Happy New Year to everyone! Hope everyone had a meaningful finale to 2010, and may God bless each and every day in 2011 with His Grace and Peace.
Have been slacking on sharing "KoDauk moments", but here's an attempt at remembering all the special events of 2010:
January:
I started working for one of the most acknowledged chemist/nanotech scientist in the world. After so many years working in the field of Circadian Rhythms, switching the field of research was exciting but also very terrifying. Thanks to great co-workers, the new work began with full blast right off the start!
February:
Hm...looking through my calendar, only event that stands out for February is that I finally got my IL license after 9 years of living here! The calendar is full with work, work, work...and some wedding planning.
March:
I am now a permanent US resident! Unfortunately, on the same day that we had our immigration interview, we also heard that Chuck's company is closing down after being unable to reach an agreement on a new round of funding with the PE firms. We were anticipating this might happen, but the news was still difficult.
April:
Work and wedding planning pretty much consumed my life in April. Our friends were great in helping us get ready -- JM & AM took us to a trip to Costco for welcome bag contents, JB & AM organized a girls only gathering, and Chuck's groomsmen took us all out to a wonderful dinner out. We felt so loved and we were immensely grateful to have such wonderful people in our lives.
May:
May was all about the wedding! HK and EMB organized a lovely bridal shower/brunch on the first weekend here in Chicago (MdG also came up from Dallas to surprise me at the shower); and DP and JC organized one perfect bridal shower at the resort for all the ladies on the trip. The weeks leading up to [and following] the wedding were precious and unforgettable. We happily soaked in all the love and support from our friends and family, and we only hope we are able to give back just as much in our lifetime.
We got married on the 14th and had an awesome(!) week celebrating with family and friends in Punta Cana. The wedding went without a hitch. I was very impressed with the resort and the wedding coordinator (we had Sandra) since I never even spoke to her before arriving at Punta Cana -- everything was done via email! Ha! :)
June:
Both of our birthdays are in June. We each got our turn in celebrating with friends. We both attempted to throw each other a "surprise", but only Chuck succeeded. For his birthday, he wanted to keep it low key, and when it was forced that we go out for a nice dinner, he figured out we may be expecting company. For Chuck's birthday, we headed to Japonais and enjoyed a summer night by the Riverwalk. For my birthday, we went out for drinks at Edge - one of the bars in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
July:
We hosted our first house party! We had the Chicago peeps over for BBQ one rainy day. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting and entertaining as husband and wife. My brother and his wife also came to visit Chicago. We didn't know it then, but we later learned that my little niece came to visit as well inside her mom. Can't wait until she graces us with her presence in March, 2011!
August:
We quietly celebrated our civil ceremony anniversary (August 31). We devoured a chocolate chip cookie cake, then had dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants (Angels and Mariachis).
September:
We learned that we were pregnant. We were both overjoyed, and tried our best to keep the babe safe and healthy. Sadly, we lost our baby boy in mid-November at about 14 weeks.
October:
Despite the pesky First Trimester symptoms, we had a wonderful month. I traveled to NYC for a college/sorority reunion. It was a fantastic weekend re-connecting with sisterhood. Getting some private time with Miss Burns was the icing on the cake! We then traveled to Saint Augustine, FL for a wedding. We rented a beach house in Villano Beach with a group of friends and had a wonderful time vacationing and celebrating Puma's wedding.
November:
We headed to West Lafayette for some U of M vs. Purdue football - Go Blue! It was cold and rainy (down right pouring!), but we braved the weather and stayed for the most of the game with PMel, his sis, TN, and KN. Have to say, the highlights were wonderful conversations we shared during the drive to and from with TN & KN!
We were also faced with the worst times of our lives. What can I say about the miscarriage? It's an experience that no one should ever be faced with. We were amazed at how attached we were to the little being who was no longer with us. I do believe we coped with the situation as best as one couple could. We faced the grieving process full on. We were blessed with so much support from our loved ones, and I was ineffably grateful to have a partner who helped to make the unbearable loss bearable.
December:
The pain of losing our little one is still with us, but we are doing our best moving forward. We think of him often and we hope we never stop. He is forever a part of us, and we look forward to meeting him on the other side one day. We now have an angel who threads all our families together in heaven. We know he is safe with our beloved ones who went before us, and it is comforting to know that there is no better parent than God who is looking after him.
Chuck recently signed on to a new job and starts his new venture on January 3, 2011. This also means we are looking at a new adventure as we will relocate to the East Coast (NYC!!!) in next couple of months. We are both excited, nervous, and anxious about the move.
Well, the pages of 2010 have turned. It was one dramatic read, and the story continues. I, for one, can't wait to see what is ahead in our story. Here's to a great new chapter, 2011!
