It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’ll go back and fill in the blanks soon, but thought I’d start by writing my most recent update covering the past three weeks. Obviously, its been a crazy March and everyone’s lives have kinda gone topsy turvy. Being in event planning, I know mine has.
A few weeks ago, I remember Mitch and I had a drive day. It was a longer one, and we wanted to listen to something besides our typical playlists. Mitch turned on a news podcast, which was talking about this outbreak of a “coronavirus.” We listened to the whole podcast. When it finished, Mitch turned and said, “Dot, I think this is going to be super serious and be a world wide outbreak.” I nodded, but in my head thought, “…. nah. We good.” And for a while we were!
We continued to go to events, set out props for everyone to touch and take pictures with, head out to dinner with random new friends we met that day, and meet and have conversations with about 150-600 people every single day. I went to museums and explored cities on my off days, striking up conversations with people who I thought might be locals. Just as I thought before, nothing had changed for me.
Then we hit Wednesday, March 11, when WHO declared Coronavirus was now a worldwide pandemic. Still not much had changed in my small bubble though. Mitch and I talked about the virus a lot, we cleaned our props constantly, and listened to the news. Then Thursday rolled around. I drove an hour away from my hotel to my Walmart event in small town Illinois. Mitch stayed outside with the Wienermobile, while I went to go talk to the store manager like we normally do before setting up. The store manager quickly and politely told me I had to go ASAP and that Walmart was no longer doing any promotions because of the outbreak of COVID-19.
Walking back to the vehicle, I called my boss Angela and she told me just to head back to the hotel and hold tight until a conference call that night. We then found out that all our St. Patrick’s Day parades for the week in Chicago were cancelled and that we had no work until Wednesday. When the conference call rolled around, they told us we wouldn’t be doing any events until next week, but we’d have another conference call on Monday.
I headed home wanting to see my family for the first time in a few weeks and because flights were so cheap. My plane to Atlanta was completely full. A decent amount of people dawned masks and gloves before boarding. When I got home, I spent my time scrapbooking, visiting the Hotdoggers and Peanutters near Atlanta in Hilton Head, and just lounging around with family and pets. The Monday conference call wasn’t informative and left me with a lot of confusion about what was happening.
Hotdoggers and Peanutters together!
My parents, who were starting to get worried about me heading back to Chicago, made me promise I’d wear a mask and gloves the whole flight back. So, I joined the squad. But the flight back was very different. The plane was empty save for about 10 people. All 10 of us wore masks, all 10 of us wiped down our seats, and all 10 of us refused snacks or drinks during the flight. It was a strange new world. Completely different from just 5 days ago.
Ready to fly! 
My empty plane 
An empty O’Hare 
Dad seeing me off and making sure I have my mask on!
It continued to change. Arriving back in Chicago, Mitch and I stayed cooped up in a friends apartment with Luke. We passed a few days there playing board games, doing in door workouts, and cooking. Then our boss called again.
It was time to go home… all events through mid April were to be cancelled, we were to all go home as fast as we could, and the Wienermobiles were to come of the road for the “foreseeable future.” It didn’t really hit me that my dream job might be over until I was pulling away from my Wienermobile and Mitch in a rental car.
For the time being, I am quarantining with Luke and his family in Delafield, Wisconsin. Luke got to keep his Wienermobile for the time being, so I still get to look at one every day and can go inside if I so desire.
Its been hard to give up my work and my dream, but I also feel incredibly lucky for so many reasons. I’m quarantined and safe with people that I care about and with whom I have a blast. My family is safe and following CDC suggestions. I am for the time being, still being paid. My family has so far not been financially challenged and is doing their best to help those who are. There are plenty of creative ways I can keep myself occupied over the next few weeks. I’m also thankful that Luke and his family LOVE board games, which I, myself, have a particular affinity towards (We’ve played an ungodly amount of Catan). So, I’m in an amazing place during a bad situation.
I am hoping and praying every day that we are able to safely navigate this virus as a country. I also hope that people are able to return to their jobs and businesses soon, and that the Wienermobiles can once again hit the hot dog highways of America and spread smiles. We need those smiles right now, and I know I am very ready to get back to my once in a lifetime experience before its time to pass it onto someone else.
Fingers crossed. Stay safe! Stay inside! Social Distance! And as always, thanks for coming to “ketchup” with me.
Hot Diggity Dot
Hot Dog Dot and the Wienermobile! 