Ryan and I are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary today! Time sure flies! I can still remember how a storm almost ruined the most important day of my life! It was October 27, 2000 when Typhoon Reming (Xangsane) entered the Philippine area of responsibility. Ryan's mom and relatives were supposed to be arriving in Batangas from Mindoro on that day, but the Coast Guard cancelled all boat trips due to the typhoon, and there was no other way for them to reach Batangas. Ryan and I felt so bad that his mom couldn't come. He's an only son, so we could just imagine how terrible it was for her mom to miss her only son's wedding...but we couldn't simply reschedule it and let our months of preparations be wasted!
I was so sad for Ryan and felt so helpless that I couldn't do anything to comfort him. He spent the night at my aunt's house. And while I was supposed to be getting beauty rest at my parents' house, all I did was cry and worry about him. Both of us hardly slept that night.
October 28 came, and Typhoon Reming was hitting Southern Luzon badly. Aside from Ryan's mom and relatives from Mindoro, 2 of our bridesmaids and groomsmen and a couple of our wedding sponsors didn't make it to our wedding. But more than 250 guests still managed to come. With the strong wind and heavy rain, I honestly didn't expect that we could still get a good turnout. I must say that we felt so loved by our friends and relatives who, despite the storm, still find a way to be with us on our special day! With all the guests showering us with love and best wishes, our gloomy day turned into a very joyful and memorable one.
As the wedding reception came to an end, there was flood everywhere...and everyone had difficulty going home. Unfortunately, Ryan's officemates had car trouble and there was no mechanic available to fix it. So they ended up staying with us at my aunt's house. Yes...9 of Ryan's officemates were with us on our wedding night! With power outage and nothing much to do, we spent the night drinking and sharing crazy stories. Sounds so weird for a supposedly romantic first night as husband and wife hah! But it was fun...and truly unforgettable!
The next day, after Ryan's officemates left, we went to my parents' house and opened some of our gifts. In the afternoon, we headed to Manila, and the next day, to Cebu for our honeymoon trip. Everything turned out well in the end...
So, that’s our wedding story and it seems like only yesterday when that happened. 11 years and 2 kids later, here we are!
It’s been 11 years with ups and downs but our love and marriage is stronger than ever...and Ryan is still all of those wonderful things (responsible, wise, loving, kind, funny and many more) that made me want to spend my life with him...and I love him more!
Yesterday, when the weather was so gloomy here, I can't help but remember our wedding day. To brighten things up, I thought of making an anniversary cake for us. As I've said before, I'm not much of a cake decorator, so this cake is just simple...but something we both love. It's Banana Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting and Cream Cheese & Pecan Filling. It may sound complicated, but believe me when I say it is so simple and easy to make! It is more like a banana bread...you just whisk together all the ingredients and you are done! The filling and frosting are both easy to prepare too! The only thing that took long was waiting for the cake to cool down before I could put frosting. :)
It looks pretty, right? It's yummy too, I tell yah...so you should definitely give it a try! ;)
