Month: April 2021

Springtime in Colorado

Ben and the boys went to Grand Junction to visit grandparents. Both Betty and Susan have early April birthdays, so it works out perfectly to celebrate together during Spring Break. I didn’t go because I was scheduled for my second Moderna shot. I had a quiet and productive weekend of quilting and watching K-pop, and only mild illness after the second vaccine dose. I saw a few pictures from the trip and it looked like they were kept busy with hiking and playgrounds and other fun activities.

Here’s a mishmash of pictures.

This spring has been packed with snow storms. They even canceled school for two days! I thought this recent snowfall mid-April would be the last, but they are predicting another 3-5 inches Monday night. I’m so over it and ready for warm weather!

The cats try to bust out of the catio on warm days, and cuddle during the cold days.

In between snow storms we had a couple nice sunny Saturdays. We took the boys out for lunch and picnicked in different parks.

Easter came and went. The bunny brought small baskets and hid eggs in the yard. We didn’t even dye eggs. The hunt for eggs gets faster and more cutthroat every year. I made way too much ham, along with rolls, green beans, and deviled eggs for dinner.

Just one vaccine selfie this time, but it’s a good one – I gave Ben his second dose! In a few days we will both be at fully immunity. If only we could do the same for the kids 🙁 It gives us peace of mind, even if our behavior stays mostly the same.

I started attending in-person zumba classes and it feels so good to be dancing again. My feet are killing me, but it’s good for my brain and my muscles. I’ve been doing tap and yoga at home still, but those can’t compare with an hour of cardio. It sucks to wear a mask and I get hotter than usual – and take fewer water breaks. But I love it and it’s worth it and I feel ok since everyone is masked and distanced and I’m vaccinated.

I’m still volunteering for vaccines. I have two shifts this week and continue to get frequent requests to work more often. I think the demand will stay through May at least.

We had some housework done, installing a new/safer dryer ventilation duct. Now I need to find someone to cover it with a soffit and repair the drywall. I’m also thinking about our bathroom that badly needs renovations, and the yard that could be landscaped so much better . . . there’s always so much you can do a house. Honestly, it’s not the money that puts me off home repairs, but the time and effort it takes to obtain workers and deal with their inevitable delays. I want to wait until at least this summer so we can have all the windows open and spend extra time outdoors while they work inside.

I’m working on a quilt but have lost interest in the project. I think I’m too busy lately. I started a new pair of socks (second pair of 2021 for me). It’s easy to pick up and put down. I hope to attend Days for Girls this week and get back into volunteering with them, after having stopped for covid. It’ll be great to put my new machine to work for them!

Our trivia team has been great. We’ve had the same crew for a few months now. We placed 2nd in March and this last week was came in first place! We beat my siblings and parents’ team by one point. Ben contributed a tricky video game music round that really shook up the typical standings. 😀

Yes, even more vaccines!

I’m still at it, helping spread vaccines as fast as possible. I’ve been volunteering either two half days or a full day every week. I hope you like selfies, because there’s not much else I can document while protecting patient privacy. This guy let me take his picture:

Yeah, this was awesome. We had a few spare doses at the end of the day and they asked if I knew anyone who could get there fast. You betcha! We were so happy Ben got a dose! We both thought it was sweet that I was able to give him the shot personally. What a strangely sentimental moment! I’m pleased that they scheduled me at that same clinic on the day Ben returns for his second dose.

After trying three different clinics I was done with juggling alcohol swabs, bandaids, and needles. A quick trip to the dollar store for baskets, a trip to the craft store for straps and fastener, a little sewing, and I had myself a drive thru vaccine belt.

It’s so great! I made two styles, and ended up preferring the larger basket. I refined it even further – I have an inner basket to keep the syringes separate, and a trash cup for wrappers that I can easily tip in the trash every few cars. You can see my larger basket in pics below. It’s gotten rave reviews from other vaccinators. I lend my second belt to other nurses and they always love it. I joke that I should make more and sell them. But I have enough going on 😉

Everyone is so happy and cheerful to get their shots (unless they are scared of needles, but I get them laughing and smiling by the time I’m done). We often have people gift candy and cookies as thanks. The day below, someone brought a whole tray of hot breakfast burritos! Super delicious and appreciated in the cold garage (I ate it in my car during a break).

I returned to Kaiser for my second dose of Moderna last weekend. Even though I’m not planning to change my behavior, I’m counting down the days until I’m considered “Fully Vaccinated.”

Today I worked a full day at a new-to-me clinic. This was the largest so far, with 1,170 appointments. I keep a tally of how many vaccines I’ve given. Today’s 86 doses brings me to 344 shots.

This clinic was really nice – very organized and well staffed. I appreciated that they took more though to our safety and comfort than some other clinics, with safety vests, monitoring carbon monoxide levels in the garage, and snacks and PPE, anti-fatigue mats under our feet, and a chair to rest between cars. I’m definitely applying if they put out another request on CVM.

It was also cool to give the vaccine to teenagers. Colorado starting allowing the anyone 16+ (Pfizer) or 18+ (Moderna/Janssen) today. Since we had Pfizer, I gave the vaccine to three high schoolers. I told them I happy they made the choice and can be examples to their classmates. I can’t wait for the data that lets my kids get it too.

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