1. Digital Clock
He already told me (well, kind of hinted through a very far from the topic conversation) that he wanted a digital clock because the wall clock isnt working anymore (no, its not the battery, I already changed it but still wont work) and I found it to be a very good symbol of our first year together.
We were still in college during our first year and like all other early relationships, we are so glued together. We wanted to spend every minute together, that is if we do not have any classes, which sums up to only 3 hours a day (1 hour in the morning before class, 1 during lunch break and 1 during the trip home) all because our class schedules complicate things a bit. So time has been very important to us. We rarely go out during the weekends because he's a sleep freak. Its either he's at school or he's sleeping. Nothing in between. Normally we stay up late if we wanted to have more time.
2. A coin bank
Our second year was when we moved in together (see full story below). We were still both in college (he's graduating and I'm in my last year). We were financially zero. He's sending me to school, he's buying my vitamins, he needs to pay for monthly check-ups and we need to eat. He found work eventually after graduation but his salary was not enough to secure all our financial needs. I remember he only buys two packs of biscuits for lunch because I needed a much decent meal. (I will forever be thankful for this.) We try to save as much as we can for the coming baby (again, full story below). Now, I hope we save enough to buy ourselves a home of our own.
3. Picture Mosaic of Dada and Lexi
Lexi is our little girl. The news of pregancy arrived September, three months before his graduation and I was in my last year in college (yes, some colleges do not make a fuss about pregnant students.)
This really breaks my heart but I'll tell you about it. We actually agreed on not having the baby yet. (Lexi, if in case you read about this when you grow up, I am very, very sorry. You know I love you very much.) We are both "still" financially supported by our parents, he doesnt have work yet, I still have to finish school and I already have Jam (This is one long story, so lets talk about it some other time). We were practically, emotionally, and financially not prepared. But then my parents accidentally caught me having those pregancy morning sickness and they knew. (Of course they would, I dont know how but parents usually know about these things but they do, did not even ask me if I have an upset stomache or something. shrugzs?!) And they decided to hand me over..hehehe. But I was really happy that my hubby stood up for me. He took us (me and the baby) in. And he took the responsibility over me. whew!?
We moved in together at his parents house around December (I think.. it could have been earlier, I am sorry I cannot remember the exact date). He started looking for work right after graduation (Thank you very much baby!) and I went back to school. Lexi was born June 5. And she's an angel. I know he loves her very much. And she loves him as well. I was so glad that the picture I chose for the mosaic was his favorite photo of them together. Good thing I followed my instincts.
4. Two bracelet-type rosary with our birthstones.
This is our bumpiest year ever. We had more misunderstandings than we can handle. We almost always fight. We lost trust, we doubt, we were both paranoid. I admit this is my fault. and although he already forgave me for my mistakes, I know I will make up for this for the rest of our lives together.
We learned that revenge will only make things worse. We struggled to hold the relationship together. There were times when giving up was the only sensible thing to do but we tried. Because we know that behind all the anger, and the fear of hurt we still love each other. And that is reason worthy to hold on.
5. An 8-in-1 screw driver set with torch
Aside from the fact that he loves hardwares, I needed something to represent fixing things. Something we did during the year. We fixed things up. We tried to correct our mistakes, made up for our shortcomings. We tried to listen before we judge. We started trusting again. We calmly talked about it, what went wrong and tried to come up with measures to not make the same mistakes again. We talked about what we didnt like about what happened, what we didnt like about each other and what we like for ourselves. It was hard trying to forget about how much pain we went through and we do not have a guarantee that we wont get hurt again. But as Noah (of the Notebook) said, its the possibility, not the guarantee, that kept us going on. And we did.
6. A small plant
I wanted this to represent growth. Considering our fixing-up year, I saw this plant to symbolize us as being born again and we need continuously take care of each other to survive and to live. I know we will.
