covid, still

Max is all of us trying to get through this.

This pandemic will never end. 

There are now more than 200,000 dead Americans, and some people (notably people in the Republican Party) want to pretend like everything is back to normal. Weddings and baby showers and funerals and rallies are happening. It boggles my mind. Is it ... just not real for some people until it hits home?

I don't know. I don't have the answers. I can tell you, though, that it's hard to fight that pull. I want things to be normal. I do. My brother and sister-in-law's baby shower was yesterday, and I wanted to be there. Even to play the annoying baby shower games. Just to stand and laugh and talk to people and look forward to having another nephew. But I can't ignore this pandemic, so instead I went early, gave them their gift, and got out of there before the guests arrived. 

I want to go eat at a restaurant. I want to fly on a plane and visit a national park. I want to sit on the bleachers and watch my kid play tennis. And six months after this pandemic started, none of that is even remotely possible. STILL. 

But life still has sweet moments. Jack and Avalon and my parents came to watch Liam's final home match of the season (from chairs we set up in the grass), and Henry spent the whole time helping Jack hunt for four-leaf clovers that he could bring to my mom. 

I took Liam to get his driving test on Saturday, and he passed with flying colors. The instructor said it was clear that he has been driving a lot because he's very comfortable and smooth. Liam said he didn't really fit in the test car because his knees were jammed up against the dash, but he made it work. Now he only needs three more hours of night driving, then a week from today he can get his license.

And yesterday was our anniversary. We've been married for 17 years, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather suffer through a pandemic with. I got Mike the most romantic gift ever—I installed a pull-out garbage bin in one of the kitchen cabinets. He is very excited, you guys. Trust me when I say this gift is TRUE LOVE. Henry had to help me with the installation a little, because he's the only one of us still small enough to fit into the cabinet to put in the back screws. We got it all done just before Mike got home from work, and I surprised him with Oscar the Grouch singing "I Love Trash" in the background. Because we are nerds, and we are perfect for each other.