First we rented the cheapest 3-day car ever ($40 total) and road-tripped to my mom’s house in Tampa, Florida.

We left NYC on a rainy and cold evening after work - not our best decision. New Jersey greeted up with “Stay Home” signs and Delaware with closed rest areas. To lessen our risks of contracting COVID-19, we slept (or mostly tried) in our car at a 24-hour truck stop in North Carolina. Luckily, I did not listen to Forrest and had packed a couple of blankets. He did not think we needed any. To his defense we were trying to pack light in case we needed to fly home. I worked from the car, which was unexpectedly easy thanks to mobile hotspot, and Forrest stopped each time he had a conference call, which turned out to be often. I am pretty sure the 17 hour trip took us about 35 but who's counting.

Visiting Florida always seems relaxing; surprisingly, it felt the same during a pandemic. It was great having more space and warm weather. I went to Target with my mom to stock up on groceries and other miscellaneous items because… Target. Shopping for groceries and being in a store again felt refreshing and terrifying at the same time. We then bunkered into my mom’s cozy Florida oasis and got used to a new routine. It felt so good to be outside without fear. I went for some runs along Bayshore Boulevard, swam in the pool, and even worked from outside. We also made some yummy meals and got take-out for the first time in a while.

I wish we stayed longer, but we also wanted to spend time with Forrest’s family while we were still working from home. Again, if only we knew how long it would be. Another affordable car rental and off to Houston we went. In Houston, we did a strict, 14-day quarantine in the master bedroom suite. Forrest’s mom and sister made a plastic partition between that wing of the house and prepared all of our meals for us. We developed a new routine of waking up and hearing a knock that breakfast was outside on the lanai. We also received picture texts of food to see how much we wanted of each meal. It was strange being so close but so far away from Forrest’s family. I started getting used to living in a pandemic and this new normal. As a result, I started feeling more like myself and taking more photos again.

The quarantine partition dividing us New Yorkers from the Texans

I finally started to get a hang of working remotely and making a schedule for myself. I worked out often and went for a lot of walks. We tried to plan movie dates just to switch up the routine a little bit. One day, we drove 45 minutes just to see a patch of wildflowers in the Texas countryside and had a little photo shoot. Forrest and I also drove around the city to see what some of Houston’s neighborhoods are like. It is kind of weird to drive around a city during rush hour without traffic, but great for visitors like us.

Towards the end of our 14 days, we all went on a distanced walk and watched the sunset. Once we successfully completed quarantine, our routine mostly stayed the same. But now each meal was shared with everyone and often lasted over an hour. Forrest thinks my family talks a lot, but I learned that his family is pretty chatty too. Forrest’s mom prepared so many new-to-me Chinese dishes. It was so fun to try so many foods, especially since we were all supposed to travel to China this year. One of the simplest dishes was this cucumber salad(similar) and I have been making it often.

Most of our time in Houston was spent working, but we also traveled to some city parks and the beach for a day. Sugar Land had a beautiful Memorial Park with a waterfront trail. We also drove closer into downtown and walked around Buffalo Bayou Park, which was full of trails and sculptures. Forrest’s mom heard about Quintana Beach, near Galveston but more remote and less crowded. While it wasn’t the best beach, it was great to spend time in the ocean. You could also drive on this beach, making it seem like even more of an adventure.

Buffalo Bayou Park Sculpture - Tolerance by Jaume Plesna

Nearly two months away from NYC, I started to miss so many things I did not pack. Forrest encouraged me to get comfortable and buy a couple of things to feel settled. I could now write an entire post about how to efficiently pack for a pandemic escape. I had gotten so used to being a light packer, but that just did not apply for months away from home. I ordered some skincare (yay, facewash), a dress, slippers (probably the best purchase), and shorts. Don’t ask why I only packed one pair of shorts knowing we were going to Florida and Texas. Forrest says, “It was March, to be fair.” I also discovered that even though I can now wear sweats everyday and not wear makeup doesn’t necessarily mean I want to do that everyday. It feels good to wear normal clothes and get myself ready. Maybe it is a form of self care for me that I didn’t realize before.

I started to hear discussions about going back to work. Would it be the end of June? July? We decided we had been in Houston quite a while and maybe it was time to visit more family. Where to next?

Michigan Memories

Yosemite First Timer

Pandemic Part 1

Pandemic Part 3

Wandering Firenze