Well, this was meant to be a travel blog. Dusty and I had big travel plans for 2020. But COVID-19 had other ideas. Dusty and I were lucky enough to squeeze in a few quick trips in before travel became unsafe. Here’s what has been going on with us in the highly unusual 2020.
Salt Lake City
In January we spent a week in Salt Lake City. I finally learned to ski and Dusty perfected his snowboarding skills. And we scoped out Utah as a potential future home. Probably too much cold and snow for two southerners to consider long term.
New York City
We even snuck in a trip to NYC in early March. Dusty attended a medical conference and I tagged along for my first ever visit. We caught a few shows and ate some really incredible meals. We did some of the essential touristy stuff too. My favorite was the New York Public Library.
Just like everyone else, we fell in love with NYC and already started planning a return trip. But on our way home from the airport, we listened as the news reported a ripple of closures beginning with March Madness and the NBA season. We were generally aware that the coronavirus was a thing and out there. But that day, March 11, the COVID suddenly became real. Our pictures of crowds of mask-less people look like something from a different time.
COVID
Dusty is an emergency medicine physician. He’s doing his residency at our state’s only academic medical center. The hospital is amazing and is on the forefront of Mississippi’s response. What a time to work in the ER. And as everyone knows, the cases are now on the rise and Mississippi is a hotspot. Keep all of the essential healthcare workers in your thoughts.
I was fortunate enough to be able to easily work from home. Other than the isolation, my work continued with court appearances taking place via Zoom instead of in person.
Another Big Change
But, little did I know, there was even more change on the horizon for us. A little back story first. In law school, I dreamed of becoming a public defender. As a student, I worked for the Mississippi Innocence Project in its inaugural semester. I don’t exaggerate when I say this was life changing.
The New York Innocence Project handled a Mississippi case for years and an exoneration was on the horizon. Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer were convicted of two different rape and murders in the same small community in Noxubee County, Mississippi. Both were innocent. I was present for their exonerations and got to meet Peter Neufield, co-founder of the Innocence Project. If you are interested in the story, check out The Innocence Files on Netflix.
After law school, I applied for every public defender job I could find. Nothing worked out. Eventually I took a great job with an amazing mentor and settled into a comfortable life in civil litigation. I was very lucky to have a job at all – I graduated in 2009 at the height of the Great Recession. Ten years passed. But that little voice kept creeping back and public defense remained in my heart.
With encouragement from Dusty, I started applying for jobs. On Cinco de Mayo, in the middle of the pandemic, I was offered a public defender position. Since we won’t be taking any big trips anytime soon, why not jump into a different field! Seriously, I’m honored to work as a public defender. It may delay our journey towards long term travel. But we only get one life.
So What Now?
For the foreseeable future, we are limiting our travel to drivable destinations and incorporating social distancing. In May, we took a quick weekend getaway to Panama City Beach. We brought groceries and cooked dinner in our condo every night in lieu of restaurants and bars. We look forward to more of these small trips throughout the year.
In the meantime, we hope everyone stays safe, practices social distancing and WEARS A MASK!
– Lauren, Dusty and Ruthie