Written by candace on April 30, 2013 | 4 Comments

Cuddled on the Couch

The first time I ever hung out with Vitaliy one on one he took me to Border’s on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.

We don’t actually consider this our first date. (That’s a whole other story!) He took me to the photography section and I was immediately captivated. I don’t know if he was trying to impress me, knowing Vitaliy he wasn’t, but I was definitely blown away. It was the first time I thought to myself, “Who is this guy?” I left that evening curious to know him more.

This past weekend we spent time with our close friends Emik and Yana who are also a husband/wife photography team located in Fresno. While taking a trip to our favorite coffee shop Kuppa Joy, we stumbled upon a used book store nearby. Vitaliy took my hand and led me once again to the photography section. We cuddled on the couch, this time surrounded by dear friends, and I listened with just as much anticipation as I did 8 years before.

I know I’ve said this once before, but I’m going to say it again, Vitaliy is my favorite photographer. What he sees in an image, whether taking the picture or just reviewing one, is remarkable. This is one of the first things I admired about him and something I’m still enjoying to this day.

Thank you Yana for the picture and this sweet memory I hope to not soon forget.

What were you up to this weekend?

Chime in or Share

Written by candace on April 22, 2013 | 2 Comments

Wedding Season Begins

I woke up this morning full of aches and pains that shouldn’t be present in a 29 year old body. But they are my little reminders that the wedding season has officially begun.

Saturday we photographed RJ and Jamie’s beautiful wedding at Rios-Lovell Winery. It was the official start to our fifth wedding season and I couldn’t have been happier. The way that I feel now compared to our first wedding season is so drastically different. I remember not being able to sleep the night before our first wedding. Though each season has been unique in it’s own way, I’m thankful for each one. What they taught me. How they changed me. And most importantly, the couples they’ve brought into our lives.

For each one of them, I am forever grateful for.

Happy Monday everyone! What are you grateful for today?

Chime in or Share

Written by candace on April 17, 2013 | 6 Comments

Snapshot of a Marriage

When I started my marriage almost 7 years ago, I was sad to discover that I didn’t know a lot of older couples with successful marriages. To this day, I still only know a few.

With the amount of divorces today, I have a feeling that a lot of couples my age are in the same boat. I’d like to connect and learn from older couples who have gone before and navigated through life’s difficulties and managed to come through the other side with their marriage and their love for one another intact. I thought how fun would it be to find and interview these kinds of couples and share with all of you what I learn. Thanks to the interwebs, I discovered there was somebody already doing it!

Emily Westbrooks of the From China Village blog does a series on Snippet and Ink entitled Snapshots Of A Marriage. I immediately contacted Emily to see if she would be willing to share her process with me. She was more than willing! I love people who share! And I love people who also want to celebrate love and marriage. Emily thought the best way for us to learn from her was to be interviewed ourselves. We were thrilled for the opportunity to learn and to tell our love story.

Along with writing more consistently, I’m hoping to get started conducting my own interviews soon. Anybody know a couple I should interview? Let me know!

Chime in or Share