From the end of 2015 when we got engaged until our wedding month in December 2016, the weeks just went by so fast! 2016 was a year full of hope while we were both busily preparing for our dream wedding, trying to make everything perfectly organized and carefully deciding on different things. And then just right before Christmas, December 23 came and in a couple of hours, our wedding was done! 15 long months of preparation and in just a blink of an eye, our most awaited day finally came to an end. Just like what they say, it wasn’t really the end but the beginning of our new journey, now as Mr. and Mrs. Nochefranca!

By God’s grace, we managed to miraculously reunite both our families not only to celebrate our wedding but to also spend Christmas with us! It’s been 6 years since my family spent Christmas together and almost 15 years for Garry’s family to be complete in celebrating the holidays as well! Our wedding celebration served a lot of purposes and it was something that we really thanked God for allowing us to have.

And then, we were swept away by the holiday seasons but still managed to take our time to have our alone time together. Our first trip together as hubby and wife in one of the most peaceful and beautiful islands in the country made it more than amazing. Batanes was just part of our bucket list before, but now became part of our first #OurlovesTOURy journey.

Then, as a newly married couple, I was able to also experience spending my first New Year in a different home. My in-laws. It was a bit hard for me at first since I’m used to be with my own family every holiday, but then I also came to realize that they are not strangers to me now since I already married into the family. Because Zamboanga City is a very vibrant place, we also managed to tick off one of our bucket lists and enjoyed the beauty of Philippine’s pink beach on Santa Cruz Island.

On our third stop, we headed straight to the most beautiful island in the world – Palawan. Everything was just surreal, calm and exotic. It was another check from our travel bucket list where we were able to enjoy the different island trips in Coron and then spend a couple of days relaxing in an isolated resort island.

Lastly, before heading off back to Kuwait for work, a nice stop in one of my favorite countries of mine for personal reasons was Singapore. Before I remember telling myself that when I would get married someday I’ll definitely bring my hubby in Singapore and thankfully we were able to squeeze a few nights there and enjoy the new developments.

Then, as we flew back to Kuwait as OFWs, the months just went by like a blur. Work had been pretty hectic as well as our other extracurricular activities in both our financial advocacy group OFSI (Overseas Filipino Smart Investors) and in our church services as both members of a PYMSK (Pinoy Youth Ministry of Salmiya Kuwait) and as lectors during Eucharistic mass service. The weeks that went by adjusting to our new life as husband and wife were both full of bliss and struggles. But, by God’s grace, we have managed to conquer 2017 as our year! Amidst the different challenges that we have faced, blessings have poured everywhere.

And then came our 1st Wedding Anniversary a few days ago. The preparations and wedding day itself, including our honeymoon journey, felt like yesterday! Looking back, the memories really felt surreal, especially whenever we watch our wedding SDE and wedding film. But instead of feeling all mushy and emotional, we were both thrilled for 2018 and the years to come! We hope that we share the same sentiment with everyone who’s reading this.

So, in this year, may we all have a blessed New Year to enjoy and look back on the years ahead! Have an abundant New Year for you and your family!

So, in this year, may we all have a blessed New Year to enjoy and look back on the years ahead! Have an abundant New Year for you and your family! God Bless us all!

Much love from Mr. & Mrs. Nochefranca 🙂