Getting My Party On!
- April 27, 2009 -
This past weekend, my groomsmen took me up to Wisconsin for my bachelor party! My wedding is less than 4 months away, and though we’ve got taken care of, there’s still a good amount left to do and it was nice to take a break for a weekend with the guys. Even though the weather wasn’t that nice to us with scattered rains, we still had a great time.
Initial plans were to go boating, but the downpour slowed that down. After we got settled in our lodge, we wandered around to some indoor locations, and came upon Knuckleheads for some bowling. It was another bowling day where I DIDN’T break 200, but at least I didn’t have a sub-120 showing, right? Afterwards, we decided that it wasn’t raining hard enough to stop us from a little outdoor activities. So in the drizzle we went out for a little go-karting! The rain shut down 3 of the 4 tracks, but we were able to get two races in before they shut the last one down because of slick roads. On our way out to get lunch, the guys saw a mini-roller coaster that was still running (the big one shut down due to the rain). Now, I’m not a big roller-coaster guy…I hadn’t really ridden one in over 10 years, pre-high school. It’s something about the feeling that the bars don’t truly have me secured. I loved it when I was younger, but growing up I just got over it. But much to my protest, I was forced on this 30 second ride. It truly was such quite a rush (almost enjoyable/entertaining), except for my knees banging into the cart in front of me.
The ride ended with a steep drop…a little too steep I guess. Out from my pocket flew my wallet and iPhone! I was being whipped so much around that I didn’t even notice it happened! Getting off the cart was when I realized that it was missing. After searching the top level, we walked under the ride to try to find everything (it was safe…they shut down this ride after our ride too!) My roommate first spotted my wallet that had my credit cards thrown on the grass just under the drop – surprisingly everything was there (except maybe $20 in cash). We kept looking around a bit before my brother-in-law was able to spot my iPhone! Underneath the track, falling on some leaf-covered concrete, lay my precious phone. We jumped down and pulled it out- touchscreen worked, incoming/outgoing calls worked, camera worked, twitter/internet worked! Not only that, the glass was in perfect shape, except for a bit of dust that got underneath and 2 dead pixels! The back, however, ended up with quite a few battle scars. The following picture doesn’t quite do justice to the torture the phone went through, but next time you see me I’ll let you feel the deep ridges- looks like the trade-in value of this phone just went down a bit :/
After dinner and a quick stop at the casino (where I quickly lost another $20 on roulette), we headed back to the lodge for some 6-player monopoly. They showed me know mercy even though it was my bachelor party, and I got knocked out 5th in the 4 hour game, but it was definitely fun times! I love games where you can play for hours and its always a new experience. Computer/video games just don’t have that same effect.
Sunday morning, we got breakfast over at Paul Bunyan’s all-you-can-eat breakfast joint – great donuts, pancakes, and eggs. Surprisingly our stomachs just weren’t big enough, and only lasted two servings. Still a great meal that I recommend if you ever make your way out to the Dells area.
All in all, a great time off for me from the wedding planning as well as the shooting season. Though iI’m a bit under the weather, I’m starting to feel more refreshed, and getting ready to get back into editing and shooting. Look out people, I’m back! :)
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natemathai | 
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Beautiful Day
- April 23, 2009 -
1.) We are FINALLY seeing nice weather here in Chicago (though we had a little ’snow’ scare on Tuesday). I’m loving it! If only I’d stop sneezing so much (the fiancee says it’s allergies…I still don’t believe her though…)
2.) Why the heck do I never get clouds like this when I got a shoot!? It was a beautiful sight, though, I must say. Here’s to a beautiful future!
Remember when you were younger (erm…last week?) and you would just sit outside, lie on your back and watch clouds, and see different things? Those were some good times, and I feel like we don’t do things like that enough. So for you stuck behind a computer and can’t go do that right now, what figures/characters/stories do you see in these clouds? Love to hear your interpretations.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: PersonalIn Between
- April 22, 2009 -
For the past few months, my home church has been having renovations done on our building, and so we have been holding services at Life Community Church. It’s been a blessing in and of itself to have such an opportunity, but even more doors have been opened recently. Last weekend, Life Community hosted an “In Between” service on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, with the focus being on living life between brokenness and redemption. A few of the kids from my church put on a praise dance during the event as well. It was an awesome night of reflection.
The first performance was by a singer named LE Taylor, who had an amazing testimony to share.
After her, was the rap group ALERT who definitely got the people moving.
During the service, a group went up and shared about the “Invisible Children.” It was crazy to hear about all that has/had been going on on the other side of the world. I definitely recommend you guys to check out the site and videos to learn more.
Then came the dance by the kids from my church. Awesome work guys!
Another plug was given for Coffee Ambassadors, which is a “business as mission” concept dedicated to impact coffee producers and consumers economically, socially, spiritually, and environmentally. You can currently order their coffee beans online, and they are looking into having some standing coffee shops in the area soon.
Again, it was a great time for me to spend time reflecting on my life, and how we’re living in between brokenness and redemption- it’s Friday…but Sunday’s coming!
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Personal, event No Comments | add a comment
Young + John : Proposal (Chicago, IL)
- April 21, 2009 -
Yep, we did it again!
The elaborate setup started with a night out for Young with friends to go to dinner downtown. Since they were going to get dressed up anyway, they decided to head out to Millennium Park beforehand to just take a few fun pictures. Now, John lives out in Tennessee, so there would be no reason to suspect that he would be anywhere nearby.
Except for 1. On his drive up to Chicago, he stopped by their old college campus and attended the Good Friday service. Well a friend noticed him there, and e-mailed Young that night “Happy Easter. John is here.” Confused by it all, Young talked to John and asked why he was out in Champaign, to which he denied, and they brushed it off as the friend just being crazy. :) CRISIS AVERTED!
I met up with John and a few friends to discuss the plans shortly before Young was to arrive. While we were getting settled I spotted a few photogs I knew from U of I shooting an e-session, David Lai and Alex Roy – everyone was out to shoot today!
When you put in a lot of planning in an event like a proposal, your nerves start to get the best of you. One of the bigger worries is making sure everyone is where they need to be at the right – and here John is managing everyone’s whereabouts.
Before Young arrived, her friends got a sneak peak of the bling – I think they approved!
The joy of this proposal was that Young did not know what I looked like, so I was able to just walk around like a random photographer taking shots of the city. So she went around taking pictures, and when I thought she spotted me I did this…
When in reality, I was making sure I had an eye on her at all times…
John patiently waited and prepared until he got the sign…
I LOVE this! I gave him the heads up that she was in ‘the spot’, so here he is peaking out, ready to make his move…
Before the actual proposal, they shared a quiet moment in prayer…
She said YES!
Afterward, the friends admired the ring as it was now on her finger. :)
Congratulations Young and John! It was my pleasure to capture this beautiful moment in your lives, and I wish you all the best!
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Modern ProposalsAlphy + Sony : E-Session (teaser)
- April 20, 2009 -
This past Saturday, I spent the day with Alphy and Sony shooting their formal engagement ceremony during the day followed by their e-session. It was such a fun day from start to finish, and we were blessed with beautiful weather in Chicago finally! Here’s a little tease from their e-session that afternoon.
I’m looking forward to posting their full set soon enough, so get ready for that!
Still To Come:
- Young & John’s Proposal
- Life Community Church’s In-Between Service
- Jaimy & Sijin’s Engagement Ceremony
- Alphy & Sony’s Engagement Ceremony/E-Session
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Couples Lifestyle Sessions, Formal Engagements, engagement, event No Comments | add a comment
