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.