The Road Not Taken

Sadly, this is not an interesting sea creature you might find in tropical waters. Curse you, coronavirus!

So June 16th came and went and we did NOT get on a plane to Fiji. So much for the grand plan of 2020. Like much of the world, we are in a holding pattern as we wait to see what's in store next vis-a-vis Covid 19 treatments/vaccines/restrictions. We are frustrated, but have decided to focus on the silver linings in our lives. We are healthy, we have found a new place to live for the upcoming year, and we have successfully avoided driving each other crazy during quarantine. Jack has been re-enrolled in New Roads and will spend his 8th grade year there, however that might look. Mia *note at bottom* is looking for some sort of job or internship for the year to keep her challenged and engaged. Dmitri will be teaching in the fall and has managed/will manage to keep himself ridiculously busy with consulting, expert witnessing, researching, advising, and pretty much saying "yes" to almost every opportunity that comes his way. We are working on saying "no" when things get a little out of control. Cindy is rolling with the punches, keeping the house in order, reworking trip plans, and is getting serious about learning how to properly cook, rather than assembling ingredients that are usually edible but not exciting. Mia, the real chef in the family, is excited about this endeavor.

So, what next as far as the trip goes? Well, we hope to keep our same rough itinerary and leave in June of 2021. Obviously, we are playing this by ear and will pivot and adapt as needed. Currently we have an estimated departure of June 12, 2021. Until then, we either stay put or attempt a few socially distant and medically safe road trips in the good old U. S. of A.

*Mia note* Poor Mia. It was a rough ending to a fabulous four years at Vistamar and not what any of us pictured at the start of her senior year. In the end, she was celebrated by her school and her friends and her family and we all decided that an alternative graduation rather than the traditional one could actually be fun. Once again, silver linings. She had a socially distant prom with a few close friends and a Senior Dinner over Zoom. She rallied and made the best of the situation. The exciting news during Covid quarantine was that she was accepted by her top school choice, the University of Southern California!!! She had planned a gap year of travel and then starting college in the fall of 2021 but now she had a decision to make. What will the fall at universities even look like? Will there be another quarantine period where everyone has online classes? Will there be dorms/parties/sporting events? With all that uncertainty, she reluctantly decided to have not one, but two, gap years. She wants to have the full college experience. Online classes, virtual orientation, and social distancing do not factor into that! In addition, she didn't want to start classes with one group and then take a year off and return and have to start all over again. She plans to start in the fall of 2022 and will go four years in a row, five if she decides she wants to go for a progressive degree. It's not ideal, but then again, what is these days????