Life During the Pandemic
Hey Guys! I would like to share with you what my life has been like so far during this crazy Covid-19 outbreak. Hope you enjoy!
It all started the week of spring break. Myself, my best friend from high school Parker (Pictured left), and his roommate Ty (Pictured right) at Clarke University had planned this trip for weeks. We would head to Panama City Beach, Florida for a week straight and live it up on the beach!
Here is our first day on the beach! After a long sixteen hour car ride we are ready to stretch and most of all, see the ocean! We would stay at Parker's older brother's house. His name is Derek and is a recruiter for the air force! He has a very nice home where he and his wife Quinn were extremely good to us. Cooking food and providing us with the necessities needed for the week was all gladly given to us and we were extremely thankful for that. From shrimp and grits to steak, we were eating at least a four star meal every night!
During this week we had passes to bars at night where kids from all over the U.S. would go and socialize! Most of the people that we had talked to were from Southeastern Missouri State! During our week in paradise we were always aware of the fast spreading CoronaVirus. My mom as well as Parker's were constantly texting us everyday to watch the news and consider coming home early. You know, usual mom stuff. Every night I would receive a "watch the world news" or a "PLEASE watch the news tonight" text.
Here is an example of a text I received from my mother our first morning in Panama City
As the week continued we partied on the beach and had a great time with friends from Coe and even new friends that we had met this week, but the virus was spreading fast and things were beginning to get serious. As soon as Friday rolled around this same week beaches, bars and all social gathering places were being shut down. After a hard decision we decided to head home a day early. Nearly everything that we wanted to do in Florida was being shut down, so we figured we would take the safest route and head home early. We even heard that some states were closing the borders. The last thing we needed was to be stuck in a state sixteen hours away from home. Man that could've been bad! When returning to Iowa, Ty went back to his home in Prairie du Chien, for Parker and I it was a different story.
Our parents had decided that it was best to quarantine us having traveled out of the state. Our parents had gotten us an Airbnb at home in Manchester. I agreed with the decision to do so. Neither Parker nor I wanted to get anyone in our families sick. Parker's grandma actually lives with his family so it was utterly important for him to stay away. Arriving at the Airbnb, Parker and I saw the welcoming sign inside the door. It read, "Welcome Parker and Logan to Maples on Main." (The Airbnb was on Main Street). We instantly looked at each other and could tell what the other was thinking.
"Yoooo!" Parker said enthusiastically.
"Yes bro, this is going to be like an extra two weeks of spring break for us!" I responded.
The Airbnb looked like just a normal house from the outside, but actually it was a split apartment. Downstairs was home to the owners of the Airbnb. Walking into the porch a greeting sign welcomes us and thanks us for our stay. Passing through the porch into the house lies the shoe area. Pretty small, maybe 10x10, just ahead is the stairs to the upstairs apartment in which we would stay. Parker and I were shocked at the space this little upstairs apartment had. Parker and I each had our own large bedroom and bathroom. We shared a large kitchen space and very nice living room. This space would actually be great for a coupe to live in! Parker and I were really going to enjoy this place.
The pictures below show the spacious living room.
The kitchen area pictured is where are the meals were prepared. I love cooking, so Parker and I made a deal. If I were to cook all the meals, Parker would be sure to clean the kitchen.
Pictured below are the two bedrooms. The bedroom on the left was mine, and the right Parker's
If you are ever staying in Manchester and need a place to stay. Maples on Madison is the place for you!
We were so excited to have an extra couple weeks with each other. Parker and I were best friends since the day we met in first grade. Going to separate colleges was tough, but we would text all the time. Getting busy with schoolwork is always something that students struggle with, so seeing that best friend in person is an even better feeling. Parker and I were going to have three full weeks with each other and it was going to be a blast.
During the time Parker and I had together we played a ton of video games, after our homework was done of course! What else is there to do when you aren't supposed to go outside? We played a lot of Madden 20 and Call of Duty Warzone.
During this week of fun our parents would drop off food and other necessities at the door to reduce direct contact with each other. It was always fun seeing what was in the next care package. Our food packages usually consisted of hamburger meat, tortillas, shredded cheese, apples and bananas. When we got lucky, Double Stuff Oreo's were a delicacy. I don't think a package ever survived a day though.
During these two weeks of fun Parker and I had a great time together, but all good times must come to an end. After these two weeks I actually moved back to Cedar Rapids and moved in with my cousin Mitchell. Mitchell does concrete pouring and works all long hours of the day. So when I moved in I wanted to help him out as much as I could around the house. He really appreciates when he comes home after a twelve hour day to a hot plate of food and a clean kitchen. Plus I think that Mitchell likes to have someone around to talk to! Here is a photo of my room and workspace at Mitchell's house.
Here is an example of a text I received from my mother our first morning in Panama City
As the week continued we partied on the beach and had a great time with friends from Coe and even new friends that we had met this week, but the virus was spreading fast and things were beginning to get serious. As soon as Friday rolled around this same week beaches, bars and all social gathering places were being shut down. After a hard decision we decided to head home a day early. Nearly everything that we wanted to do in Florida was being shut down, so we figured we would take the safest route and head home early. We even heard that some states were closing the borders. The last thing we needed was to be stuck in a state sixteen hours away from home. Man that could've been bad! When returning to Iowa, Ty went back to his home in Prairie du Chien, for Parker and I it was a different story.
Our parents had decided that it was best to quarantine us having traveled out of the state. Our parents had gotten us an Airbnb at home in Manchester. I agreed with the decision to do so. Neither Parker nor I wanted to get anyone in our families sick. Parker's grandma actually lives with his family so it was utterly important for him to stay away. Arriving at the Airbnb, Parker and I saw the welcoming sign inside the door. It read, "Welcome Parker and Logan to Maples on Main." (The Airbnb was on Main Street). We instantly looked at each other and could tell what the other was thinking.
"Yoooo!" Parker said enthusiastically.
"Yes bro, this is going to be like an extra two weeks of spring break for us!" I responded.
The Airbnb looked like just a normal house from the outside, but actually it was a split apartment. Downstairs was home to the owners of the Airbnb. Walking into the porch a greeting sign welcomes us and thanks us for our stay. Passing through the porch into the house lies the shoe area. Pretty small, maybe 10x10, just ahead is the stairs to the upstairs apartment in which we would stay. Parker and I were shocked at the space this little upstairs apartment had. Parker and I each had our own large bedroom and bathroom. We shared a large kitchen space and very nice living room. This space would actually be great for a coupe to live in! Parker and I were really going to enjoy this place.
The pictures below show the spacious living room.
The kitchen area pictured is where are the meals were prepared. I love cooking, so Parker and I made a deal. If I were to cook all the meals, Parker would be sure to clean the kitchen.
Pictured below are the two bedrooms. The bedroom on the left was mine, and the right Parker's
If you are ever staying in Manchester and need a place to stay. Maples on Madison is the place for you!
We were so excited to have an extra couple weeks with each other. Parker and I were best friends since the day we met in first grade. Going to separate colleges was tough, but we would text all the time. Getting busy with schoolwork is always something that students struggle with, so seeing that best friend in person is an even better feeling. Parker and I were going to have three full weeks with each other and it was going to be a blast.
During the time Parker and I had together we played a ton of video games, after our homework was done of course! What else is there to do when you aren't supposed to go outside? We played a lot of Madden 20 and Call of Duty Warzone.
During this week of fun our parents would drop off food and other necessities at the door to reduce direct contact with each other. It was always fun seeing what was in the next care package. Our food packages usually consisted of hamburger meat, tortillas, shredded cheese, apples and bananas. When we got lucky, Double Stuff Oreo's were a delicacy. I don't think a package ever survived a day though.
During these two weeks of fun Parker and I had a great time together, but all good times must come to an end. After these two weeks I actually moved back to Cedar Rapids and moved in with my cousin Mitchell. Mitchell does concrete pouring and works all long hours of the day. So when I moved in I wanted to help him out as much as I could around the house. He really appreciates when he comes home after a twelve hour day to a hot plate of food and a clean kitchen. Plus I think that Mitchell likes to have someone around to talk to! Here is a photo of my room and workspace at Mitchell's house.
Where you see my laptop is where I have been doing all of my online classwork. For my Illuminated Pixels (Graphic Design) class I had to create a series of three music artists that had inspired me over quarantine. With the recent passing of John Prine I thought that I would make a collage of him as a tribute to his amazing music career. Following in the series is John Denver and John Lennon. Long story short these pieces took many hours to compile together, but graphic design on the computer is what I love to do most!
On the weekends while schoolwork was not on my mind, Mitchell and I have done lots of yard work around the house. Doing work outside is sort of relaxing to me. Mitchell loves to get up early on the weekends and, "Get stuff done!". I totally understand because he has no other time to do his yard work during the week. The weekends are Mitchell's time to do what he wants. This past weekend Mitchell and I built a garden bed in the backyard! My mother is a part of the Master Gardeners club in Manchester and LIVES for gardening. She had given us green beans, peas, green peppers, chives, onions and garlic to plant in our garden bed. Here is what it looks like!
Through doing yard work and hanging out, Mitchell and I have been having a great time living together. Before I moved in Mitchell had a cat named Kitty. She still lives with us! About a week ago I was able to take a kitty off of a friend at Coe. From the moment I walked into the garage to pick her up I could tell she was a sweetheart. The little calico kitty walked right up to me and began rubbing against my legs. She is so sweet and from the moment I brought her home I knew she was going to be a great addition to the house. Here is a picture of her! Her name is Stella :)
Today, I am religiously attending Physical Therapy at Athletico in Cedar Rapids and continuing to heal up my knee. (Tore my ACL last year playing football). At the moment I am currently finishing up homework to wrap up the school year. I cannot believe that my first year of college is already over! I cannot wait for next year where I can see all of my friends back on campus and start up my college football career. Thank you so much for reading my blog!
HAHAHA, I just received this text a couple minutes ago. You really cannot make this stuff up.
