Written by Candace on August 18, 2015 | Chime in

Chris & Tiffany
Lifestyle Engagement Portraits

We have Stephen Hughes Photography to thank for sending us this super sweet couple!

And we are SO thankful because Chris and Tiffany are so much fun. We can’t wait for their wedding this October. Pictures are so much better paired with stories so I asked Chris and Tiffany to share how they first met and answer a few “get to know you” questions below. You’re going to enjoy this one!

Chris and Tiffany met at church in March 2011, but unlike your typical fairytale beginning, their first impressions were certainly not love at first sight. During their initial interactions, she found his demeanor rude and arrogant, while he thought of her as closed off and uptight. However, unbeknownst to either, both were still attracted to the other, and two years later, they found themselves getting better acquainted online via G-chat. Through nightly conversations before bed and daily messages during work, they found a vast number of similarities between them, such as humor, love of sci-fi shows, fascination with fantasy lore, interest in fitness, and appreciation for being homebodies. As chatting gave way to hanging out in person, a friendship began to blossom that soon developed into romantic feelings. After months of ambiguous talk and behavior, Tiffany decided to make the first move and confess her feelings to Chris, who happily admitted that he felt the same way. Since then, they have brought out the best in each other and have challenged each other to mature emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Both are incredibly thankful to have looked beyond first impressions for a whirlwind experience of finding a matchless partner with whom to journey alongside through this lifetime.

Q. How did you meet and what first attracted you to one another?

A. We met at church, and even though we didn’t become friends until a couple years later, it was our similar personality and several similar interests that really brought us closer.

Q. When and where did you first say those famous three words “I love you”?

A. Although we felt it early on, neither of us said the actual words until after we got engaged. We said words or phrases that sounded very similar to “I love you,” but we wanted to save the actual words for when we both felt that our relationship had reached a point of true commitment. After Chris proposed (in Humboldt County where we went to see the giant Redwoods) and put the ring on me, I said it first, and he said it back :)

Q. Can you share a favorite date idea you’ve enjoyed together as a couple?

A. One of the first dates we went on was a drive down to the coast of Cambria, CA. We spent the afternoon eating their famous olalliberry pie, walking on the beach, and talking about anything/everything. It was really casual and fun, and we both learned a lot more about each other during those conversations.

Q. What are you most excited about for your future as husband and wife?

A. Simply being able to spend time together without one of us having to go home at the end of the night. To start and end the day with my loving partner who makes the ins and outs of life more interesting and worthwhile.

Chris and Tiffany, I wish we could do your engagement session all over again. It really was that much fun! You guys have the best sense of humor and I know you are going to have a long life together filled with love and laughter. Vitaliy and I are so thrilled to be a part of the start of it all. Congratulations to you both! And many, many blessings on your journey ahead as husband and wife.

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Written by Candace on August 14, 2015 | 2 Comments

The Weekender

Here is a weekly review of my thoughts and findings from the week.

Coffee: As a new mom, I am desperate for a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. It’s usually the only cup I drink in the day so I try to savor every sip. We keep one container of medium roast beans and one container of dark roast on hand and we grind it up each morning. We prepare pour over and drink it as black as can be. My current fave is Verve’s 1950’s Blend which we purchased from our favorite coffee shop across the bay, Cafe 4. I soooooooo wish we lived closer and could enjoy their space more frequently.

Life Hack: Vitaliy and I are on a mission to live a slow cooked life. That’s a post on it’s own which I hope to write about soon. Actually I hope Vitaliy will write about it because it’s really his concept. But think slow, savoring, and peaceful. A bit of trial and error to achieve these. This week we’re trying something new in our daily routine and so far it has been perfect for us. We found that our evening routine was just too busy and overwhelming. Trying to prepare a big home cooked meal while also trying to get Rose fed, bathed and ready for bed felt all consuming and exhausting by the end. So, we decided to change things up! A big lunch, nightly routine for Rose, followed by a snacky type dinner and rest for Mom and Dad. Win, win for everyone! I realize this won’t work forever, but it fits for this season and I feel like I’ve cheated the system and come out on top.

Small Home: We are still living in our 350 square foot in-law unit with our 6 month old baby daughter. I remember when we first moved into this space we weren’t sure we were going to be able to make it work with just the two of us. We’ve now been living there for almost 3 and a half years and we’ve added a baby. It’s crazy, but we make it work! Unless you live in the bay area, it’s hard to understand why or how. And don’t get me wrong, there have been many days these last few months that have been consumed by discontentment or envy. But I’ve been working on my thought life and my heart and I have a new fondness for our little home. So, I was super inspired when I came across fellow entrepreneur and small home living Sonnet James founder Whitney Lundeen’s apartment tour.

Date Night: We’ve got quite a few work events coming up that we need babysitters for so we’re trying to save babysitter requests for those. So, this week we went to a local outdoor movie in downtown Redwood City, Movie On The Square. First up, it’s free! Secondly, the movie plays at sundown which correlates with Rose’s bedtime. It wasn’t perfect, Rose did wake up twice during the movie. But it was a statement. I wanted Vitaliy to know that I still valued adventures with him even though we have a baby and can’t be quite as adventurous as we once were. We held hands and enjoyed a beautiful night together.

Crafted: Earlier this week, Vitaliy enjoyed a night out with the boys. I wanted to relax in front of the TV, but didn’t feel inspired by the usual run of shows. I was in the mood to learn something and felt drawn to watch a documentary. I scrolled my Amazon prime options and found a short documentary called Crafted. 25 minutes long, perfect! I rarely can last longer than an hour these days without falling asleep. It was just what I was looking for! Three stories about fellow creative entrepreneurs. As a small business owner, I felt so inspired and encouraged. Three takeaways that I could totally relate to: 1. Running your own business is hard, some days you will just want to quit. 2. There is always a level of dissatisfaction in the creative process. 3. You don’t do it for the money, you do it for the joy and the lifestyle it affords.

There you have it! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Photo: Friday family work day

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Written by Candace on August 12, 2015 | 7 Comments

Rose Svitlana
3 Months Old

We are only days away from having a 6 month old.

So, I thought we better get around to sharing a few of Rose’s 3 month baby photos. Obviously, we take fun photos of Rose all the time with our phones which you can see on our Instagram accounts here and here. But Vitaliy and I also decided to take 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 12 month photos of Rose with our “big camera”. After culling through these images, I’m so happy we made this commitment. There are so many milestones throughout a child’s first year of life and now we have them captured for memories sake.

These totally happened on a whim. We were nearing the end of her third month and decided everything else needed to be put on hold so we could make what was important to us as a family happen. We didn’t buy new clothes, we didn’t get hair and makeup done, we didn’t scout out locations. We worked with what we had and made it happen. I really love that we decided to stay at home to take these photos. For one, we get beautiful natural light in our bedroom which is perfect for photos. But more importantly, I never want to forget this time in our little home with our little newborn enjoying our little family.

And before I go, I want to thank you all so much for your love and genuine support of my last post regarding our anniversary. The response was incredible! Thank YOU!

Dear Rose, you have left a huge mark on Mommy’s body and heart. I’ve never worked harder at anything in my life than caring for you. And I couldn’t be more thankful! You are worth every single hardship and every hour of sleep lost. Your scream is loud, your independence admiring, and your touch invigorating. I love that, as of right now, you look just like your daddy. You are my new favorite thing and this is only the beginning.

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