum.

Back in Edgewood, we were thrilled to see Anders and Eila.  (Aunt Callie, Uncle Adam, and Zoe too, of course.)


Silly Anders!

The next day Eila played hooky from school so that we could explore Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.  So fun!

The tram was particularly exciting.

We saw moose, elk, mountain goats, bison, nanny goats, deer, trumpeter swans, and more.

Afterward, we went to say hello to the wolves.

It was funny to see the girls step back as this wolf stepped closer.  Some healthy preservation instincts.

Their very favorite animal experience: the playful river otters.

All in all, a great way to spent the afternoon...

...with a smashed penny to remember it by.

And now, may I indulge in a note to the ones I left behind.  Eli, Talia, Brooklyn, and Jason--we miss you!  While we are certainly having a wonderful experience, it would be even lovelier with you.  We hope you are having a delightful time enjoying the warm weather in Salt Lake.  Between frisbee, drones, Settlers, and movies, it's probably a party with Mom out of town.  Just know that I love you and can't wait to see you soon.  

Snow on Snow on Snow (Plus Big News)

Lately, our Salt Lake home (affectionately dubbed the North Pole) reminds me of the carol In the Bleak Midwinter.  "Snow had fallen, snow on snow on snow."

We have had so much snow!

It's gradually concealing the evidence of our (non-alcoholic) bubbly

Best part of all?  A rare snow day.  We didn't get out of pajamas for the entire day, except for when we tossed on snow pants over the top to shovel or play.  It was fantastic.

On a warmer note, this also happened in our family.  I'll let the pictures reveal the secret.

In case you can't read the caption, it says, "Back to Lyon, France--September 15-30, 2020.

We are so very excited.  In one sense, our decision to purchase tickets to Europe was extremely impulsive.  Some amazing fares became available, and we had to act quickly.  In another sense, this trip has been a very long time in coming.  Our year in France is such an integral part of our collective family history; we talk about it all the time. 

Talia and Brooklyn in 2009

It's been more than a decade!  We are long overdue in sharing this with all our children.  With Annika being seven, this seems the perfect time.  They are all old enough to remember (and hopefully appreciate) the experience.  While I feel a bit irresponsible pulling them out of school for so long, we will manage.  Truthfully, I feel like our family really needs this time together.  Before we know it, they will be grown.

Best part of all: we will likely take a road trip to see our favorite Lithuanians, the Vedeckis family. There are so many amazing places and countries to see along the way!  Let us know if you have any recommendations.  :)

She's Better Than You, Babe. Or is it Gorgeous.

Yesterday most of our family headed up to Brighton for a beautiful day of skiing.  We missed Brooklyn, but she was busy competing in Science Olympiad.

There may not have been fresh powder, but the snow was still good, and I loved the sunshine and warmth.

Eli and Talia, waiting at the lift for the rest of our group.  These two love to ski fast!


As for Annika, she adores skiing through the trees, and is pretty darn good at it too.  As she was nimbly navigating down a steep slope, I was a bit hesitant following after her.  A man called out, "She's better than you, babe!  That girl has no fear."

I'm not quite sure how I feel about being called Babe, but found it amusing nonetheless

Jason similarly had a recent catcall experience.  As he was biking to his studio class (he teaches adjunct in the spring), a homelesss woman called out, "Biking sure is doing amazing things to your body.  You're gorgeous!"

Agreed.  Now to all women in the world, hands off my man.  ;)

Annika's Seventh Birthday

Happy 02/02/2020/Groundhogs Days/Superbowl Sunday!  Out of all of these, I think the palindrome date is the coolest.  But I want to blog about something even more special--Annika's seventh birthday!

As the baby of the family, Annika's birthdays are bittersweet for me.  I rather wish she would stop growing and stay my little girl a little longer.  Alas, despite my repeated requests, she has informed me that she can't.  In fact, she even explained how she has to grow up so that someday she can have her own babies.  Hello, grandma.

We often celebrate Annika's birthday with overnight baked french toast in honor of the breakfast we enjoyed on the day she was born.

Then it was off to school.  Innie loves her first grade class and her amazing teacher, Ms. Blank.

Annika's class made her the cutest cards filled with pictures of the things she loves best.

This year was a "family party" year for Annika, so we came home and started preparing for the celebration.  Annika had requested a Chinese New Year theme, so we made homemade ramen and fortune cookies.

When I asked Annika what would make her birthday special, she said, "Playing with Ruby."  Guess it was a very special day!

"Heavy heavy hangover, thy poor head. What do you wish with a bump on your head?"  Does anyone else find this ritual strange?  Having not grown up with it, it still strikes me as quite odd. I tried to google it to learn more of the origin, but all I can figure out is that it's kind of a Utah thing. 

Hmm...whatever could be in this interesting package?

Annika's tights may offer a clue.

A hermit crab!  Two actually.  For months (years?), Annika has been begging for a pet (See exhibits A &B.)

"Can we have chameleon?  We would never find it because it would be camouflaged.  Love, Annika"

"Get a lizard, Mom and Dad.  I will catch the food.  Love, Annika."

While she would have preferred a lizard, these hermit crabs were about the lowest maintenance creatures we could come up with.  We've named this big one Tamatoa and the little one Sebastian.

Annika is delighted.  Yesterday we went skiing and she told everyone on the ski lifts all about her new pets.

After presents, it was time for cake.

May all your dreams come true, sweetheart.

Unfortunately, here's where the happy wishes end.  Immediately after cutting the cake, Annika turned ghostly white and said that her stomach hurt, leaving her cake completely untouched.  We bade Ruby a quick farewell, then Annika threw up all over the stairs.  What a bummer of a way to celebrate your seventh birthday.  At least the sickness held off until after her party.

Beautiful Annika, you are creative, inquisitive, perceptive, and above all, happy.  You fill our house with fun artwork and fun creature facts.  But most of all, you fill our home with smiles and snuggles.  Our family wouldn't be complete without you.  We love you so much, Cheesestick!  May seven be a year of learning and adventure.