Dallas, Texas
November 11, 2020
Somehow, I managed to turn my life around.
2020 has been a crazy year to say the least. Despite the pandemic, racial riots and Donald Trump not conceding to Joe Biden's presidential win. 2020 has been the best year so far. For the first time in a long time...things are falling into place. I graduated NYU, from a 15-month accelerated program with a nursing degree and passed the NCLEX at the end of September. Something I've been working on since early 2016 when I was still working at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC.
Flash back 3-years ago when things were in disarray with bad drug problems (I am happy to say I'm now completely sober!) and feeling lost. I met a guy named Timothy (Tim for short). I broke up with Daniel (We were just too different and I fell out of love with him), moved out of Stuytown and into Waterside Plaza in a studio with Tim. I fell in love with Tim over things we had in common. We both loved music, good food and science. After living together for a year in Manhattan, we got engaged and then he got a job as a surgeon in Dallas, Texas and so we left NYC and about 2 months ago we got married at the courthouse in Dallas, Texas. A month ago I got nursing job, as a Cardiac Nurse, I start in January and I'm really nervous and excited. 3-weeks ago my sister was in town and we picked up a lilac fawn french bulldog puppy from McKinney, Texas and named her Coco (not Chanel). So far, things are good, lots of changes and things are happening for the better.
Because of Covid-19, Tim and I plan to have our wedding next year or until things are safer. I am truly happy and grateful that certain things didn't work out for the better. I've been slowly trying to let go of the past gracefully and I acknowledge it's crazy twist and turns and mistakes have made me who I am. In my heart, I still ache and miss New York City. I lived there for 10-years, with so many ups and down and good times and terrible times. I'm just glad that I left for the right reasons and that's because I found my love and I found who I am. I'm no longer that lost boy anymore. The winding path led me here, exactly where I'm meant to be, in Dallas, Texas and there's no other way to describe it other than that I feel incredibly blessed. Let's see where this adventure takes us. Love always <3
P.S.
Here is the letter I sent out to my family of our marriage:
September 26th, 2020
Hello Family,
Last week, after having passed my nursing board exams and officially becoming a registered nurse - I married the love of my life, Timothy, at the city courthouse in Dallas, Texas. Tim and I met in the summer of 2017 in New York City. Both at NYU, at the time, we were on different paths: he was finishing up his 5-year medical residency for General Surgery and I was focused on my career change and starting a nursing program. When we met, we instantly connected on matters of science and healthcare and found that we had similar tastes in music, food, and traveling.
A year later, our different paths merged, and we decided to move in together in an apartment in Midtown, Manhattan. On a peaceful Saturday morning in September 2019, we mutually decided it was time to take our relationship to the next step and so we did what every New Yorker does: headed to 5th Avenue to browse for rings. We didn't look much further than Tiffany's, classic and timeless was what we wanted, and so they helped us find a matching pair and we sealed the deal. I've met his family several times and last year they invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them in Maryland, it was great and they made me feel like family. Tim flew down to Florida earlier this year to meet my parents and Thao and they are all very happy for us.
At the beginning of this year, Tim got the exciting opportunity to work in Dallas, Texas and so we made the decision together to move soon after I graduated NYU. He is now a board-certified surgeon, specializing in General Surgery, Minimally-Invasive Surgery & Robotic Surgery. Newly licensed as well, I'm currently looking for the right position in the Dallas-metro area and we are excited to start our new adventure together on the same path, now as husband & husband. Thank you for all your love and support through the years! When things are safer to travel, I would love for you all to meet Tim, and celebrate together!
Sincerely,
M