Tender Musings

Even as a stay-at-home mom I find myself always needing more time. There's so many things to do and it seems like the day isn't long enough to get everything done. There's no end to cleaning up, cooking, washing the dishes, or doing the laundry. The list of chores goes on forever. Rei sometimes have to tug on my shirt or hug my legs just to get my attention as I busily prepare food or fold our clothes. I know when she's bored and needs my attention, so I try my best to get away from all the chores and spend time with her - and sometimes, walk to the nearby store to get some ice cream. Being with her is, after all, the reason why I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. So even though the floor desperately needs to be mopped, I put some clean clothes on and we go "out out." As we walk along our busy street, my daughter never fails to point out all the stray and domesticated animals we see. "Hi doggy!" She would loudly exclaim as she happily waves to...

Gian and I had our first conversation through text. A friend he had met on his mission, who was attending my ward, gave him my number and that's how we got in contact. A week and a half after our first conversation, we had our first date at the Manila Temple. I know it's a bit cliché, but that's what happened. About a month after our first date, I agreed that we should date exclusively. Two months after we became BF/GF, he proposed and I said "yes." Five months after our engagement, we got married. I guess you could say that our story was a whirlwind romance, but I'd rather call it "purposeful dating." We took each chance we had to get to know each other and find out if marriage was a possibility. Each date and conversation was an opportunity to evaluate each other's personal values and character. And when we both felt that the decision to get married was right, we did not delay. It's just like what Harry said in the popular ...