Our First Home: Condo Logroño
This blog post is two years long overdue, but since we only have 8 weeks left in Manila, I figured now is the best time to reminisce the time we moved into our own place.
It was a bittersweet feeling because after 26 years, I was finally moving out of my childhood home, and at the same time, I was very eager to start afresh with my husband.
Living with my dad and Manang helped me become the independent woman that I am now. I learned how to wash the dishes at an early age and I even spent my first paycheck on brand new appliances to upgrade the ones at home.
It was like preparing myself for the next chapter of my life. Haha.
Aside from marrying my SO, one of the days I've been dreaming of finally arrived! After 19 months of patiently waiting, we got the keys to our first home.
It was such a long and an expensive process, but it was worth every blood, sweat, and tear. lol
At the day of our unit acceptance, Bani was busy editing so I brought Manang with me. It was also a bittersweet moment for her because we were going to be living apart from this day forward.
 |
| Scheduled turnovers for January 25, 2018 |
Here's the first photo of our forever door. We weren't allowed to enter the property up until our turnover date so this was me taking all these pictures and seeing the place for the very first time.
Welcome to our 78-sqm 3-bedroom and 2-bathroom home!
As soon as we accepted our unit last January 25, I emailed Converge for an application right away so we could officially move in. At that time, they had fast and excellent customer service since they were able to install our router 5 days later.
 |
| Our first internet provider: Converge 25mbps for Php 1,500 |
Two years later, unfortunately, we had to terminate our contract with them because of its intermittent connection.
 |
| 7sqm service area located at the roof deck |
February 3, 2018
Our appliances and furniture were almost complete!
One of our first sunsets in our first home.
We didn't have much stuff in here and we only decorated our home with a few items, but we love this place so much! I love the idea of having our own space and getting to decide everything for ourselves.
Ultimately, living on our own taught us to become more independent. The dynamics of our relationship were so different from the time we were still staying with my folks.
It gave us space to discover more about ourselves and it really pushed us to prove to ourselves that we can take whatever life throws at us, but also gave ourselves room to make mistakes and learn from them on our own.
And this is something I'd always, always recommend to couples.
Live on your own at some point in your relationship. Sometimes, you'll only have to deal with small things like thinking of what to cook for your next meal or learning how to fold clothes. Sometimes, it will be something in between like how to divide household chores between the two of you. And sometimes, figuring out bigger problems like managing your finances and paying your mortgage on time. Because being married and having a place to call your own is all about the art of balance; it may seem harder than it sounds, but it's oh so incredibly amazing.
Watch Bani's condo tour here.
The Day I Became Mrs. Logroño
I can't believe it has been almost four years since I tied the knot with my SO! This also means it's been four years since our families reunited. Friends and relatives all over the world flew to the Philippines to celebrate this once in a lifetime moment with us.
Our wedding was planned a year and a half ahead. As soon as Bani proposed in July 2015, we immediately decided on a date, so that gave our families, relatives and friends ample time to plan and apply for their vacation leaves.
We didn't want our special day to focus on us alone. For us, it was all about being surrounded by people close to our hearts.
Starting My Journey As An Online Creator
I wasn't planning on posting a blog anytime soon, but while washing the dishes last night, this idea popped into my head out of nowhere–that I learned so much in 2018!
It's been a crazy ride, with so many ups and downs–from moving to our own place; to finishing my fourth World War II documentary with my husband Bani; to living together with an online celebrity; to rescuing more pets, and so on...
I could write my feelings and all, but for now, I want to share with you guys what I've learned from Bani and I's journey as online creators; what I've learned from other amazing creators that I've met and become friends with, and what I've learned from my own experience as a beginner!