Quarantine. Self Isolation. Whatever you may call it.  What a weird few months it has been, right? I was kind of nervous at the beginning of it — not knowing how I would feel over the fact that we never leave our house and that our big social outing was a FaceTime call or a walk in the neighborhood.  Now that it’s coming to an end, J and I have been reminiscing over the last few months that, for us, have flown by.  There’s something bittersweet about it.  I feel like we’ve lived in our own little bubble for a few months and it has been, honestly, quite amazing. We were fortunate enough to both be able to work from home and although we currently don’t have any children, Jeter was so much fun to play with each and every day. We tried to do our part to the best of our ability: to stay home, but we also aren’t ignorant to the fact that we wouldn’t have been able to stay home and stay healthy if it weren’t for our frontline healthcare workers. We are forever grateful for every single person who played a role in this and made many sacrifices for us and our families.

Now that the world is opening back up, I’m not sure if I’m quite ready for it yet! This time of our lives has permanently changed us.  We are now homebodies (and proud of it). Date nights at home are just as fun (actually scratch that, even more fun) than a date night out.  Yes, we’ve missed our friends and family, but there was something sweet about these last few months. I don’t think we will ever forget what we’ve learned from it.

5 Things We’ve Learned During our Quarantine

Hers // Shorts: AGOLDE Parker Cutoffs | Top: Everlane Square Neck Top | Shoes: Veja V-10 Sneakers

His // Shirt: Lululemon Evolution Polo | Shorts: Lululemon Commission Shorts | Shoes: Nike SB Charge SLR Sneaker

The little things matter.

Doing something little for your significant other or family member matters.  Whether it’s picking up around the house, doing the dishes or laundry, or just writing a kind note to brighten the day. J is always so good at that.  Finding little things to put some pep in my step.  It taught me to do the same for others, so even though you may not be able to be around those you care about, you can still show them you care through a FaceTime call, nice text message, or maybe dropping off some flowers at their front doorstep.

Turn the TV off.

You won’t regret it. Our internet and TV actually went out for a week during the quarantine.  Does just hearing that alone make you panic? Because when it happened, I definitely started panicking.  However, it ended up being yet another blessing in disguise.  It brought our family closer once again, and it was so nice to have conversation over TV.

Smile with your eyes.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that wearing a mask isn’t the greatest of things, but it needs to be done.  We’ve learned that even smiling with a mask can make someone’s day and take the edge off of an overall highly stressful situation. A smile goes a long way: with or without a mask.

Slow Down.

This is the main takeaway for us.  This time in our lives have taught us to slow down.  J and I look back on pre-quarantine days, and we were always so dang busy.  What were we doing??? I’m not even referring to our work (because, yes, work can get busy), but we were rushing around 99.9% of the time and felt like we could never catch our breath. This taught us to slow down.  Enjoy the little things.  Spend time with one another and focus on what matters.

Don’t take your time together for granted.

We’re extremely grateful that we have gotten to spend so much time together, and we’re even more thankful for our health. COVID-19 affected many families and I think everyone has realized how important time is with your family and friends and that it shouldn’t be taken for granted.  Not only had we missed our friends and family during this time, but we also don’t want to forget how close we’ve grown to each other during this. I think it’s something that we will relate back to for the rest of our marriage!

What are some things you guys have learned during this time? Would love to hear them in the comments below!

Photography by Erin Trimble