Falling into Routine

New life

     Following the excitement of beach days brought about summer in Portland, my very first summer in Portland at that! Staying true to the 2020's summer blew past as time was lost and the days ticked by. As summer has come and gone, my life, now "our life" with Roy - more on that later- has also changed as the seasons changed. The first, and barely outshined change in life stated with graduating! Through degree changes, traveling abroad, online classes from COVID-19, and other normal college obstacles, I successfully completed my bachelors degree in Applied Health and Fitness from Portland State University. Sadly, it is not the final destination of my acedemic journey, but it is one step high on the ladder. Of course I have a plan for the next steps, but knowing me it's already plan C or D, whereas the actual exucution will probably be plan Y. For my bachelors degree my parents came up to celebrate and took me on a mini shopping spree and then took Roy and I out to dinner. They also gave a gracious gift of money to have another celebration or something fun.

Chocolate fondue

     In the weeks that followed, Roy and I found time for a fancy date night at The Melting Pot sponsored by my parents. It was a dual celebration for us, graduation and.... drumroll please... our engagement! Roy had asked me earlier in the week, in a way I had once said I would never say yes to, but when you're in love things change! We had been talking about our futures and how our futures might become one future. Roy stated he had an "idea" but he wasn't sure how I would feel about it. He continued to hint and ask around the question until finally I asked "So what exactly are you asking me here?" To which Roy finally found the words to say "I want you to marry me." Of course I said yes, even though there was no big show of him getting down on one knee ( I made him do it later of course).

     After that night I went straight into planning mode, I pulled up my 2015 Pinterest board on weddings and started a whole new one! I looked into venues, color schemes, caterings, and dances, all before I had even told anyone! We told my parents over the phone unexpetedly, and even made them a cute announcement box. Due to the chaos of it all they didn't get the box until much later, but it's the thought that counts right? Drawing on older Saudi tradtions the box contains two camels to present to my dad, even though I'm clearly worth 75 according to this Camel Calculator, and fake diamonds and gold rolo chocolate to give to my mom. 

    Just around the other corner of life was a new job. I still occasionally help out at the assisted living facilty for traumatic brain injury survivors, but temperature taking at the hospital doors was a quickly dying career (or so we thought). With COVID-19 stating to take a turn for the better, I applied to any and every open position in the hospital. After quite literally hundreds of applications and a smaller handful of interviews, I was able to find a full time position working front desk in a primary care office on the hospital campus. 

Work Attire

   Of course, this changed filled the rest of my summer. The transition from one position to the next and from one department to the next was filled with weeks of training, but if I'm being honest the most exciting transition was the one out of scrubs. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved not having to choose what to wear, and the comfortability of scrubs, but it's nice to have an excuse to go shopping again. 

    While Roy and I get ready for the next steps in our life, I have found my career in this job. For now I will be working as a patient relations representative, working as the first person patients see and interact with during primary care visits.  It's a good job, and good hours. With the new job, slightly better pay, and better hours have allowed for more connection with Roy and allowed to settle into our new life together, as well as our new lifestyle. 

Newly Weds

    Now for the moment you've all been waiting for. The wedding! With COVID-19 continuing to be a problem in our lives, Roy and I were having a hard time trying to plan a wedding, especially with the logistics of international travel. After many discussions, with many parties we decided to have a true COVID-19 wedding. A small elopement ceromony broadcasted over zoom and instagram live, filled with family and friends. We began the night with everyone gathered around for Korean Fried Chicken from our favorite place, Chimcking. Following dinner my parents joined us for the rehersal and the ceremony. My closest friend in Portland graciously got ordained and performed the ceremony dressed in his otter onesy. Our other friends Sunho, Asme, and Jean joined the celebration as well as my parents. My father gave me away, my mother gave me her veil and we closed the ceremony with champagne and better than sex cake.

    Hopefully in the near (covidless) future we will be able to have our larger reception, filled with everyone and filled with dancing. Roy has already accepted the fact that I will be making a him participate in a choreographed and propably slightly over the top first dance. More to come on that next year.

     Like any newly weds we had a honeymoon, a COVID-19 stay at home honeymoon, filled with finalizing moving in and officially making the apartment, "our home".  Roy is currently taking the time off from work to focus on his career goal of personal training, and his personal goal of personal training himself... and me when I put up with it. For the time being that means we will be fighting the gender cultural norms and I am the bread winner of the household. 

     Currently our plans for the upcoming future include a small Halloween celebration - although we haven't decided on custumes yet, Thanksgiving plans, Christmas in the works and New Years on the drawing board. More to come in the months ahead!

    Eventually I'll get back into a regular posting routine.

Beach Vacation

Roy, my and Stanton

     With Covid starting to slowly ease up, I've begun to get back to my adventures, as much as money can finance at least. The first glimpse of returning to normal was after my birthday. My parents and brother came to Portland to pick Roy and me up for a three-day vacation at the Oregon coast. 

    Shortly after arriving, we walked along the beach until it was time to check into our rental home. Once in the rental home we spent the evening enjoying pizza and games, it was the first experience Roy had of what my family is like. The next morning, I had set up for Roy and my father to go for an early morning walk along the beach while the rest of us blissfully slept in. The rest of that day was filled with reliable Oregon coast rain, clearing up just in time for low tide and for dinner.

     The Oregon coast vacation was short-lived but well needed. It was time for Roy and me to return back to our normal lives. Roy went back to work at his wellness clinic and I moved into a full-time position at the hospital. The remainder of April and May was filled with less stressful work hours, finishing up my college degree online, and returning to normal life. As May approached, Covid cases were still fluctuating, but the hopes of normalcy were insight.

     With my new schedule at the hospital came the promise of a three-day weekend that appeared every other week. A three-day weekend meant trips and activities to be planned. For the first weekend of freedom, I hopped on a bus down to Salem to celebrate a belated birthday, homecoming and wedding.

Waikiki Beach

     The most recent adventure, however, took Roy and me on our first vacation together to Hawaii. We arrived mid-morning on Saturday and explored the area around Waikiki beach before checking into our condo. Exploring the mall, beach, and Hawaii's famous convenience store, ABC, I even convinced Roy to buy matching floral outfits with me. For lunch, we went to Shorefyre's and had our first taste of Hawaiian cuisine. Dinner, on the other hand, was a classic Mcdonald's convenience. 

     The next day we spent our time in the sun. Laying on the beach, playing in the water, and overall enjoying the luxuries of being away from work and school. On our second day, we explored more of the cultural side of town; the modern culture. We took a bus to Chinatown and visited the Botanical garden as well. The highlight of the garden was getting to see a Corpse Plant in bloom! Apparently, they only bloom once every three to five years for 48 hours and we were able to see the very beginning of it; before the rotting smell was pungent. We ended the day at Tanaka of Tokyo, it was my first experience at a restaurant where they cook the food directly in front of you, as well as enjoying some Japanese steak and cuisine. 

Roy's

     While we were vacationing, Roy celebrated his 25th birthday, I reminded him several times of his seniority. For his birthday we celebrated at Roy's, another well-known Japanese restaurant. That day we had also both gotten to experience surfing for the first time. Unfortunately, I had not planned ahead well enough so we were unable to get lessons, so we just rented two boards and tried to figure it out. Getting out to the waves was easy, and even catching a wave proved to be easy for me, but of course, it took me a couple tries to stand up. Once I was standing, I wasn't surfing as much as trying to stay standing. Eventually, I ended up catching wave after wave but had moved into the shallow end. At one point, I had fallen off the board onto a rock. Roy reported that he had a much harder time standing up. The second part of Roy's birthday took place the following day. We rented a convertible from a nearby rental for a few hours and took a joy ride around our side of the island. Stopping at several beautiful spots, taking endless amounts of photos, and enjoying the glimpse of luxury we were living in for the week. 

Vacation

     The day before returning home, we met with one of Roy's classmates for Hawaiian food and a drive-by tour of the university. As well as enjoying our final moments in Hawaii and final moments of rest before returning back to reality. Now that we're back it's time to start preparing for the next trip; and that means, working to get money for it. Roy has already returned back to work and is getting ready for the weekend. My vacation lasted a little longer, but I'll be returning back to work tomorrow to start a busy week... or three. 

     Any suggestions for the next trip?

 

Happy Covid Holidays

Yuseong and I 

     For a brief time, before the second lockdown, I was able to meet up with friends, celebrate birthdays and return to an almost normal Portland lifestyle. I was balancing three days of work, while half attending online university and slowly began seeing a glimpse of future social gatherings. This fleeting moment lasted through Halloween. For the remainder of the Portland Metro 2020, our governor issued a new Covid-19 freeze. For my 2021, I am enjoying that my work schedule will be busy for hopefully the last half of the Covid-19 virus. My work schedule has become my social line, and hopefully I'll start to see an uphill in finances, rather than a downhill.

Odella

     Somewhere around the end of September and beginning of October, I finally was able to purchase the pet I have been wanting to get since returning from South Korea; sugar gliders. It was in South Korea that I first heard of these pets. Jin from BTS, has sugar gliders, and after researching I was hopeful that they would fit my lifestyle. I was able to buy three girls, a mom and her two daughters. For the first couple of days I had them, they were not open to me, or the apartment, but in time they warmed up. The mother is named Bat, because I knew I wanted a sugar glider named Bat. I find it amusing when animals are named after different animals. Her two daughters are Odella, named after lake O'dell on Lake of the Woods, and Eretria from Shannara Chronicals. Odella is by far the most social one and always runs to the cage door when she sees me. As soon as I open the door she jumps out on to me and will hang out on my shoulder, or runs around the apartment exploring. 

Pirate by day

     On Halloween day I worked at my brain
rehabilitation residence. For the Halloween spirit I pulled out my corset, and puffy shirt for a pirate gypsy. During my shift at work, one of the clients was giving up a beautiful black tuxedo kitten, that I shortly attempted to convince my friend Yuseong and my boyfriend to look after. The kitten however, found a safe home at one of my co-workers homes. After my shift, and a quick costume change I headed to my boyfriends apartment for a small gathering of six as a samurai. We spent the night eating pizza, playing games and enjoying our last bit of social enjoyment before the next unknown lockdown. The morning after Halloween, I returned right back to work, in my normal clothes.

Calies, Georgie, Shar

      A silver lining around the storm clouds, was having Calies come visit the West Coast during the second week of November. Unluckily for her, she got here just in time for the city of Portland to begin its preparations for the new Covid-19 guidelines. Our restaurant choices were limited, it was raining the whole week and not many places were open. However, we still made the most of our time together with a photoshoot, window shopping (and actual shopping) at malls, and I even took her to a drag show.  The first day in Portland we spent the day exploring downtown around my apartment doing a wet, Portland fall photo shoot. Georgie and Sharmaine drove up from Salem as well to join us for the evening before heading home again. Another day we all spent window shopping at the mall and eating Korean fried chicken back at my place. The next day Calies and I went out for coffee, walked around the mall again some more and ended with empanadas at a tapas restaurant and ended with Voodoo donuts. Calies's take: they're not worth the hype; which I agree. For Calies's last day we drove to the outlet mall during the day and viewed the drag show at night. I took Calies to the well known Darcell's XV, which is listed as one of Portland's must sees and we were lucky enough to be able to get a show in before the freeze. And just like that, the week was over faster than it came to be. 

Zoom

    The remainder of the days in November leading up to Thanksgiving fell into a routine of work, and school when I remembered. Thanksgiving almost snuck up on me this year and due to Covid-19, work and finances I celebrated in Portland via zoom. The day before Thanksgiving, my boyfriend and I did a mix of making some food, and ordering the chicken from Popeyes- yes, including their new chicken sandwich. For Thanksgiving day, we had the leftovers. Thanksgiving morning, like many other families, was celebrated with various zoom calls.

Providence

     In December I started my second job at Providence St. Joseph Hospitals. For now I'll be working as a "Health Access Monitor"- just a fancy name for temperature taker, and working at my brain rehabilitation job. These two jobs will take me through the last six months of earning my bachelor's degree at Portland State University and hopefully will set me up to begin shadowing an occupational therapist and a recreational therapist at both locations. For now, that is the goal and plan for my 2021. Again, with Covid-19 protocols keeping everything in Multnomah county closed, and with bills to pay, I'm working six day weeks between the two jobs. I come home to sleep, and eat, and play with my sugar gliders, before getting up the next morning to go to work again. With that being said, if you want to help support me, please check out my work-in-progress LinkTree for important links. :)

Pioneer Tree

     For Christmas, Roy and I celebrated early since I had to work Christmas night. On Tuesday we went got dressed up for our "second" date at Southpark Seafood. The seating was outdoors and Roy let me sit closest to the heater, so I'm sure he was cold. We ended the night by going to Pioneer Square to see the tree and all the lights. For our actual Christmas Roy opened his presents on Christmas Eve and I got to open mine after the Christmas weekend. Christmas morning was filled with zoom calls with both sides of my family before I finally headed off to work. After the short break I had for Christmas my weekend was packed with as many hours of working as I could squeeze in. Between my schedule at the brain rehab center, I worked my first overnight shift in the Providence ER. Luckily for me, the shift ended up not being too hectic and I was able to find an on-call room to sleep in for a few hours before my next shift in the western wing. 

     For New Years, Roy and I spent the night in, watching tv. At midnight we stepped outside to the river to watch the fireworks, then at 12:05, we went back inside and went to bed. Now for 2021, I'll be heavily utilizing my google calendar as I balance, two jobs (a total of 70 hours a week) and two online classes.