Zooming away with virtual Happy Hours

Wow, who would have thought two months ago that our lives would change as drastically as they did? I, for one, did not. Even when COVID-19 initially came out, I brushed it off like it was no big deal. I figured it was the flu and we’d deal with it like any other virus. Well, boy was I wrong, because that did not happen. I still can’t believe I’m working remotely, for the most part, over the past 7 weeks; 7 weeks!!!!

So what have I done to survive the last 7 weeks and adjust to this new norm? Cooking, working, enjoying wine, cleaning, organizing, enjoying wine, working out, running, enjoying wine, putting together puzzles, reading, enjoying wine, and, my most favorite of things, other than wine, happy hour zooming!

We’re getting “together” with our family and friends weekly in an effort to stay connected. It has been wonderful to see my in-laws, sister and niece, who live in Kansas, every week to catch up on life and how everyone is coping. We also have a standing Thursday happy hour with our besties living in San Francisco and Sunday ladies happy hour with my fit fam.

Zooming or Skyping really helped reduce the social isolation that so many of us are feeling. It also got me wondering, why didn’t we think of this before? Why did it take a pandemic to “see” each other through virtual happy hours? I don’t know the answer to that, but what I do know is that we agreed to continue zooming with family and friends far (maybe even near) away, even when this mess is over. This has been one of my silver lining realizations when everything seems so bleak.    

To make virtual happy hours seem more “normal” I have been making appetizers and enjoying them during our calls.  I usually go with something simple and quick like a cheese plate (posted below from my favorite wine shop Venissimo), bruschetta, or a burrata with crusty French bread, but really any appetizer plate does the job.  Also another time saving tip is picking up appetizers from Trader Joe’s; they have some great options that can be popped into the oven for a quick 20 minutes before you get happy hour started. For this particular HH we went with another favorite pinot noir of ours, Anthill Farm Winery, super small vineyard with club distribution only, but oh so worth the try.

I hope this is an idea many can get on board with and why not pair it with some yummy food and, of course, wine!  Cheers Friends.

Stay safe, be well!