Maricel and I met online. We used an online dating and friend website. Basically I was bored and I sent out a lot of messages not really knowing what kind of new friends I would meet or if I would get any responses. The few I got, most didn’t go past “hello, How are you?” and an exchange of pictures. I even met one girl who seemed real interested and yet desperate for money at the same time. (warning to all singles out there)

Then I met the one that could actually hold a conversation and was not repulsed by my picture ^_^. The real foundation for a friendship. After seeing some silly pictures of Maricel and her sister, I knew that here is a person that can put up with my own brand of stupid humor (well hopefully).

At church with my parents we started to study the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It is a good book that I would recommend as a part of good bible study. I returned to College before I could finish the book and decided at some point it would be a good read on the bus to and from campus. Shortly after that I met Maricel and she was also reading the same book. We were able to discuss the chapters and really find out where our theologies are. I look forward to repeating this study with Maricel in the future as my wife.

Maricel is a quiet person. At least until you get to know her a little better (or can get her to laugh uncontrollably). This works for me because I actually get to share my thoughts and feeling with her and she listens and I can do the same for her. For me it is a fun challenge to get her to open up to me. Then we can have an actual conversation. (role reversal?) We have gotten to know each other much better in the past years and don’t always need words. At least we know the intention is genuine and the feeling is mutual.

On a daily basis we have used just about any media that we can find useful. Postal mail and packages are expensive to send but special when received. Phone calls are expensive to an island in the middle of the ocean. Computers and internet have formed the bases of our communications. Text chat (phone and internet), video camera (live online) and audio chats online are used as often as available. We often like to have 2 or 3 conversations going simultaneously.

As close as we could get online (and we had and still have further to go), we realized that the relationship will only go so far if we are never sure if we will even meet in person. I prepared for foreign travel. I had never been outside of the US (neither has Maricel been outside of her home country). I had never even been to Canada and here I am preparing for a trip to a third world country.

How do you hide a wedding proposal when you only see your fiancé in person once a year? Well it is not easy, that’s for sure. One of Maricel’s friends, now a mutual friend, was knowingly getting engaged and I had her get Maricel’s preference’s on rings, etc.

Maricel had some idea that I would propose on the next visit but couldn’t be sure when. I knew that she wanted a traditional engagement and this meant that I would have to ask her parent’s permission first. This proved to be very difficult as we did not spend a lot of time with them for one thing and another, we went everywhere together. When was I going to get time with Mr. and Mrs. Pesiao alone without Maricel?? The best I could do was to ask them separately. I asked her Mother at the Mall in her aunts presence and with Maricel just a few paces in front of us. How nerving. What if her mom or aunt would shout in excitement? It could have given me away. Her dad was even harder to ask. He didn’t go out with us much and even when we were home he was often working or away in Carmen. I finally got a chance later when Maricel was taking a nap and this only left a few days in my trip. This left October 30th as the last non-holiday day left for the proposal. We planned a big family vacation tour around the island and would be gone the whole day. Less than ideal conditions for the question though I had the ring with me as I had been doing for days waiting for the right moment.

When we got back to Cebu from our road tour it was already late and everyone was pretty tired. I asked Maricel, Janice and Jade if they would like to stay about the hotel or go out for a little while. Maricel and Janice accepted and Jade returned home. We went in to check our pictures first. We went to so many beautiful places and posed for so many perfect shots and they all fit on one extra large capacity memory card. When we plugged it into the computer we found that the card no longer held a proper format and that our pictures were not recoverable (possible not written in the first place).

It was a nice cool night and we decided to go up to the hotel roof to take in the sights and sounds of the busy city night life. Maricel and I stole off to one corner while Janice took pictures of us, the hotel and the city view. I told Maricel how I liked to share these new experiences with her. Even though we lost the pictures I was happy that we could share that time with each other and our family. Though we were far apart we had shared our feelings our thoughts and our lives over the internet and that we had grown close together. I then told her that I wish to share the rest of our lives together and as I pulled out the ring from my pocket I asked her if she would marry me. By this time we are already in an embrace sharing tears of joy and I hear a muffled ‘yes’ from my chest. Janice heard the commotion and inquired to the happy event. We still have those photos. At some point I asked Maricel if she wanted to see the ring. In the excitement she never saw the ring. I am not sure the ring was “seeable” at that time but she got a better look and more pictures downstairs.

We have tried to remain patient in what has seemed like a long time. A long time apart, a long time in-between visits. Now the goal seems near as I will return with my parents in March to get my bride and bring her “home”. It is the goal we have been working on for a number of years. This goal is not an end for us but a beginning, the beginning of shared experience and our shared life together.