After my last social distancing update the blog took a leave of absence. I think I was a bit depressed from everything and uninspired. However life did go on and now that I have my groove back, let’s catch up on a few highlights.
September and October 2020
September was more of the same but we did take our one and only Pandemic trip in October. When COVID-19 cases were down in early August we booked a four night stay at a Cabo San Lucas all-inclusive.
By the time the trip came, things were worsening but we felt it wasn’t too risky with the open middle seat and mask required inflight. The resorts were at 30% occupancy and most of the restaurants were outdoors.
I’ll post about the resort itself later. It was beautiful and we felt safe at the resort but the stress of traveling made us uncomfortable and regretting the trip.
November and December 2020
Earlier in the year, we’d hope things would be better by the holidays so we could visit family in other states. As we all know, it got very bad and so we celebrated important dates at home. First of all was Charger’s 14th birthday.
We know we’re blessed to have him with us still and healthy. Like so many others we shared holidays with family virtually with photos, calls and gifts.
My hair appointment was cancelled due to another lockdown saving me from making the decision. The best news was having a vaccine approved for use and although times were dark there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
January and February 2021
As we all know COVID-19 cases skyrocketed post holidays. California stayed on lockdown and we continued doing grocery pickup with weekly restaurant takeout. This not only gave us a break from cooking nightly but also helped restaurants stay afloat.
Hair salons were able to open the end of January but I stayed away out of an abundance of caution. My husband was able to get his first vaccine dose in February. It took a couple of weeks of cyberstalking appointment sites. This was before you could go through one portal so I had about six sites to check before finding one at our local grocery store.
February was also when I shared my retirement date with my boss and started moving towards the end of employment!
March and April 2021
Steve was fully vaccinated in March and then I became eligible and got my first dose in March and second in April at a vaccination superstation. It was a well oiled machine and I was so relieved when the date arrived for me to say I was fully vaccinated.
April was also the month I had a minor surgery to remove skin cancer from my nose.
This was a time I was grateful to be working from home with the bruising and lovely black eyes. 🙂 Fortunately it healed quickly and no further follow-up is needed other than regular screenings.
Once healed, I was able to get a haircut, go out to a restaurant to celebrate birthdays and finally see friends and family in person. We spent three hours visiting with my husband’s brother and wife our first time together again. Everyone was so excited we forget to take pictures.
Looking Forward
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over of course and who knows if it will ever be eradicated. I am so grateful for the science that got us a vaccine so quickly that has been proven so effective. It’s allowed us to return to a semblance of our past lives while also accounting for the changes that have taken place.
Yes there’s still a risk but it’s low enough we’re taking it and going to live our best lives. Retirement set the stage for making it happen. We started off with a 34 day road trip but you’ll hear more about that soon.
Great post, Kay Lynn. As much as we think we will remember what happened over the last difficult year, of course it will fade rom our memories, just as everything does, so having this to look back on is important.