COVID wiped me out--I slept more of the day than I was awake! The first couple of days there was chest pressure, which evolved into sinus pressure and pain, which finally went away, though the coughing did not.  My asthma or whatever the heck it was that I developed in March 2019 flared up, unsurprisingly, so if I got too stir crazy and tried to walk around my house too much, then it became hard to breathe.  That meant I was watching A LOT of German TV. Since Dallin was also in quarantine, he has started learning German on DuoLingo.
Needless to say, Germany and Austria have been on my mind so much that I couldn't sleep during my second afternoon nap.  All I could think about was the possibility of moving to Europe after I finish my clinical fellowship year.  We could move there as soon as the beginning of 2023!
So I, being the organizer that I am, made a pretty little Power Point where I could document it all--how to apply for visas, costs of living, etc. Dallin even found a job he hopes to apply for!
People ask, "Where do you want to live after college?" Honestly, there is nowhere in the United States that has as much of a draw for me as Germany or Austria. I was so in love with it, and I've been obsessed with it since I came home in 2017.  So why not make it happen?

 I am officially out of quarantine. We deduced that, since my symptoms of coronavirus started on the evening of July 4, I actually became contagious on July 2. I was tested and began quarantine on July 5, and I remained in quarantine until the morning of the 23rd. What a long couple of weeks! The first few days I felt pretty ill, but then after that it was the spring break that I never got at BYU {haha}! That time consisted of sleeping A LOT, watching Netflix, ordering food online, writing my novel, starting ANOTHER novel of a totally different genre, reading a lot of books, painting, and sitting out on my lawn while Arlo climbed our tree.
The first thing I wanted to do when I was released was to go outdoors! Dallin and I found a very secluded path down the canyon and enjoyed an evening in the woods.
Now enjoy some very non-cute pictures of me with my very cute cat.

**I have taken many of these images from the Internet.**


Music 

• Technology: My music technology evolved from Barbie cassette tape players / karaoke machine to CD players to MP3 players to iPods {each song cost $1.25 on iTunes} to iPhones {now I pay for a monthly subscription to Spotify or Apple Music to get an unlimited amount of songs. 
• Artists: I remember my mom kept a Britney Spears CD in the car because I was scandalized by the picture of Britney in a crop top.  We have videos of me singing "Oops I Did It Again" on that Barbie karaoke machine. I also remember listening to Kelly Clarkson's first album on the way to swimming lessons--I can still sing every word! Meanwhile my parents indoctrinated my siblings and me with 80's music, because that was when they were in high school.  When I was in elementary school, Coldplay, Leona Lewis, and Colbie Cailet were frequently on the radio. 
• I was that child who wanted to be an old soul and refused to love what was popular.  Therefore, I shunned the Jonas Brothers and High School Musical. However, I did like music by Hilary Duff and Aly and AJ. My cousins introduced me to Hannah Montana before she became the wild-tongued Miley Cyrus.

• Artists that pop into my head from my junior high years are Adele, Justin Bieber {then the 16-year-old heartthrob}, Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, Jordan Sparks, Taylor Swift, Kesha, Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Linkin Park, Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce. 
• From high school, I think of Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons, Macklemore, Rihanna, Fun., Selena Gomez, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Usher, Owl City, Chris Brown, LMFAO, Flo Rida, Pitbull, the Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, and others. 

I officially tested positive for COVID-19.  The worst thing about having corona is not the sickness or the fact that I am stuck at home for 10 days....It's the guilt of knowing all the people I may have exposed.  Apparently I was contagious two days before I started showing symptoms, which sucks, because it meant that I had absolutely no idea I was putting people at risk until it was too late.  I have no idea who I got it from, so it's not like I knew that I had been exposed. Anyone who I was in contact with is supposed to go into quarantine for 14 days after their last day of exposure to me.
I'm just grateful I have a healthy immune system to get me through this.

My dear friend Emily is a woman of many talents: she was the research team lead, a full-time student pursuing audiology, a photographer, and working/living in a funeral home. Not only that, but she and her husband have a monthly fund for concerts and exotic cheeses. I adore her! A few weeks ago she called me to ask if Dallin and I could model for her. Of course! I love any excuse to dress up and take pictures.