“one day at a time. no expectations. just show up and be present.”

“present. it's been a roller coaster to get here, but i am present. the slow down forces it every day. i’m not traveling, i miss that but in a way it gives me more time in my day.”

“gardening. connecting with nature and touching the earth. very grounding!”

“our 3-year old Paige was looking forward to starting her first real preschool in the fall, but we made the hard decision to defer participation. we live in a sweet little rural community (population only 300!) that has the sense of community you would expect from the 1950s. we're going to pull together the five toddlers in our neighborhood, and conduct our own little private, outdoor preschool, led by someone close to home. they are going to hike, tidepool, visit the farm our produce comes from, and learn to milk the goats. all the fun things you can still do while socially distancing. we will have to teach them to color inside the lines next year.”

“concentrating more energy into a smaller spatial realm has sparked creativity in making more with less! my husband and i started doing a weekly date night (at home, of course), where we alternate who is in charge of planning something as fun as we would have done pre-COVID. a few recent dates were projector screen movie night in the backyard, cocktails + mastermind game night, playing in the ocean like children (but without our children) and stargazing on the deck (no screens allowed). we have gotten very competitive around who can plan the best date night. the joy of utilizing what we do have takes the focus off of what we don’t have.”

“wanderlust. major wanderlust. we took so much pride in traveling with Paige when she was young. she was in five countries by the time she was two years old. Callie has barely left our home. i have a deep yearning to show our babies the world, in all of its beautiful imperfection. and the urgency feels exaggerated now, knowing that it's no longer a given to be able to do so at your free will.”

“Jess King's Peloton classes. i can take myself very seriously while cycling, but when i take Jess's class, i start laughing so hard at her random and inappropriate comments that then i start laughing so hard at myself that i’m laughing so hard at her and the cycle continues like this. it is a wonderful mess.”

“this fall, i’ll be going into be senior year at Colgate University. (wow, it’s super scary to say that outloud!) we are returning to the Colgate bubble in Hamilton, NY (AKA the middle of nowhere). the whole school is quarantining for the first two weeks after move-in, and then after that we will still have to wear masks and follow social distancing and such. so even though we are back on campus, it’s not going to be like previous years. i image i will spend a lot of time getting even closer with my friends, living in the moment, and capturing memories on my dad’s old film camera (a new quarantine hobby). 

it's really hard to image that a year ago i was getting ready to fly to Copenhagen for a semester abroad. i rode my bike to class every morning ,trying to keep up with the Danes who would ride to work in a skirt and heels or a suit. i studied architecture while i was there, and we spent a lot of our classes outside exploring cool pockets of the city and sketching for hours. my friends and i spent our weekends exploring little cafes, natural wine bars, and vintage shops all over Copenhagen. we traveled all over Europe — to Lisbon, Paris, Belgium, Stockholm, Munich, and Florence, to name a few. what i miss the most about traveling is striking up conversations with strangers and sharing stories about our experiences. not to mention trying new food, walking the streets of different cities, hearing people talk in languages i don’t fully understand, and being surrounded by beautiful architecture. while i’m doing everything to stay safe from COVID, it's made me come down with a serious travel bug.”

“it will all work out in the end, and if it hasn’t worked out yet, then it’s not the end.”

“optimistic. it makes me sad to think about how different my senior year will be, but different doesn’t necessarily mean bad. COVID-19 has made me slow down, and reminded me of the importance of the little things that make me happy. i’m grateful i get to return to the place i love so much with the people who make it so special. that’s all that really matters.”

“my spirulina smoothie! here’s what i put in it: banana, a pitted date, peeled cucumber, blueberries, fresh mint, spinach or kale, spirulina, a little chunk of ginger, and a dash a cinnamon blended with water or coconut water. it’s super hydrating, super energizing, and very yummy. it’s a game changer.”

“my husband, six year old and three year old are at home with me until school starts for my three year old. My six year old will be homeschooling until further notice. whatever gets done, gets done. i have let go of big ideas and projects... my to-do list has become more flexible as i focus more on what the kids need from us. however, we both try to get in a little bit of "me" time daily to help keep the balance. this way we can say "yes" more instead of "not now" to the kids, and enjoy these slow moments with them before they are all grown up.”

“when you feel stuck or you have reached a plateau, keep moving until you are unstuck. sometimes plateaus are the best launching pads for something bigger and better.

there are others that would take your problems in a heartbeat and call them blessings. serves as a reminder to cherish what you have and know that the tough times will pass. 

you don't need to justify a decision when it doesn't align, just say no.”

“lucky. for my health, beautiful friends and family and a beautiful place to live/call home.”

“like many, we have been finding a lot of joy in gardening and making things from the garden, but what we get really excited about (mostly the kids here, let's be honest) is all the delicious sweet recipes that have been posted on Instagram. especially @Kalejunkie. we make one of her recipes at least once a week since many are gluten free, dairy free and no refined sugars... we now keep tahini well stocked in the pantry for make her amazing life changing chocolate chip cookie recipe!”

Most of my time these past few months has been spent at home with my family, which has really been a blessing in disguise as I am getting ready to head off to college this fall. I've really been trying to soak up as much family time as possible!

My daily dose of joy has come from a new quarantine habit - morning yoga! I decided to give it a try back in April, and it's become something I look forward to each morning. I've also been spending a lot of time outside on some of the beautiful Marin County trails for a welcome change of scenery.