Little Moments, Six Blissful Years

A few months from now, Mike and I's lives are going to drastically change. As we enter our sixth year of marriage, we celebrate and thank God for every little moment of being together that brought us to the kind of intimacy that we have with Him and with each other. Our wedding anniversary this year also meant closure for this season of our marriage, and jittery but excitedly welcoming a new one, so we wanted to celebrate it by spending quality and intimate time together away from the noise of our busy lives in the city.

Baby Shiko is getting heavier everyday causing some discomfort in my lower back and numbness in my left leg, because of that, long hours of travel is not an option for us as Mike and I decide where to celebrate. Tagaytay was the best option that we came up with and upon searching and reading some blogs, we decided to stay at The Boutique Bed & Breakfast.

We arrived at the hotel a few minutes before our check-in time and was welcomed by very friendly and accommodating staff. As we were waiting for our room to be ready, we were brought to a small room so we can personally choose the scent of our room, and the flavor of soaps, body scrub, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion from their own line of body and bath essentials. I was told that these were all organically made so I didn't have to worry about chemicals that could harm my still developing baby.

My personal choice of soap -- Melon Peppermint! Smells so good!

We were favored to have one of their best available rooms, which is "I Dream", considering that we only emailed to reserve two days before our check-in date. We were told that this room is their best seller room which is always the first option of their guests (they only have seven rooms available). Mike and I both loved the all white interior of the room as well as the beautiful view of Taal Lake from our balcony. 

We were given welcome drinks, a small fruit platter and some pika snacks. Room service was fast and efficient and I love how every one of their staff made us feel very at home. I personally commend the lady (I forgot her name) who always greeted us with her smile every time I open the door for her room service.

Welcome drinks and Shing-a-Ling!

Breakfast Options for the following day!
(Forgot to take a pic of the back page)

So what did we do the rest of the afternoon? We spent time talking, laughing, and teasing each other. We watched the SONA of President Duterte. We borrowed DVD's from the hotel (yes it's also free!) and watched X-MEN: The Last Stand. At late afternoon I was already hungry, so we called the reception to order merienda. As expected, the hotel staff was kind enough to bring us the menu and order from  Pamana, a nearby restaurant but not exactly within their vicinity. I loved how they tried to accommodate and say yes to every request, this made our stay extra special since we never had to leave our room.

We ordered Puto Bumbong and Pandesal with Kesong Puti Pesto

A few minutes later, the masseuse knocked for our complimentary foot and facial cold stone massage. I haven't asked my OB if I was allowed for a massage, so I gave mine to Mike. I loved to see him rest, relax and be pampered, he's been very tired with work and with taking care and providing for me and Baby Shiko lately.

We decided to eat dinner at the hotel's Hawaiian Bbq restaurant. The food was sooooo..... delicious! Especially their Original Hawaiian Baby Back Ribs! It matched well with the Pineapple Chicken Rice and the Carrot and Corn side dish. They also gave us a free desert as their wedding anniversary gift to us! But more than the food, this candlelight dinner was one of my favorite moments with him during this trip. While waiting for our food to be served, we reminisced about how everything started between the two of us, and how far the Lord has brought us. We talked about our dreams for our family, for Baby Shiko, our future together, and God's promises to us. This means so much to me as a wife... to hear my husband open up his heart to me.

The Original Hawaiian Baby Back Ribs

Pineapple Chicken Rice

Mango Chicken

Mango Crumble -- Free Desert ! Their Wedding Anniversary Gift to us!

Around 9pm, the hotel sent us another goodnight treat -- a pot of Tablea Hot Chocolate and Churros! Before we went to sleep, we prayed together, thanked God for such a wonderful day, a wonderful life together, and we once again surrendered our unknown future to Him. Such a beautiful way to end our day!

To fall asleep and wake up in the arms of the person I love... this is one of the many things that I treasure most about being married. As usual, we started the day with our own quiet moments with God. Later on, our breakfast arrived (fifteen minutes ahead of schedule).

Mike's quiet time with God while gazing at His majestic creation! 

Big Breakfast in Bed!

We spent the rest of the morning listening to worship songs while lying on the couch of our balcony. Then a few hours later, we had to prepare for check out.

Upon check out, they gave us a small box of chocolate hearts, plus a voucher of 20% discount on our next check-in  (a reason to come back! Mike said we are definitely coming back here!). 

We had our lunch at Josephine's before heading our way back home to Manila. As we were walking to the parking lot, Mike said this to me: "Salamat ha, dahil pumayag ka na ikaw ang maging asawa ko..." While driving, he stopped at a garden shop along the highway and said that he was just going to inquire about something. He came back with three red roses for me. :)

Mike and I's marriage is far from perfect. We've had our own shares of ugly moments together and a lot of room to grow in our own roles as husband and wife... But moments like these, little moments like these -- simple talks, holding hands, surprise flowers, goodnight kisses, and morning embraces, have helped shape our marriage and made it such a beautiful experience. Little moments like these remind me of God's grace to me... how undeserving I am to live this kind of life, and yet, He gave me a husband like Mike to be an everyday reminder of His great love for me. I couldn't be more thankful for this life... for these little moments... for these six blissful years with Mike, and with God.