The Quarantine Diaries written by Elissa Brown

As Danny’s newest graphic tee tells us, 2020 has been a real dumpster fire of a year. I’m all about staying home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It hasn’t been easy, although my cats and I have been introverting pretty hard these days. It has been nice not to worry about putting on makeup and I can’t remember the last time I wore pants with buttons.

Danny asked me to write this letter and with literally nothing new going on in our lives (outside of watching the entire series of The Office from start to finish for the 37th time), I figured I would share a few things that have helped me stay (somewhat) sane over the past few months.

Zoom calls. Man, we wish we had bought stock in Zoom six months ago. It has really helped to see family and friends at least once a week via Zoom. And games like virtual Scattergories and Pictionary are great when you run out of things to talk about (because with everyone on house arrest, talking about TV shows and the weather will only get you so far).

Home improvement projects. Within a month, we had cleaned out every closet, the pantry, the storage shed, the bathrooms, and organized (almost) every space you can imagine (I still have big plans to tackle the office…) After that, we began chipping away at the never-ending list of projects on our home improvement bucket list. We finally have a block wall that is the same height around our backyard and a charger installed for my electric car (a very exciting development, although my car is basically an overpriced lawn ornament these days). Out of everything, I’m most excited for the Costco string lights we put up on our patio (which will make our patio much more inviting in four to six months once it’s cool enough to spend time outside without bursting into flames).

Staying active. While I miss hot yoga, the thought of deep breathing through a yoga class in a 108-degree room full of sweaty strangers during a pandemic sounds questionable at best. However, I’ve learned it’s relatively easy to replicate (parts of) the hot yoga experience on the patio in the Arizona summer. 

Danny has (obviously) been much more diligent about his workouts than me. Despite my best efforts, Danny refuses to stay home and as soon as the shelter in place order ended, he was back at his Crossfit gym on a daily basis. While I’m not thrilled about the chances of him (almost definitely) contracting the Rona, I don’t miss starting my work day while Danny blasts EDM music and slams weights, Incredible Hulk-style, onto the ground outside our office window during his backyard quarantine workouts.

Healthy eating. For the first month of shelter in place, my diet consisted almost entirely of banana bread and red wine (not necessarily in that order). This is part of the reason I haven’t worn pants with buttons since March. Danny has flat out refused to eat another piece of banana bread (oh well, more for me). But I’m trying to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon. Which brings me to…

Green Chef. We are not really into cooking and are wildly unimaginative when it comes to preparing meals. Green Chef has been a lifesaver and has gotten us out of the endless cycle of preparing the same three meals on rotation. 

Date nights. Saturday nights have always been date nights. While venturing out during this madness is a no-go, we have made a point to order in from one of our favorite restaurants each week (trying to pick locally owned restaurants that need the support).

Splurging on some quality loungewear. I was recently introduced to Vuori joggers, the most buttery soft pants I’ve ever owned. These joggers have quickly become my quarantine pants and I’ve barely taken them off since the glorious day they arrived on my doorstep. The other day, Danny asked me “so, are those the only pants you wear now?” He also likes to joke, on an almost daily basis, that they shouldn’t be called joggers because I don’t jog in them (and then we laugh and laugh). 

Our cats. Amber and Bailey are excellent company and surprisingly good conversationalists. If you don’t already have one, there is no better time to adopt a four-legged friend. Although they will have a rude awakening when (if?) things go back to normal, and their humans are no longer sharing the thrilling lifestyle of an indoor cat.

Getting out of town. Remember places? Don’t worry, we’re not going far (you couldn’t pay me to get on a plane right now) but it has been nice to plan a few short trips up north to get out of the heat. Once we check into an Airbnb, I immediately re-wash the dishes, and come prepared with plenty of disinfectant (to compulsively clean every door handle, light switch, drawer pull, you name it) and remake the bed with our own bedding. It may sound excessive, but it’s worth it to spend a few days sitting around a house that isn’t ours.

At-home facials. Since going to the spa is no longer an option, I’ve become an even bigger fan of at-home facials. Sheet masks are my new favorite thing, they are super moisturizing plus it’s fun to put on a mask and scare Danny and/or the cats (no, not the COVID masks, those are different. But seriously, #MaskUpAZ - how did we become the Florida of the west?)

Well, that’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Let us know if you have any other tips of ways to stay sane while on house arrest because I’ll admit, we’re running out of ideas. Hopefully things get back to normal soon. We’ve made it this far. How much worse can things get...? 

Bring it on, murder hornets.

Stay safe and healthy, 

Elissa Brown