Jenn's Spot

As if I needed even more of a reason to play around taking pictures...our daisies started blooming this weekend. I LOVE daisies. They just make me happy. Their shining little faces, bright and clean, ready to soak up the sun. The first few blooms on our bush are always the nicest...before the bugs discover that they exist! I was playing around in Photoshop again (imagine that) and came up with this photo using a technique outlined in this book. I thought it turned out kinda nice. A little secret gardenish.

And it's a daisy....so it makes me happy.


peace

A lot has been happening in my photography world as of late. Our friends Shannon and Allen asked if I would be interested in being the photographer at their wedding in early July! I was honored and excited about the proposal, but have been nervous as heck preparing to make sure I shoot and preserve their memories in the best way possible. My friend Jenny and my cousin Amy, both talented and experienced photographers, have been great resources.

Having an occasion as important as someone's wedding helped me "justify" a couple of new purchases that I've been wanting to make. (I do love a good reason to internet shop!) A new lens and external flash will help me better capture the moment "in camera". A new memory card will give me plenty of room to shoot lots and lots of photos in the larger RAW format. And a new external hard drive insures I have plenty of memory with which to work! (A purchase we've been looking to make for several months being as ALL of …

This post marks the 200th rambling on this here blog! I can't believe that much time has passed since that January morning in 2005 when I took the leap and started this little spot. It's been kinda like raising a child. At first it was new and exciting, yet I was unsure of what to say. What was ok? What were thoughts better left unsaid? How should I "dress" my new baby? There was such a steep learning curve at first I was overwhelmed with possibilities.

Then I seemed to find a new comfort with my little spot and it was all happy and joyful...like those post baby, pre-adolescent years. Photos, musing, life was so happy. And in reflection, my life has been blessed with happiness. As I browsed back through the past 199 posts I've relived the excitement of so many of life's joys. Like announcing that I was pregnant with Brea, Lexi's first day of school, and many, many, many, many photos of our family adventures.

As with all undertakings and children, the…

that in 50 years, Scott and I are lucky enough to be the players in a similar scene. It gave me so much joy watching this couple from across the restaurant this evening. I just couldn't resist snapping a photo of them as they were sharing a sweet treat after their meal. (I'm so glad I always have a camera in my purse just for unexpected moments like this!)

Obviously so comfortable in each other's presence that few words needed to be spoken. Their gentle gestures towards one another said it all. A life full of love I believe they have lived.


peace

Sometimes it freaks me out how timely a fortune cookie's message can be. Yesterday I had a few hours of kid free time and decided to hit the local Thai restaurant for lunch. My fortune made me stop and take a deep breath.


How did that little cookie know I was on the cusp of starting a new adventure? Coincidence...or something more? Pondering.


peace

I've seen these "tags" played out on other people's blogs, but have never been tagged myself. As of today that has changed. A childhood friend, Krista, tagged me the other day. I think some of these have specific rules. This one seems to be pretty open to interpretation. From Krista's post I assume I should list 3 answers under each heading and tag 4 people. Here goes!

My joys:
*My family.
*Friendships that nurture the many parts of my being.
*Yoga & cycling.

My fears:
*Loosing a loved one.
*Dying while my girls are young.
*Settling for "less" because I didn't have the courage to take a risk.

My goals:
*To raise strong, confident, compassionate women.
*To position myself professionally in a way that will allow me to make a modest living, doing what I love, under my own terms.
*To promote goodness, love, compassion, and peace in the world around me.

My current obsessions/collections:
*RAGBRAI!!!
*Yoga, healthy, wellness, and how to create a place for myself…

Friday night we ventured out to the "Art Factory", where Lexi had been attending camp, to view the end of camp art show and performance. This was the first year Lexi has been able to attend this 2 week camp put on by the Grinnell Arts Council. She had a blast.

Every day she got to do painting,


and sculpture.


A small stage in the art barn is where the kids showed off their music and theater skills.


Art and friends. For Lexi, there couldn't be a more perfect combination.


It was a beautiful evening, so while I was keeping Brea occupied out on the lawn during some of the theater performances, I took the opportunity to make a little art myself. Too bad I only had my point and shoot along. Next time I'll know better!

Thank you to the many teachers and volunteers that put in offered their time, patience, and creativity! Lexi can't wait for camp next year.


peace

What was I thinking?

The scene:
Beautiful weather.Casual weekend without any plans.A burning desire to have a social gathering.
The planets align, so we throw together a last minute fiesta in the back yard. We invite a few close friends, give them assignments as what to bring for the fajita bar, ready the yard and house, and get cookin'. I LOVE to host gatherings at our house...especially backyard gatherings. Our house is small but our yard is big, shaded, relatively private, and has plenty of space and play options to occupy the kiddos. I'm in my prime all day doing this and that getting ready for the arrival of our guests. By 6:00 when guests are set to arrive I'm all fancied up, apron on, and ready for a fiesta!

We chat, we laugh, we eat, we drink. Kids play. It's perfect. Being as I've not eaten well all day because I've been running on the adrenaline of preparations, simply forgetting to sit down and put food in my belly, the margaritas start going to my …

I saw this posted on a friend's myspace page and thought I'd give it a shot. Basically you type in your full given name (maiden for married ladies) and you get this report. I know these things are totally coincidence for the most part...but it's kinda freaky how some of the numbers that show up in my profile are definitely numbers to which I am drawn....3, 7, 9. Weird regardless of how you look at it.

Give it a try yourself at: www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp
(I assume it's a "clean" sight. Didn't see anything that made me think otherwise!)
You entered: Jennifer Jean Reitz

There are 17 letters in your name.
Those 17 letters total to 90
There are 7 vowels and 10 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:
Welsh, English, Arthurian Legend:Female-Fair one. Variant of Guinevere. In Arthurian Mythology Guinevere was Arthur's queen.
Cornish Female Fair and yielding. Variant of Guinevere.
Celtic Female White wave.

Your number is: 9
The characte…

I've been waiting for this day for 3 weeks. (The earliest I could get in when I made the appointment!) As of 2:30, I have short hair once again! I'm so glad I went through with it, because even as of this morning I was having doubts. AND I'm so glad I finally wised up and waited to let Mary Beth at Expressions to do it. (Normally I decide I want my hair cut and go someplace that will do it NOW, resulting in a less than good hair cut which leads me to just let it grow out again. 3 weeks was a LONG wait for my normal spur of the moment hair decision personality.) It was obviously the right choice as this is possibly the BEST haircut I've ever had. (I tipped well!)


It feels awesome. Short, but long enough to feel feminine without much work. Plus...

it's still long enough to tuck behind my ears....

creating a look from the front NOT that much different than with it in a pony. But oh this is so much better! It's way cute from the back too...I just couldn't …

Summer has officially arrived! (Thanks to the farmer's market.)

This is quite possibly my favorite food sight ever...a big plate of beautiful fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, a grind of salt and pepper, splashes of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and some warm crusty bread. I picked these beautiful yellow tomatoes up at the farmers market yesterday and couldn't wait for lunch time to roll around today.

And yes...that is a beer in the back ground.

Life is good.


peace

Sometimes I wonder how 2 little girls, conceived by the same parents, grown in the same womb, and basically raised in the same environment, can be so different. Of course, they started out a bit on the opposite ends of the spectrum: 1 fall baby, 1 spring baby (exactly 6 months apart...okay 4 years, 6 months); 1 born during the evening hours, the other during the morning hours (almost exactly 12 hours apart); both with brown eyes and blonde hair, but 1 with straight hair, 1 with curly hair. Two little girls, 2 little individuals!

One example of their different personalities that makes Scott and I laugh:

Lexi's baby doll...
Fully clothed. Even when she was little she kept each doll painstakingly accessorized.

And then there's Brea's baby doll...
Naked as the day it was born (theoretically). Give her a doll, a Barbie, anything with clothes, and the first thing she does is strip them down to nothing but their birthday suits.

Too funny.


Lexi and I made our first visit to the pool o…

Two blogs?

What do I need with 2 blogs?

I know, it seems crazy. I mean, don't I have a hard enough time keeping one up to date at times?

A few months back I started a yoga blog. I wasn't sure what form it would take.
Strictly business?About my personal practice?A blend of the two extremes?Then I started thinking...if it's just about my personal practice, why can't I just write about it here? Why would I need a separate blog? Well after taking a break, I've fired up the Happy Daisy Yoga blog again. Here's my thinking...

This is my blog. The spot where I share all sorts of things. Personal thoughts. Family activities. Photography. All sorts of things. I could post every day, several times a day, about all sorts of topics if I just sat down and wrote. This blog has been a great therapeutic place. A place to proudly show off my family. An adventure that helps to feed my creative side and the need to create. A place I have come to develop and hone my writing st…

Why I find the business world so frustrating!

We're going on 8 weeks into the job search for Scott. It's not a walk in the park on many levels, but I find how the business world operates to be the most frustrating part of the whole ordeal!

In the 10 years since we graduated college I feel like the business world has become so impersonal, and it's never been more apparent to me than during this last year while we've gone through the job search process...twice. It's not a job for which businesses are looking for a good person, it's a position with which they fill with the most "qualified" candidate. It's not about people, it's about a system to keep things as efficient as possible. It's about doing more with less. It's about THE FUCKING BOTTOM LINE.

I'm finally over the fact that one will probably never receive any acknowledgment of one's existence from 90% of the places to which one applies. Gone are the days when you walk in wi…

Iowa has seen A LOT of rain over the past week. Our yard is a world of little mushroom villages everywhere you look. We've been lucky not to have any flooding here in our little town, though others in the state are dealing with water, water everywhere.

My flower beds are busting at the seems with foliage and soon to pop flowers. Unfortunately the weeds also like all this rain!

peace

A doe (a deer, a female deer...)

A chipmunk

A fox (this one was a real treat!)

A family of geese (those little babies are so fuzzy and cute)

I started training in a new set of gears. RAGBRAI this year is going to be hilly and I'm determined not to bitch about my lack of granny gears! You can catch a preview of this year's ride on Brian Duffy's blog. Sounds like a bit of a challenge...but manageable.


peace

The past 2 1/2 weeks are somewhat of a blur. A great trip to Ord, NE to hang with the Bengstons was followed by a very short, busy week back at home. Then it was off to Chicagoland for my conference. 3 days of yoga, good food, and great company and I return home just in time to spend a somewhat busy, but very enjoyable day with Scott celebrating our 13th year of marriage. Today I'm kinda crashing.

My body and my brain have had enough. They're ready for a rest. I'm still processing so much of what has occurred these past 2 weeks...especially the conference. It's like my brain is trying to figure out a filing system to get (and keep) all this new info in order while at the same time trying to put it to use. Not to mention learning new things always sparks the fire to explore MORE. Let's just say, I've got a busy little brain right now.

I hope to find the time and the words to share my experiences soon. Until then, enjoy this little peek at the pre-session goi…