I heard my phone ring and, as I went to grab it, I could see “Dad Cell”. I was at work, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hear his jolly voice in the morning. As soon as I picked it up, I could hear the reason for the call. Their little voices filled the background noise and their excitement immediately put a smile on my face.
He always calls me when he has the kids, my two nieces and nephew. Today he was taking them for a trip to the zoo, Mom’s Deli, and Ted Drewes. I was fine until he mentioned Mom’s Deli and Ted Drewes. Then not only was my heart missing St. Louis, but my stomach was grumbling at me too.
First, he put Bella on the phone. But knowing Bella, she demanded to talk first. “Hi, CC!” she says. CC is the name I was given ever since Bella’s older sister Kyah was first born. “We’re going to the zoo today!” Since I’m only talking through the phone, I picture her in my mind talking to me. Her big smile is stretched from ear to ear and, if I were there, she’d be jumping up and down as she spoke. Everything is a party to Bella. We chat about this and that and I can hear my dad in the background telling her to be quick because I’m at work. Then she does it. With the sweetest five year old voice you can imagine, she says, “CC, when you get off of work, can you meet us at the zoo? We’re gonna be there for a half an hour.” She melts my heart every time.
I’m laughing and I can hear her siblings in the background laughing too. She is still too young to understand how far away I live. I hear Ashton, her big brother, say, “Bella, she can’t come to the zoo. It’ll take her two whole nights to get here.” Kyah, the oldest of all three who prides herself with how smart she is, snaps back, “No it won’t Ashton! It will take like 4 hours.” Bella starts to process it all and I explain to her how both of them are right. She gives up and knows its time to pass the phone to the other two, but before she goes she has one more thing to tell me. “CC, can you tell Uncle V that I miss him?”
And then it happens again. My heart melts into a big puddle beneath me and all I can think about is “Christmas can’t come soon enough!”
Los Altos Wedding: Sarah & Sebastian
Poor Sebastian waited years for Sarah to feel the same way he felt about her. He even kept a big sign that read “NO” on the wall of his bedroom. His best friend walked in and saw the sign one day and asked Sebastian about it. He said that it was a reminder that Sarah’s answer was still a big fat “no”. Down the road, Sarah had a change of heart. She told Sebastian that she would be willing to give dating him a chance but that there were no guarantees. He didn’t care what the future held — she finally said “yes” and that’s all he was waiting to hear. He ran home and changed the sign on his wall to “Sí”. As the best man shared this story at the reception, he had the place roaring with laughter.
Sarah and Sebastian met each other while working side by side for a missions organization in Lima, Peru. Though the sign had been “no” on the wall for some time, that didn’t prevent Sarah and Sebastian from really getting to see each other for who they really are. They were able to see each others’ strengths and weaknesses as they ministered to the people of Peru. So it didn’t take long before these two developed a deep love for each other. The seeds had been planted years ago and now it was simply time for them to grow. It would take deep roots of love to get them through the journey they’d face early into their relationship.
A short time after they started dating seriously, Sarah was diagnosed with cancer, a very aggressive cancer that would need surgery and bouts of chemo immediately. Before flying back to the U.S. for treatment, Sebastian asked Sarah if she would marry him. And I don’t think he would have accepted “no” for an answer, if you know what I mean. In reality, they were already living out their wedding vows. For better or for worse. Through sickness and in health.
Sarah came back to that states to battle her cancer. But Sebastian had to stay in Peru and battle immigration. They both fought for each other. And they both won. They’ve proven that their love is strong and will endure. I look forward to watching them continue to live a victorious life together.
Sarah and Sebastian, your love is simply beautiful. It’s courageous and inspiring. It’s all together wonderful and we feel so honored to have had the opportunity to photograph it. We absolutely must continue this friendship! You are two people we definitely want in our life. Congratulations! Our hope is that you will keep making each other smile the way you do in these pictures.
Love, Vitaliy & Candace
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You can also view Sarah and Sebastian’s slideshow.
Kara Diaz did a beautiful job on Sarah’s hair and makeup. She looked gorgeous!
Quite possibly my favorite from the day. Sarah has a quiet inner strength that makes her absolutely beautiful.
Sarah and Sebastian opted for a “first look” and it was such a sweet moment and gave us extra time for pictures.
They were married at the Foothill Covenant Church in Los Altos. Nothing like a father/daughter moment before walking down the aisle.
This was such a sweet idea. They had a live feed of the ceremony for all of their friends and Sebastian’s family in Peru.
Sebastian’s favorite car is a Mini Cooper so a family friend arranged for them to ride off to the reception in one.
Just love you guys!
If we had to pick only one picture from the day to post, it would be this one. Vitaliy has gone back and looked at this picture so many times. It’s one of his favorite he’s ever taken.
This was the speech I referenced above. Hilarious!
The mother and father of the bride had their own wedding reception at this same location (Sunnyvale Community Center) 20+ year ago. I love this moment!
And we’ll end with this because it makes me smile and I hope it will do the same for you.