Reunited

On Saturday morning, Bo was officially released from his basement bunker and returned to the land of the living (i.e. upstairs).  He had been feeling a lot better, but we wanted to be sure to take every precaution and maintained the quarantine the required amount of time.  The rest of us managed to stay COVID-free (or at least never had any symptoms).

We decided to celebrate Bo’s freedom by decorating the house for Christmas.  It’s early, even for us, but we will be traveling over Thanksgiving and since it is 2020, anything goes. We have a crazy few weeks ahead and this weekend seemed like the perfect time.  I was definitely ready for some cozy good cheer.

I’m going with a theme this Christmas – rustic/burlap.  I started plotting this last year when I purchased lots of Christmas decor, wrapping paper, and gift bags during the after Christmas sales.  This is the first year I’ve really done a theme and I think it will be a lot of fun! I even decorated a wreath for my front door yesterday…  who is this person? 😉

Last week was a stressful week.  I refreshed the Electoral College map too many times and read waaayyy too much news.  We were all home and still quarantined, but some time on the bike and multiple walk-breaks each day with Mike and Chip (and sometimes Clara) helped make the week more tolerable.

And yes, our whole family watched Kamala Harris and Joe Biden speak on Saturday evening.  No matter your political persuasion, it was a historic moment.  There is nothing I want more than for all of my trio to know that they can be and do anything!

I truly hope that our country can find a middle ground and become much more purple in the years ahead.  This extreme polarization has been awful for everyone — compounded by being in the middle of a pandemic.  I follow Jenna Bush Hager on Instagram and she posted her Grandpa’s letter that he left for Bill Clinton when he took office.  It is such a showcase of what fundamentally good people can bring to politics. Do they make mistakes?  Of course, they are human – just like the rest of us.  But I truly believe that most of our presidents, no matter their party affiliation, do their best and want what is best for America.

I’ve always had a fascination with the presidency since my grandpa pinned a Ronald Reagan pin on my shirt at an event in the community building in Olney back in the early 80s.  When I was working towards my masters in poli sci, most of the research I did focused on the presidency and on First Ladies.  I even had about 1/3 of a thesis written on First Ladies before I shifted gears and focused more on education.  I still love reading about their lives and watching history unfold.  I have a soft spot for Nancy Reagan, all of the Bushs (but especially Laura and her twins – Jenna and Barbara), and Michelle Obama (if you haven’t read Becoming — it’s a must!). I truly can’t wait to see what Dr. Jill Biden does as First Lady.  Having an educator (who still plans to teach!) in that position can only be positive for America’s educational system.

This will be my only post this week as I’ll be heading to Orlando tomorrow through next Monday for an extensive and long-awaited training with 10 of my Pineapple Escapes agents.  I’m so excited to spend time in person with them (we all talk daily online). We will be learning more about Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando resort to better serve all of our clients.  There is nothing like Christmas in the Magic Kingdom!  I am sure I will have much more to say about our trip when we return!  If you’d like to follow our adventures, I’ll be posting on Instagram @TravelMomPhD and all of my agents will be sharing on Insta @PineappleEscapes!

Meals Last Week:

Monday: fish tacos, Mike’s homemade chocolate chip cookies

Tuesday: stress eating – I ate onion rings and ice cream.  The rest of my family had leftovers.

Wednesday: take-out from our favorite local Mexican place – tacos, fajitas, and rice and beans

Thursday: grilled chicken Caesar salads

Friday: lasagna, garlic bread, salad

Saturday: Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta – this was easy and really good!  It was too spicy for Anna, but everyone else loved it.  I will definitely double it next time for the 5 of us.

Sunday: ground beef nachos