So there was palpable relief at some of the restrictions easing--if only because it implies a shift toward "normal", whatever that may mean (more on that later). However, the announcement also seemed to cause a not insubstantial amount of (understandable and appropriate, in my opinion) nervousness about the possible repercussions to public health and safety.
And what, you may wonder, actually happened when the governor officially modified the Stay-at-Home order? The short answer, for Team WestEnders anyway, turned out to be: not a whole heck of a lot, to be honest. I mean, the only retail outlets I've been frequenting during all this...nonsense...are supermarkets and Target, which were always accessible anyway. And seriously, who needs to buy clothes during a pandemic, amiright? (With the exception of obvious necessities like socks and underwear....which can be obtained online. Because we may be chill on the majority of the rules, but let's not go complete nudist, 'kay? Your colleagues/fam/friends on Zoom are supremely grateful...)Like many other of my fellow humans, I've leapt wholeheartedly into the "24/7 leisurewear culture" and have no plans to transition back to...um..."dress-up apparel"...until absolutely required (and then, only grudgingly. I've gotten used to being soooo comfortable. Can we just agree that this will remain as part of the "improved 2020"? That'd be AWESOME...)
We did get to celebrate a belated Mother's Day by picking up dinner from one of my favorite local eateries, which as a small independent entity had chosen to shut down entirely for a while during the crisis, until they felt it was worthwhile to resume service. Pretty much as soon as they started cooking again, I was able to fulfill my 2-month craving for their super-yummy nachos, so muchas gracias to Carrburritos for the comida deliciosa!
Next on the To Do List, the only thing that we jumped to take advantage of was the fact that the T-Mobile store was allowed to return to seeing customers, albeit with the updated sanitization and distancing protocols in place. This came at a very fortunate time for us, since we'd been pushing our 2-3/4 year old phones to continue functioning for as long as possible before spending money for upgrades...but the boys' and mine had been growing more and more rebellious, until I'd finally had enough and was ready to make the switch.
Of course, this involved a trip to the actual brick-and-mortar building, so we could meet with a representative in person to discuss our options and facilitate the transfer to the new models. Now...in truth, three of us could have done this remotely, and been completely fine. But Husband...well, let's just lump this in the category of "fears change" (which he freely admits, and is utterly unrepentant about)...so rather than having to be his tech support staff, we dragged him along to talk to an expert. (I even offered him a pass--since he doesn't use his phone nearly as much or as intensely as the rest of us, and he wasn't having any issues with it--but he was afraid of having to go back alone at a later time and pick one by himself. Siiighhh....I almost got away with it....)
So I secured an appointment via their online portal, and at our pre-arranged time, we pulled up to the door, were greeted by a friendly employee...and informed we'd have to wait outside until the people currently being assisted finished up and left. Okay, we get it--until an HOUR later, when we were still hanging out on the sidewalk, and I was ready to raise a ruckus. (Memo to T-Mobile: are you aware of how scheduling works? Because trust me, this is NOT a good example. Signed, Disgruntled Client.)Frankly, if I'd been there solo, I would have left long before that ridiculous amount of time had passed, but since I had the Male Trio to entertain me, it was bearable. (See "Mask 101, What Not to Do".) It also gave us a chance to address a subject that called for some group input: what to do about our planned Summer getaway. You see, I'd gotten an email from Expedia earlier in the week, letting me know that the carrier had cancelled the flight I booked in January (before the viral apocalypse), and moved us arbitrarily to a much earlier departure (which I had specifically ignored when searching, because, you know, getting up at 5 a.m. to rush to an airport does not put us in our happy zone).
I wasn't thrilled with the alteration, but I noticed (in the wee tiny print below the much more prominent red updates) that due to the global....situation...they were allowing refunds...which NEVER happens. This provided some interesting food for thought, since for once we'd have a zero-penalty escape clause, to reshape our vacation in whatever form felt right during this (I'm gonna say it) unprecedented period.
When I broached the topic with my gang, it came as no surprise that they very quickly expressed a unanimous desire to cancel our original expedition. Because this is how their scientifically-leaning brains operate, they backed up their subjective statements by citing reasonable concerns (that I share, incidentally), such as uncertainty about whether the things we want to see and do will even be open for sightseeing, and "being trapped for multiple hours with hordes of other travelers inside a flying germ box" (I...the token dramatic member of the group...MAY be paraphrasing...).
Thus it was concluded that we'd postpone Arizona for now--but I also asserted that, especially given the stress and anxiety and aggravation and...all the other stuff this year has dumped on us so far--we needed to substitute SOMETHING for our family jaunt. "Even a road trip," I commented encouragingly, "We haven't done one of those in a while!" Riley instantly jumped on this and exclaimed, "College visits! What have I been saying all along?"
Well whattya know...he's not wrong, folks. He'll be a Senior next year (chokes), filling out applications in a matter of months (gasps), and is considering a couple of schools he wants to either see for the first time, or re-tour now that he's closer to the point where it actually matters to him (Ooh, now we're talking about the FUN part--count me in!). Once the committee--er "family"--put our minds to it, an itinerary formed fairly easily...with obvious question marks such as "exact dates they'll allow prospective students on campus" to be filled in when such information is determined.But the tentative format will include stops in Greenville (Clemson), Atlanta (Georgia Tech), and Gainesville (University of Florida)...with other cities and/or attractions thrown in along the way to keep us amused as we see fit. Now all we have to do is wait for things to calm down, COVID-wise, so we can get out there and, I don't know, invade the South, or whatever! (Wait--in a totally friendly fashion! You know what I mean...)
And there you have it...even if nothing else happens during this somewhat unsettled Phase I, at least we should have fresh, well-behaved phones...and a get-the-heck-outta-Dodge excursion to look forward to in a few months or so. Yay for....rolling with the punches? Sure...and don't we all deserve a big old cookie for getting to this point? Resilient...and sugared up--now that's what I call a Win/Win!
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