Items

• 2021-06-14

  Family Trip to Florida 2021

  My father is a world class powerlifter who has podium placed at world championships before. He was planning to do the qualifier for the next world championship in 2020, but that was understandably delayed. When stay at home orders were lifted, he competed in the state level qualification event, in his case North Carolina, for the national championship. He had to lift in a mask, which was uncomfortable and potentially dangerous as lifters could not always get enough oxygen during and after a lift causing some to pass out and need medical attention. He did well enough in the qualifier to proceed to the national championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. On that trip, COVID restrictions were very few, if any, with the hotel, lifting event, and restaurants/stores not having mask mandates or vaccination checkpoints. Unfortunately, my dad did not win this championship. He did, however, come back the next year and won the 2022 championship in Orlando, Florida. When we went on that trip, COVID precautions were not really present at all, and it almost seemed life it was before COVID.
• 
  2020-06

  Florida Vacation

  My parents felt it was very important for us not to be stuck in the house all summer. In February they made a plan to go to Florida for a few days and they didn’t want to cancel it unless they had to. We left Albuquerque at about 11:15 pm and got to Orlando at 4:00 am. The first day was the longest because we were stuck in the airport for many hours before even the car rental place opened and we hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before. We finally made it to Daytona Beach and we sat on the beach the whole first day until our hotel was open. The next few days we drove around, went to the pier, sat on the beach, played mini-golf, and fed some baby alligators. It was nice to get away from Albuquerque for a little bit but it felt good to be home.