Gratifying Twenty-Third Birthday

Before I started writing this article, I went back to my 22nd birthday article last year because I wanted to see what my wishes were and how much has changed since my last birthday. Guess what? A lot has changed, but in the best way.

Let me quote something that I said from that article, "My 21st year here on Earth is by far my most challenging and unexpected year.." When I said that last year, I really thought that it was my toughest year. Little did I know that my 22nd year would actually be far more challenging than the former. 

My 22nd year was perhaps the year where I was awakened by reality. It was awakening simply because God put me in situations where I'm forced to open my eyes and see the truth of things, situations and people. This was the year where I was able to separate the real people from the hoax. And when I tried holding unto the "pirates," God made a way to let them inflict much pain in me so I would be forced to let them all go. And you know what? I'm so happy God did that. I'm so happy with how God redirected my entire life and how He shook me so hard so I would wake up from this dark blindfold I've been using all this time. 

Evaluating as to where my life is right now, I can say that I'm finally happy. Not just happy, but the type of happiness where it gives you inner peace. That inner peace I lost years ago was finally coming back. I have no regrets. If you'd ask me if I can undo anything from the past, I wouldn't undo anything, not even my huge mistakes. I am exactly right where I need to be. 

Anda, Bohol

Before I go ahead and tell how my birthday went, let me use this as an opportunity to thank the people who helped me reach this point of happiness. First is God. I can never thank God enough. If my life's a movie, God is my director, and He'll always be until my dying day. And I still hope God will continue working on my life's reels, and I pray that God would never give up on me because I can't do anything without Him. 

Next is my family. My family never changed. The love and support they showed me before are still stronger than ever, even up to this day. Despite my good and bad days, their support for me never changed, and I know they'll still be supporting me for the rest of my life. By the way, I think our pets (dogs & cats) are part of the family, so yeah, they're part of it hahaha!

Lastly, my boyfriend, Darwin. We've been together for over a year now, and he'll always be one of the unexpected, greatest blessings that God gave to me. He's the man who showed me what unconditional love is (aside from God and my family, of course). He loves without conditions, loves without numbers, and loves freely without expecting anything in return. When he loves, he does it through actions and fewer words. I know I wasn't a perfect partner for him, and I've made some fair share of mistakes against him in the past, but he was always there beside me and never in a second thought of leaving me. 

His faith for me is immeasurable, his patience is endless, and he's the most forgiving person that I've ever met. He taught me lessons in life that I'll forever hold unto until I die. And, of course, his love and care for me never changed. He's my partner, my best friend, my older brother, sometimes my enemy, my life adviser, my joker, my 2nd stylist (my sister's first haha!), my photographer, my drinking buddy, my Mobile Legends duo, my driver, and the best travel-buddy I've ever had. He also keeps me grounded and constantly reminds me about how we should live our lives. Overall, I couldn't ask for more. He's the best man I've ever had. (Maybe third, because God is first, my father and grandpa are second, and he's third.)

Now let's go to how my 23rd birthday went.

In our entire family, I'm the one who's always the mastermind behind holidays and birthday surprises. But during my birthday, they all worked together because they wanted to make sure that I'll be the one who gets surprised this time.

I woke up at 5:00 in the morning due to my father's loud knocking on the door. I swear it was so annoying that I literally jumped out of bed in frustration, with my face doing these X eyebrows. But when I opened the door, my father, mother, sister, brother, and grandma were all outside bringing a cake and several gift bags, and they were singing to me the birthday song. I was surprised so my anger quickly dissipated and replaced with tears hahaha! I still have "muta" in my eyes HAHAHAHA and my morning breath stinks geez, but they still took a video of it lol. I was tearful but so happy and fluttered because I rarely get surprises. I love you fam! Lots and lots of love!

The 2nd surprise was from my boyfriend. I was playing my guitar in the living room at 7 AM when Darwin suddenly popped out of nowhere with a large flower bouquet in his hands and a large gift bag. He also got me balloons and a birthday cake. I literally thought he was still asleep because he never left me a morning message that day. Butterflies were fluttering in my entire freaking body hahaha, and so I gave him a tight hug right away. Thank you, family and Darwin - my loved ones.

We celebrated my birthday by booking an overnight stay at a resort in Anda, Bohol. It was a two-hour ride, but the beach resort, the panoramic view, the pool, and the sea were all worth it. A lot happened that day but to summarize it all, I was so happy I get to spend my birthday with the real people in my life at a beautiful resort, under a fine weather. Thank you to all of you - my family, relatives, my boyfriend, Darwin's family and relatives, and everyone who was there with me including their boyfriends. Really, thank you so much!

When I blew my candles, I still had the same wish as last year: for God to let His will be done. God's plans are way better than mine, and whatever blessings and challenges He's planning for me this 23rd year, I hope He'll give me the strength and wisdom to face them all bravely.

What a gratifying twenty-third birthday! Ciao!