Bayahibe, Dominican Republic

This past Monday, February 27, my hubby and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. While I can't believe it has been two years, I can say that they have been the best 2 years of my life. My husband is a man who truly understands me, loves me, and does everything possible to make me a happy woman. He fully lives by the motto, "Happy wife, happy life." He is more than I could have imagined or hoped for in a husband, and I couldn't be any happier than I am by his side (plus he lets me do all these fabulous things).

To celebrate, my hubby surprised me... we went for a long weekend to the Dominican Republic, where he is from. His aunt owns a place at a resort development, and she was kind enough to let us stay there for the weekend with some friends.  It was really wonderful, relaxing, and fun. I should probably just let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

Turtles in the hotel entrance. :)

Good times on the beach. 

Beautiful view from a catamaran off of Isla Saona. 

My friend Vero. :)

The cloudy skies cleared up once we rode off. 

My love and his best friend. 

Need I say more? 

All in all, a fabulous trip. Kind of wishing I was back there right about now...

XoXo,

Jen

Venturing out...

I'm sorry - I know I have been awful about posting. Things have been so busy (in a wonderfully amazingly good way!), that I feel like I haven't had a moment to breathe, much less update my blog. So my photography business is finally taking off, and I have been nonstop between work, photo sessions, and keeping my hubby full and happy. :)

I wanted to share with you today some of the best shots from my recent shoots. :)

Check out my Facebook Page, Photos by Jenise, for more photos!

xoxo, 

Jen

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our house to yours! 

I know it's a little early, but Bella and I were eager to share her Halloween pictures with you all! She's going to be a pretty bumblebee. We had a little photoshoot and I have to say she looks adorable. :) 

For your viewing pleasure... 

And that's a wrap, mom. 

Xoxo,

Jen

Here Comes Baby... (Not Mine!)

She really is glowing... I love how pretty pregnant women look. :)

So as I told you in a previous post, I am now building up my photography portfolio and my good friends Eric & Kathy allowed me to use them as my test subjects. We were together for a couple of hours and we had a really great time (even though we were almost eaten alive by mosquitoes).  I just wanted to share some of my favorite shots from that day. :) I hope you enjoy!!!

This is my FAVORITE shot of the day. I LOVE it!

Xoxo, 

Jen

Jack of all trades, Master of none?

So it seems as if every week I find something else I enjoy and at which I could become much greater. There are just so many things I enjoy. I have huge dreams. Some I might achieve, some might be a flailing attempt... But I have promised myself that even if it is flailing, I WILL make the attempt.

Teaching is my first love, and what puts the money in the bank account regularly (even if it isn't much). But on my list of things are to be a published author and to expand my photography portfolio. Writing has been a love of mine for a long time. I remember scribbling notes and poems on any scrap of paper I could ever find, and writing short stories on my parents' old desktop. That's where blogging came about. A place to express myself, to make my thoughts heard, and to hone my skills.  My hopes are that I can one day write a book and get it published (I've actually already written a children's alphabet book and illustrated it, but no publishing yet).

As for photography, I've always thought of it as "just a hobby." I've taken maternity photos for friends, or friends' children, photographed parties, and as always, at school. But it was never something I made money off of.   So imagine my surprise when a friend recommended me for a paying job this past weekend! It was an engagement party, and I absolutely LOVED it. The couple was great, as were their families! I was even booked for other jobs through this party! So I'm excited to have another creative outlet for myself, as well as to help document the fun and important times in people's lives!

I'm not trying to market myself here - I'm seriously just EXTREMELY excited about this new venture! The blog is also great at letting me hone some of my photography skills, so I have definitely been getting plenty of practice.

The whole point of this post is that I want to know how to do a lot of things... not just one. I want to look back at the end of my life and say, "I tried it all. I might not have been the absolute best, but at least I can say I tried."  I think that's the way we should all live... try everything you want to try, at least once! You never know what can come from it.

Anyway, here are a couple of shots to enjoy!

Lover's Locks on the Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Water flowing

Two of my favorite girls. :)

Spanish Food. Need I say more? 

Gaudi-inspired bull in Barcelona, Spain

Xoxo,

Jen

The Many Faces of Bella

Yes, I am doing it - I am totally posting about my dog. This past weekend, my dad was soooo wonderful and gifted me part of a new camera. (Thanks Daddy-O)  I, of course, had to play with it as much as possible before my upcoming trip - hence the reason why I took 600 photos in one weekend (Yes, really). Since I have no children, my dog is probably my best subject (my husband no longer poses for me unless it is a worthwhile shot - I must be that annoying, huh?). While being a paparazzi, I noticed that my dog has more expression in her teeny little face than most people can express with their entire 200-lb bodies. If you have a dog, I am sure you have noticed the many faces of your Fido, or Fifi, or Rocky... If so, I want to hear about them! So below are some pictures of Bella (who by the way just turned a year old in June, and who is looking for a man with whom to make some babies (;  ), along with what I think her thoughts must be when she makes these faces. :)

"Mom, I'm tired. Please, chill with the pics."

"I told you to leave me alone. Now take me to the dentist." (my poor baby has the cutest underbite)

 

"Look into my puppy dog eyes... keep staring, keep staring... "

"I'm pooped. No literally... right next to you."

"Wanna be my friend?"

"Wait... You're doing what?"

"Come play with me!"

"I'm thinking. About rolling in the grass and a pool full of dog treats."

"Please, dad... drop the big, juicy steak... right there."

"You people..."

"Seriously? Who tortures their kids like this?" 

Haha. Happy Thursday everyone... Enjoy your day!

XoXo, 

Jen

Fresh Start

Starting a blog is always sort of scary. What the heck do I write?
I've started them a few times and always end up deleting them because I don't think I have enough to say or enough that people will actually care to read.

What's different now? Well, I've been asking myself the same thing.
I'm just an ordinary young woman - a jack of all trades, master of none.  I was married almost a year ago (my anniversary is February 27th).

In the last year, I've learned a lot - about myself, about my husband, and about what I want my life to be like. I suppose this blog is an attempt to sort everything out and keep a kind of record of my attempts at lots of things. I suppose I will be posting about photography, cooking, baking, teaching, and travel, for the most part.  Basically, things that make me happy on a daily basis - hence the name, Everyday Delights.

I also have so many people who ask me for recipes and tips on different things... I figure this is an easier way to share than just e-mailing people one-by-one. I'm sure it will be slow going at first, but hopefully I can create some kind of a schedule for myself and update on a regular basis. I'll certainly try. :)

I hope you enjoy, feel free to comment, and let me know if there's anything I can do to improve the blog!

For today, I'll leave you with some of my favorite shots, taken by Yours Truly...

Our puppy Bella, a Lhasa Apso, at 5 months. 

A dock along the Mississippi

My handsome hubby. :)

Happy Reading...

Jen