This year was not one I have been eager to reflect on. I had to force myself to start the process of reviewing 2020 for my annual digest. But, once I got started I was rather surprised to remember how many positive things did happen this year. Writing this digest is always a therapeutic process. There’s not a big trip to share, but we did find smaller ways to travel and enjoy time together. So much time together. It was […]
When my city’s stay-at-home order when into effect on March 25, I was nervous about more than just COVID-19. As a chronically ill person, I was worried about the potential loss of medical care during the shutdown. My concern was heightened by the flurry of phone calls I received – two days before things closed – rescheduling all my upcoming appointments. During the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had one telehealth appointment and 12 in-office appointments. The […]
This isn’t exactly a well put together blog post where I convey a wealth of information. Those are my favorite kind to share, but I’ve been struggling to write one since March. Like many people during the time of COVID-19, I’m not in a great place mentally, physically, or emotionally. This post is more a catalog of what I’ve been struggling with over the past few months, with a few positives thrown in. I am trying to be thankful for […]
This is my fifth yearly digest since my blog began in July 2015, and I really love writing them. I enjoy going through my files, documents, statistics, and photos to relive the last year – it’s amazing how quickly I’ll forget what happened just six or seven months ago. When I started writing the digests I figured they would mostly be for my benefit, but over 200 people read my 2018 digest. That’s not a huge number, but I’m impressed […]
Ah, Barbados. The place where we learned how to drive on the left side of the road, saw wild monkeys, and drank the best rum cocktails we’ve ever had. It’s a relaxing, beautiful island filled with happy people. There are so many exciting things to do that it can be challenging to figure out what to include in your Barbados itinerary – hopefully, this post can help you decide. I’m sharing what we did with our seven days in Barbados […]
There is a lot to love about Barbados. While the island is 21 miles long and, as some like to say, a smile 14 miles wide, that space feels so much bigger when you experience the fun, friendliness, and beauty throughout. Visiting Barbados was my second foray into the Caribbean and the trip furthered my obsession with wanting to visit each and every gorgeous island in the region. What I loved the most about Barbados was the extremely friendly people! I […]
Three years ago I was living in Germany and eager to share my experiences with the world. I was going on seven months as an expat and I jumped at the chance to join an expat interview series by a popular blogger. Last month I discovered that the interview was taken down (thanks to my broken link checker – such a useful tool). I don’t want my work to be wasted, especially when it’s so hard to work with chronic pain, so […]
Healthcare costs in the USA are out of control – it’s something our nation discusses constantly – and I am joining the conversation by sharing real figures from my annual medical charges as a chronically ill person. And I’m starting with an outrageous one. My family’s total healthcare cost in 2018 was $73,123. Our portion of that bill was $20,018. The total cost is much higher than the median US salary (which sits around $44,500). It’s approximately half the cost of […]
At the end of 2017, I wrote in my yearly digest that I never expected that year to be so full of struggles and new beginnings. I had no idea what was coming. Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum. Being unable to travel, taking small trips, and then a dream vacation. Lupus flares, pleurisy, immobility, pain. A new bird, and almost losing my old one. A newborn, a teething baby, a baby who’s starting to crawl… it’s been hard and tough and wonderful […]
Our trip to Curaçao turned out to be the dreamiest vacation we’ve ever taken. I suppose a colorful, tropical island with hints of Europe is easy to fall in love with. I spent so much time putting together this 10 day Curaçao itinerary because I did not want to miss out on a single thing Curaçao had to offer. However, having lupus and a six month old baby did limit the trip in some ways. Before all this we would create overflowing itineraries, […]