2019 was a year of highs and lows. Specifically, one high and one low, both of which are tied together.  My mother passed away early in 2019, and the impact of her passing was seismic. I’m thankful that I made it out to see her, and that I was able to tell her about the high point of 2019, that RS said yes and we would be getting married in the following summer.

RS put a lot of work into planning the wedding, and for my part, I wanted her to have the day that she dreamed of.  That does not mean I just sat back and said yes dear to all her thoughts and ideas.  I helped pick the song that introduced us as a married couple and our wedding gift, which was a little cookbook in a tote bag as a wedding gift. I also gave RS my honest opinions when she asked for them. That was pretty easy because I liked most of her ideas.  Overall the day itself was amazing.  We had a traditional Javanese ceremony and an international reception afterwards.

For our honeymoon, we started with a trip to the Komodo National Park and rented a boat that took us to various islands. For three days it was just us relaxing on the boat under the sun and enjoying the views as we went to various islands. After that, it was off to Bali, which is beautiful but far too crowded for me.  We were joined by RB and his son for this portion of the trip and it was great to have them along for the sightseeing.  One thing I’ll never forget is how badly his son wanted to crash our hotel honeymoon package ‘Romantic Dinner on the Beach’. RB told him that it wasn’t possible and the young one told him in no uncertain terms that he was a real killjoy.  Kids say the darndest thing. Just before I left, when I said good night, he made his point again. “I WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH!”. I wonder how I will handle a preschooler when the time comes. I hope I’ll be as good as RB is with his boys. In the end, we had a nice dinner under the stars.

After Bali, it was back to Doha and another year of teaching. I had a really heavy schedule that fall. I got through it, but I was stretched thin. Despite that, I was able to get in a conference with RB in Nov. RS came along too and it was a great time. Beyond the conference, we also got to visit Kyoto, do a sushi-making lesson, and for RS’s birthday, Univeral Studios. However, late in the semester, I started to feel the physical effects of the long days. I’d be driving home and suddenly my heart rate would suddenly go through the roof. I had multiple episodes like that. It was terrifying. When I got back from the holidays with family in Canada, I went to the doctor to see if there was any problem with my heart. Fortunately, all the results that came back were positive. I’m overweight, but my heart is healthy.