Four decades and two years ago..

Each couple has their own tale to tell. For my parents, considering the times they were in (the 60s) and their backgrounds and upbringings, it was almost unlikely that they would even have a story today. My father, Manolo, was from the province while my mother, Marissa, was a city girl. He was poor; she came from an upper middle-class (some would even say rich) family. Their families, oddly enough, knew each other. Papa wanted to go to law school in Manila, so he traveled to the city and was given lodgings at my maternal grandparents’ house. He paid his dues by helping out around the house - cleaning, cooking and whatever else that needed to be done...

He'd had 30 girlfriends already before they met; she had yet to have a boyfriend. Needless to say, he stopped looking when he met her. She was his 31^st and last, as he still fondly says when he recounts that story; he was her first. As expected, Lola Claudia and Lolo Luis ("lola" and "lolo" mean grandmother and grandfather in Tagalog) disapproved of the relationship. As with all their children, they wanted Mama to marry into a family of equal or higher standing. So what did my parents do? They eloped. They got married twice, in fact. First in a civil ceremony and a couple of months later in a small and simple church wedding on this very day, 42 years ago. And thus began a journey of a lifetime…

Mama and Papa, Happy 42^nd Wedding Anniversary and more to come! I’m glad (and I’m sure my siblings feel the same way) that God made your different worlds meet. Thank you for your love, caring and generosity. I love you!

Sneak Peek: Nagrampa Silver Wedding Anniversary

A photo of my friends, Yette & Jun, taken at their renewal of vows on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary.

Una foto de mis amigos, Yette y Jun, en la celebración del aniversario de su boda de plata.

Wanna bet?

So, how did an independent young woman who happened to dislike happy-go-lucky guys hook up with a skirt chaser?

Flashback, 1973, Free Will Baptist Bible College, Nashville, Tennessee. Their story, funny enough, started with a bet and a plan to get even. Jeff had broken up with one of Susan’s friends so one night, the girls decided to give him a dose of his own medicine. The one who got the shortest straw would get him to fall in love with her and then leave him. Unbeknownst to the girls, at the guys’ dorm, Jeff and his friends were making bets on who can get a date with a young lady named Susan. Well, how do you think this story panned out?

Fast-forward, 2009, Madrid, Spain. Jeff and Susan are still together! Talk about kismet! This is their 34^th year of marriage and they have been living a truly blessed life. They travel the world tirelessly for the service of God and good, they raised two amazing and talented children who are married to two equally amazing people. They are grandparents to three of the cutest children on earth (and a grandog!), and are treasured friends to those whose lives they’ve touched and continue to touch.

Ok, people! Are you ready to see what still being in love looks like after 34 years of marriage? :-)

This is Jeff, contemplating God's handiwork in La Pedriza...

Susan has an amazing smile... You can really tell that it comes from the heart.

Love. Amor. Pag-ibig... However you call it, they have it.

Susan: "Jeff, say s..." ;-P

And this last one is my absolute favorite!

Jeff and Susan, thanks for trusting me to take your 34th anniversary photos. Here’s to the next 34! Cheers! (",)

Jeff & Susan: Sneak Peek