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August 7, 2020

In the picture you see my childhood room which, is still my current room. The walls have gone from rubber ducky yellow, to aqua blue, and finally to lilac purple. If you look into the right top corner of the photo you’ll see a stuffed beaver. This would be my mascot from middle school to high school. This summer I faced many challenges like the rest of the Class of 2020, losing my sports and my prom. I also lost my chance to have “that one last summer” with all my childhood friends. I was able to work, but I was required to wear a face mask to keep everyone safe. My mind-set leading up to my 51�������� experience has been nothing but hopeful. I can’t wait to make my own discoveries and my own way in our new world. #journeytonku2020

August 7, 2020

Being home so much changed the way I think of home. One year ago, Aaron and I bought a house, but we didn’t have time to make it the home we knew it could be. Now it is. This is our back yard. Aaron loves to garden. Honestly, I’ve never taken much of an interest in having my hands in piles of manure and peat moss, but this spring and summer felt different. In the midst of the corona virus, I needed my hands in a good metaphor and a garden is a good, if obvious metaphor for all the good that can come out of the dung. I also love this photo because Aoife is guarding our home from city squirrels and wandering neighbors. Anyway, this is my home as the sun is setting. It’s just as lovely in the morning. #journeytonku2020

August 6, 2020

What needs to be put on the shopping list? What is for lunch? When do I need to start cooking dinner? In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the questions were scarier than these. What will be in stock at the grocery store? What about the meat shortage? What happens if I get sick and I can’t shop or cook? Scary emotions rose to the surface, too: resentment that the meal planning, shopping, and cooking falls to me, even though I don’t want my husband to do any of those things; guilt that we have so much during this time while so many people don’t have the abundance that we have. My kitchen is also a space of creativity and joy: I repainted and reorganized everything this summer; I baked; I experimented. Some days my quarantine seems to reduce, at a basic level, to one room: my kitchen. #JourneyTo51��������2020

July 27, 2020

Everything changed in March. Campus went virtual and we emptied our offices. I loaded my computer, monitors, and office supplies into my car. We rearranged our basement, so that I could set up a workspace at home. Since March, my weeks have consisted of endless hours of Zoom meetings. When my mic and camera are muted, it’s often because our family dog is seeking my attention or my two-year-old son wants to play. As the weeks of virtual campus turned into months these “interruptions” happened with more and more frequency. My “office” is cluttered with my son’s toys and the occasional dog treat. While I dream of returning to campus to work with students, I also know that I’ll miss all of these moments when the worlds of work and family collide. #journeyto51��������2020 #journeybackto51��������2020