Five

(Photos above are our pre-nup photos - circa 2009, taken inside Camp John Hay, Baguio City, Philippines)

Five things I know for sure in our five years of marriage:

1.  A deeper kind of Love.  When we got married five years ago, I thought that at that point, our relationship was already on a deeper level.  But then, as years passed by, life (like a pitcher in a baseball game) throws different kinds of pitches at you.  There are good pitches that you can easily bat and cover all four bases together and do high fives once you've completed a home run.  There are also times when there are fast curve balls thrown your way, ones that you didn't see coming and are a bit more challenging to bat.  I guess, this is where the true test of a marriage is, how each of you would look at a challenge and how you would react to it together.  I am thankful that when curve balls are thrown our way, we both seek God for help.  God has answered many of our prayers and and He continues to be our rock.           

2.  Finding true Happiness & Joy.  It is in the simplest of circumstances that we truly find joy in and even enjoying the simplest of things like watching movies at home, going through our vinyl collection and playing the music of our generation, (actually) having fun while playing Scrabble at home (winner gets nothing but bragging rights), taking long scenic walks together, discovering new things together, etc.  

3.  The value of a strong Friendship.  I am thankful that prior to having a relationship with Mickey, we were really good friends, we nurtured that friendship for four years until that friendship became a relationship.  During those times, like good friends, we supported each other's dreams, listened to each other's life challenges and gave each other the best advice we could give.  We also made sure that we were there for each other to celebrate milestones in our (individual) lives, shared many adventures and a lot of laughs.  Isn't it that true friends mold you to be the best version of yourself?  This is why a solid foundation of friendship is essential in any marriage.

 

4.  Laughter.  I think our friends and family could attest to this, we always like to share a good laugh and we also have a very similar laugh (more like a guffaw!).  It is the infectious kind and sometimes it leads to more laughter.  Never take yourselves too seriously!

5.  Work as a Team always.  From the simplest to the most complex of situations, you should always work as a team and help each other.

Happy 5th Mickey!  Here's to more adventures together!