"Is everybody going crazy?"

Howdy!

Things are crazy in the world right now. Things are crazy in my world, too.

With the COVID-19 virus going around, a lot has happened in the past month. For my future self, I'm gonna list a little bit (you can skip this part, as it is all about the COVID-19 virus' effects).

• Grocery stores are limiting the amount of people who can shop in the store
• Walmart closes at 8:30p right now (WTF?!?!?!)
• People are walking around in face masks and gloves
• Millions of people are out of work
• We are expected to stay home unless going out for "essential" needs

But, the biggest thing that has happened in my life is I am now living at my job for the next month. With all of the stuff going on, we have decided that it is in our best interest to quarantine staff on campus to help prevent spread to our youth and staff. There's a team of 11 people here, and we're all ready to take this challenge on. We are not allowed to leave the campus, but are being fed and delivered essential items.

My first night staying at work was last night. It was kind of a rough night because this setting is very similar to hospital settings that I've been in in the past, which has been slightly triggering, but I'm hanging in there. With that being said, I'm sure this will become "normal" very soon- just gotta tough it out in the meantime. If anything, I'm hoping this is going to help this setting feel more normal so if there is another hospital stay in my future it won't be as difficult as it has been in the past. My mental health is really, really good right now, though, so that's a huge blessing.

I'm really excited to have the opportunity to grow closer with our team and to be a part of something this big. I know in my last blog post I talked about shifting my priorities with work and school, but with the current events, I decided that I needed to put my own feelings aside and step up to the plate.

Anyway, all-in-all, I am keeping my head up and looking forward. School is going well, the dogs are as cute as ever, and I have a new roommate (my best friend, Sara). 

Thanks for checking in on how I'm doing. Stay safe out there, folks!

-Ashley Taylor Phoenix Senf I