Written by Candace on February 12, 2013 | 7 Comments

Gabe+Nikki
Engaged

They joke that it took Nikki three years to finally go on a date with Gabe.

But in reality, well…that is the reality. The two first met at a company wide event. Nikki definitely caught the eye of Gabe, but to his dismay, she was already in a relationship. The two remained friends, seeing each other at company outings, but for the most part, Gabe kept his distance out of respect for her. Though Nikki may have been out of sight, he never put her completely out of his mind. And it was a good thing he didn’t.

Nikki’s relationship eventually came to an end. Though things in her personal life were in flux, her professional life was flourishing. To congratulate her, Gabe sent Nikki an email. Her heart fluttered when she opened it as she thought of Gabe and his handsome blue eyes. Gabe mentioned her boyfriend in the email, saying that he must have been proud of her. But to this day, he maintains he wasn’t fishing for information. He had no idea they had broken up and Nikki knew that too. She decided to use this email as an opportunity to let him know she was officially single. She too had never put him completely out of her mind.

Gabe swears he kept it cool and didn’t ask her out right away. But I personally don’t believe it. They went on their first date after three years and that was all it took. Gabe finally had Nikki and he was never letting her go.

Gabe and Nikki, we smiled and laughed the entire time we picked our favorite images to share with you today. I don’t know if I’m more fond of the photos that we took of you or the memories that we have with you. They are both beautiful and special to us. Thank you for being you! We are thrilled to be photographing your wedding this August. We love you both!

Gabe and Nikki’s engagement session was photographed in the beautiful Park City, Utah.

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Written by Candace on February 7, 2013 | 3 Comments

10 Ways To Laugh Together

A couple of days ago we talked about the importance of laughter in a relationship. I didn’t want to leave you hanging so here are 10 ways that Vitaliy and I get down with the giggles together. We hope it will inspire you to stop what you’re doing and laugh with the one you love. Then hug the one you love. And top it all off with a nice long kiss!

Here we go.

1. Watch a comedy, a comedy act, or romantic comedy together. (Examples: Office Space, Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe, When Harry Met Sally…)

2. Check out Dad’s Are The Original Hipsters. (Website: http://dadsaretheoriginalhipster.tumblr.com/; We particularly love the book.)

3. Watch You Tube videos together. (Examples: My little girl Amaya, Driving in Russia and Single Ladies Skit)

4. Have a dance party at home. (And it ain’t about bringing sexy back! In my experience, the worse you are at it, the funnier. And yes, I’m referring to Vitaliy.)

5. A good ol’ fashioned wrestling match before bed. (Be sure to let him win!)

6. Tickle, tickle! (A tickle fest always ends in a wrestling match and a whole lot of laughter.)

7. Play the part. (I’ve definitely made myself look like a grandma to get a good laugh out of Vitaliy. And he has been known to hike his pants up and play a nerd from time to time.)

8. Reminisce about embarrassing stories you’ve had with one another. (No, I’m not sharing those with you!)

9. Tell your love story to someone. (It will make you laugh and make you fall in love all over again.)

10. Tag – your it! (Why do you think we played this in grade school? It’s fun and flirty! No reason to stop now. This could easily result in #5 and #6.)

What makes you laugh? Please share some ideas below!

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Written by Candace on February 4, 2013 | 7 Comments

Your Love Needs Laughter

In August of 2005, Vitaliy’s entire family was in a car accident in Ukraine. Tragically, his mother, father, and little brother did not survive. His two younger sisters survived but were in critical condition. And his brother-in-law walked away with minor injuries.

As one can imagine, this was a very trying time for us. But it was also a defining point in our relationship. After a long discussion with Vitaliy, family and friends, and an immense amount of prayer, I decided to quit school, pack my bags, and head to Ukraine with one mission in mind.

My goal was to keep Vitaliy laughing in the midst of serious pain.

Obviously, there were other factors to this trip. Other areas of importance. But this was rooted in my heart; it was an underlining focus as we lived out the tragedy in Ukraine.

Grief and pain look different for every person. I am not suggesting that you try to avoid or medicate your pain, grief or stress with laughter. But here is what I am saying.

Life is hard. And marriage is even harder. You may be faced with a serious tragedy or just the stress of every day life. But when trying to navigate through your own feelings and those of the one you love during these times, it only makes things that much more difficult. It’s easy to get lost or stuck in the labyrinth of emotions. It easy to lose each other in the mess.

I recommend incorporating some laughter into your life. To loosen up that tenseness in your body. To remind yourself that you do enjoy your husband/wife who you wake up to each morning. That there is more to life than whatever problem you’re currently facing.

Find a way…no! MAKE a way to laugh with the one you love. It will give you and your relationship the break it needs. The love it needs. And you’ll be able to return back to life’s challenges, hand in hand, ready to face whatever lies ahead TOGETHER.

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