win-win.

   Today I strolled along the mall and decided to splurge on my hubb's fancy shaving stuff. Then I came home from work to warm lasagna and gooey chocolate chip cookies. He is currently doing laundry.

Marriage was a good idea.

Reunited

and it feels so good.
Hubby is home again.
Why did five days seem like eternity?

Good thing is, though,
he hay have found us a (very) little condo less than three miles from a Prada and Barneys outlet. And he says the Harry Potter ride at Universal is amazing.

I can never be a military wife. What would I ever do if he deployed for a year? There was talk about reenlisting in the navy and army a a few months ago, but I'm so glad it didn't realize itself into fruition. I love my country's freedom and all, but I love cuddles more. I'm selfish, have we met?

Besides who would clean up after me?

P.S. We're still in town for a few weeks if you need a good dog-sitter. I know just the man.

No wonder my Hubbs cries when I hug him

Today our can opener broke and I was too settled in to go out and buy another.

So I broke open a can of black beans with my bear bare hands:

manicure still good!

I really wanted to make enchiladas.

Ok, here's the truth: I stabbed the top with my wine tool's foil cutter and then cracked it open with a hammer.
Either way, I'm barbaric, I know.
Today's activities included painting, wire cutting, drilling, installing, then I went home from work and made a raised-bed garden.
Tell my hubby I need a can opener.

How I get what I want

    With birthday, our actual first anniversary and Christmas coming up there are several reason for the Hubbs to get me a gift. I don't ask for much or expect extravagance, but I do like the idea of a sweet little wrapped gift, into which I can tear.

So here is how I get what I want from my Hubbs.  This is what we've found to be the best way of communicating: e-mail. My Hubbs, like most people, does not hear every word that comes out of my mouth.  This applies to anything from chores, doggy matters, bills, stuff I like, literally anything. I can say, "I like this and would really to receive it as a gift, from you, on my birthday," but there is no guarantee he will remember that even if he did hear it.  He is no secretary, and since I cannot fire him, I can't be his boss. I 've come to realize and make peace with this, though it saddens me greatly ;p.

It took me a while to come to this realization. I am the type of person who had a good long term memory for anything gift/occasion related or for occasions not related to anything at all. I remember what I wore when we first met, which really has no use at all, but to make me look smart to the Hubbs. However, it takes me a few tries to get some one's name right. It varies.

Anyway, we've found that e-mails work. We're tech savvy enough to make it work. I simply find my item on-line, and paste the url into an e-mail, making sure to make it an active link. The easier for him, the better for me. Sometimes I use the web site's "share with a friend" tool. This is how I picked my engagement ring (because if I wear it for the rest of my life, I better be ok with it sitting on my finger).  It actually took a lot of pressure off of him, and men will usually just spend a lot to compensate for the fact that they have no clue what ring to get. In the e-mail, I include some helpful info, like "there is a coupon in the catalog on the nightstand," or, "you can use your discount card." He has more patience with this method, than live shopping. I've circled things in catalogs before, but he is just not going to flip through a J.Crew or Tiffany, no matter where I strategically place them.

My b-day in 2007

His B day in 2009

So the point of this little story is not that I'm a greedy wife, but that we've found good ways of communication between us.  There are still many methods of communication that we can improve and when I figure them out, I'll triumphantly share them with you.
'Till then, little triumphs for now! I'll let you know what he gets me!

Post-Christmas

Today, I am making a commitment to write something on this blog once a week. I think its only fair to show my love and support for such a wonderful gift from Leilani to us.

Well, like Leilani said, we are taking off the next few years from preparing holiday dinners. It will be nice to go somewhere else and chow down. Leilani's family does a phenomenal job at hosting and preparing holiday feasts. Hey, I don't have a problem with giving back, so I will clean some dishes or shovel some snow.

Grace, Leilani's sister, surprised me on Christmas with a hilarious video from elfyourself.jibjab.com. I am intrigued by how Grace comes up with cool stuff like this. Leilani has been busy all weekend metamorphosizing friends into elfs.

Its been a fun Christmas week with Leilani - aka WUBBS - from wrapping gifts, opening gifts Christmas morning, and having a holiday dinner with some family. Thanks to Bully, he behaved like a good boy after meeting some new family members.

Okay, in closing, I would like to say that being married has brought Leilani and I closer. This should go without saying right? Yes, but the feelings I have felt since that day have been life changing. There is a unity, a bond between us now that gives me comfort. Not that we didn't have a bond before, but I feel Leilani and I are inseparable. I look forward to reading and watching movies together on our comfy couch. I guess you could say this is how GOD
intended it to be. Being married has brought me serenity in knowing that HE will continue to bless us with our discipline that follows. What a fantastic way to live your life! It just keeps getting better and better everyday.

*********

Christmas come and gone!

    Our first Christmas as Hubbs & Wubbs, the new superhero team of Northwest Greensboro, NC. It was another intimate occasion, as we stayed in our apartment and hosted dinner instead of traveling to a big family feast. (Still in career transition!)

We invited Shawn's mom, two uncles and our friend Brah to a ham dinner with some delicious sides.

 A nice woman at Harris Teeter picked out a ham for me. Buying a ham-another first. Normally, I'd order a Honey-Baked (to perfection) ham, but we're trying more DIY tasks to pinch a few pennies. This year, we considered not working over the weekend our "honeymoon, " and not working two jobs a "vacation." We see bigger things in our future, however.....

I set the prettiest table. I do not have a picture as I left my camera at a friend's house. wah wah wah.

Dinner was so nice. I had the best day with my husband. Watching movies and enjoying our gifts, ad talking to our families.

I realized on this day two very important things:

1. I come from a very giving family. Shawn has always told me this, but now I really see it. I was raised with giving all around me. I just thought that was how people were. I guess when you love someone you want give them the world, or at least a token of appreciation in a tangible form. Filipinos are generous, so when you come from a Filipino family it just seems normal.

2. Shawn and I aren't cooking another holiday dinner for at least 5 years. We did Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and though it was wonderful, it was tiring. So next year, we'll be looking for the big family gathering. We will be bringing a dish. And playing board games.

Ok. I realized a third thing: Sitting on the couch, snuggling with my beloved and glancing up at him, I got the giddy, antsy feeling again.

I told him I couldn't love him enough.  He responded with a profound truth:

"Our love can never be quenched."

It's true.  So true. He hit 'em on the head sometimes. Claaaaasic Shawn.

It's what keep us loving each other, coming back to each other each day and for eternity. I will never be able to love him enough but each day I will love him more.

This is what being married feels like.

And it was the best Christmas yet.

Our first ornament: A gift from Al & Luke. Congrats to Al & Luke!