On the evening of March 1st, 2020 we returned home from a Film Festival and then dinner at Maggianos.  I am not sure at what point I started to freak out and realize it might be safer to stay in and not expose myself the Covid-19, the virus that was starting to spread and everyone was starting to take note of in a new way.  But since I had recovered from pneumonia just 4 months earlier, I started to take this more serious than most early on.  Starting March 2nd I did not go out and today marks the 50th consecutive day I have stayed inside.  While Elissa was still was commuting and attending work, she started staying home on March 12th.  At this point, we have not been out of the condo, as in not even out of the confines of our condo, since Mid-March. 

We have been watching a lot of TV, movies, and of course we are watching the daily updates from our Chicago Mayor and our Illinois Governor.  We trust both of them and like how they present the facts and talk about the science.  Most of all, they just tell the truth which is in stark contrast to  what is coming out of the White House.  It is increasingly difficult to hear the lies, attacks and blame that Trump continues to spew from the podium.  His outbursts and outrageous statements provide endless material for our favorite comedians, especially Stephen Colbert, who are able to weave these deadly serious issues into nightly comedy, which keeps us laughing and sane. 

Of course much of our day is spent checking in with friends on line through Facebook, E-mail, Titter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  One additional way we have all connected with friends and family is through video connections such as FaceTime and Zoom calls.     We love connecting with our friends and family in ways that we never considered.  Our family has had dinner on Zoom, the college friends had a happy hour.  Both Elissa and I celebrated our Birthdays virtually with more friends than we usually celebrate with.  One of the biggest highlights was a virtual friendship fire with well over 20 camp friends.  We sang songs, caught up and just had a great time.  And the best news of all is that I just received an email while typing this that there is going to be a virtual Counsel Fire this Sunday night for the entire camp family.  Hopefully this will help renew all of our spiritual needs during this difficult time. 

Before we close this out, we want to extend our most heartfelt condolences to our friend Kathy Ramos Kurland who we know and love.  Kathy lost her husband Gary Kurland to Covid-19 on Easter this past week.  I had the privilege of attending their wedding and knowing Gary and Kathy for many years.  While Elissa and I have just been sitting inside, eating, watching TV and cruising the internet, there is real struggle and heartbreak out there and our thoughts go out to those affected much more than us, especially Kathy and Gary's whole family.  We are thinking of the first responders, medical staff, essential workers, and especially the people who have delivered our groceries. 

We are sending love to each of you and hope you are safe and healthy. Here's to making the most of the next 50 days.

Today we watched the news in horror as the world continues to crumble....

• Dow Jones Industrial Average down nearly 3000 points / nearly 13%
• We learned that gatherings of more than 10 not advised nationally
• Officially recognized that the COVID-19 crisis could last through the summer
• As of tonight all restaurants and bars in Illinois closed for dine in - pick up still an option

Welcome to day one of our blog post - Quips from the Quarantine. When we woke up this morning, we thought how can we make this social distancing/quarantine a little more fun - and what's the difference for us between social distancing and quarantine?! To be clear, we are healthy (but worriers) and are keeping our distance from all things possibly related to Coronavirus (that means YOU). We are learning how to create our own fun, eating at home like never before, first time ordering of groceries from Amazon, and of course watching the President for updates and then following the real news. We guess some of you are going about your lives as normal, but not us. 

When looking for the positive in our self-imposed quarantine (or sever social distancing), this is what we found:

1. Waking up and knowing that I don't have to put on a bra today or for the foreseeable future. (Elissa)

2. Knowing I don't have to put on pants - but I never wear pants at home! (JK)

3. No need to make Saturday night dinner reservations - we are eating at home tonight and the rest of the week.

4. Waking up with my favorite person (without an alarm) and knowing it's just the two of us all day long.

We hope you enjoy our Quips from the Quarantine.