If you could really see COVID, I think it would look like the ominous skies we have outside. Oregon is on fire. The west coast is on fire; Oregon has never had this amount of uncontained burning, double the annual acreage average in just the last few days. The hazardous air quality has forced us inside the last couple of days and we have what looks like at least couple more days to go. Portland has the worst air quality of any major city on the planet. Portland has kept us on edge for months now with BLM protests clashing with law enforcement and the continuous impact COVID has on every aspect of people's lives. Enough already. ENOUGH. I know easier days are coming, better days are coming, but to be honest, it feels like we still have a ways to to go to push through all the screwballs being pitched at us. That's why taking it a day at a time, finding the joy where we can, and supporting our kids is more important than ever.
You can barely make out the Portland skyline
By day, the last 5 days, snapshot of Portland.
It's mind blowing just how many fires are burning and how many towns it's destroyed and families having to flee with little notice. So many hearts are hurting right now.
We just finished a very soft two week start to online school to really just get acquainted with the online platforms and do some social emotional connection activities. Due to COVID, school is 100% virtual until further notice. The real test starts Monday when school starts focusing on academics.
Even with all the challenges, we found a good rhythm in August. We made sure our kids were making memories while Nate and I quietly weighed the benefits versus the risks of every single decision every day. The girls got their ears pierced, individual day dates with mom that they could set up, swim time in the rivers, and biking continued to fill up our summer. Our 5th annual neighborhood block party was replaced with "come outside and have a sidewalk chat with a neighbor" every Sunday in August at 7pm. It turned out to be personally fulfilling catching up with neighbors and meeting some really delightful new neighbors as well.
Here are some nice pictures from our August but in truth, overall, life is really weird right now.
Random shot of our Irving Street Social Stroll (replacing the Block Party) on a Sunday August evening
Sunset marine drive bike ride
Day date with Lily
Ears pierced!
Elise paved the way getting her ears pierced first on our day date
Chillin on the river
Elise date with Dad. To show just how weird times are, as they were walking to the ice cream shop they saw the tail end of a pro-Trump truck parade - the same one which was involved in a guy getting shot dead later that evening, a 10 minute walk from where this photo was taken.
Ping Pong with Opa
This is Elise after just finishing the Harry Potter series. She came to me crying tears of joy after finishing the last page holding me in the tightest hug for the longest time. A moment neither of us will forget. I'm not a Harry Potter fan but I sure am now. So grateful for the Harry Potter world Elise got to escape to, her love of reading, and how proud she was of herself for finishing the series.
a few random videos catching my kids doing things they were proud of
