I don’t know why I’m so drawn to this phrase. But it really sums up what our family has been trying to cope with as new restrictions have been put in place weekly for at least a month now.

My third daughter has been engaged to be married since Thanksgiving. She graduated from college in December. In January she spent most of the month out of the country in Cambodia and Thailand just as the Coronavirus was taking hold of China and starting to spread in those countries as well. She even had to stop in South Korea on her way home. We were a little alarmed about her contracting the virus before her arrival and somehow she was just ahead of the worst of the outbreak.

Things seemed okay here. It wasn’t here yet. So we were debating dates. She wanted April 4th and I had to keep her off that weekend because my youngest daughter had two big events on the 3rd and 4th. But she liked the idea of a 04-04-2020 date. She settled on April 11th instead.

Being the good little End of the World writer that I am, I started seeing what was headed our way. I bought paper goods first, stocked up on baking and canned goods next. The dogs and cats needed food as well so I stocked up on that. Then I cycled through the stores once more, long before toilet paper was a hot commodity.

I warned the family of what was coming as things started to hit the U.S. Our state was one of the last 4 to get a confirmed case. However, I already knew we were going to head into problems with the wedding. I fortunately had a feeling that my daughter needed to hustle to get her marriage license. They were going to get it that Friday but couldn’t. That’s when our mayor decided to do the stay at home order. We were a little stressed knowing the courthouse was closing. On Monday they couldn’t get one in our county, they had to go to the smaller courthouse in the next county to get it. But they got it barely in time.

We were also invited to two weddings on March 20 and 22 in two different states. One daughter wanted to fly to Tennessee from Utah after the wedding there. I knew it was risky. Either she could get the Coronavirus flying there and back, or flights were going to be restricted. In the end she decided she didn’t want to chance it. Good thing too. Because there was that earthquake in Utah. It sounded like the airports opened back up. But things were getting more restricted. My niece’s wedding had the venue close on them the week of the wedding, right before the Earthquake and the location she was getting married made some restrictions where only 10 people could attend. They did that part. We are waiting for them to schedule the reception.

The other wedding in Tennessee did happen. Not very many people were able to go, though. Most of my sister’s family that was supposed to attend from Texas couldn’t go. But the venue didn’t shut down. They had about 35 attend but had been expecting over 80 people if circumstances hadn’t changed things the way they did.

Presently, we have a stay at home order in place from not only our mayor but also our governor that was enacted last week. Waiting for the 11th was seemingly pointless. I asked my daughter- what if we just drove up the mountains somewhere and got your best friend’s boyfriend to marry you? He actually married the best friend’s mom and her new step-father. Well, that put a bug in her ear. She let me know that’s what she wanted to do but her fiance’s dad was going to do whatever it took to be able to marry them.

So on Sunday, that’s what we did. Only the immediate family from both sides drove up to a beautiful spot next to the reservoir with mountains surrounding us. The rain from that morning was gone, the ground was dry, the sky was beautiful as fluffy white clouds covered the sun occasionally, the temperature just a little chill when the sun was gone. But we had ourselves a little wedding. My daughter didn’t wear the dress we bought. She wore the dress she used at Halloween as she dressed as Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. It was simple, intimate and perfect considering the circumstances. Cars on the road drove by slowly, some honked, someone recorded us hopefully because they thought it was special. It was.

The young man she married is the sweetest and kindest man. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion for my daughter. And she almost didn’t give him a chance at first. She’s almost embarrassed about that now because she loves him so much and knows he’s exactly what she needed. We are practically our own modern day version of a Jane Austen novel or perhaps that and a blend of Little Women with my five daughters and myself.

I’m happy she’s married and can start her life with the man that she loves and without a doubt, I know he loves her maybe more than she loves him. Somehow hopefully we will get through this crazy pandemic with our health, all our loved ones with us, and plenty of toilet paper to go around.

#Coronawedding