2020 is probably not off to the start anyone could have predicted given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions have been impacted, and Connie and I's wedding this March was no exception. We are postponing to 2021, but feel fortunate to be healthy, able to care for ourselves and work from home.
Even though time has really lost it's rhythm, the end of 2019 welcomed Brielle Grace, my brother Pete and Rica's second child.
In December, nearly 20 years later, I made it back to Taiwan where my dad now resides, an equally good excuse to introduce Connie to my relatives, the country's amazing food culture, bustling shopping districts, and tranquil landscape. We extended the trip to Thailand, where we hiked the mystic trail to Wat Pha Lat, learned to assemble fresh ingredients to cook pad thai, slept lakeside in the limestone jungle of Khao Sok, and enjoyed massages beach side in Karon.
In December, nearly 20 years later, I made it back to Taiwan where my dad now resides, an equally good excuse to introduce Connie to my relatives, the country's amazing food culture, bustling shopping districts, and tranquil landscape. We extended the trip to Thailand, where we hiked the mystic trail to Wat Pha Lat, learned to assemble fresh ingredients to cook pad thai, slept lakeside in the limestone jungle of Khao Sok, and enjoyed massages beach side in Karon.
No wedding prep would be complete without a bachelor weekend in Palm Springs in January, especially when all the boys (and Connie) know about it but you, and you get kidnapped from your house.
After an 18 month marathon of renovation, moving, and wedding planning, California's stay-at-home order has been a welcome time to relax and spoil the dog. I've also taken the opportunity to knock off house projects like storage shelving, patio lights, landscape gravel - but more importantly, be grateful to have such a compatible quarantine partner, which gives me confidence in a lifetime of marriage.
I'm curious to see how we evolve on the other side of this pandemic as individuals and a greater society. Until then, please take care of one another and stay healthy.
-Mike
