In a few weeks time, my husband and I will be celebrating our third anniversary.
It’s weird because I simultaneously feel like it’s the longest and shortest 3 years of my life.
Shortest because despite the decade we’ve spent as boyfriend and girlfriend added to the years we’ve been legit married, I feel like I’m still getting to know Moe. There are good and not-so-good stuff that I still discover about him.
My sensibilities still get shocked with his vast vocabulary of swear words for instance. And I’m still not used to the fact that he snores like a rickety car on its last leg when he’s tired. I’m still amazed by his capacity to just figure out complex work problems. And bowled over by how intelligent and articulate he sounds even when we’re just talking about John Lloyd.
Plus because we live in idyllic Subic, away from everyone we’ve known before we got married, it sometimes feels like we’re still in some sort of honeymoon vacay.
It feels like the longest 3 years though, because we’ve already gone through so much. We’ve experienced deaths, heartbreaks, health scares, financial woes and whole lotta of other stuff that other couples would probably need a lifetime to deal with. We’ve had the most awful and explosive alsabalutan fights and the corniest, most dramatic telenovela-worthy makeup moments.
And like any other old couple, we’ve gone through periods of monotony: Long phases when absolutely nothing significant is happening- we do the same thing day in and day out and half-listen to each other tell the same old tired stories while secretly wishing that the other one would leave so we could go and do other crap.
On the up side, we’re also so comfortable with each other that I feel like we’ve been married for at least a couple of decades. Our routines have become so intertwined that I honestly can’t imagine a time when I didn’t have him as my husband/housemate anymore.
In light of everything we’ve gone through, I thought it would be fun (and enlightening) to revisit our wedding vows. Our wedding still is one of the most poignant moments of our relationship. And it’s always nice to look back and see how we fared after that significant high.
Since people who were there agree that Moe’s was much better than mine (special mention for one of my bridesmaids, Booboo, for categorically pointing it out; thanks a lot Boo! I don’t do well with mush and public speaking okay?!? 😛 ), I decided to share my vows first so it’s not so anticlimactic:
Dear Moe,
I’m having a difficult time with my vows because I can’t find the right words to articulate how grateful I am to have gone through 11 years worth of experiences with you. In our best moments, you’ve shown me what it feels like to really truly be loved.
At its basest you’ve seen me in my rattiest pambahay, with my unrebonded hair and 4-inch thick glasses and still think I’m the prettiest person on earth. More importantly, you’ve seen me at my worst, when I’m nagging, screaming or basically being brat and you still proposed. 🙂
More than that, you actually have this notion that you’re lucky to have me. Thank you for making me feel that even at my ugliest, I am a person worth loving.
At our worst moments, you’ve taught me how to grow; to look beyond myself and see things in another person’s perspective. You’ve also taught me how to forgive. I’ve always been a proud person, but you’ve taught me that something great can come out if you let go of the deepest hurts. It took a while, but I can honestly say that I’ve never felt more loved, more comfortable and secure with you right at this moment than I have in my life.
I wish i could promise you the world, after all you deserve it. But since we’re in church, I can’t lie, and I have to level expectations:
- I will buy myself a cookbook, but I will probably never learn how to cook. The best that I can do is not burn the rice for you.
- I will take driving lessons again, but you know IQ tests show that I’m spatially challenged. I will probably have to rely on you to take me around for the rest of our lives.
- I will always take you and your feelings into consideration. But I will always have a hard time with the word ‘obey’ and will probably argue with you about the most mundane details all the time.
There are three things I would like to promise you however:
- I promise to always support you. I know we always don’t see eye to eye when it comes to decisions, but I will always have your back. I’ve said this before, no matter what the circumstances are, we will always be in this together.
- I promise to always believe in you. Nothing has changed in the 11 years that I’ve been with you; I’m still your No. 1 fan. I will always be here to cheer you on, and remind you of who you are especially during the times when you doubt yourself.
- I promise to always love you. Even when you inevitably grow bald and lose your hair. Even during moments when you’re masungit and throwing tantrums.
We’ve been through a lot together. A lot of ups, downs, lefts, rights. One thing will always remain constant, whatever happens, wherever the universe decides to take us, as long as we’re together, we’ll always be home.
MOE’S WEDDING VOWS TO BE CONTINUED ON THE NEXT POST
Patricia says
Ahh, you got me teary-eyed! Happy anniversary to you both!
Pia says
Aww.. Thanks so much pat!! 🙂
kareenliez says
These are indeed lovely words to express your love and I so love the images of your wedding. I have seen in one of your posts the big red roses that your bridesmaids are holding! I always want to make one of those but I don’t know what for.
Pia says
Thank you so much! A friend of mine did the flowers for me. I find them more economical than fresh flowers because they last forever. Hahaha. Sorry, I’m kuripot that way. A couple of them are still displayed around the house. 🙂
Jen says
Such an inspiring post! Thank you for sharing this fruitful and meaningful post about your wedding vows. It truly shows how happy you and your husband for being together. I am married with my husband for four months now, and seeing this post that you made inspires me to be a more loving and worthy wife to him.
Pia says
Thank you so much Jen! 🙂 And belated congratulations to you and your husband. Cheers to a fruitful life together. 🙂
Sabine says
I am so inspired by this. We are planning to marry now and the vows are so important. I love the part about that you won’t just obey. You’ve put it into words great and it sounds like a strong woman.
Pia says
Hi Sabine! 🙂 Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! And thank you for the kind words. Hahaha, I think my husband knows that I’m really not the type to obey without raising a stink. 😛
Rajia says
You look so beautiful in the photos! I love the way how really heart-felt these vows are! I can feel the emotion in this one!
Pia says
Thanks so much! 🙂 My husband’s is definitely much nicer though.
Nya says
I feel so inspired. This is the proof that true love can last, despite the obstacles in life. I am usually the type of girl who chooses to run instead of stay and fight..but for the first time in my life, I am with someone who truly understands me, and I am willing to fight every single day of my life for our love. To many years of your happiness to come!
Pia says
Thank you Nya! happy you found someone worth fighting for too!
Xavier B says
This is so beautiful and inspiring. 11 years with 3 years married,
I’ve never been myself into marriage. I honestly never saw the point of it and as I’m not religious, I couldn’t find myself into that either.
But I met someone who broke every ideas about marriage and other related things. She gave me wings, gave me the taste of life that I’ve never felt and I have the will, the need to marry her. I don’t know much about revisiting vows, or even tradition, or ceremony. I just want to put a ring on her finger that she’ll never take off, as the same for me, and show in front of our close ones that our love is indeed forever, all during a perfect day. It’s all about the symbolic, even though I don’t need it to prove it, I still want to. And she’s the only who ever made feel that way and gave me the will of getting married.
I wish you both so many more years together, you look great together !
Pia says
Aw thank you Xavier! And so happy you found the “one” for you. Wishing you all the best as well. 🙂