OSHKOSH, Wis (NBC 26) -- Tonight we're sharing the story of a couple, who are used to dancing. But like so many of us, today they are avoiding some of their closest friends for now as they try to stay healthy.
It was just a few of months ago when the Fox Valley Squares were meeting up on a weekly basis. But after a handful of members went south for the winter they took a short hiatus, a winter break, that still hasn't ended.
"We haven't danced since," says Charlie Bitter as he sits alongside his wife Jan in Oshkosh.
Charlie and Jan are stepping to a new beat today, one that doesn't include the 15 plus members of their dancing crew.
"We miss seeing, not just our personal family, but our square dance family," says Jan Bitter.
Instead of meeting up with their fellow Fox Valley Squares, today the Bitters' are now a group that includes their pup Saddie and the two of them. And after that long winter trip, they just took together, the days are all starting to feel the same.
"We were five weeks together, now here we are and we got February, March, halfway through April and it's just the two of us ha ha ha," jokes Charlie.
The Bitters' miss their dancing friends, and who can blame them? They've been dancing with some of them for over twenty years. But that doesn't mean Jan, isn't still practicing her moves.
"We haven't danced with each other, but as I try to get my steps in and I move around the house I do some two-stepping or a little line dancing around by myself."
Today the Bitters' are finding some of the humor hidden beneath all of the stress related to isolating. That's because they know, personally, how serious this COVID-19 situation is.
"We just have to be super careful about where we go and how we go about it and it just puts a little extra stress on us," says Charlie.
"We've had a couple of friends who have gotten the virus and were in the hospital and one who passed away. So I just hope and pray that you stay healthy," adds Jan.
So today with a walk instead of a dance, the Bitter family is trying to ride out these trying times. And they're just thankful there are enough loved ones in their corner, including members of the Fox Valley Squares, to make it a bit easier.
"They're there for you no matter what happens. It's more than just a community, it's just a real family," says Jan.
