UTV & First Restaurant Since COVID

UTV

My sister and nephew were at my parents’ house in Iola for a few days, so I took a trip over to visit them and see the new Polaris UTV my parents got for themselves. They ordered it a few weeks ago and weren’t expecting it until June, so that was a pleasant surprise!

My parents’ new toy

We all got in and took a drive to Little Falls to drop off some supplies my dad needed to return to a sawmill. The UTV can only go about 30 mph (max) while they are breaking it in, so it was a bit of a slow drive.

Stephen and his Grandma ready to take a ride

Myself, my sister, Stephen and my mom waiting on Dad as usual

We rode around on a trail in the woods by the sawmill in Little Falls, drove around on my parents’ land, and the Old Car Show grounds. It was definitely more fun to ride around on the fields vs the roads.

Stephen wasn’t too thrilled about the UTV ride.

First Dining Out Experience Since COVID

After our UTV ride, my family wanted to go out to Pigeon River Brewing in Marion for the Friday Fish Fry. I wasn’t too sure about going and even said I would just head home. Then my mom got all sad and really wanted me to go.

I texted Jeff to make sure he was okay with me going out to eat without him. This would be my first time eating out at a restaurant since COVID shut everything down over a year ago.

I was nervous. But, I agreed to go.

Stressed

As soon as we walked in the doors of the restaurant, I was stressed. The host wasn’t wearing a mask.

Plus, the small bar/restaurant was packed. There was just one table left.

I did not feel good about this situation.

We followed the host to our table and I saw most of the staff was not masked. Luckily, our server was.

I told my mom I didn’t feel comfortable and that I was just going to go home. This wasn’t the situation I was expecting. I had envisioned my first time dining out again would be with masked staff and some space between tables.

Uncomfortable

It was also shocking for me to see so many people’s faces. I felt so uncomfortable.

I kept wanting to just bolt out of the place, but I stayed put. My family kept telling me everything was okay. I am vaccinated and don’t need to worry so much about going out and about during COVID.

I told them this whole situation was a shock to the system. With my anxiety issues, it’s hard for me to go from one extreme of basically being a hermit, to being in a busy restaurant with very little COVID safety protocol in place.

So, I stayed. I ordered food and we waited a really long time for it to arrive. It was slow service and I definitely didn’t miss that part of restaurant dining.

Fortunately, the food was good. And, I survived my first restaurant experience since COVID, even though I was uncomfortable for a good chunk of the time we were there.