I've just been to a site that had a poll asking its readers if they had more sex in 2010 than in 2009. I took the poll and answered yes. It occurred to me that my greatest accomplishment in 2010 could very well be that I got more sex in 2010 than in 2009. Actually, I got more sex in 2010 than in the last 5 years prior to that. But nah. Sex wasn't the highlight of my journey, though it was a great part of the journey. ;) My single most important accomplishment in 2010 was my growth from love and in love.

In 2009, I got my foot in love's door. In 2010, I got love to bring me to the living room while it was cooking my favorite dish in the kitchen, serve me a sumptuous meal in its cozy dining room, tuck me in bed at night, and read me a story about a happy place, in a sweet, mellifluous voice, until I fell asleep. Oh, it also took care of me and brought me flowers when I was sick! Now, isn't it quite an accomplishment to make love do that? (And isn't my analogy quite cheesy? But sing with me, sistahs. Don't rain on my parade now! You, too, brothas.)

2010 was definitely a year of love for me. It brought major changes into my life, and almost all of those changes were products of love. No, it wasn't a perfect year. Not all my dreams came true, and not all days were happy. Nor were all lessons learned welcome. But the journey that was 2010 was a wondrous journey all the same, one that I look back on with a smile on my face.

From the time my husband and I met in 2009 up to the present, we have been maintaining a long distance relationship. That, in itself, is quite an accomplishment. Relationships, as most of us in relationships can attest to, require a lot of commitment, understanding, and patience to begin with. Put thousands of miles for long periods of time between the two people in it, and what you've got is a difficult, albeit not impossible, situation.

Allow me to review the year that was...

In January, we moved into a condo near where I work. From then until August, for 3 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months at a time, we learned to co-exist under one roof. My husband used to work for a company that allowed him to work remotely, so he came back here every 3 weeks or so. He left that company in the beginning of June and vacationed in Manila for more than 2 months. Now, understand that we are two headstrong, fiery people who don't take crap from anyone. We learned, bit by tiny bit, to adjust; to know when to compromise and to yield. Amidst the laughter and joy of finally finding each other, we cried, pouted, and even yelled. Then, we learned that those actions were detrimental to the relationship, so now we're trying hard not to resort to pettiness anymore, and succeeding most of the time. (Yay us!)

From August until the first week of December, after he returned to the US from his two-month vacation here, he and I had to endure life without each other physically, only keeping in touch through daily phone calls, Google Talk, SMS, and email. That called for a lot of patience. I knew I had to have a change of attitude ASAP, or I wouldn't last and probably just go crazy from loneliness. So I set aside my tears and my fears. Hand in hand, over distance and over time, my baby and I marched on and vowed to weather the storm until the day we are finally hand in hand for real, never to be separated by the Pacific ocean again.

On a sunny and peaceful day in December, my baby and I got married. It was a simple wedding, in front of a judge, the judge's son, my mom, and some staff from city hall. There were no frills and thrills, no walking down the aisle. We've been committed to each other from day 1, so it isn't like marriage suddenly told us that this relationship is for a lifetime. The day we met, I knew I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life, and I know he felt the magic, too, even on that first day of our journey. What marriage did was to tell the world what we have always known in our hearts.

In between those events, we also traveled to different places in the Philippines (mostly beaches), experienced major disappointments, kissed, made love, laughed, cried from happiness, cried from sadness and frustration, fought, and then kissed and made love again. ;) Throughout all those different experiences, we've always known one thing: we are very much in love. And I hope that will never change.

I also started writing poetry again in 2010. I've always written poetry, but I drifted off towards the end of 2008 and in 2009. Again, it was love that put me back in poetry's path, although indirectly.

What's Gwyneth Paltrow's song? She sings she's country strong? Well, I'm love strong. And 2010 was all about making me that.

Next, my husband and I will start the process of getting me to his side of the ocean. That's the first and primary goal for 2011, so it will be a more banging year for us, for our love, and for love in general (just because love working out for a couple gives love a very good name, y'all)!

That's not to say 2010 wasn't a banging year in other aspects. It definitely was a banging year for my sex life, too! (Yep, pun intended.)

This photo was taken yesterday, at an exhibit at work where I was one of the two models for our division's entry. Our division's theme was Mardi Gras, which explains the mask and the black dress. In the picture, I'm the girl without a hat.

There are more than a couple of reasons this has become my favorite photo. They are the following:

1. It was taken just a couple of days after the storm (no, I'm not talking about Supertyphoon Juan). I'm referring to the storm in my life; my fiancé and I had a major fight, which left me feeling angry and depressed. A couple of days ago, I thought I was going to lose the love of my life. But now, things are back to normal (we're sweeter and even more loving to each other), and as you can see in the picture, I can smile again.
2. Yesterday was the first relaxing day after more than a week of flurry and stress. I had been going to work for 9 days straight because of an anniversary promo that our hospital had, and for 7 of those 9 days, I was working 14-hour shifts. Yesterday, since my role was just to model an exhibit, I had a lot of time to sit and chat and just chill. Yesterday, I felt, and was acting, like a playful child. It was overall just a stress-free day!
3. I was wearing a sexy dress that my fiancé bought for me several months ago. I was supposed to wear it to the orchestra, ended up wearing something else, and yesterday was the first time I wore it. I loved how the dress looked on me.
4. The picture's theme was "Magkaribal" (rivals). I like the mischievous expression on my face. I was going for bitchy, but ended up looking mischievous.
5. I think I look innocent in the picture; playful but innocent. I don't know if anybody will agree with me.

Scott
He makes me laugh, cry, ecstatic, angry, blissful, at peace. I am learning so many things from loving him and being loved by him. Not all of them are welcome, but I know they are necessary. He and I are so different in a number of ways, but at the same time, he is exactly what I asked for. I need him like a bird needs to fly. None of the 9 other things on this list of things that make me happy would continue to make me happy if he stopped being a part of it.

Compliments
I'm a sucker for compliments. Feed my ego, and you'll automatically be considered for a spot on my list of people with "friendship potential".

A good mystery
Give me a good mystery book when I'm down and bored, and I'll thank you with a big hug for giving me salvation. A good mystery always manages to lift my mood. Also, it gets my creative juices flowing and makes me want to start writing a poem, a story, or just any form of written work.

A good love story
I love reading or hearing about a good love story, especially if it's based on actual events. In this world where people just love to hate, and divorce rates are absurdly high, it makes me believe that love can, indeed, conquer everything. That makes me feel good about the world in general.

My favorite song of the moment
If someone asks me what my favorite song of all time is, I'll have a hell of a time answering. It'll take hours, maybe even days, for me to come up with an answer, and in the end, I'll say I have either none or hundreds of thousands. My favorite song of all time is usually what my favorite song is for the moment. And if you happen to be around me when I'm playing my favorite song of the moment, you'll either have tinnitus, feel nauseous, or both. I play my favorite songs over and over and over and over, you'll think I have a broken record. I've been known to play only one song in my car while driving. I sometimes play one song over and over for a week (maybe more). Listening to it provides a sort of escape. The song usually makes me daydream.

Daydreaming
When I daydream, I fantasize about being a rock star or royalty. I think the reason these daydreams occur is that I actually want to become a rock star or royalty. I have yet to determine if my singing voice is good enough to turn me into a rock star; I only know that I sing in tune, and some people have actually called my voice nice. I highly doubt it's rock star quality, though. Even if it were, I wouldn't know where or how to begin a singing career. As for the latter (fantasy), I think I'll give up the dream of becoming royalty altogether, since I wasn't born into a royal family. And fat chance of me marrying a prince. I wouldn't want to anyways, I already met my prince.

Speaking of which, ever since I met my fiancé, I hardly daydream anymore. I'm guessing the cause of this is that, with him in my life, my reality is now better than fantasy. But when I do daydream, I still feel happy and all fuzzy inside.

Sleep
You know what bliss is? It's finally being able to close your eyes to rest after a long and tiring day, when it seems as if the entire day, you have been wanting to hit the sack, but you couldn't because of adult responsibilities and pressing deadlines.

A sexy outfit
One of the things guaranteed to make my day (and my night) is my own image in a sexy dress, top, jeans, or bikini, looking hot in it. When an outfit has a flattering effect on me and displays curves in the right places, my self-esteem is definitely boosted. I feel like going out, cruising around town, and painting it red!

Diet Soda
Soda is my vice. My favorites are Coke Zero and Diet A&W. I have it everyday, every meal, and then some. I crave it in the morning after I wake up. My day isn't complete when I haven't had a can. It tastes so good that sometimes, the experience of drinking it is almost orgasmic. I'm guessing you know why I drink diet. I have to, with the abundant amount I ingest; otherwise, I'll blow up.

Having an orgasm (preferably, multiple ones)
I'm sorry, but it has to be said. Coming always makes Mrsscottmcd one happy lady.