“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
-Mary Oliver

We might have a plan for the way we want things to happen, but that’s not how the world works. All we can do is be resilient to change. Embrace the situations that don’t go how we plan, and persevere towards our goal. Because you know what? Things always have a way of working out. And often times, they end up better than we could have imagined.

These engagement photos were taken next to a beautiful river, with perfectly-placed fallen trees, a beautiful mountain backdrop, and groves of lush trees – all of which created an amazing location. We hadn’t planned for any of this, and in fact, the story of how we got here is filled with one unexpected twist after another.

For weeks, we had been planning to take these engagement photos at a location in the Cascade mountains. As it turns out, nature had its own plan. Only a couple hours before our session, while Rashi was at her hair appointment, my brother, Tanvir, calls me to say that Washington was declared a “State of Emergency’ because of the wildfires.
{I want to take a moment to thank the firefighters who risk their lives to protect us}

The location we originally planned was inaccessible due to severe levels of smoke. We put our heads together and decided on a second location that was two hours away. About 20 minutes into our drive, we learned that the smoke had beaten us there! It was a no-go. Luckily, each of us was equipped with a state-of-the-art mobile device, capable of pinpointing our exact location via the Global Positioning System. Once we identified our geographical position, we were able to find a third location nearby. Upon our arrival, our pent up excitement was about to erupt because we could finally take photos! But alas, we were greeted by a security officer who proceeded to tell us that the area was closed for a festival that day. (What?! A festival in the middle of nowhere?!) Sure enough, we were blocked by a chain-link fence.

Time to find a fourth location. At this point, it seemed the odds were stacked against us, but like the four kids from Stand By Me, we marched forward with determination to reach our goal. While driving, we found a place next to the river, and… it. was. perfect. Totally unexpected and far from the original plan, but yet ideal in every way.

There’s a learning nugget to take away from this experience. We can try to plan the future as much as we want, and wish for things to happen a certain way, but life just happens. Sometimes in our favor, and other times not. But if we continue to push forward and bend with the wind, whatever ends up happening turns out to be incredible.  Yes, it even happens with love – when we find a partner who is far greater than we could have ever imagined. When the presence of that person fills us with joy, with hope, and with a sense of being greater together than as individuals. It adds to our life’s journey, especially in dynamic times:  the unknowns, the unexpected paths, the no-gos, and the original plans. Here’s to being resilient in the face of change, and to ultimately ending up in a beautiful place.

The photos:

If we become an average of the five people we spend the most time with, I want my five to be motivated and ambitious. It’s inspiring to be around people who have found a passion and work hard to achieve goals. Krishnan and Shilpa are definitely those people – with business and engineering degrees in hand, they are currently pursuing their goal of earning a MBA. Living in the Bay area, they flew to Seattle for their engagement session and we had a wonderful time exploring Capitol Hill, followed by beach time on the Puget Sound. Here are a few photos from our time together.

We had a fun time taking these pre-wedding photos as we walked around the Seattle Waterfront and explored Discovery Park. Those of us in Seattle know about the beautiful sunny days we’ve been having lately, and what better way to enjoy them than to spend time outside?! I’m reminded of an awesome song from The Lonely Forest:

“So turn off, turn off this song
Find someone to love
Turn off this song
You can listen to it later
And go outside”

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