SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

It's the second day of new year, and here I am wide awake at 3ish in the morning. Nothing has changed. Still the old night owl me. Anyway, I was browsing my Facebook, looking at pictures from the year that has just passed, when I stumbled upon this article about a guy who live tweeted a love story that had unfolded before his eyes while in a cafe. A girl barista professed her love to a coworker. The coworker said he needs to go to the back to think about what to say. He came back and kissed the girl. Serious mushiness followed after. Long story short, they found love and happiness that night. That's two less lonely people in the world. Needless to say, the hopeless romantic (emotera) in me kicked in and nostalgia took me back to my own love story like it's yesterday once more. (Pardon my song references. I'm classic that way.)

Six days before Christmas eight years ago when my happy ever after began. A blizzard in Toronto brought me and Vince together. Yeah, mother nature had a part in it. From the time we first met to that fateful day, action had always spoken louder than words for us. We kissed on that snowy night, and when the storm had passed after a day or two, we talked about what had happened. It was hard for both of us to admit our feelings towards each other but to deny it was even harder. We weren't newbies in this game called love. He played his cards. I took a gamble. All is fair in love so they say. About a couple of years since our first kiss amidst the snow storm, we held hands and kissed in the altar and vowed to be each other's in this lifetime. Signed. Sealed. Done deal.

Grand Canyon West Rim Eagle Point, Arizona - November 2015 

We've been married for six years now. Not very long you may think but in this day and time when nobody stays together anymore (tell me what's forever for?), staying married is an achievement. I'm very happy and thankful for the kind of relationship my husband and I have. Our love for each other has never diminished and continues to grow each day, albeit our dynamics have changed a lot since we had a child. I love my son to bits and more but having a child was definitely a game changer, and I'm sure a lot of parents would agree with me on this. Honestly, at times, it's hard for me not to miss our pre-married days, our newlywed days, and our childless days. You know, those years when it was just the two of us... when we could have a quiet intimate moment at the end of the day... when we could bond and connect uninterruptedly for as long as we wished. Every now and then, I long for those and would draw from memory to relive those days. Now that we have a child to care for, it's just a challenge to find a chance to be alone as a couple, let alone do the things we used to do in the past.

About two weeks ago, Vince was on call at work. One night, we were all in bed -- my son and me on one mattress and Vince on another mattress right by our feet. I was the only one awake as usual when Vince's phone started to ring in the wee hours. It was the hospital calling. He picked up the phone and answered it in the bathroom so as not to awaken me and my son (well, I was still awake then). From our bedroom, I could hear him talking on the phone, asking questions, and giving orders. I dunno but for some reason at that moment I felt giddy inside me. It could be his muffled I-just-woke-up voice (which I find ehem sexy!), his inflection and intonation, or mainly his intellect that got me smitten all over again like a high school girl. I delighted myself in that moment realizing how in love I am with my husband that at the least moment when he was totally unaware, he made my heart skip a beat or two.

It's so easy to fall in love with someone who is a genuinely caring, loving and thoughtful person. My husband is. He brings me flowers and chocolate-coated strawberries, and all the makings of a sweet guy that could melt any woman's heart. So, when butterflies flutter in my stomach at the least expected and unromantic time of the day and I gush over my unknowingly husband, that's how I know I am STILL head over heels in love with the man of my life. We may not be the childless-couple-in-a-forever-honeymoon-phase anymore BUT the passion is still there. The flame is still well alive and burning. Regardless. Nothing has changed. The same old familiar feeling I felt when I first realized that I am in love with him. ❤❤❤

San Francisco - October 2016

Hambricks Christmas Tree Farm, Georgia - December 2016