Now & Forever

It started in 2017—the real love story (real because nobody knows about it) of Paolo and Liezel. It began on a dating app with simple "hi" and "hello" messages until we talked for a little while. I wasn't always on that app; it was just a pastime. But Paolo told me he was always waiting for me to chat. Then one day, I opened it again, and of course, we exchanged "hi" and "hello" once more, talking for a short time. This time, he had the courage to ask for my contact number so we could get in touch. However, on my side, I wasn't that into a relationship yet because I was just focusing on work at the time and didn't spend much time on my iPhone. I'm not that tech-savvy; I don't use my phone often. I prefer watching things and sleeping. Then, as time passed, I heard Paolo applied for a job at the same company as me. Of course, I was happy at that time because we could now see each other, and then he got accepted. To make it short, as a man who wanted to express his feelings, he did things to make me fall for him. Every morning on my table, I would find a pack of Kisses chocolate or some other kind—basically, anything chocolate! Hehe, that's how he courted me. He always made the effort to pick me up ("sundo") and drop me off ("hatid"). But at that time, I still didn't feel ready yet. After about two months of this, when I got sick, he had the courage to formally ask my mom ("mama mimie") for permission to court me. Our love story was just magical because you never know how and when you really fall in love with a person, even with your differences. We've loved traveling for the past 8 years; it's our way of saying we're still happy and in love with each other. Yes, we aren't perfect at all, but as long as Jesus Christ is at the center of our relationship, we're always happy and always have joy in our hearts. And now, we're engaged in 2025 and about to share our journey together for a lifetime.