...we're officially married for 2.5 years! And we've been together for 8 years and 6 months. Geez, has it been that long?! :)
(let's just say I'm just looking for a reason to post this pic which I happened to see in my folder while cleaning up! :))
**photo courtesy of mimiandkarl, 2004 prenup
...and I never thought it would feel this good. Did you ever have that anxious feeling of meeting a longtime friend after years of separation? You know, the kind when you worry that you just might not get along the way you used to? Afterall, it's been four or so years that you haven't been together. Surely, time has changed one or both of you.
This is exactly how I was feeling last week at the prospect of meeting my bestfriend who left for Canada in March, exactly four years ago. We were bestfriends since college, and having to work in different companies and different fields after graduation didn't get in the way of our being the best of pals. We remained inseparable. Until, of course, she got married and moved to Canada with her husband.
We kept constant communication all these years; emails, chat and phone calls are subtle ways of bridging the miles between us, though nothing would ever come close to the joy of having your bestriend with you physically especially during the important milestones in your life. She missed my wedding. I had to hear her birthing story on the phone. I missed her son's first birthday party. She missed Miguel's party as well.
Fast forward to today. She came home to take her mom to Canada with her. We've been talking about her homecoming since January and as the time drew nearer, I felt more and more anxious about meeting her. When, at last, we met, it felt exactly like four years ago. It's as if time didn't pass. Of course our topics of conversation now have a wider variety--the newest and most interesting addition, of course, is parenting. I've gathered bits and pieces of useful parenting info from her which I'm excited to put into practice eventually. I am amazed at how much we've changed, and yet we are still on the same wavelength. We instantly picked up where we left off. We still laughed at old jokes in the same kind of witch-like manner, lol :) Time played a fool of us once again, that before all our stories of four years had been shared, it was almost time to go.
On Sunday, she'll be going back to Canada and who knows when we will meet again. I could almost wish she doesn't have to leave. But for now, I am comforted by the fact, that the kind of friendship we share will never fail us...no matter the time and place that may come between us.
"As your child's second year begins, take some time to think about your relationship with your partner. Caring for an infant can wreak havoc on couples. You may find yourselves bickering a lot or just not connecting the way you used to. Don't despair — it takes time to adjust to having another person around. Now that your baby-turned-toddler is becoming less dependent, make a point of getting away to do adult things, just the two of you." ~ Babycenter.com
This mail made my week! I couldn't have said it better-especially the bickering a lot part lol:). For weeks now I've been thinking about what has become of my relationship with Nico. We have established a routine that's completely different from the one we had when it was just the two of us. Of course, the obvious thing is having a baby really changes one's life. So we never blamed each other if somehow, we don't spend as much time nurturing the relationship anymore.
Just the other night (it was one of the very few nights that we still have the energy to stay up and talk), I was telling him how much I feel so disconnected. We realized the difference when we were living on our own in Dubai. The things that we had to do gave us the opportunity to really bond. From the simplest things to the most complex, we depended on each other. With the current situation, however, I feel we could survive everyday without relying on each other. And I'm not comfortable with it.
We are now looking at several options to improve the relationship and our family life. We are praying for guidance to help us make the right decision. We want to be settled soon.
Here’s a long overdue post about our 2nd wedding anniversary celebration. This year’s celebration was more special as we focus not only on us being united in love but more importantly in the fact that we have been blessed with a most wonderful gift any couple could have ever hoped to receive: our Miguel.
We spent three days and two nights at Holiday Inn Clark from October 27-29. Needless to say that although I had stayed in this same hotel several times in the past, this one was the most enjoyable of all as we got to ‘try’ almost all of their amenities, or at least those that caught Miguel’s interests.
Early mornings were spent taking leisurely stroll inside Mimosa while enjoying the calm of the surrounding and the cool, not-so-polluted morning air. In fact, this is the very reason we chose to stay in Clark although the one in Manila is much cheaper.
We spent a good amount of time in the playroom as well and watched Miguel enjoy banging and mouthing and kicking and stepping on everything he got his hands and feet on! We also went swimming although we only stayed for about 20 minutes since it was very windy and we feared Miguel might get colds again. Good thing we were able to get some good shots of him in the pool.
Of course we got to enjoy the hotel’s buffet breakfast although it was a bummer they were not serving waffle this time, hmp! Anyway, we were sent home with a complimentary wedding anniversary cake, that was really nice of them.
I look forward to more anniversary celebrations. And I continue to pray that we will be able to keep the promise we made on our wedding day.
It finally dawned on me as I passed by the mall one afternoon on my way home from the office. In less than 3 month’s time, I’ll be leaving this place and if things go as planned, I will never again set foot in Dubai. Perhaps to say that time flies too fast is an understatement in my case. I fairly remember only a few months ago how I struggled to adjust to a totally new life—without a job, with a husband, in an utterly strange place. The excitement that filled me as I looked forward to coming here was eventually traded with boredom and anxiety brought about by a mix of things such as difficulty of finding a new job (in the beginning, at least), the presence of irritating, stinky beings (pardon me but when you really can’t flee from their stinky smell everywhere you go, you will be pissed and count it as one of the top things you hate about the place), not to mention homesickness. This place probably boasts of luxurious hotels and restaurants, state of the art buildings, roads and facilities, but truly nothing compares with the warmth and comfort of my precious home. Oh how easy it was to find good food even in the cheapest restos in the malls of Manila! If you only knew of all my complaining about the not-so-good stuff here in Dubai, you would probably think I would be jumping with joy by now as my time to come home draws near.
And yes I almost jumped for joy until I realized that in the 9months that I have stayed here, somehow, Nico & I have made a routine of our own and when I do come home not long from now, it’s routine no more. You see, only now do I realize that we have survived the first year of our marriage living away from families—they who offer all the support when you seem not to know how to do things. In a way it’s good that we started our marriage with only the two of us helping each other. We share housework—cooking, laundry & press, cleaning and grocery shopping—we take turns at doing tasks. We may not know the best way to do certain things but we get by somehow. Weekends are spent attending fellowship, wandering about, lunch and dinner out, malling or simply staying home to sleep especially during summer months. But now that we have finally agreed it would be impossible for us to manage living alone when the baby comes, the decision for me to go back home immediately follows. It saddens me to think that Nico will again be left by himself here in Dubai, struggling to pass each day without my company. And it surely pains me to think how he will miss the joys of being a soon-to-be-dad. And I will surely miss coming home from work with a simple dinner prepared by him and spending the rest of the night everyday snuggled up on our red sofa just talking about the highlights of our day. We intend to continue our routine when we are both in Manila, that’s why we are earnestly praying for God’s provision.
We pray for an opportunity to settle back home.
