COVID, exactly one year later.

Well, it happened. After my two-week trip to Europe, I came down with Covid two days after returning home. And, strangely enough, it is exactly one year ago to the day when I had Covid the first time.

The symptoms are different this time, which delayed me from taking a Covid test. After a second day of feeling lousy though, and since I had an entire drawer of test kits, I decided to take one. It was positive.

I’m on Day 6 of Covid and am feeling much, much better. The sore throat and coughing have subsided, and I’m left with just a head cold. The warm shower I took this morning took care of the congestion. In fact, if there were no such thing as Covid, I would have thought this to be another virus related ‘cold’ which Tylenol, cough suppressant, and rest would have cleared.

Traveling is not without its health risks, for sure. I’m not sure where I contracted Covid, but between the huge crowds in Italy, the many public (and dirty!) bathrooms I used, and a 10.5-hour sold-out flight (with the added bonus of people hacking), I’m not surprised.

A Deployment Homecoming!

My son spotted us…and his smile says it all! (First officer on the left!)

Being on the pier for a deployment homecoming was ahhhhmazing!

Finally seeing my son in person after 8 months? Priceless. 🙂

July: A challenge update and a few unexpected surprises!

Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com

It’s July 12th, and I’m well into my July savings challenge. As far as the everyday spending, I did well.

Here is my spending from July 1st – July 10th:

• Groceries/Eating Out: $107.96
• Road trips (excluding actual vacations): $169.01 (a trip to NY to visit my parents)
• Gas: $0 (All gas was for our NY trip included above)
• Vet/Dog Food: $0
• Personal care/household. $37.00
• Gifts: $17.02
• Clothes: $0
• OTC Meds: $16.00
• Personal spending: $0

Total Spending: $346.99

My goal was to only spend $750 for the whole month, however certain circumstances and happy surprises have made me change this month’s challenge and pivot.

Here’s what happened in July (so far):

1. My foot is still fractured: An MRI confirmed it. Okay, this wasn’t really a surprise, but I was a bit disheartened. The orthopaedic doctor said I had three options – 1. stay off foot and give it more time 2. try a stem treatment to stimulate growth in the bone for the low, low price of $2000, or 3. have surgery. (He didn’t sound confident in any of the choices, so I can tell you surgery will be the very last resort.) I’m seeking a second opinion and I will see where this leads before I make any decision. In the meantime? I liked option 1 the best, so I’m staying off my foot.
2. My husband received a raise! This was quite unexpected, as he hasn’t had a raise in three years. It was a very welcome surprise. 🙂
3. We booked a trip to Italy! We were presented with an opportunity to take a ‘bucket list’ trip this September to Italy. The price was amazing, so we decided to go for it, foot issue and all. We booked a 9-night Mediterranean cruise. We will be spending two days in Barcelona, Spain before the cruise and two days in Rome, Italy after. My husband and I are thrilled to be able to go on this trip, something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time. (The extra money from my husband’s raise actually clinched the deal. 😉 )

Photo by Piotr Arnoldes on Pexels.com

The trip itself was paid for from our vacation/travel account, which we’ve been building up for just such an occasion. Since we’ve never been to Europe, I want to purchase some extra travel items as well as some new clothes. This will most certainly put me over my savings challenge budget, which I am perfectly fine with. I still hope to reign in my normal expenses i.e. eating out, groceries, personal spending, etc. so that I can put away some extra spending money for the trip. I’ll do a follow up monthly spend at the end of the month. 🙂

How was your week? Any suggestions for how to dress for Spain, France and Italy in September? Please share!