Wine, Peloton, books, and a Goldendoodle...the keys to getting through Covid-19!

RR: Did you or anyone you know get it? 

K&S: "Luckily we and our families have not gotten Covid. We know lots of people that have had it, some worse than others. We have had friends in the hospital and acquaintances die from Covid. We have all been very careful not to get it. I am definitely the most cautious person out of all of my friends! It can be difficult to be the most cautious person, especially when friends or coworkers don't seem to care. I have definitely felt judged for trying to stay healthy which is a weird experience. My Dad is in the medical industry and has to help Covid patients everyday, so hearing stories of my Dad living through it in a very real way makes it very real to me."

I had the pleasure of sitting down with two incredibly, motivated individuals and dedicated doodle parents, Kelsey and Sam, and learned their secrets to surviving Covid in California.

Let's just start this off by saying that they've truly made the most of the pandemic, and that their positive attitude has gone a long way in getting through this extremely trying time. Kesley & Sam, you really do have a lucky "Penny" (yes, that's the name of their Goldendoodle!).

RR: How has Covid-19 impacted you personally?

K&S: "It has changed our lives in almost every way...honestly a lot for the better, you always have to find the silver lining."

K&S: "Things we can't do because of quarantine: Eat at restaurants, get our hair and nails done at the salon, hug or shake hands with anyone, blow out birthday candles on a big cake and share it, spend holidays with our families, share a drink or food with friends, hangout inside a friends house, and so much more..."

K&S: "Things we now get to do because of quarantine: Be thankful for everything, save money on gas and travel, spend more quality time with the people and animals you live with, slow down (this has been the biggest blessing), enjoy nature and fresh air to get out of the house, educate ourselves and others on topics like systemic racism, time to organize and reorganize your home, do something nice for your neighbors, make home cooked meals, work on projects you never had time to pre Covid, read books, pause to appreciate our health and realize what truly matters and what else is just fluff that we did to keep ourselves busy."

RR: What has Covid-19 made you grateful for?

K: "HEALTH AND FAMILY. I have prayed for my health and my family's health multiple times a day since March and we are so blessed to have been able to all stay healthy. Praying that continues! During Covid and the year of 2020, I realized that you can truly get through anything with strong faith in God, the love and support of family, good wine, and great Wifi."

The couple has also gotten super into Peloton, which I can 100% relate to!

Anyone else addicted to Peloton?

Oh, and who had to adjust to 24/7 work from home life with your significant other?

RR: What specifically changed your personal / professional life during this time? I.E. what daily routine did you have to adjust? 

K: "Sam and I were both working in offices and have now both worked from home since March 2020. I am an extremely social person so it was an adjustment but now I LOVE being at home with Sam and our dog! We are both extremely thankful that we have been able to keep our jobs and work from home. Sam was also getting his Masters Degree so when that switched to being online we were able to spend way more time together, which was also an adjustment since we hardly saw each other the last two years."

RR: Is there a story behind your mask?

K&S: "It is crazy that we actually didn't get any masks until about a month into Covid because we just kept thinking it would end soon and we wouldn't need them. We literally didn't leave our house (we had EVERYTHING delivered). Now we have a ton of masks but don't really love any of them haha. We still haven't found the perfect fit yet, if you know of any great fitting ones please let us know!"

RR: What do you miss most about life before Covid-19?

K: "I miss hugging my parents, having people over and going over to other people's houses, going to target and it feeling like 'normal going to target', dog park meetups, happy hour with friends, and weddings (my brother was supposed to get married in July 2020 then rescheduled for July 2021 and now they have canceled until the vaccine is fully distributed)."

RR: What are you most excited for when things return to “normal”?

K: "Not wearing a mask anymore, lysol wiping EVERYTHING all the time, touching things without being paranoid after and going to the spa. I know that is super random, but I really miss the spa. Going to the spa was mine and Sam's "thing" so I can't wait to do that again. Oh and we are both excited to go to the salon to get our hair done. I have given Sam all of his haircuts since March. He would not let me give him a haircut for 2 months and finally caved when it was growing over his ears. Now I have gotten the hang of it and they turn out pretty good."

RR: What has been the biggest challenge for you during this time?

K: "Most days are good days, but probably once a month I just have bad quarantine day, where I want to be anywhere but home. I am sure everyone has hard quarantine days, it's not like we are trained on how to stay home all the time. We love to host dinner parties, game nights, super bowl parties, etc. and I can count on my fingers how many people have entered our house since Covid started. I crave family and friend gatherings, but I know that all of our health and safety is way more important. The hardest thing has been feeling like I sit ALL THE TIME. I miss moving my body the way that I used to constantly move it. Luckily we got a Peloton, that has been keeping us sane."

The 2020 holiday season was an interesting one for many of us...Kayla and I were actually supposed to fly to the East Coast to spend it with her family, but then they all got Covid and our trip was cancelled.

Kelsey and Sam were fortunate to spend some of it with their family.

K: "My favorite moment during covid/quarantine was on Thanksgiving. Sam and I tried to get tested a few days before but the lines were hours long for a free test. We ended up going to a rapid testing site where we paid $150 each for a test (the things we do for family and holidays, it was worth it). We did this so that we could spend Thanksgiving with Sam's parents. Usually we have about 20 people together, but this year it was just the four of us. We still made all of the delicious family recipes and had lots of leftovers. My parents did a driveby Thanksgiving where we exchanged food. Anyways, my favorite part of the day was right before we were about to eat. We had all the food spread out and ready to dish up, the last thing we were waiting on was the green bean casserole to come out of the oven. Sam's Dad reached in to take it out of the oven and it somehow did a complete flip inside the oven and onto the floor. We all stood in the kitchen in silence as we looked at the gigantic mess that had just been made. We were all just standing there in shock for a few seconds and then Sam's Mom was the one that broke the silence. She turned to me and said "take a picture"as she laughed. We all laughed so hard we cried. We were able to save part of the casserole, but we all got a MUCH needed deep belly laugh. I don't think I had laughed that hard this entire year. So a huge mess ended up being one of my favorite moments from 2020." See the below photo for this candid memory!

Thank you, Kelsey and Sam, for sharing your stories with me. You have been, and always will be, a ray of sunshine in my life!