One of the most interesting aspects of the shelter-in-place order has been staying in touch with loved ones. In general, I try to reach out to friends who live far away and those I don’t see often via text and social media. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, I’ve been part of more FaceTime and Zoom calls than I ever have in the past. My husband and I were recently FaceTiming with friends who live in different states, and we commented, “Why didn’t we think of this sooner?”

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With our previous ways of staying connected and celebrating events totally flipped around, I’m happy to see people getting creative while staying in touch with loved ones. In addition to having virtual happy hours and calls with friends and family, I’ve taken part in two virtual celebrations in the last week. On Saturday I was supposed to be in Los Angeles for a bachelorette party that was canceled. Instead, we surprised the bride with a virtual Zoom bachelorette. It was fun to see my friends who live far away and also surprise and celebrate the bride.

My friend’s daughter’s second birthday was on Monday. They were in the process of planning a birthday party when the pandemic began, so they opted to cancel. My friend, a great baker, made a birthday cake in the shape of one of her daughter’s favorite cartoon characters, Peppa Pig. We joined a Zoom call to sing “Happy Birthday,” and my friend recorded the experience on Facebook Live for those who couldn’t join. The only downside was we couldn’t enjoy the cake in person!

In these uncertain times, I’m more grateful than ever to have various ways to stay connected with those I care about most.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director