The Stumbling Stepmom

Isn’t it crazy that Covid is such a landmark of time in our lives? All of us will remember the craziness of 2020 and all the changes that came with that year. For me it wasn’t any different. To say it was a pivotal point in my life might even be an understatement.

Well, you may have guessed (flashback to Episode 4), I decided to take the job offer in Utah. It was not an easy decision. I was very torn. I loved living in North Carolina and was making some really good friends and establishing a life there. And I was still in the mindset of looking for new adventures. Moving to Utah was not exactly the kind of new adventure I was looking for, and to be honest, I am not exactly sure why I made the decision, other than I trusted my Heavenly Father and He was telling me that’s where I needed to be.

That was at the beginning of 2020. Literally. I set my moving date for the middle to the end of March. The plan was to move out of my apartment in Wilmington, North Carolina, spend a couple of weeks in Savannah with my best friend, and then meet up with my moving truck in Utah a few weeks after that. I didn’t have to start my new job till May, so I figured I would take my time saying goodbye to my East Coast life. I even planned out a road trip to travel along the East Coast, taking the long way to Utah. I was excited about this idea because there were still so many places I hadn’t had a chance to visit yet and who doesn’t love the thought of a roadtrip along such beautiful coastlines? How was I to know that the country was about to shut down and change all my plans?

Things went fairly smoothly at first. I had flown out to Utah to find an apartment. My sister and I had a fun visit while we looked. I found one that I thought would work and put down a deposit, solidifying the fact that I was moving even more. Once I was back in Wilmington it was all about packing and arranging a moving truck. After the packed truck was on it’s way, I cleaned my apartment, enjoyed one last drive around Wilmington visiting all my favorite spots and saying goodbye to friends, and then headed to Savannah for a few weeks of relaxation and fun before my long trip.

My friend, a professor at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) at the time, was in the middle of one of her terms so during the day I would go explore museums, several of the beautiful old cemetaries in the area, walk the beach, and play tourist even though I knew the town very well. In the evenings we went to some of our favorite restaurants and walk around downtown Savannah, we went to some fun concerts, and listened to the growing concern about the growing Coronavirus.

I am sure everyone remembers where they were when announcements started coming into each town and city, asking citizens to start quarantining and social distancing. I remember being on the phone with my dad (my mom was high risk because of her cancer) as I was walking through a Kroger grocery store in Savannah trying to get what supplies I could for my friend and I. The shelves in the store were crazy empty already and there was a palaple fear as people passed each other in the aisles.

Then suddenly the whole world just shut down.