MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash — Washington state's newly released unemployment numbers don't seem real, but they are all too real for the thousands unemployed right now in Snohomish County.
Families across the county are left wondering when it will all come to an end.
There has been no shortage of together time for the Doyle family over the past seven weeks.
"Friday the 13th. That's when it all hit," said Stephanie Doyle.
Stephanie tries to keep it light around her Mountlake Terrace home, but there is a constant undercurrent of worry.
Stephanie and her husband, Michael, both lost their jobs. Stephanie is a hairdresser at Ombu Salon in Edmonds. Michael works in the travel industry.
"It's really stressful," she said. "It's stressful every single day. I always have that in the back of my mind, and I'm always planning. It never stops."
With two kids to feed they have no idea when or if they'll get back to work. The only certain thing right now is uncertainty.
"She won't be able to see as many clients as before so she's not going to be able to make the same income going back to work that she used to," said Michael. "With me in travel, that's gonna be a big change for quite some time."
As with many in Washington state, unemployment came slowly for the Doyles. It took five full weeks of waiting before Stephanie finally got a check, because she kept getting denied.
Despite the hardship and nearly two months without work, the Doyles think it's too soon to lift the stay-at-home order.
For now, they make the most of family time and take life day by day.
"Going day by day is a total unknown," said Stephanie. "You don't know what tomorrow is going to look like or if tomorrow is going to be pushed back for another whole month."
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