COVID Diaries - Holy Week (Week 2)

Happy Easter, Friends! Christ has risen! And Anna and I are so full of joy!

Thanks to all who tuned in for week one of our plague monologues. Thanks to nobody's popular vote, we are back with week 2 of useless entertainment for you folks!

We had a few new adventures this week, with some friends we haven't seen in a while. Stay tuned for a sneak peak of the long lost Callen, who makes a cameo toward the end... Although, he's skinny now, and I'm almost as big as him. Scary...

Anyway, love you all and cheers to being in quarantine!

- Giggy

Greg's on a water break... it's me, Anna.

Like Greg said, as much as we wish we could be in Church and I could be with my family, too, this Holy Week has been full of good, weird, somber beauty. The most Lenty Holy Week of all time, in my book.

Hope you guys enjoy tuning in for another marathon of commentary and funnnnn. Here. We. GOOOO.....

A: Switching up the order this time. ME FIRST. Greg took this photo on his own. This is the grill cover at the lake house. Is it my fault it looks this way? Who knows. I claim no responsibility.

G: It's a good thing that the meat quality doesn't rely on the quality of the grill cover... that would have been a recipe for a sad uncle giggy. But, thankfully, the meat was delicious. New cover to come in the future.

A: Well. Couldn't keep this from you forever. In the forefront here, you have my standing/walking/treadmill desk. Overkill? Perhaps. In the background, you have Greg flexing out in our thrown-together home gym. Probably the weirdest corner of this blog... next.

G: Anna is all about efficiency... hence, workout desk?!? I guess it works... haven't tried it. Don't sign me up for cardio.

A: Here is dinner #1. Mostly some meat and potatoes. Bacon bits are included. Greg, clearly, just wants a plate of bacon bits. And golden juice.

G: This is called, "The uncle giggy classic". Burgers and potatoes make up nearly 90 percent of my diet. The other 10% is bacon bits and whisk(e)y. Hot, brown, and plenty of it... that's how I like my comida.

A: Greg liked his dinner so much that he drooled mid-bite on his foot. Here is the evidence.... Second weirdest corner of this blog? We are deteriorating rapidly over here.

G: I will not apologize for liking burgers so much that I drool. Although, I do think this would make me a good candidate for a foot washin' on Holy Thursday.

A: Greg sniped this of me mid-bible study. Virtual hangs include lots of messy buns and some good laughs and much much much needed community! TBH, this pic is impressive. Nicely done, for an amateur.

G: I'm working hard to improve from rookie status with a camera. I consider my skill level as "competent" when it comes to aiming and clicking. By next week, I hope to reach level, "tolerable".

A: Greg says "I want a snack!" Comes back with chocolate ice cream and a cheesy tortilla role. We have a different idea of what is considered a "snack". But, I don't judge. Sort of.

G: Some people use protein shakes... I consume ice cream and cheese. You tell me who's smarter?

A: That, my friends, was a personal attack on Anna's snacks.

A: This is Goji. Not my fish. I am just babysitting. So far, still swimming. His other beta friend has an issue with his hormones. (Curious? Look up, Beta Bubble Nests...)

G: Surprisingly, Anna hasn't killed the fish yet... I'm so proud.

A: Second Dinner.... kind of a weird vibe. Turkey, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocado, rice, and lettuce (Just for me though... no veggies for Giggy.) Honestly, turned out pretty tasty. Like a weird Hash.

G: Certainly an unorthodox recipe here... mostly cause there was no recipe. But look at that plate... YUM!

A: This was a real fun game. You make a quiz about yourself and give it to all the people you love to see how well they know you. Greg got a 7/10. Someone named "Oprah" got a 10/10. Still don't know who "Oprah is".... reveal thyself!!

G: If you think 7/10 on Anna's quiz was bad, I got a 6/10 on my own quiz. Shows you how well I Know myself... Sad.

A: Greg's least favorite. Bread fasting day. Looks kinda pretty here. He wasn't so fond of it.

G: I'm never eating bread again...

A: We starting taking walks around the beach at the lake, until she gets filled-up! Greg, unfortunately, sunk into a mug pit 2/3 of the way through. Grubby lil lake monster peets.... yuck!

G: I got stuck in the mud... The darned beach ate my foot! Looks like I need some new shoes.

A: Greg was a really really good candidate for foot-washing on Holy Thursday this year. Lucky for them we couldn't do it.

A: Here's what prayer looked like this week. Ain't bad.

G: The sun was shining this week!!! Sadly, it's snowin' now... soon there will be more outside prayer time.

A: Somewhere in this pic is a fish that somehow survived an entire winter in this lil pond. How the?

G: Remember my orange shorts? Which is oranger? my shorts, or the fishy? Let me know down below... I appreciate the winners who commented last week. Much thanks!

A: Remember when he said he wouldn't read them? He did.

A: This was Holy Thursday. Rather than foot washing (blessed are they who did not have to wash Greg's feet), we were able to have home mass and home adoration and home rosary/chaplet of divine mercy. Lots of goodness.

G: It's been difficult being away from the Church during the lenten season. But being able to celebrate the Easter Triduum with family from home was a tremendous blessing!

A: We got to go on a walk with Greg's nieces and nephews and sister in law. They somehow spot every single bug on the path, and stop to look at it. Eventually, they switched to stomping on it.

G: This kiddos just melt your heart! So fun to get out and play with them on a sunny morning.

A: We found some horses! Greg, the horse whisperer, basically just stood there and the horses came to him. Horse girl.

G: Never too young to fall in love with a horse... We're still working on getting Anna there... maybe one day :)

A: The best moment of my entire week. From hundreds of yards away, Blaise sprinted towards me at full speed for far too long of a distance just to hand me a yellow flower. Following him were all the other kiddos. By the end of it, I had a full bouquet. Good Friday gifts from Jesus through kids. Kinda how my prayer life works, usually. CHILD-LIKE JOYYY.

G: I'm not much for being the photographer, but this moment needed to be captured. A memory which will last a lifetime!

A: Greg took all these! Christa, being an awesome adventure-mom and somewhere in there, you will see me and baby Zelie just chillin by ourselves. She doesn't say much. We still had fun! #bonding

G: These kiddos are little explorers! They love adventure and taking risks! Sometimes they end up in the water. Thanks to Christa, nobody got wet on this day.

A: Heck. Close-ups and snacks. Heckin heck. The cuteness. It... it kinda hurts....

G: This little guy (Owen) has his dad's smile. Nostalgic lookin at these pictures... Ive seen their faces in all of our childhood photo albums. Genetics are weird.

A: This cuteness doesn't hurt quiiiiite as much.....

G: Insults aside, I'd like to give you an update on the quarantine stache... I trimmed it this week. Although, poorly. However, the hair is turning slightly darker and filling in quite nicely. You can even see that I have a mustache sometimes... If the light is good. Facial hair is not my strength. But I'm practicing.

A: Snacking. Snacking is his strength.

A: This is Emma and Timber. We had a social distancing walk date. Timber was really loving his stick. Dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do.

G: "It's goin' down... We're yelling TIMBER... you better move, you better dance". Kesha for the win!

A: THISSSS. We may or may not be basing our wedding colors off of this. Coffee with cream.

G: Anna said, "This is the most joyful thing of my life"... I said, "I should have gotten you a cup of coffee instead of a diamond... It would have been cheaper". She gave me a kiss after that one. Worth it!

A: I got to be sidecar dead weight for 3 hours on a motorcycle trip. They tolerate me. I had fun signing to myself and derping around the tin can motorcycle tube. I'm a "motorcycle girl now" according to Greg's dad. Let's freakin go.

G: Family bonding and social distancing all at the same time. Some people say, "stay 6 feet apart", I say, "stay 2 wheels apart". My bike is currently getting new tires put on, So I had to stroll on the 1982 Harley Shovelhead with a sidecar. It ain't a speed demon, but you get a lot of fascinating looks while rollin down the road.

A: This was Easter Mass!!!!!! What a pretty morning. Hope we don't have to do it again, but for what it was worth, the domestic Church is literally thriving in our homes and hearts today. Literally, thriving. Also, we got a traveling statue of Momma for Easter and got to round out our consecration after Easter mass with the beautiful piece of art. DOMESTIC. CHURCH.

G: Jesus is Risen!!! Alleluia, He is Risen! Through the impact of this virus, Lent has never been so real. We literally experienced the desert with Jesus this year. We pray that it brings great healing to our world, and calls many souls to conversion. Jesus is King, and He is alive.

A: We made little bennys!!! Inspired by last week's facetime with the family, we made Gluten Free beignets. And espresso. Feels like home in my heart and in my belly.

G: When we face-timed Anna's family last week, I got hardcore FOMO cause they were making these awesome treats! Because of the quarantine, we were unable to see Anna's family in person to celebrate Easter, so making these little treats served as our celebratory way of welcoming them in our hearts and home while being away.

A: These are some good views. This also feels like home.

G: I told you callen makes a cameo... In the past few years, he's been a mountain man, a island dweller, and now a desert trooper. He's also lost half of his body weight... I'm almost bigger than my big brother. Erie. Love him, and love this family. God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.

A: Many nights of prayer and many entrances into the Hecker home I have found myself staring at this art on the wall. Momma and St Michael the Archangel. Felt like the right time to snap a pic of them this Easter morning post-bennys and coffees.

G: Pretty great images of our spiritual defenders. St. Michael defend us in Battle. Blessed Mother, protect us and pray for us!

A: Greg.... Meat man. I will let him do the meat-s'plaining but I will tell you what... It was tasty. Will we gain 40 lbs in our first year of marriage due to good food (and probably baby weight). Happily :)

G: Easter came complimentary with nearly 20 lbs of meat. A roasted ham, smoked pulled pork, and a small beef chuck roast! Cooking logistics get a bit messy when you're using 2 different cookers at 2 different houses... but the results were stellar. Smoked meat for the Easter win... Pro tip: wearing crocs while smokin' meat enhances not only the flavor, but also the experience.

A: Buzz lightyear Easter.... Imagine that?? It was Owen's bday, so naturally we had a lil buzz themed party. He is risen.... to infinity and beyond. It works.

G: Family... NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED! Cherished moments, my friends, cherished moments.

A: Glamour shots... some more glamorous than others.

G: Anna wanted to experiment with a quarantine stache too. Hers looked a little better than mine...

A: Easter egg hunt!! Greg probably ate all the M&Ms out of most of these. Just being real. You snooze you lose, kids.

G: I will neither confirm nor deny the M&M claim... Lets just say, "finders, keepers"

A: Greg's grandma is the Holiday queen. She couldn't throw a big family get together, but her family in Denver surprised her with a parade by her house. She facetimed to tell us how happy it made her, because she was just flustered with her puzzle and bored. Family, man. Family.

G: Nothing like a little grandma bonding time. Even if its virtual. So good to see grams and share easter in a small way!

A: Birfday. Kids love cake. Zelie loves icing. We basically stuffed her full of icing and gatorade. Sorry, Christa.

G: Kids are just full of pure joy... We can all learn some lessons from their innocence and liveliness.

A: It's us again!! Glamour shot Easter inside social distancing style. Whatta vibe.

G: We're really good at keeping our social distance from each other :/ Not sorry. So thankful for this beautiful woman!

Thanks for tuning in to week 2 of the COVID Diaries, Giggy and Anna edition. (Somehow Greg lost steam on the "giggy" thing.... and after being so persistent.) We love getting to share our lil lives with yall, and we can't wait to share them less virtually here soon!!

Much can be said about the happenings of this years Holy Week. To sum it up, our lives are tremendously blessed with great families, wholesome friendships, and numerous memories along the way. We are called to live our lives joyfully, and no pandemic will ever steal our joy. Because our joy is in the Lord.

We wish you all a blessed Easter season. We pray that you're making amazing memories with those that you love most. We encourage you to live joyfully, and to frequently call to mind the wise words of Fr. Rocco, "you love God, by loving life".

With much love,

- giggy and miss anna