Signs of Life : The Brownie Chronicles

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!  No matter how long it's been since we last connected, reach out! And if you're ever in the Austin area, let us know and hopefully we can plan a driveway gathering! We only mailed out a handful of cards after years and years of not even creating a Christmas card. If you'd like a hard copy, let me know and I'll send one along in snail mail! Photo Highlights of 2020:   http://bit.ly/BrownXmas2020 2020 Christmas Letter Flowers drawn by Sarah 2020 started out like many other years as we went to work, visited friends, Sarah traveled to LA for work, Tian and Travis started track at Texas School for the Deaf and the whole family went to watch their track meets.  By the end of February, we had bought our first pack of masks and by early March, we were all quarantined at home.  In mid-March, we had a family meeting to discuss safety protocols and the rest of our 2020 has been under the cloud of the COVID pandemic. Ken and Sarah have been fortu

I've seen the phrase "the new normal" passed around here and there and believe it's a good fit for what we are going through as March 2020 comes to a close.  The Brown Family is ready to begin week 4 of social distancing, as we started a week before most.  I don't believe this will be over in a few more weeks.  I don't even believe it will be over in a few months.  I think we will see a new normal emerging and will never be the same as we were pre-COVID-19. I'm not a scientist nor statistician.  I have actually avoided reading too much about the virus in order to maintain my own mental health.  I have read, watched, and listened to what I need in order to protect my family and community.  I've traveled down a rabbit hole and read way more than I've wanted to a few times.  Two of the best sources of information for me have been " Science Mike's " streamcast from 11 days ago (So remember when you watch that numbers/data has changed

[NOTE: I found this buried in my drafts from last July!  Enjoy a bit of the beach in the middle of winter] We are planning a significant summer vacation next year, so didn't plan any major travel this summer.  Late July, though, Ken surprised us with a quick getaway to the gulf.  We've visited a friend at their bay house, but have never gone to the beach here in Texas, so this was a first for us in our 12 years in this great state! Of course, I had made a custom road trip map  before heading out.  I also created a meal plan  of fish tacos, shrimp boil, corn chowder, and an easy, yummy grilled peach ice cream dish!  I got every single recipe from this Wide Open Eats article recommending fresh beach house kitchen meals.  The chowder was my favorite. At home, I've been using HEB Curbside for 75% of my grocery shopping.  It was so nice to meal plan for this beach trip, place the order 2 days in advance, (free next-day orders until October 1st) then pick up my groceries