Tag Archives: covid

Dec16

All’s Well That Ends Well

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All’s Well That Ends Well

Hello! On the Friday of the first week of December Johnny and I tested positive for Covid after an exposure at his work. It was truly the best case scenario because we both felt perfectly fine and spent four days at home vegging out. As much as we love a solid hang session at home, it was a massive bummer. My holiday hair appointment had to be cancelled as well as my Christmas get together with my bestie girl. Johnny, on the other hand, had to miss out on Spamalot at Playhouse Square and was devastated. Naturally we got Covid on the weekend that we were actually doing stuff!

In my extensive tenure (Over twenty years!) of getting my hair done by my stylist, Anna, I cannot recall ever having to cancel an appointment. I was so sad because I really was looking forward to seeing her and having brand new hair for the holidays. I had come to terms with the fact that this was more than likely not going to happen. Even though Anna said that she would see what she could do, I knew the schedule at the salon was jam packed and that was okay. I would get my locks refreshed eventually and it would be glorious. ❤

When I returned back to work on Tuesday, I texted Anna to let her know I was negative and she sent me the most beautiful reply. She asked if I would like to spend her birthday with her at the salon on Saturday morning. Would I ever! You guys, I was so genuinely touched by this that it made me tear up. Anna has been doing my hair since I was seven years old and I am thirty-one now. She is the dearest friend and has literally watched me grow up. I would never expect her to make exceptions for me or overwork herself to squeeze me in before the holidays. The fact that she found a way to make it work was such a gift to me and I can’t wait to celebrate her! (Note – I am typing this the day before my appointment!)

Anna always knows how to make me feel special and this particular instance really took the cake. So, of course, I had to go to TJMaxx and pick out a pretty little something for her big day. It pales in comparison for all she has done for me, though. Anna isn’t just my stylist, she is one of my favorite people in the world. When I’m in her chair, I can tell her anything and have always put her as big sister status in my head. She has the most amazing way of making people feel beautiful inside and out and after my hair appointments I feel like my best self. She brings it out of me and I am so excited to show all of you my new do. 😀

My holiday wish for great hair came true by Anna and I only wish that Johnny could have seen Spamalot for a true All’s Well That Ends Well ending. But, hey, it’s close enough!

How long has your stylist been doing your hair? Did you get your hair done for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec10

Covid Chronicles

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Covid Chronicles

Howdy!! On Friday morning I was ecstatic. I had a short shift, then I was going to get my hair done. Afterwards my best friend was going to come over for our Christmas celebration and a Chinese food dinner and it was going to be a perfect day. Until I got a fateful text from Johnny at six in the morning that his boss had Covid. In an instant, my stomach dropped and my plans flew out the window before I even took a test. Somehow, I just knew and the faint pink positive line on my test confirmed it. I promptly said goodbye to my perfect day and Johnny and I hunkered down together in our covidness.

I believe this is our fourth round of Covid and, I have to say, this time around was a breeze. I felt excellent and would have had no idea we had Covid if we weren’t aware of the exposure. Johnny, on the other hand, felt a little crummy but it was more like how you feel when the weather shifts suddenly. This also made sense for him to feel that way as the weather in our neck of the woods took a drastic dip into low temps with snow. Alas, we were both positive and it positively sucked to have so much we were looking forward to cease to exist…. but did it really?

Lol, listen I was not thrilled whatsoever when my test was positive. However, looking on the bright side – I literally never take time off and my holiday break just came slightly early. I swear, every time I go for months on end without taking a day off, the world says hold my beer and gives me the flu or, in this case, Covid with no symptoms. Minus my big weekend being canceled, this was the best case scenario and I planned on enjoying it!

During my Covid stint I watched So. Much. TV! We’re talking Gypsy Rose Life After Lockup, the reunion of The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, St. Denis Medical, and so much more. Not only did I have a healthy bingeathon but I also had fun playing Animal Crossing again after three years and one month lol. Once the cockroaches from my house were clear, I got back into the groove of island life and am eagerly awaiting the update in January. I forgot how much I liked playing Animal Crossing after being apart from it for so long. I guess I played my fill when the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic was happening!

It’s funny because I texted my blogging bestie to complain about my positive test and I said something along the lines of “I think people just forgot to test for Covid when they aren’t feeling well”. But the thing is, I forgot too. It has been a long time since Covid was headline news that it was easy to chalk it up to a thing of the past. It is still very real, though, so do be sure you get a few tests as the holiday season approaches. Then, everyone can gather safely together and have a blast celebrating. ❤

My Covid Chronicles read more like a really lazy handful of days off and, hey, I’ll take it. Stay healthy and stay safe, everyone!

What is your favorite lazy day activity? Have you been sick recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct22

Wild Weekend

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Wild Weekend

Hello! There is a student run radio station called Z88 at the University of Akron and I listen to it pretty frequently. They all do such a good job! On my way home from work on Thursday, I tuned into Z88 for the last thirty seconds or so until I reached my apartment. It was literally right in the knick of time because I got the tail end of the announcement by DJ Kai that they were giving away two free tickets to the Factory of Terror for the fifth caller. Coincidentally, Johnny and I planned on going there on Friday so I thought I would give the contest a shot. I parked the car, waited about ten seconds, then started calling like crazy and…

I WON, I WON, I WON!!!!

I literally couldn’t believe it when DJ Kai answered the phone and said I was the winner. I have never entered a radio contest before and to win on my first go was so amazing. Regardless of the contest, we were going to go to the haunted house anyways but it provided us with a free date night!! Friday was our one night this past weekend to have some fun because we were on a time crunch. I got my Covid shot early that afternoon and knew darn skippy I was going to feel miserable the next day (And I did!).

On Friday we crammed an entire weekend of activities into one evening. We shot an OOTD and a COTD that I pieced together for our evening out and then it was go time. The first thing on our agenda was meeting up with my sister and sweet nieces for a community Trick or Treat outing. It was really great until I got stuck in the bathroom due to a wardrobe malfunction. You can read more about that in the Blooper Reel for my COTD but I was seriously trapped in there for a good twenty minutes until a kind woman in a Yoshi costume saved the day and my life! The culprit was this bodysuit:

After I emerged from the bathroom, we pretty much had to be on our way which was a bummer but Johnny and I were both super hungry! We planned on getting dinner on our way to the Factory of Terror which is a good forty minute drive from Akron. As luck would have it, we had this super random gift card to Red Robin which was a Christmas gift from Johnny’s aunt. There was one in the general vicinity of the haunted house and since we are never in that area we could put the present to good use.

It was absolutely hilarious rolling into Red Robin with my makeshift COTD on and Johnny in normal clothes lol. But, hey, I felt like a star and the world was my catwalk! There was a long wait for a table so we opted to sit at the bar and were served right away. I have to say, their margaritas were very good. They were nice and tart which is exactly how I like them! The veggie burger was alright but word to the wise: Don’t order their mac n’ cheese on the side. I’m like ninety-nine percent sure that it’s just Stouffer’s lol smh.

After a solid meal, it was time to go to the main attraction: the Factory of Terror! You can read all about it in a post coming soon but we had the absolute best time. It was scary good! It was a jam packed evening and I am so glad we were able to get everything we wanted to done as I knew my physical state was a ticking time bomb from the Covid shot. My arm started throbbing on the way to the haunted house and by the time we were through, I was totally and completely wiped out. I fell asleep as soon as I got home and woke up…

Feeling like total and complete ass lol. I was feeling nauseous but the worst of it was my body being so sore. It hurt to move and I felt like I got ran over by a truck. My day was a series of hot and cold flashes, moving as little as possible, and chugging blue Gatorade that Johnny picked up for me. However, this was definitely not the worst I have felt post Covid shot and for that I am thankful. This year, I decided to not get the flu and Covid shot in one go and I think that made a big difference. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was still tired but knew that I would be good to go for work on Monday!

Stay tuned for LOTS of fun on lifewithlilred! We will be talking Factory of Terror, there will be a new OOTD post, a COTD, and a COTD Blooper Reel so you can hear all about my trapped in the bathroom experience lol. -_- Be there or be square!!

Have you done any Halloween activities? What is your favorite haunted house? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct15

Weekend Of Lounge

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Weekend Of Lounge

Hello!! Johnny and I literally don’t do anything during the work week so we are legit always working for the weekend lol. Our work schedules really don’t allow for many extracurriculars and we try to squeeze in as much fun as we can once the weekend rolls around. This past weekend, however, there were no plans. Well, there was one – to do nothing. On Friday, I got my Covid and flu shot and it was strategically scheduled. I have not had the best reactions to the Covid shots and knew that I would need a weekend of recuperation to be okay for work on Monday. Needless to say, I will most definitely be looking forward to some actual enjoyment after this week is out!

I got my shots mid afternoon on Friday and I was still feeling fine until late evening rolled around. Then, my arm started to ache with the force of one thousand suns and I got so very, very tired. That night, I must have slept for at least twelve hours and I know for a fact I was running a fever the entire time because I woke up covered in sweat and damp clothes. Not cute. Apparently, I also had some crazy dreams that night because Johnny claimed I did a lot of talking in my sleep lol – unknown side effect of the shot, perhaps? Or perhaps NOT because I supposedly talk in my sleep really frequently.

Once I got over the grossness of my sweatiness, I was jolted awake by how achey I felt. Everything was stiff and every once in a while it felt like a jolt of electricity going through my arm or to make a consistently pounding headache interesting. I think I got up from the couch on Saturday like six times and I would return back to my nest feeling like I had just run a marathon. Other than watching So. Much. Degrassi. the major high point of that miserable day was talking to my blogging bestie, Kate, of Live In The Nautical on FaceTime. The two or so hour chat paled in comparison to our previous personal best of seven hours but your girl was dying over here!

On Saturday night I think I slept twelve hours again, had a fever the whole time, and spent a majority of the day sore and fatigued. Then, around late evening I started perking up and was good as new – or as good as I can be on a Monday morning. It was annoying to spend the weekend laid up but this was actually the mildest reaction I’ve had yet so great success and glad to have an extra layer of protection this winter! 😀

How was your weekend? What makes you feel better when you’re not feeling well? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec13

Give Me A Boost

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Give Me A Boost

Hello!!!! Johnny and I had the misfortune of getting Covid late this September and it was about a bitch lol. The last time we had Covid was in 2020 and we were both completely asymptomatic. If I didn’t know I was exposed, we never would have known we even had it. This past time around, we had ALL of the symptoms and it sucked. The general rule of thumb is to wait three or so months to get a vaccine or booster shot post Covid and I finally was able to get my updated booster this past Friday and… it SUCKED!!!!!

I have gotten every Covid vaccine and booster available and I have never reacted well to them. I’m not sure why I expected this time to be any different and, bully for me, because this was probably my worst experience yet. Pretty much immediately after my shot, my arm was extremely sore but I was still feeling okay physically. Fast forward to that night after a delightful hang out with my bestie and I spent my slumber sweating to the oldies. My pillowcase is now a shocking combo of red and blue hair dye because of it SMH.

On Saturday, I woke up with a pounding headache, nausea, and a fever that flip flopped back and forth with chills. I spent all day watching Criminal Minds and My 600 Lb Life and despite them being two of my favorite comfort shows, I was not comforted one bit! I had no appetite, felt so run down, and couldn’t wait to go to bed with the hopes that I would feel better on Sunday. I slept and sweat for a solid twelve or so hours and somehow managed to wake up feeling worse.

Sunday was a doozy of a day and my nausea was at an all time high. I ralphed four times and only started feeling slightly better when I was able to keep some food down for dinner later that evening. Thankfully, after another super sweaty night, I am feeling much better as I write this Monday morning. I can only compare this booster experience to my day three or four of having actual Covid and it was a pretty miserable way to spend the weekend.

Having said all of that, I am SO happy to be boosted up just in time for the holidays. I consider these booster shots to be a necessary evil because of how poorly I react to them. However, I know that if Johnny and I were to get Covid again, it would be so much worse without the added protection. Even though it was a major bummer to spend the weekend feeling like ass, I knew that I would feel better soon and that was good enough for me. I’m just glad to be over and done with it and now I have the pleasure of taking care of Johnny when he gets boosted this upcoming weekend! 😀

Unfortunately, Covid is something we’re always going to have to deal with. The vaccines and boosters make me feel much more comfortable with that fact and I am proud to do my part to keep myself and those around me safe. ❤

How did you react to your Covid vaccines and boosters? So so or oh NO? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct1

What To Do When You Have COVID

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What To Do When You Have COVID

Hello! Johnny and I are finally COVID free and thank the most high because it sucked majorly. I am so looking forward to getting back to work and returning to my normal schedule because the cabin fever is real! My COVID experience was exhausting and I cannot recall a time when I have ever been sicker. I am very much enjoying feeling back to normal and also breathing out of my nose! Your girl was sounding like Napoleon Dynamite for days and I was starting to annoy myself lol. If you find yourself bit by the COVID bug, here are a few things you can do to slightly improve your situation:

Stay Home:

I wish that this were a given, but for some people it isn’t and that is so not cool. If you have tested positive for COVID, please stay home!! If you have symptoms of COVID, please stay home!! Have yourself a merry little staycation and come back to the land of the living when you are testing negative and feeling better. You never know who you could be infecting and it’s not right to be spreading your sickness around to those in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate:

When you have COVID, hydration is your best friend. Johnny and I consumed more Gatorade and water than a football team and even then it didn’t feel like enough. I was constantly thirsty while I was sick and blue Gatorade was my saving grace. It tasted like liquid gold or rather, liquid blue lol. It is so important to give your body what it needs when you are ill so drink up. Cheers to that!

Try To Eat:

I had no appetite whatsoever during my COVID tenure and chances are you won’t, either. However, you just have to try to eat anyways. Your body needs that fuel to recover. No one is saying you need to have a five course meal, but a bowl of soup, some crackers, or in my case – a plate of spaghetti can go a long way. My bedside featured a box of tissues, a bottle of Gatorade, a bottle of water, and a box of crackers to munch on. For me, it was really hard to eat when I genuinely wasn’t hungry, but it was something that needed to be done so I just pushed myself to do it.

Entertainment:

When you are sick, there is literally nothing else to do but watch TV so put it on! Bingewatch away anything that your little heart desires. In my case, it was a Saw movie marathon! Having a movie or a comfort show like The Office on provided a welcome distraction to how miserable I was feeling. It gave me something else to focus my attention on and that was a welcome reprieve. Whether it’s video games, your favorite show, or a good book to get lost in, allow yourself to get distracted and try to get some enjoyment out of what you’re doing.

Get Up:

This is not to say get up and run a marathon, but try and get up and move after you have been laying down for a while. Not only will this help prevent blood clots, but it can also assist in loosening up your body if you have any stiffness. Every few hours, I would get up, go downstairs, and pet the bunnies or see what Johnny was watching in the living room. These little excursions were exhausting, but it made returning back to bed so much sweeter!

If you have COVID, get well soon!! I understand firsthand how badly it sucks, but you will feel better. In the meantime, give your body the tools it needs to start healing itself. ❤

What were your COVID symptoms? What did you bingewatch if you had COVID? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah