This message was sent to my co-workers outside of my office who I interact with every day. I need their help to be successful.

All:

This year we have seen such a challenge within the IT field. Each one of you, all of us, worked very hard to keep the entire agency going, this was no easy task. We relied on each other tremendously. We needed each other for more than just the systems we support but to help work through the entire workforce coming at us from every side as we transitioned to remote working. Not only did we do that, and very successful I might add, but we did it while being fearful of the unknown. We had to come in to facilities that were recently shut down due to COVID. Some of you on this list are probably in the facility right now, I commend you. I commend each one of you for the hard work you did and continue to do.

Yes we continue to have challenges; but I have no doubt that we will see each other through all of them as we have these last several months. Thank you for being there for me, I know I ask a lot, and you have always delivered.

All I am asking as a favor, think of it as a Christmas gift to me, is that you take time for yourself. A day, a week, or just a weekend, and reflect on the successes. Drown out the fear of failure, the concern of the dropped balls or missed meetings, by focusing on what you accomplished this year. While you are home, step away from the work often and look outside; no, go outside and separate yourself from the demand to always be there and to always be available. Learn to turn off the work day and transition to non-work just like you used to do before March. Put down the work, it will be there later.

Fight the loneliness of being alone this season by reaching out to check on your neighbors, family and friends. Use the free Zoom and many of the other products on your personal phone, tablet, or computer to stay connected to others.

My wife and family, The Todd Squad, wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday and new year season. May you find more laughter, more successes, and more strength in the coming year.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman

Matthew Todd

Happily married, father of four, and lover of the adventures in life. I love Jesus, vacationing with my family, camping, fishing, bike riding, swimming, walking, and sleeping. Sometimes I am even able to watch movies that I want to watch.

You can reach me on Facebook  or Instagram

We sat down individually and listened to many of the reports and statements put out by a wide range of people and expertise, including some family friends who are in the healthcare industry. We knew that we needed to keep our house clean and free from contact infection. We also knew that if we went outside, the more people we were around, the more likely we were to have been exposed to any communicable disease. We also knew that we wanted to still walk around outside and not be overly concerned while doing so, meaning we took precautions for our own health and the health of the rest of us in the house (and those around us).

We came up with these basic rules:

1. If you go outside and are outside only, without any close contact with people, you were able to come home with a wash of hands, arms, and face and remove your shoes at the door.
2. If you go outside and are around people, for necessity or on accident, you must come home, strip, and take a hot shower.
3. If you go inside any place at all while you are out, even if there were no people around you, you must come home, strip, and take a hot shower.
4. Anything that has gone outside with you, wallet, purse, keys or anything used, credit card, phone, watch, must also be washed when you return.
5. Any groceries or mail that arrives, must be wiped off with bleach or other sanitizer before it is used, opened, or put away in the house.
6. Getting in and out of the car also triggers the need to sanitize hands, face, and mask before leaving that location. So each location, you are cleaning yourself and anything you touched on the car, with sanitizer.

After we started going out for non-essential trips, for example my son and I went to Busch Gardens and I had to stay at a Marriott Hotel. Both of these events caused us to increase the caution and protection for when we returned. So there is a number four.

6. If you have gone around people for an extended period of time, even if they are known friends or family, you must quarantine yourself for 14 days when you come home after you strip and take a hot shower, of course. This quarantine requires you to wear a mask in the house and clean up after yourself much more than normal after you eat or use the bathroom.

I think I will write more about the self-quarantine experiences in a later article. You can also read this article from Tatana about her experience while on vacation, we carried these rules with us as we traveled. Once we thoroughly cleaned the accommodations, we treated it like we were at home.

Through these rules, we feel we have done our best effort to stay safe. We feel our house is relatively free of fear of getting the virus, but we have also stressed to each other, the importance of improving our hygiene and keeping the house clean. What we have found is we started making decisions on “do I really want to wash again today”. It was funny to watch, and now even the kids are saying it. We would talk about going somewhere and the question would be, “do we have to go inside?” If yes, then there would often be a resounding, “no, I’m good.”

For most of the pandemic, I was the only one who went out to the store, picked up food, medicine, or other essentials necessary to keep our house in order and safe. Now, as time has moved on, Tatana is also venturing out but much less than I am. You have to remember that we are all asthmatic, but I am the least reactant to allergens and other factors, whereas Tatana is very susceptible or what I would consider “at risk”. We are getting outside more and taking longer walks around the neighborhood; sometimes even riding bikes again.

I know we are not coming out of this pandemic any time soon, but I can only hope that our family uses these and any other additional practices to keep ourselves safe and healthy. I hope you can incorporate some of them for your use as well. If you have any additional thoughts or tips, please comment and let us know. We are only doing what we think works best for us.

Matthew Todd

Happily married, father of four, and lover of the adventures in life. I love Jesus, vacationing with my family, camping, fishing, bike riding, swimming, walking, and sleeping. Sometimes I am even able to watch movies that I want to watch.

You can reach me on Facebook  or Instagram

Hi. My name is Tatana and I’m an introvert. It has been 2 weeks since we returned home from Williamsburg, VA. We vacationed during Phases Two and Three.  Living in Northern Virginia, the area is more congested than the rest of the state and we were given an additional week to catch up with the remainder of the state.

Williamsburg is one of our favorite places in the Commonwealth. We visit many times during the year, going to Water Country USA, Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown for day trips, and we even have a timeshare that we vacation with annually. During the global pandemic our trip was different. There was no Busch Gardens or Water Country USA. At. All. The sign outside of Busch Gardens said “CLOSED” which is something I had never seen in my life. Outside the entrance of Water Country USA were cones diverting you from the entrance. While this was expected, it still stung a little to be in the out and not be able to be in. Yes, I said that. It stung that we couldn’t go into the parks and be normal.  No go and get the caramel apples and cotton candy. No enjoying the end of the Busch Gardens’ Food and Wine Festival. I missed getting the Bangers and Colcannon, sage cheese or that mousse from Ireland. Those are my favorites!!! Nothing.  Just memories of previous years.  But it is possible to vacation in Williamsburg and have fun without going to Busch Gardens and live to tell the tale.  

We stayed at the Historic Powhatan Resort, one of our favorite places. When we arrived in our suite, we cleaned everything. Yes, the staff cleaned, but we cleaned afterward because we wanted to be sure that we were comfortable. We used our own cleaning products and re-washed the dishes, linens, all of the surfaces, wiped the bathrooms down as well. We Lysol’d the soft surfaces like chairs and cushions. Anything that may have been touched by someone else was cleaned. Truthfully, we usually wash the dishes and check the linens for cleanliness when we arrive anyway, but this was over the top. The benefit was that it smelled like home. We were not trying to get sick.  

While at Powhatan, we would usually be able to borrow games, books, movies, swim inside or outside and participate in the events that the resort puts on to help visitors enjoy their stay on the property. Not this time. Mini golf was B.Y.O., and there was minimal face-to-face contact with the resort staff. Thankfully we brought our own games, movies and our inflatable pool. We barbecued, played games and played outside; we really enjoyed the family time. The playgrounds were available; however, we did not use them because we were busy doing other things. 

We visited Colonial Williamsburg, one of our favorite places. Masked interpreters explained that while we were outside, we did not have to cover ourselves against the plague, but if we go inside any of the buildings, we must use a face covering.  We enjoyed listening to George Washington explain and take questions about his farewell address, go to sites that we don’t frequent often such as the brick yard, and, we visited the blacksmith, the kitchen and the courthouse. Hubby and kids nibbled on the chocolate and shopped with the grocer while I sat on the stoop and relaxed in the cool breeze that made it bearable to be outside.  While we enjoyed our visit, it was so different. There was no one engaging us in a friendly game of trap ball. There wasn’t the fife and drums or the smell of the ginger cookies and our favorite sites (such as the stocks outside the courthouse, Tucker House, Mrs. Shield’s Tavern and The King’s Arms) were closed.  

On this vacation, we spent considerable time at the Jamestown Settlement. We social distanced on the ships, as well as played a new card game but the name given escapes me, however, the interpreter said to look up Maw – which you can learn about here: https://www.parlettgames.uk/histocs/maw.html . This made me smile because we learned how to do something that we never learned before and can play at home. Once the kids were too hot, Matt and I dropped the kids off and we went back out for an after-hours event at the Jamestown Settlement from archaeologist and senior curator of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Bly Straube.  It was great to be inside, socially distanced and learning more about the artifacts found in a well that was pretty much used as a trash can and how it was used 400 years ago.  We were the only people there, which made it feel like we had a private showing – even though the event was open to the public. My favorite piece was the German stoneware that was found.   It led us to our next adventure, Jamestown Fort which is where the artifacts she shared were found. 

Jamestown Fort was interesting. The actual place where the settlers landed, where John Smith told those bamma’s that if they don’t work, they don’t eat, where Pocahontas was kidnapped, where enslaved Africans were sold for provision in the New World for their natural born lives. It was exciting, interesting and sad.  We went on a tour of the island and enjoyed hearing from the second-generation Jamestown interpreter and archaeologist who started as an intern.  

Next, we journeyed on the free trolley that travels around Yorktown and we visited the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. They had exhibits outside that were interactive that we enjoyed. I was able to take pictures of recipes. It was physically distanced and informative. Loved the guns. But we miss the cannon demo with “Molly Pitcher” in the amphitheater where the audience participates; but the plague.  My favorite part was the exhibition of the “Forgotten Soldier” which invites visitors to shift their gaze to uncover the faces of the African Patriots who served with Washington, and also those who, with the promise of freedom, surrendered to him at Yorktown. I always get emotional when I enter places that show my ancestors who survived the middle passage, chattel slavery and still thriving. There is a mix of pride and pain. My ancestors are superheroes. 
 
Lastly, our family went to Yorktown beach. My family enjoyed the water. I enjoyed a good book and the shade.  
 
We ate to-go from Zoe’s Kitchen (we miss Zoe’s!) and Food for Thought, Menchie’s (my favorite! With sanitized hands, gloves, masks and toppings in containers), and had outdoor seating at Honey Butter’s Kitchen. It was great having most people in masks, sanitizer abounding and social distancing. I kind of wish all vacations could be like this.

No weirdo’s sitting next to you, just the ones that you brought.  

Tatana Todd

Chief Education Officer of Todd Homeschool Academy, teacher, history lover, recovering news junkie and lover of politics and truth – which does not have to be an oxymoron. I love Jesus,  vacationing with my family, baking, reading cool children’s books, playing violin, and watching crime shows.

You can reach me on Facebook