Less than 11 months to go...

This may be somewhat premature to write about and it's my first time to open it in public but I just want to document my experience on how it feels like to think/discuss about settling down with the person you love in the entire universe!

Anyway, here's how it started:

i love this man!

A couple of months back, I found Martin to be WEIRD. Why? Because he suddenly transformed into this SUPER SWEET, SUPER CARING, REALLY MATURED --- from a snotty perspiring boy to a well-dressed GQ-type of man (take note: MAN) --- person that can't seem to stop expressing his love for me in various ways. He constantly calls me when I'm on field work and in in the office, he texts me more often now compared before, the way he expresses his love is overwhelming to the point I even doubt his actions! Haha! I keep on asking Martin, "ano bang nakain mo? may sakit ka ba? what's with the sudden change?" And he told me in a simple manner, "wala, tumanda lang ako, naging mature." And true enough the boy matured! Because the boy is now a man ang peg! Hahaha!

And so while I was basking in my Love's incandescent love, he suddenly broached the idea of getting MARRIED! And can you just imagine the look on my face, with my mouth gaping wide open with my chin dropping to the floor and my eyes becoming dilated like a cat's pupil in the dark!!! Homaygad may higad! As in NGANGA na lang! 

So after ten hours, 14 minutes, 52 seconds of being kilig, we started talking about our future life and plans together! Haaaaay, pag-ibig. And of course the most important part was letting our parents know! Well, it's short of being super formal like pamamanhikan ang peg but both of us have pitched the idea to our parents and they seem to have accepted it, DOUBLE YEY!!! :)

Now, we just have to wait and plan for the remaining 10 months and be formally engaged with the diamond ring on my left ring finger and the asking permission from the tatay and nanay of the bride-to-be. Wow! I can't believe I am already talking about this! Haha! This is perhaps one of my life's wildest dreams: getting married! Yeheeeeey! :) :) :)

I am very thankful to God because He has greatly blessed me to be marrying the man who loves me deeply and genuinely cares for me. I was really shocked with the way how Martin improved in the past months! He has grown into a mature person despite his relatively young age (relative to my age! :-\ ) and has started to discuss with me how he sees our future together, imagine that! Eto talaga somewhat hard for me to believe and accept sometimes, 'yung tingin kong mas mature pa sa akin si Martin sa ibang aspeto ng buhay! Trulagen iyan! Hindi ako makapaniwala, I cannot and do not accept! Hahaha!

Our relationship has indeed evolved through the years. Hindi ako makapaniwala. It was a real struggle in the beginning: Martin and I had multiple BIG, as in BIIIIIG, fights in the early years of our relationship that resulted in MANY, "o ano, break na tayo??" scenarios; our first nine months together, the formative years, were spent being in a long-distance relationship; our age gap issue got magnified ten times that resulted in many more fights. It was difficult. Really.

But in the end, all our fights and arguments paid off. I believe that for a relationship to become stronger, couples should engage in arguments and discuss the root cause/s of relational issues. Problems should not be swept under the rug but rather, like cards, be put out on the table and see whether your hand (the relationship) will win or not. Some couples tend to dismiss their "petty" issues with each other with a shoulder shrug and bottle them all up. Chances are, this so-called petty issues will fester and eventually poison the relationship. Hence, COMMUNICATION IS VITAL in any relationship.

I am very happy that Martin and I have a THRIVING communication with each other. Aside from being boyfriend/girlfriend, we are also each other's sounding board, best friend, deepest-darkest-secret keeper, confidante, teacher, and critic. But of course, before achieving this level in the relatinoship, it needed copious amounts of patience, understanding, sincerity, humility, and love. We tried to work on these traits and true enough, it paid off. :)

To my life's partner, we have less than 11 months to go before we truly say, "I do". I love you!!! :)