Special Engagement Sneak Peak: Wai+Tatsumi

Wai (pronounced Way, not Why) and I have known one another since Language Arts class in the 9th grade.  She was one of my first friends I made in high school and we remain close friends to this day.  When she told me she met a guy named Kai (pronounced Khy like Why...not Kay), I knew they were destined to be together.  After all, their names are almost identical!  Of course I soon found out that Kai was his middle name and his first name is Tatsumi (but most people call him Tats...like tater tots...got it yet??), I still felt like they were a couple made for one another. 

You may remember Wai+Tat's post here that I did when he proposed to her last June.  Fast forward almost a year and we're a month away from their wedding.  They're getting married on May 15th in Washington's wine country at a beautiful, quaint venue and Wai graciously asked me to be her Matron of Honor.  Thinking back to the day I first saw Wai in high school, I could never have imagined at that time that we'd end up here.  She was part of my wedding and I can not be happier to be apart of hers.  It's comforting to know that she's found such a suitable mate for herself.  He's the yin to her yang, the sugar to her spice, the memory to her lack of memory!  :)  I tease Wai all the time for her forgetfulness, but I seriously believe she's forgetful because she's so carefree.  From now on, she has Tats to lean on, and I can not see her with a better man.

Wai+Tats already have their wedding photographer hired but we really wanted to also take some pictures for them.  This time of year, cherry blossoms bloom beautifully and there's only a short window of time before they're all gone.  Our University of Washington (the alma mater to Wai, Tats, Chris and myself) campus is famous for our cherry blossoms and that's what Wai+Tats requested.  We started off at Pike's Place Market though and the theme of the day was PEOPLE!  We could not get away from the massive amount of people everywhere we went, but we tried to make it work.  The results?  Well, see for yourself below.  :)

Wai, you surprise me with your beauty!  The moment I think...oh she's so cute...you decide to lay some "fierce" on me!

Chris and I love catching impromptu moments while we're shooting.  Wai+Tats weren't posing here...she was just so darn cold and he was trying to keep her warm!

For those not from Seattle, this is a wall full of chewed up gum.  Colorful eh?  I guess not as colorful as Tats in these pics.

EVERYONE was out enjoying the cherry blossoms that day...including Wai+Tats' wedding photographer they hired!  I think the couple's pretty happy to see him!

Ahh...a natural, beautiful smile.

Tats was a great sport!  He's not a fan of the "forehead to forehead" shots but he posed for us anyway.  And I think right about here, he's saying, "Oh man, this is uncomfortable!"

FIERCE!

I love a fun couple that'll do anything a photog asks them to do.  This includes lying, stomach down in the university library, with surrounding students studying around them!

My good friend, Wai, I love you and can not be happier for you.  You will be such a gorgeous bride...I can not wait to stand beside you on your wedding day as you enter the land of married blissed-ness. :)

Love...Your Friends,
Cindi+Chris

Tidbit Tuesday: The Road Ahead

Those of you that's followed me for a while probably know that in addition to being an Antropologie-holic, an aspiring photographer, I'm also an accountant.  I graduated college with an accounting degree and have since remained in that field.  I know there's this stereotype out there, of an accountant and how nerdy or anal they are.  I am a little nerdy, but I'm not your typical accountant.  I love working in teams, I love strategizing and I'm social.  That's why when I landed at the public accounting firms, I thought I could actually do this accounting thing for a long time.  In the accounting firms, we worked in teams to fulfill our client's needs.  The work was often projects, lasted about two months or so, and we worked hard in small groups.   But that soon ended when November of 2009 rolled around and I was laid off from my position.

I spent the next three months endlessly hunting for another job.  I've never been fired or laid off from a job before and I am one of those people that can't recognize failure, so being part of a workforce reduction was a bit of a blow for my ego.  I've since come to terms with it and accepted that the decision to lay me off was not due to my work quality.  And my managers and partners at my previous firm have actually told me themselves after I was let go.  One senior manager even asked me to return.  Then in February of 2010, my current company gave me an opportunity when I most needed it.  They gave me a job.

I soon came to realize, though, that the golf industry and the hospitality business was not one I wanted to stay in for a long time.  The work itself was not challenging, and my office environment was so small and political, it just wasn't healthy.  So folks, to make a long story short, I've found a new opportunity.  I'd love to sit here and tell you guys that I've taken photography full time, but I can't quite yet.  :)  Instead, I'll tell you that the new opportunity I found is something I'm pretty excited for.  It's still in the accounting field, but it's in a much exciting industry...a much younger industry.  The expectation is that I'll be working longer hours, but I really don't mind doing that as long as I enjoy the company and people I work with.  My first day with the new company is April 25th and I'm super excited.  I feel like I'm finally at a place in my career where I'm fitting perfectly, and can enjoy it. 

With this new opportunity and with the new photography business, the hubby and I are staying quite busy.  Don't worry, we haven't stopped appreciating the little things in life...and we definitely value the small amount of free time we do have with one another.  But the thing is, photography is something we both love and we both wouldn't do it if the other person wasn't there.  I foresee our schedules to be extremely busy with the upcoming wedding season and you readers will see some great posts.  But for those that I follow, you'll probably see less commenting from me.  Rest assured that I'm still reading and keeping up on my google reader. 

For those that take the time out to leave a comment on my blog, I thank you so much and look forward to you guys stopping by every time I have a new post.  And for those silent, but supportive followers, I ADORE you guys for sticking around.  There will be a lot more fun things coming up.  Thank you for all of your support!

Couples Sneak Peak: Ali+Tyler

Well folks, I'm back with full force!  While it was a nice break from blogging, I must have to say, I missed the whole bloggy world.  I have some news tomorrow to share with everyone that'll help explain part of the reason why I've been missing for the last week, so make sure to stay tuned for that.

Now onto something much more fun!  This past Saturday, Chris and I were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Ali+Tyler at Marymoore Park in Seattle's east side neighborhood.  I met Ali about two years ago at a company potluck hosted by Chris' boss at the time and I immediately felt a connection with her.  She's one of those gals I felt comfortable with from the beginning because she's funny, warm and a great listener.  She, along with Tyler, are my heroes.  Why?  Because they help foster kittens for shelters so they get a chance to get adopted by a good family.  They eventually say goodbye to almost every kitten they foster, and I know how hard that can be.  Ali keeps a blog herself and you can find out more about her and Tyler's life here.

Ali+Tyler were college sweethearts and met in the dorms at Michigan State University.  Within three months they graduated, got married, and moved to Seattle for Tyler's job.  Although they had beautiful wedding pictures taken, they never had the opportunity to take engagement photos.  And this upcoming June will be their 3rd year wedding anniversary.  Chris and I hope that these photos will help them document this time in their lives and we're so appreciative that they've allowed us to spend their Saturday with them. 

A photographer can always sense a natural infront of a camera, and Ali's that person.  I mean, just look at her! 

Tyler was definitely workin' it here.  What a handsome guy eh?

It started raining cats and dogs not too long after we started at the park, so Ali+Tyler were nice enough to welcome us into their home to continue our shoot.  Once the rain decided to stop, the sun peeked through the clouds and this gorgeous soft light came through their living room window.  We got excited, screamed expletives, and these were the results.

Thank you guys for being such great hosts!  We had a blast and can't wait to hang out again!