Today marks our fifth wedding anniversary. I really can’t believe five years went by just like that! 🙂 Half a decade, WOW. It may seem like a short period for some but for me it’s a huge achievement—a milestone that only God can accomplish. 🙂 Our marriage is not the fairy tale type. It’s more of reality TV. We have our good days and bad ones. It has been a journey of ups and downs, strengthened by steps and leaps of faith.
As I am doing this countdown, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how much Omar and I have grown both individually and as a couple. I think the past five years we’ve had is equivalent to ten years’ worth of highs and lows for the average couple. But if I were to give a ratio to how it has been so far, I can say it’s 90% good and 10% tough but still not that bad. 🙂
I say that not because we’re perfect people but because God has proven Himself faithful all throughout our marriage. 🙂 We wouldn’t be where we are today—stronger than ever—if not for His grace. He allowed us to love, accept, forgive, and appreciate each other while keeping the “kilig” (spark) factor. 🙂 I still find myself telling my husband, “Shucks, hon. Ang pogi mo naman.” (You’re handsome.) Haha!
Honey, I’m sure you’re reading this. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 🙂 For a stats junkie, I’m sure you’d appreciate an overview of our marriage in numbers. Haha! Here’s where we’re at right now. Spoiler alert! It’s been quite an adventure. 🙂
5 YEARS
In our five years of marriage, we have made countless decisions. From something trivial like what we’ll have for lunch to big ones like should we get a yaya (nanny) or not, we try our best to be a team. We only had roughly seven months of being alone together but during that time I was already pregnant with our honeymoon baby. 🙂 We try to make up for that by having date nights as much as we can. We set aside time to watch our favorite TV series and basketball games. And we have our annual year in review every New Year’s Eve. 🙂 I look forward to more of these with you in the coming years!
4 JOBS
When we got married I was a consultant for a bookstore chain and you were teaching at a Christian school. So that’s two different jobs. A couple of years later, I left my consultancy job to become a full-time, home-based copywriter. You also decided to quit teaching and become a home-based content writer—that’s two new jobs for us. At first it was tough because being a freelancer means we’re mainly dependent on projects. But by God’s grace, the shifting tides are over and He has provided us with long-term clients and employers and we are still working with them. 🙂 Yay!
Some may think that your job is not ideal for raising a family. Being in the corporate world, climbing the corporate ladder, and having an 8-to-5 job have been society’s model of how a husband should provide. Good thing God’s ways are different. He didn’t provide on-the-job specifics. 🙂 God’s command to husbands is to love his wife as Christ loved His church (Ephesians 5:25). YOU’RE DOING THAT AND MORE. 🙂 Your home-based job gives you the opportunity to be with me and Timmy. You’ve been able to provide for us and I’ve never seen you happier, too! You write about your passions for a living and that’s pretty awesome.
Will we ever go back to the daily grind of the 8-to-5 workforce? Probably not. 🙂 I wouldn’t trade the time flexibility and stress-free work environment we have. The opportunity to raise Timmy with both of us around every day is also a privilege that we shouldn’t take for granted. We may have changed career paths over the past five years but looking back, it’s all been worth it. 🙂
3 HOUSES
From the time we got married, it was a no-brainer that we’ll have our own place and we did (house #1)! Those first two years felt like we’re just playing around. Haha! Then we decided that I’ll not continue with my consultancy job anymore and you lost your big client around the same time. We had no choice but to move out. Since your parents were in Canada that time, we moved to their place first (house #2) and I marked on my imaginary calendar that we’ll move out when they come back or after Christmas so we can spend the holidays there. That didn’t go as planned and we ended up staying there for a year.
I’m so blessed to have kind and loving in-laws who made our stay as comfortable as they can. 🙂 I only have the best words for them! But our tenure there I think was more for me. God kept me waiting until I’ve learned all the lessons and character-building I needed before providing the means for us to move. Last October we found an apartment (house #3) that’s perfect for us! It’s also at a very strategic location (behind a mall). 🙂 Are we staying here for good? Probably not. We don’t know when the next house will be or if it will be the one we’ll own but I’m glad that we’re content where we are. 🙂 I know that when we’re ready, God will give it to us. 🙂
2 IMPERFECT PEOPLE
This perfectly describes who we are. We entered into this marriage knowing that we’re two imperfect people that will be living under one roof with lots of quirks which we’ll either love or hate. Haha! Just like any couple, we have disagreements, miscommunications, and a million shortcomings in between. My forgetfulness, being accident-prone (bumping here, getting wounded there—everything!), and being disorganized is something you need to put up with forever. But believe me when I say that I’m trying my best to improve on these areas. Seriously! I’m just so grateful that you’re very patient and gracious with me. 🙂
You have your own set of things-I-need-to-tolerate, too. Haha! And I’m learning to be loving and patient about it as well. 🙂 One of the things I really love about you is that I can talk to you even if we’re not agreeing on something. You have NEVER raised your voice at me. You sometimes speak loud unintentionally but not because you’re mad or anything. I think it will never go away especially since you’ve been a teacher for a long time and you’re used to speaking to an audience. Haha! You’re a master of gentle rebukes, hon. 🙂 And you know that it’s the most loving way to deal with my faults. 🙂
1 GOD (AND 1 BABY!)
God has already written our love story even before we were born (and I mean we were born almost 9 years apart). 🙂 He has already seen how we’ll navigate through our married life. He has planned everything! Part of that plan is being blessed with a baby boy named Timothy. 🙂 Our little guy has been a source of joy! He’s a firecracker, full of energy and life. 🙂 We couldn’t be more grateful for this privilege of not only being husband and wife but also being PARENTS. We didn’t even expect it because of my condition (Lupus). But God graciously gave us Timmy despite all my health constraints. 🙂
Every day Timmy never fails to make us laugh. He has all these antics, random acts of sweetness, and crazy one-liners. 🙂 He’s a testament to God’s faithfulness and goodness—a reminder that God can truly turn something GREAT out of a bad circumstance (i.e. a complicated pregnancy and premature delivery). Now we have a little team! Are we going to add more? We’re still unsure. It’s too risky. Having one is more than enough. 🙂 Maybe we can have pets? Haha! I don’t know. For now, we’ll just focus on being good stewards of the life God has entrusted to us. 🙂
What a countdown! You know what? It got me thinking, like if we reach 10 years that would be what 10 houses? 9 kids? 8 jobs? Maybe 7 cars? Haha! Whatever it is I know that it will be an adventure worth taking with you. 🙂 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HONEY! Thank you for being the spiritual leader that you are. 🙂 Thank you for loving me the way Christ does. Thank you for being a spectacular dad to Timmy. Thank you for being a ninja husband who can do almost anything! You are my smart prince charming, ultra powerful super hero, and lifetime MVP. 🙂 I LOVE YOU! 🙂
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