We continued to work from home this week. Mark did have to go to campus to record a lecture for the class he TA’s for. He did a fantastic job, and received many complements from his professor. Mark also got to go to the bird refuge Monday to set up cameras. He is hoping to see how many predators are in the area. He went back another night to spotlight predators. He and a classmate rode in the back of his professor’s truck while holding spot lights. They counted nine skunks and seven raccoons that night.
Work with WebAIM has been very busy for me, which I love! Many people want to take our online course to fill their work-from-home time. We also finalized a purchase of 200 seats with an organization in California so I’ll be busy enrolling their participants for the next while!
I did venture out of the house to get a prescription from Lee’s. Since I had to go anyway I bought us some produce and picked up groceries for my parents and a friend because they are a little more at risk if they become sick. When I dropped off the groceries I stayed on my parents porch. It’s hard to not visit family like we want to. Later in the week we tested out Walmart’s grocery pick up. It worked really well for us. Mark didn’t even have to get out of the car so it was a great option to get some necessities while avoiding people.
We’ve tried to find small things to look forward to each day. We made up funny names like Movie night Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wii Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday (we made smoothies), Fat Friday (we made cookies), and Salty Saturday (air fryer potato chips). This week we may have to come up with more activities that don’t involve food!!
My work is doing a six week walking challenge and I set 10,000 steps for my daily goal. This means Flynn gets at least three walks every day. I think he’s starting to get tired of walking with me!! I also invited some of my family members to track steps for the month of April. It’s more fun to do a challenge with people you know and can brag to. 😉
Saturday we really enjoyed General Conference. In October, President Nelson promises it would be memorable and unforgettable, but he had no idea how different this meeting would be. The choir was pre-recorded. Only the speakers were there in a small room, and their chairs were six feet apart. It is the 200th anniversary of the first vision and many talks focused on topics such as Joseph Smith, the priesthood, and our part in the continuing restoration. The evening session was for all members eleven and older. It was exciting to hear from two teenagers. We also learned there will be a new symbol for the church which includes an image of the Christus. President Nelson invited us to participate in a second fast for the COVID-19 pandemic. His testimony that Heavenly Father is aware of us, and will help us, was powerful. We’re so grateful for a living prophet!
Mark worked on some leatherwork and I pulled out a cross stitch while listening to conference. Flynn was so good and slept through almost the entire conference. When he was younger he couldn’t sit still that long and needed someone to play with. It’s crazy that he’s almost two! He’s getting more grown up, and it probably helps that he’s also tired from my 10,000 step goal!!
The virus has also affected missionary work. All missionaries serving in other countries (except Canada) had to come home. That includes Mark’s little brother, Steven. We’ve been able to talk to him on the phone which had been fun! Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go say hello in person before he’s resigned to a mission in the states.
Our Story: The Bell Family 