Jacobsen COVID Adventures

Enjoying a bit of quiet

All of us … even the pups

Hello all!

So many thoughts have been running through my head about the pandemic. Us Jacobsens have been on an extended vacation of sorts and we are thankful for our blessings. We pray daily for our friends and family who are struggling, including our favorite shop owners, salespeople, medical staff, essential workers, hair dressers, masseuses, students, etc. We are so grateful for what feels like a bit of a “break” in our busy schedules and to the earth. We’re seeing clear skies in Seattle as well as beautiful skies from our home on the Columbia River.

The Today Show shared a report on how the pandemic is affecting “Mother Earth”. It made my heart sing to know just what happens when we are able to hit the reset button. My greatest hope is that we will take lessons learned from this crisis and help guide us into a more gentle effect on the earth. Just look at all the benefits of remote working - less traffic, less gas consumption, happier employees, happier families, less office space footprint, happier pets, more exercise, healthier food and lifestyles in general. Now that we know, can’t we keep it up to some degree?

Now, those of you who know me know I love my shopping and my personal care. These “essential” businesses are all but closed up and I miss my friends. In the beginning of the pandemic, I acknowledged with great admiration those stores I frequent who were continuing to pay their employees, and those who have continued to pay them through the extensions. JJill, Nordstroms, Pandora, Free People and many others. Those community small businesses have been on top of making sure their part of the unemployment documentation was complete and have made progress on safety when these businesses will open again. It is the duty of their regular customers to assist when the Governor reopens with a safety plan in place. Buy gift cards to help with the influx of income they will need to start repaying their rents, mortgages and utilities. Reach out and make early appointments so they can use their new procedures to the best of their ability. If they have an online presence, reach out if you need your supplies replenished. Or try new products. We need to gather around them in their time of need.

Which leads me to how the Jacobsen Family has been surviving the pandemic. We are very blessed that both Dave and I have essential jobs and our employers have been committed to keeping us working and safe. Dave’s job has always been one that could be done remotely and we are blessed it was relatively easy to make the transition. His office shut down for several weeks and now only a few front office staffers are rotating time in the office to get essential “in office only” tasks completed. He has been working diligently with his members on pay, benefits, seniority and referring them to companies hiring drivers. The members he represents are very lucky indeed.

King County quickly developed remote working conditions to allow court staff to work from home. The IT Department truly stepped up to move all of us home, providing VPN access and being creative to allow us to continue hearing emergency motions and essential calendars remotely, while working with the clerk’s office to be “on the record” and in open court. Of course, there is nobody in the courtrooms, but conference calls and open conference phones in the courtrooms allow for the court processes to continue. All of this ingenuity is keeping our family working and allowing us to make contributions to our community. It’s also given us time to quiet our lives and be thankful for the small things:

• that I’m not having to homeschool!! (That’s #1. Good lord, that would’ve been a disaster for both them and me.)

• A 12-minute commute to Seattle on the days when I have to be in a courtroom.

• Eating lunch with family.

• NO makeup weeks.

• Jean shorts and Berks as my office attire.

• Home projects completed.

• Working remotely from anywhere …

• Best Buy curbside pick up

• Pauline’s Nail Salon’s mini care packs put out weekly for upkeep

• CWU Film Department for an excellent start to their online Spring quarter

• My friend Leslie who is picking up our overflowing donation pile to bring to her church

• Dave’s time home makes my father-in-law who suffers from Alzheimers feel safe and loved

• More time with my college student when she comes home

• Mid-day time on the patio in the sunshine with my older daughter who lives at home

• More home cooking

• Wild animals returning to our communities and oceans

• Clear skies and cleaner waters

• And just generally having time to laugh and play with family.

Many of our friends and family are not as fortunate and we will continue to pray and use our resources to help where we can. Please know that you are all in our prayers daily and while we do not support the government opening too early and fear daily for one of us contracting this terrible virus, we believe in our faith, our family and our world. We will make it through this as we have during other crises and maybe even come out stronger because of it.

Keep looking forward my friends.

Just a mutt hiding among the Irish

What’s a Pollock doing here?

A story of acceptance and love …

Despite my late mother-in-laws hard and fast belief that her only son marry a lovely Irish lass, he chose me, a very American mutt with a crazy last name. She even held out hope after the birth of our first child when she invited us to dinner with the girl he “was supposed to marry” from her Irish hometown. Thankfully, my ever patient husband held true to his heart and we’ve been married a glorious 24 years. One thing I have always been certain of, is the love and acceptance I’ve received from my husband’s Seattle Irish Community.

My husband and his family were among the founding members of the Irish Community since the late 60’s. I don’t believe my husband has missed an Irish Week in Seattle since his birth 50 years ago. He’d been helping his dad, and then eventually took over, the St. Patrick’ s Day Parade around 1994. Immediately following the birth of our first kiddo, I started volunteering my mommy-time to help Mary coordinate the rest of the Irish festivities in and around the city. Both of the girls grew up with dozens and dozens of surrogate grandparents, aunts and uncles, including dignitaries and city officials. it’s been quite a ride!!

Which is why following Christmas Day, the Jacobsens skip right to shopping for green items to wear to some of our Irish social events. Annually, when the kids were little, I was forced to start shopping for their new green clothing items because wearing the Irish sweaters were a “no go” for most of their young lives. Ever tried finding a new green turtleneck for kids when your MIL insisted on the itchy Irish sweaters? It’s not easy, let me tell you. A recent green sweater purchase this week reminded me that each new year my eye is immediately drawn to everything green. Which is why I was SO THRILLED to see the Agave green pieces in the new Sseko Designs collections. The Agave crossbody arrived at my house this afternoon and so my hunt for the green is now complete!

Our Irish community members enveloped me in their arms (literally and even after Dave explained my personal space bubble). They loved on me, and my mom, and my girls with such honesty and exuberance that they have all become part of our family. I never feel alone in this world knowing that Mary, Heather, Ida, Suzie, Mary Catherine, Maureen, and dozens of other ladies are standing in for my mom at a moment’s notice. I worry when they are sick and delight in spending time with them. Irish Week is like a big family reunion, full of laughter and catching up. Heidi, Fiona, Kaileen, Barbara, Caron and many other ladies are like my sisters whose kids have grown up alongside mine and who I have such lovely memories with.

We are not a political or religious group (shoot, I’m not even Irish). The clubs were formed to promote Irish history, culture and a community for new Irish to Seattle to call family. Throughout the years we have been challenged to choose a side, but we have remained constant in our belief in family, community and sharing the love of the Old Country. One that, funny enough, I have never seen!

After the birth of our children, and the medically fragile condition of the first, we found it quite difficult to take the family on a journey to travel Ireland. It’s on our bucket list, but maybe after the 13 years of tuition finally comes to a close and we have enough time to actually take our time and visit all those places I can see quite vividly through the words, songs and stories of the last 25 years.

A BIG thank you goes out to all my Irish family who have taken in this small town all-American girl with the crazy last name and made me yours. I love you all and can’t wait to see you next month! The countdown is on!!

All my love,

Gabby