Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

If you haven’t already heard, Benny and I are expecting a little one this year! As October draws closer, we are getting more and more excited to meet our baby girl. Who will she look like?! And what will she be like?! While there is still so much to be done (um…we haven’t bought any baby things yet, except a few cute bows and a super cute tutu-dress I couldn’t leave the store without!), God has definitely been preparing our hearts and shifting our lives to welcome this new addition. The journey hasn’t been easy, especially in the beginning, but we are so grateful for this gift of life and how God has already used her to bring us closer to Him.

Back in 2014, we felt like God was inviting us to take a break from the photography business in 2016. Honestly, we didn’t know the exact reason for this break, but Benny and I both felt strongly about it. Was it to rest? To dream bigger?…perhaps a family? Whatever the reason, the thought of stepping away from photography was daunting. Not only was this business our only source of income, but Eileen Liu Photography felt like my baby. I had sown into this business for the past 5 years and photography had become my life and my identity; stepping away from it felt like I was abandoning everything I had worked so hard to build up. But knowing God had our best interest in mind, we took a step of faith (actually, it felt more like a leap!)…

Moving forward was hard and every step of the way felt like a test of our faith. As we entered 2015 and inquiries for the next year rolled in, we questioned ourselves and God again and again. I couldn’t tell you how many times I broke down in tears as I received inquiries for weddings I really wanted to shoot. Inquiries from couples who were so perfectly sweet and inquiries at dream venues I’ve always wanted to photograph. It felt silly turning these weddings away- Didn’t I work so hard to get to this place? And instead of living the dream, I’m putting them on hold?! Things didn’t make sense. Well, 2016 came around and still we had no idea what our next steps were. Time was running out and we were still asking God for clarity. Do you even see us, God? Doubt crept into my heart and I became somewhat bitter at Him for what felt like His not-so-perfect timing.

Then in spring, we found out. Yes, I was pregnant! I burst into tears at the sight of those two red lines…and no, they were not tears of joy! haha. While on one end it brought relief knowing that there was a reason for this season of rest, it also meant that our lives would never be the same. NEVER. I cried because I don’t do well with change, and a whole lot of it was coming my way. Fear overcame me as I thought about how unprepared we were to bring a child into this world. Financially it didn’t make any sense, because we had no income…and now we were adding to our cost of living? But even more importantly, I’ve seen firsthand how much hard work it takes to raise children (much respect to my sisters!!) and how it requires your all, your everything. And more than anything, I was so afraid to give everything. I was afraid (and still am!) to lose myself in this journey of motherhood.

The next few months were far from easy. I was dealing with new changes in my body (not to mention those hormonal mood swings, RAWR!) and the financial pressure became heavier as each day passed without any clear direction. At times I even found myself blaming the baby for how hard things seemed. It was because of the baby that I needed to take this break from photography, and now we were facing all these pressures because of it. Benny and I were confused. Of course there were days when we stood confidently on God’s word, but there were plenty of other days when lies clouded our vision and we questioned God’s wisdom and goodness over our lives. How could a good God lead his people into THIS? But as we continued to wait on the Lord, He sustained us with His word. He reminded us of His faithful leading in the past and it gave us courage to believe that He would do it again.

At last breakthrough came, first in my heart. With each doctor’s visit, I fell more and more in love with our baby. The ultrasounds helped me realize that there was really a living being inside of me, not just something that held me back from pursuing my dreams. Soon the bitterness I felt turned into praise and I thanked God for entrusting this little one to us. God also proved Himself faithful by breaking through in our finances. He provided Benny with a job that fit him so well, it was beyond what we could have imagined. God really knew what He was doing! And While I am still struggling with my identity without photography and not knowing when I’ll be able to pick it up again, God is reminding me that if I trust Him with my dreams, He can do far more with it than I can ever do on my own. He might be putting this dream on hold, but He is inviting me to come away and partner with Him to birth a new dream in this season. Oh baby girl, we can’t wait to meet you! : )

This past week my parents invited us on a mini getaway to Palm Springs. It was a great time of relaxing and slowing down, the perfect way to start the new year. With all of our busy schedules, it’s rare we get to take a trip with my parents so this was really such a treat!

We stayed at The Parker and omgoodness, it is such a cool hotel! It felt like something out of The Great Gatsby, mysterious and magical.

I was so intrigued by the hotel, I decided to dedicate an afternoon just exploring the grounds. From the lobby to our hotel building, there was what seems like a maze in-between. Tall trees and bushes lined the dirt paths, each path leading to something exciting and fun. One led to a lemonade stand with a ping pong table and a giant chess set, and another brought us to a croquet field with white lawn chairs and yellow umbrellas. There was also a grassy area with hammocks hanging off of palm trees and we spent some time there swinging under the trees and reading. But the one we enjoyed most was where we learned how to play Pétanque (yea, we had no idea what it was either until we looked it up). I challenged Benny to a game and I totally won! hehe. Tennis courts, swimming pools, a fire-pit and a spa- there was so much to do inside The Parker!

The day after we arrived, we drove out to Joshua Tree National Park. This was my first time! Joshua Tree was beautiful and so so big! We enjoyed driving around the park, going on a few hikes, and making stops when we saw something interesting…like people rock climbing on those HUGE rocks (these are only pictures of the smaller rocks, too. There were much larger ones!). We were so impressed!

Another highlight of our trip was discovering Sunnylands, the former Annenberg Estate. The space is beautiful and inspiring and we loved learning about how it was and is still being used today as a getaway and meeting space for leaders around the world. The tours were all sold out, but we’ll definitely be back for it next time!

Thank you Palms Springs, we had a wonderful time!

Some other activities and places we visited:
The Moorton Botanical Garden, A boat ride inside of the JW Marriott Hotel, the Palm Springs Art Museum with free admissions on Thursdays from 4-8pm, and Villagefest, a street fair with live music, food, and other vendors.

(Taken on our wedding day by me!)

Wow, 6 months! I guess it’s true when they say that time flies when you’re having fun. I love you so much, Benny, and I can’t imagine living this life without you!

I remember weeks before our wedding, I was going through the mall, frantically looking for the perfect wedding shoes. I stepped into a store and quickly started a conversation with one of the workers there. She had just gotten engaged herself and was so excited to help me find the right shoes. In the process we started talking about our relationships– How we met our fiances, when they proposed, all the fun details that only girls care to ask about. It felt so silly– Two girls standing in the middle of a shoe store, sharing about how much we love our guys. And then the conversation steered towards when we knew they were “the one.” She recalled the exact moment when she tried to imagine life without him, but couldn’t bear the thought of it. Suddenly I tried to imagine my life without Benny- wow, I really could not! Life would be so…SAD! We were both in tears within minutes and even though I didn’t leave with the perfect shoes that day, I left so satisfied knowing that I had the perfect man in my life! (ok so corny, but so true! haha).

So yes, Benny. I could never imagine life without you. Thank you for making the past 6 months the best ever. I’m so excited to celebrate this day with you…cheers to us! : )

After yesterday’s maternity session with Kevin and Lulu, there was one thing I craved… So glad Carmelas was nearby and I was able to get my ice cream fix! I got myself some Earl Grey and Intelligentsia Espresso today. Thanks to my girlfriend Janet for coming along!

follow my daily adventures on instagram! @eileenliuphoto!

I am so excited we’ll be doing some traveling this year! Actually, I usually get homesick after the first week out of town, but still, this is exciting! If anyone is interested in a photo session while I’m in town, do let me know! : )

May 13-15th // Chicago, Illinois
May 16th // Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 17-29th // Kansas City, Missouri
June 15-22nd // New Orleans, Louisiana

Finally, our wedding photos! Can you believe it’s already been four months since Benny and I got married?! We still look at each other in amazement and talk about how we can’t believe that it REALLY happened! Yes, like everyone told us, the wedding day went by so quickly! Time flies when you’re having fun, right?! Thank you Shelley Paulson for capturing our day so beautifully so that we can relive it again and again. You’ve definitely blessed us with your amazing talent and a gift that will forever be cherished! And thank you Serena Grace for helping out! We had the best team…THANK YOU!!

Thank you so much to everyone who celebrated with us, in person or in spirit. We are so behind in our thank you cards, but know that we are SO blessed by each of you! Thank you for making it out, and for some of you for traveling miles and miles to be with us on our wedding day. Thank you for your generous gifts and blessings. But most of all, thank you for your friendship and your prayers during this season of our lives. God is so so good to us in giving us each one of you. Yay! Enjoy! : )

I loved these extensions! These lashes felt so natural and lasted all through my honeymoon! hehe, my dad’s so cute! And below, our wonderful bridal party, a.k.a our siblings! Love my sisters! Each one of them are sooo beautiful inside and out! All my brother-in-laws lookin’ good! my beautiful bouquet by the talented Fleuretica! Benny and I decided to have a mini gallery of things that were meaningful to our relationship. The bike and scooter of course (find out the story behind the bike and scooter here!), a lamp to symbolize God’s word leading us every step of the way in our relationship, and Benny’s car where we shared many deep conversations. and ohh, we had THE best choir EVER! Every single one of you guys are SO talented!! And here’s one of my favorite parts about our wedding…all my nieces and nephews! Aren’t they the cutest?! Thank you Ben, Eunice, and our wonderful team for leading us into a powerful time of worship! Instead of lighting a candle for our unity act, Benny and I wrote a song! Haha. A little behind-the-scenes secret…we started writing this song a few months before the wedding, but even up till the night before the wedding we didn’t have it finished! We stayed up late that night trying to write, but went to sleep thinking it wouldn’t happen. BUT! Benny surprised me the morning of our wedding with the finished song and taught it to me as we drove to the church! haha. We practiced a few times there and then tadaa! Phew, so glad we were able to sing it on our wedding day! : ) Of course, the UCLA fight song to start out our night!! and thennn…there was a surprise performance! and they got Benny to join in! haha Instead of cake, we catered from The Donut Snob! We LOVE donuts and even asked them to create a 11-inch donut for us! It was something they’ve never done before, but we were SO excited when they said they would give it a try! It turned out lovely..and so delicious! Our DJ Will led everyone into a night of dancing! Haha, Benny and I actually didn’t make our way to the dance floor until the VERY end, but we are so thankful Will stayed to play a few more songs for us! We appreciate that so much Will! : ) so fun seeing these dancing pictures!!

And here’s our same-day edit one more time! : )

And I know I say this so much, but we seriously worked with some of the most amazing people!! Just wanted to give a HUGE shout-out to them. THANK YOU for everything. We were so happy with everything you guys created!!

Day of Coordinator: Jessica Lin
Make-up and Hair: E2beauty
Florist: Fleuretica
Photographer: Shelley Paulson
Videographer: DChae
Photobooth: Mebo Photo
DJ: Will Tseng
Lighting: TMMPro
Donuts: The Donut Snob
Invitations and Logo: Amy Loh
Ceremony Location: Evangelical Formosan Church of Los Angeles
Reception Location: Universal Hilton

Yesterday at church we talked about the God of new beginnings. Oh how He loves to make all things new! I want a renewed desire for His word, a new desire for His presence. With everything going on, with LIFE going on, it’s so easy to run dry without even knowing it. I want to slow down in 2014 and remember that the ONLY source of life is in Him.

What do you need God to renew in 2014? Let’s make this year a year of new beginnings!