Ok everyone I am back. This post will not be about the cruise so much, but instead a little about me. Maybe you will understand a little bit better why boarding the Dream is so important to me.
So get a drink...
maybe not that one. How about...
hmmm...nope.
That's more like it. Now pull up a chair.
Nope...
Nope...
There we go.
Well I know that everyone has had ups and downs in life. I'm not trying to compare my life to anyone elses or say that mine has been any harder than anyone elses. I am thankful for where I am in life. I have a house, a job and a wonderful family. I promise you will meet them soon.
Maybe even next post. Like a fellow Diser said I am a "BONUS" dad..(stepdad) to two wonderful daughters and my wife is very beautiful inside and out.I also have three sons from my first marriage, unfortunately they have been taken out of my life.
I moved to Japan back in 1998 with my first wife and sons. Between 1998 and the beginning of 2004 life was difficult. I don't blame my ex wife or myself for what happened. Culture differences and a very abusive ex mother in law led us spiraling down a steep hill. I won't go into details, but I will say things got ugly. I stayed in that marriage as long as I could for my kids. Then just when I thought things couldn't get worse I was diagnosed with CML a type of leukemia. At that time my ex..MIL did things that prevented me from getting treatment. I was given less than six months until this condition would go to Acute a level that is usually not stoppable and leads to death. I had lost 70 pounds and couldn't really move, but I still went to work and tried to support my family. One day I came home from work and found all my things in the driveway, divorce papers were waiting for me to be signed and within a week I was out of the house(parent's house) and sleeping at a coworkers.
This is where Kiyomi my wife now comes into the picture. She was a friend and had always listened while having lunch together. even though she was a single mother, she helped me find an apartment, loaned me the money to move in and get my medicine. Now my medicine (GLIVEC) is not cheap at all. In fact even now it eats up a third of my salary each month...otherwise there would be alot more
DCL in my future. So the money she lent me was alot, especially for a single mom.
Over the next few years we would grow closer. Slowly at first, but things happened fast once we decided to get married. The DCL trip in the link at the start of this was actually our first "family" trip. Since then we have become a very close family...Junna and Akane are my daughters
and Kiyomi is my heart and soul.
Since that time we have bought a house, sent one daughter to college and another one soon to start, brought two toy poodles into our family and I even bought a TOY STORY themed motorcycle(
scooter) for myself. We have had family trips and many a day at Tokyo Disney resort. Kiyomi and I have even had a few small trips on our own. Having said that Kiyomi and I have never had a "honeymoon" or a trip where I could say thank you for all that she has done for me. I also want to celebrate life and that my CML is under control and remission. It hits me sometimes in my mind about how short life is and we should live every moment like it was our last.
Will this trip be easy for us to take and can we afford it? NO, not even close. BUT I will do everything I need to do to get on that ship.....It is my DREAM and sometimes DREAMS do come true.