Doing the Right Thing Isn’t Always Easy

It seems like we are living in completely different worlds these days. Borders have never felt like physical constraints more than they have right now. The Netherlands just announced the strictest lockdown of the pandemic will be extended by at least three more weeks. It felt like a blow to the heart when we heard the news. When will it ever end?

When the current lockdown was announced, we took the news as a sign that this was the right time to start working on getting the bar open. Instead of calling this a lockdown, we named it “Armoury Bar Bootcamp.” Surely 2021 will be the year of the service industry right? After what feels like a year of being grounded, everyone is foaming at the mouth to go to a bar and have a great time with good friends. The way it’s going so far, that’s likely not the case.

The good (great) news is we have made huge strides in getting the bar set up. Our business plan is just a few days away from being complete. The biggest thing we accomplished so far is the completion of our menu, in both design and execution! We spent all day, every day during the holidays perfecting the recipes for every item on our menu. We are so excited to share this menu with everyone as soon as we can. It’s going to be a unique concept that will guarantee food-lovers keep coming back.

Everyone here can turn on the news and see that America is right back to normal like there isn’t a virus killing more people a day than 9/11. It feels unfair. We have to understand that America has never been about the individual though. That’s not a knock at all! In many ways, that’s what makes America so special! This just isn’t the right time to prioritize one’s individual freedoms over the safety of others. Sitting here in our house for nearly a full year has given us WAY too much time to think about our decision to move to Europe.

We are so grateful for the opportunity. Really. It’s just that seeing our friends and family able to gather and go on as if nothing is happening has definitely made us jealous to say the least; especially since our household has already gotten and recovered from the virus. It didn’t hit me so bad, I’ll admit, and Victoria was asymptomatic, thankfully. The guy I got it with wasn’t so lucky and he suffered for weeks, if not months. It taught us that COVID isn’t something to be taken lightly. Even right now, I know at least 10 people with 4 of those in the ICU back at home with the virus. Even still, people refuse to take precautions.

We understand that this lockdown is necessary for the healthcare professionals to play catchup as best they can. We really do. I just hope this vaccine rollout is safe and effective, because I’m not sure how long Europe will be able to survive a full lockdown. I have always been levelheaded and saw both sides of the debate when it came to lockdowns. Our own household has certainly suffered as have millions if not billions of people globally. At least we have a roof over our heads and Victoria’s web design business has thrived since the beginning.

Staying inside and only going out for necessities has been rough. We have been able to see friends at the rate of once a month. That has been absolutely vital for our mental health. If you are reading this and having trouble getting by due to quarantine restrictions, reach out to us or a friend and tell us how you feel. As divided as the world is right now, we are all still playing on the same team.

I hope your 2021 is about thriving, rather than surviving. Stay safe and play safe everyone!