Scary and Uncertain Times

Scary and Uncertain Times

Like most of America, and the world, I am staying home as ordered by our state officials. It is such an unusual and unprecedented time and everyday things are changing. Our situation is so fluid meaning what we hear on the news in the morning, can completely change by the evening.  I don’t know about many of you, but this unsettled world has me feeling so anxious and nervous. It also puts me on high alert because, as a person with a severely compromised immune system and a long history of health issues including asthma, I am fearful of everything I am learning about this illness.

Presently, I take immuno-suppressant medications that keeps my chronic disease under control, but severely taxes my system leaving me little to fight off infection or illness. I fall into that segment of society who are at high-risk of danger if I come into contact with anything going around.

Plans Change

I have not left my house for over 3 weeks. I don’t know if you recall through my recent posts and videos, but Nate and I had a trip to Colorado planned for our second anniversary and Nate’s golden birthday. (He turned 30 on March 30th) We were going in early March to Denver. Everything was booked, ski-hill passes were purchased, airfare and lodging reserved and paid for, sightseeing plans and a special anniversary/dinner was in the works. Nasir was going to Grammy and Grampy’s house for the week. We were so excited.

As more and more news broke out, it became apparent that we would have to cancel our vacation. I called my doctors and they advised me NOT to travel. They had insisted that in my condition and with little to no immune system to fight, going into an airport or on a plane was too dangerous at this time. Was I sad and disheartened to cancel all our plans? Absolutely. However, I trust my doctor, and if my doctor issues a grave warning like she did, there is no way I would go against her recommendations. I have been through too much in my life not to heed her warnings.

Everything Is Canceled

So, we, like many of you, decided to retract and cancel all our plans and reservations and stay home. Glued to the TV and internet we watched everything unfold in real-time. Rapidly changing, constantly fluid and more frightening by the moment, we stayed in and were gripped by what was happening in the world and right here at home. I needed to walk away from the screens and try to salvage what I could of our “vacation” by re-inventing a plan to enjoy our anniversary and Nate’s birthday. And we did. We kept Nasir home and the three of us did a “stay-cation” in our living room.  We binged Netflix shows, took a few countryside drives, walked a trail or two in isolated places, we cooked a nice dinner on our two celebrations and WE STAYED INDOORS. My extent of “leaving the house” is going into my backyard.

Our Options

Nate is fortunate to have several weeks of vacation and PTO (Paid time off) that he is using up from his “essential” job. He works in a plant that has numerous employees, and from all indications, we felt that his going to work at this time was not wise because of community spread and he was able to use up his vacation to stay home so far. On the advice of my doctors, they suggest he take time off and stay home indefinitely, as to not bring anything home with him that puts me or Nas at risk.

It has been extremely stressful to work through the decisions of him returning to work versus staying home if he is able. Like many people, this serious crisis is forcing our hand to make hard choices to protect our family and none of the choices are easy. He stays home, we cut off our main income for the indefinite future. If he goes to work, then he risks exposure and bringing “it” home in a household that deals with an individual with little to no immune system to fight off any of this. I can’t tell you how scared or anxious I have been!!! I know I am not alone in saying this. ALL of us are scared.

We will find a way

As we navigate through the uncertainties and worries of this ever changing situation and confide in our doctors and families, we have been able to come up with Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Each one comes with its own set of concerns and heartaches. Do we take no pay? Can we survive on just my income? (I have exhausted myself looking into options –FFCRA-the Families First Act or Paycheck Protection-none of which apply to us) Do we send Nate to work? Should Nas and I stay with my parents and be apart from Nate for an indefinite duration?

We, are faced with life-altering decisions while we press ahead into the unknown. At least we have what we need. At least we can manage through each plan despite the difficulties of each choice. At least we have support. I remind myself all the time of the blessings I have before me and focus upon those. Many are not so fortunate, and it hits me over and over to imagine the unimaginable. We will work this out. No matter what sacrifice we make, it is small in comparison to so many others. No matter what, we all have had to work through so many rough spots of this situation and it’s not easy.

Moving forward

As we move forward, sometimes slowly, sometimes at a mad pace, the least I can do to keep myself occupied is what I do best. Crochet. So for the next weeks, months, whatever it takes, I will continue to bring you what I can of my craft. I will show up. Every day. I will bring some new projects, new patterns, light, laughter and a distraction from the craziness that is swirling around us. So, join me as we keep moving forward. Bring your hooks and your yarn, and for a few minutes a day try to focus on other things that distract us from our worries, and relax with our craft. Because in a time when so much is out of control, one thing we can be in control of us the choice to take a few moments to do something we love.

“It is how we embrace the uncertainties in our lives that leads to the great transformation of our souls.”

When we reach the end of this, and we will, I hope we can all move forward with more love, patience, and understanding of one another. The lessons we learn will be immense.

I hope you all stay healthy…

~Nadia

P.S. A huge thank you goes out to everyone in the world who are on the front lines of this insanity. ALL the helpers. ALL the essential workers. ALL the people who risk their lives so we can be home. Our gratitude knows no limit. And for the families this may reach, I hope and pray that all of you are well and safe. I am sending every bit of goodness your way.

I don’t know who needs to hear this as I hope no one is breaking these rules, but if you are one who was told to stay home, please do. Follow the guidelines of what has been mandated so that those who are unable to be home with their families can stay as safe as possible during this time.

Sending you lots of love.

Share with us how you are getting through this difficult time.

 

 

Meet Jade and Fern

Meet Jade and Fern

Transitioning to so many new changes following the wedding, I found myself spending a lot of time alone. I live quite a distance from my parents now, in a new city, and have slowly begun to fully settle in to my new life here.

Working from home, I found that now the planning for the wedding is no longer consuming my days, I am finding a lot of extra time on my hands and hours to fill while Nate is at work all day. I stay busy. I have my YARNutopia blogging and tutorials to keep me quite active, but 10 hours a day I find myself alone. This is something I have been trying to adjust to and it hasn’t been easy.

Living with my parents, there was always a flurry of activity in our house. People coming and going, lots of stuff to do and very high energy made time pass quickly. I was never lonely. Here, my new house is very quiet all day, and it has taken some getting used to.

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Fur-baby First

Nate and I have been considering adding a pet to our household for some time now. Even before the wedding, we really felt a fur-baby would be a welcome addition to our new family. We decided on a kitty cat just to have some companionship for me while Nate is away.

On Saturday, we spontaneously decided to go check out a pet rescue called Chasing Daylight. We went with an open mind and heart. Since we have been planning to adopt a cat or a dog, it wasn’t too surprising to fall in love with a pet right away. Nate has always wanted a cat, I wanted a small dog. We ended up seeing both, cats and dogs yesterday and fell in love with one little kitty right away.

For a pet to be available for adoption, the facility (Chasing Daylight Pet Rescue) has to spay/neuter the animal, give the animal a full check-up and shots. We loved that the facility was very clean and all the animals were very well cared for. They let the cats all run around in an open room together for socialization.


She captured our hearts

We immediately were drawn to a little kitty that was approximately 6-8 months old. She was a stray and had never been previously owned. She was so sweet and such a cuddly little thing. She was fully vaccinated and spayed and ready for adoption.

We filled out an application. They needed full disclosure on info; the obvious- if we have ever been arrested for animal abuse and other important necessary facts. They needed to know who lives in the household and who will be the main care giver. Basically the rundown on making sure we would be good pet parents.

They were so kind to us and we were approved with no problems. We told them we were recently married, and it is just us two living in our home. I work from home and Nate works outside of the home. Someone will always be home and a full-time companion for this little sweetie!

It was set. We could come to pick her up 10am Sunday morning and take her home!

So, like all excited pet parents, when we got home last night to prep for our new arrival and we headed straight to the store and purchased EVERYTHING a cat needs. Litter, litter box, cat dishes, cat food, cat toys, mats, more toys, collars, cat crate, treats, shampoo, brush, 2 beds, Cat Tower, more toys, scratching posts, and catnip. You name it, it was in our cart!

To say we were thrilled is an understatement!

When we arrived Sunday morning to pick up our little kitty we went in, we were expecting to just adopt one cat, but when we got there, another cat was super social and was playing with “our” kitty, so we were so moved by their antics, we just could not resist and within a couple of hours we were bringing home two!


The second cat was previously owned, the owners moved to Georgia. She is approximately 1 year old. She has been spayed and up to date on all her distemper, ringworm shots as well.

We packed them in the carrier and off we went home to start this new adventure!

What’s in a name?

First line of business was giving them a name! We waited to get them home and watch over them a bit, but Nate and I were both so transfixed by the color of their eyes. They both have such beautiful green eyes that it soon became evident that those would be the defining factor in finding their forever names.

We decided on Jade for our older cat and Fern for our little kitty.

We are looking forward to this newest adventure in pet parenting and sharing our lives with these two darlings-Jade and Fern.
I know for myself, it will help make my days feel a bit less lonely with these two around, and I will love having some crochet companionship! I can’t wait to share their antics with all of you!

Share a bit about your fur-babies in the comments!

 

UPDATE: 4/5/2019

We have had these kitties for a year now and they have made our life so much better! We really don’t know how we lived without them! They are always putting a smile on our face! Fern is the best snuggle bug and Jade loves on us when she’s hungry. Haha!! They are both so different, but they love each other and you can always find them together! Here are both of their birthday photos when they each turned 2 years old.

Jade’s 2nd birthday was September 7th, 2018

 

Fern’s 2nd birthday was March 26th, 2019

As you can see, they are extremely spoiled and deserve all the delicious treats in the world! We love them so much and we’re so happy they chose us.

~Nadia

 

This post contains affiliate links, which I may be compensated for when you make a purchase. That means if you click on any link and buy from the linked websites, I will receive a small percentage of the value of your order. The amount you pay is not changed. Thank you for all your support in clicking the links in my blog!! You all are so amazing!! ~Nadia