Hi guys! Hope everyone had a nice weekend!
DC entered into phase one of restrictions lifted on Friday, and as such, I’m going to sunset this series after today’s post. I’ll still share a lot of similar content in life lately posts, it just won’t be on a weekly cadence anymore. I’ve started leaving my apartment for meals on patios and non-essential errands (while still taking precautions—wearing a mask, social distancing, washing my hands like a crazy person), so I feel like I’ve got some semblance of my “normal” life back, and am keeping my fingers crossed that we continue to see community spread decline.
Thank you for reading this series and for all the positive comments about my “quarantine” content, both here on the blog and over on Instagram.
Without further ado—here are the five distractions that kept me going through the last few days of a true quarantine.
01. BECOMING DOCUMENTARY ON NETFLIX
I read Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming when it came out, and I loved it, so it’s been on my list to watch the Becoming documentary on Netflix ever since it came out a few weeks ago. It follows her on her book tour, and I think it’s really well done—I especially love the scenes with her brother, Craig, and when they go visit her childhood home in Chicago. It’s worth a watch if you enjoyed the book (or have the book on your “to read” list!).
02. KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED FOR UPCOMING SUMMER TRAVEL
While I’m supposed to be in France right now, and know countless others who had to change vacation and travel plans because of COVID-19, I’m trying to stay hopeful about summer travel plans.
Later this month (I can’t believe it’s June!), my sister, two of my cousins, and I booked a beach condo in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. We love OIB and have been on several family beach trips there over the years. I took the whole week off work, and am optimistic we’ll be able to go. They’ve been open to short-term rentals for out of town guests for about a month, and their restaurants are open to 50% capacity. We’re driving there, and will stay socially distanced from others and have been planning fun meals we can cook at our condo. I haven’t been since 2015 and don’t have a travel post on Ocean Isle, but will write a full recap when we’re back. If you’re looking for a beach destination that’s low key and family-friendly, I’d highly recommend it.
My friend Emma and I also have a trip booked to Charleston at the end of July. That trip would require a plane trip, which I have booked—but can get refunded if needed. Charleston is one of my favorite cities and I haven’t visited since 2018, so I would love to get back. But if there’s anything this pandemic taught me, it’s that nothing about the future is promised. Two months from now is basically another lifetime away with how this year has been shaping up. But I’ve got my fingers crossed!
03. MY FAVORITE (NON-MEDICAL) FACE MASKS
Now that we’ve had to wear masks for a while, I’ve tried out several different styles to see what works best for me. These pleated face masks I bought from Etsy are by far my favorite. They are super comfortable, even when you wear them for a long time, and I like that you can pick your fabric selection versus leaving it up to chance. At $11/each, I also think they are fairly affordable, and I love that I was able to support a small business by purchasing them. They also shipped fast—I got them within three days of ordering!
04. FIRST DRINK AT A RESTAURANT!
On Friday night, my sister, my cousin, and I went out for the first time since March 14 (!) and we had the best time. I cannot put into words how happy this outing made me. We went to The Lot in Clarendon, an outdoor beer garden. We got there around 5pm and easily got a picnic table, though there was a long line much later in the evening. They are sticklers about the rules, which is good—you have to be at your table (which are spaced at least six feet apart), you can’t be up walking around, and when you’re interacting with staff, you have to wear a mask. (Like other restaurants, you don’t have to wear your mask when you’re at your table.) They have spots marked six feet apart from their bars and the Rebel Taco food truck—we loved the quesadillas so much! The Arlington County Police were also on-site about once an hour to make sure everyone was compliant.
If you’re still uncomfortable about being out and about (which I totally get!), I would probably recommend starting with a smaller environment—like a patio with just a few tables. Since The Lot’s normal capacity is 300 people, they were allowed to have 150 patrons inside, which I think could be overwhelming if you’re on edge.
05. TINTING MY EYEBROWS AT HOME
If you love TikTok like me, you’ve probably seen a bunch of people tinting their eyebrows at home with the Just for Men Mustache and Beard dye. I am here to tell you it works—and is so easy! Next time I do it, I’ll do an IGTV so you can see just how easy it is, but it takes under 5 minutes and is also way more affordable than doing it at a salon. I always fill in my eyebrows before I leave the house, and so this just makes a world of difference for me. My sister has been tinting hers using this method for about a month now and says they fade after about two weeks, so I expect to have a video up around that time frame.
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I hope you all have a great week! x