Junior Lexi Losey-Freyling got to have two Thanksgiving feasts this year. 

She celebrated her first Thanksgiving feast with her parents and brother on Thanksgiving day, filling each other in on everything that has been happening and getting a chance to have fun group discussions. 

“We haven’t [had a fun discussion] in a while,” Lexi said. “We just laugh and talk, that type of thing. [It was] great bonding time.” 

But Lexi’s family also made the hour-and-a-half ride to her grandparents’ house to have yet another celebration—this time with her grandparents, aunt, and cousin.

“I [was] s0 excited because we don’t get to see them often since they live an hour and a half away, so [it was nice] to see them,” Lexi said. “My aunt actually lives across the street [from them].”

In between Thanksgiving trips, Lexi filled the vacant gaps in her days with fun escapades with her friends. 

“A couple weeks ago, a couple of friends of mine and I had a photoshoot in downtown Ada, which was pretty fun,” Lexi said. “We’ll go to Target or somewhere else and just walk around. We usually just sit and talk. You know that one friend that you can just talk to [all the time]? [We do that]. We also just do basic stuff like watch movies, and we love dancing.”

Also taking up a large portion of Lexi’s free time are her online classes. Similar to the bulk of the FHC community, Lexi is feeling the strain of doing schoolwork from home. But despite the new online classes, Lexi has found the workload manageable, giving her the opportunities she’s been using to make time for friends and family.

“Some teachers will just pile [all the homework] on, but other teachers are really good with [assigning homework],” Lexi said. “The workload is alright. It’s not too bad, but it’s also not the worst either.”

Lexi has also been using some of the extra time she has to continue growing her recent passion: running. Lexi had considered doing cross country this year but instead decided to pick up running at home so she would have more time for schoolwork, friends, and family.

She now runs several miles a week, usually running three to four days weekly. She enjoys the solitude while running and prefers running alone in her spacious backyard.

“I just [run] by myself, with my earbuds in,” Lexi said. “[I tell myself] just do this.”

Lexi doesn’t even bring her dog, Lily, to her backyard runs.

“She’s a chihuahua so she’s like [really small], she wouldn’t like it,” Lexi explained. 

They do, however, bring her pet to any trips they take, including the weekend at her grandparents’ house. 

“Yeah, [we take her on trips with us],” Lexi said. “[Our family] all love her; it’s fantastic.” 

For now, Lexi’s adventure to her grandparents’ house is the only trip that she knows of, so her jealousy for her friend currently staying in Florida is very high. But she looks at the current situation in a positive light, continuing to talk to and see her other friends as well. 

“[My friend] is in Florida right, for over a month,” Lexi said. “I know, [he’s very lucky], and I miss getting to see him. We’re still FaceTiming though;it’s been pretty good so far.”

Fortunately, Lexi has been able to find time to let herself relax and enjoy some peace during these hectic months.

“I’ve just been chilling lately, especially [because of] COVID there’s nothing I can really do,” said Lexi with a laugh.

Despite the non-ideal circumstances, Lexi continues to make the best out of every situation and makes sure to put in the time and effort to continue building her relationships with her friends, family, and those around her. 

“We’re all over [COVID-19], but there’s nothing we can really do about it,” Lexi said. “We just do our best.”