Janie's Photography Blog

New Name, New Blog

 

I'm excited to announce my new blog and new name.

This will officially be my last post to this blog.

From now on, you can find me at: www.lifewritingphotography.com.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Janie Gonzalez Koike

(PS...while I am super excited about the new site, know that it is a work in progress, just like our lives).

Gasparilla Classic (Guest Photographer)

This is us right after the starting line.

Yesterday I completed my first race and had a lot of fun doing it!  It was part of my new year's goal to have a healthier mind, body and spirit in 2010.  What made it even better was getting to run with friends and knowing that others were there cheering us on (and had just run a much longer race right before us ... 15K for them, 5K for me).

Carter and Jeff ran the 15K, and Brittany, Will and I ran the 5K.  Jane, Byers and Kenzo were all there to cheer us on (and to take photos).  The weather was cold and rainy, but definitely still worth it.  

We had a great rest of the weekend hanging out with our fun Davidson friends!  A few more photos to come from the weekend.

(All photos, except for the last one, were taken by Kenzo).

Will getting ready to finish!

Me, in blue, crossing the finish line!  (The time says 42:27, but we started at 6 min, so I was happy with the 12 min mile pace).

Will, Brittany and me after the race.

Davidson runners of the day (green=5K; black = 15K) . . . that's a lot of miles!

Can you tell where we went to college?

Twelve Drummers Drumming: Kenzo

Finally, the 12th post of Christmas!  I meant to do it on January 6th, which is officially the 12th day of Christmas (Christmas Day being the first), but alas, I got busy.  Thanks to everyone who shared your precious stories.  I am excited to do more fun things like that in the year to come.

. . .

One activity that I really look forward to every year is making Christmas sugar cookies from scratch.  First you make the dough, then you cut out your own shapes and bake them.  Once they’ve cooled, you make the icing and decorate them yourself…yum. 

My family and I have been using the same recipe ever since I was a little boy.  We still use the same stained index card out of the old recipe box we've always had.  Making and eating the cookies is certainly a lot of fun, but probably what I enjoy the most is the people who make the cookies with me. 

When I was little, it was always with my grandmother.  She is the one who first taught me the recipe and showed me how to do all the different steps.  As I was growing up, it was a tradition that my sister and I did every Christmas. In high school, when my sister was away, I would make them with my mom.  Now that I am married and away from my family, I really enjoy making them with my wife, Janie.  I hope to keep the tradition alive and to some day pass it on to my children, and hope they enjoy making and eating cookies as much as I did, but most of all I hope they find good company amongst family and friends.

My favorite Christmas song is What Child is This.

Kenzo (my husband)

On turning 27.

Taken in Antigua, Guatemala last summer.

Last month I had a casserole exchange with three of my best friends.  We each made four servings of a casserole, got together for wine and dinner, exchanged the casseroles and came home with four different meals.  I was telling my 15 year-old cousin about it and I realized “you know you’re in your late twenties when you have casserole exchanges with your friends from high school.”  She would never think that was fun.  We loved it and hope to do it again sometime this month.  It was a revelation that I am getting older . . . but how could you resist the convenience of a delicious casserole prepared by a friend versus coming home and making something yourself? 

So, on turning 27.  It’s a milestone and feels different from other birthdays.  I know that I am still “young” but I am certainly growing up (although I hope to always keep my parents’ perspective that you don’t have to completely grow up).

Last semester, as some people know, I started a master’s program at USF.  That was a milestone too, and I’ll explain more about that in a minute.  For one of my classes I did a creative project.  It was a guide for college seniors on "Choosing a Career" (even though it won't seem like it, by clicking on the link it will download, it might just take a minute).   I emailed it to my college’s career center telling them that it would have helped me had I known this 5 years ago when I graduated.  It really doesn’t have any answers to the big task of choosing a specific career, but instead it seeks to help the reader understand our generation: the Millennials and how we relate to the work world.  We have big hopes and gigantic dreams and high expectations and sometimes that keeps us from moving forward in making decisions because we want to make the perfect one.

That was kind of my theme for the past few years of my life (and I have learned is normal for my generation at my age.  Which you will learn if you read my project).  My close friends know that I have kind of felt “wandering” in the realm of career paths.  My husband is going to be a doctor and known that since he was twenty-two.  While it is a long one, it is a pretty straight and narrow path.  I haven’t had such a straight path and have spent a lot of time wondering “what am I going to do?” 

One of my favorite movies from the past year was Julie & Julia.  I watched it for a second time with Kenzo on Sunday night.  I think that I loved it because I identified with both women.  They both were trying to discover themselves and their passions in the midst of being adult, married women.  When Julia moved to Paris for her husband’s job, she didn’t know what she was going to do.  She took a hat-making class and bridge lessons but nothing really clicked.  Until she started taking a cooking class . . . and that was it.  Julie turned 30 and her “friend” wrote an article about her titled “Is 30 the new 20?” and went on to write about how Julie had wanted to be a writer but was turning 30, still hadn’t “made it” and was now a government employee. 

 

Anyway, turning 27 is a milestone in that over the past year, I have made some steps forward in this winding path of passions, dreams and careers.  I am so very excited about my program at USF.  I love what I am learning and even more, love the idea that eventually (and it will take a little while) I will be a licensed counselor and able to help people who are struggling with anxious and depressing thoughts.  I think that is a passion found. 

 

Also, over the past year as I have shared my photography with you through this blog, I have learned a lot.  One, I like to write . . . and not just with words, I do really enjoy that, but with images too.  I feel like there are so many stories captured in the photos that I get to take and I am thoroughly enjoying broadening my horizons in this exciting adventurous field.  Two, I have learned that people love seeing beauty, in nature, in smiles, in love and that in sharing this, it brings me joy.  Three, I have learned that it is a passion worth pursuing into a career.  So thank you to the clients who have trusted your loved ones to be in front of my camera lens! 

 

So, 27 is a milestone on the road map of my life’s journey.  I am looking forward to another year of growth and health and telling more beautiful stories.

 

St. Pete Times

Hi guys . . . so this is kind of an exciting thing for me: I was in the St. Petersburg Times on New Year's Day in an article called "Creative people to watch . . ."  The article focused on several different people throughout the Tampa Bay Area who are doing a variety of creative things.  I feel honored to be among such interesting individuals and really excited that my photography is being noticed.  If you didn't read this blog, I would not have been chosen for the story . . . so thank you!  I put a photo below that is a little closer because you can probably make out the caption better.  The article is also on-line here with everyone's little blurps.  I'll paste mine below.

 

Janie Koike, the passionate photographer

CARROLLWOOD — As a student at Plant High School, Janie Koike loved to take pictures of her friends. At the prom. On camping trips. Movie night at her place. She has armloads of scrap books to prove it.

"I've always loved capturing those moments," said Koike, now 26.

In the years since, Koike has taken that love and developed it into a business with a focus on nature and the simpler things in life.

"Like a tree bark," she said. "If you look at that it's not very interesting, but if you take a picture, it just comes to life."

While she does photograph weddings and other special occasions, Koike's online blog is filled with candid pictures from a variety of natural settings. She often pairs the pictures with prose and music.

In an entry titled "How He Loves Us," Koike features pictures of swaying plants and trees. David Crowder's song of the same title plays in the background.

She recently snapped pictures of gentle waves rolling up on the sand at Long Boat Key. The grandmother of her husband, Kenzo Koike, had just died, and she wanted to reflect the mood.

"They were peaceful," said Koike, who works full time as a volunteer coordinator for the Red Cross Tampa Bay.

She uses emotion and color to create her own style. In a blog post about hope, she pairs vibrant pictures of purple, orange and pink flowers with lyrics to Christian singer Brandon Heath's songWait and See.

"It's a passion coming to life," she said, "and it's so fun."

Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writer

Photo by Edmund D. Fountain of the St. Pete Times

 

Eleven Pipers Piping: Janie

I love Christmas and have so many fun memories from over the years.  One funny one that I always remember is the year that my parents were replacing their dishes.  Santa brought the family a new set.  He wrapped each plate set individually and then, so that the kids would have more to open, addressed them to us kids.  The first two gifts that my brother Matt opened from Santa were sets of dishes.  He burst out crying as if he thought he was being punished.  We still laugh about that one today.

Me and my grandmothers: Abuela (Mary) and Grandmama (Jane) on Christmas day a few years ago.
 

For me, my favorite Christmas tradition has always and may always be our Noche Buena (translated to Good Night, but means Christmas Eve) Party.  My parents host all of the family and several friends, so both sets of grandparents, and both sides of cousins have always filled the house.  We eat traditional Cuban food consisting of delicious roast pork in mojo, black beans, rice, and yuka.  Having a house full of everyone brings about the feeling of love, family and togetherness.  It is one of my favorite nights of the year!

My new favorite Christmas song is You're Here by Franchesca Battistelli.  I heard it for the first time last year and fell in love with the lyrics.

Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don’t know what to say when I look in your eyes
You made the world before I was born
But here I am holding You in my arms tonight
Noel, Noel, Jesus our Emmanuel 

You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own, but You’re here 

I don’t know how long I’m gonna have You for
But I’ll be watching when You change the world
Look at Your hands, they’re still so small
Someday You’re gonna stretch them out and save us all
Noel, Noel, God with us Emmanuel 

You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own, but you’re here… you’re here 

~~~

Someday I’m gonna look back on this
The night that God became a baby boy
Someday You're gonna go home again,
But You'll leave your spirit and flood the world with joy 

You’ll be here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left me on my own, but you’re here…Alleluia, You’re here 

Ten Lords a-Leaping: Sara

In my career in Retail Real Estate, the reasons for the season can be slightly fogged due to Santa arriving at the mall mid-November, long hours, holiday décor being displayed for two months, customer complaints, long hours, tenant issues and did I say LONG HOURS! But there is nothing like getting off at 5:30pm Christmas Eve and looking so forward to the next 24 hours of family, friends, food, laughs, love and joy.

I am blessed to have a large family and close knit group of friends right here in Tampa where I live. Family gathers together to eat, drink and be merry and my best friends either travel home from fabulous places like New York and Washington DC or just hop in their cars and drive over from a few blocks away. During these gatherings, some of my favorite moments are quick one-on-one giggles or hugs I have with these individuals in my life who have shaped and molded my heart.

Just the other day, in a joking manner, I referred to one of my favorite verses in the bible to my friend Stacey when we were discussing Christmas party options. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there with them.” During Christmas time, I feel the love for Christ that I share with my family and friends stronger than ever. It lights up our hearts.

Not only is Christmas a time to be with the ones we love, but it is also a time to remember those who are not with us. Almost 3 years ago, I lost my Aunt Lisa to cancer. Lisa shared her birthday with the birth of our Lord, December 25^th. For me she was a true guiding light. Her playful nature, guidance as a Christian woman and sense of humor is something that can never be replaced. She had the voice of an angel and used it to praise our Lord and Savior. Every year we would have all the fun, festive holiday desserts, as well as a birthday cake. Happy Happy Birthday Aunt Lisa, I hope that you and Jesus have a big slice of birthday cake in heaven together each year.

Sara Shipherd (a dear friend since kindergarten)

Eight Maids a Milking: Jessica

Jess, who you might remember from posts with her adorable family, did not send a photo.  So, I took the liberty of choosing one from the New Year's Eve party where she started dating her now-husband, Todd (on the left).  Dave (on the right) and Todd lived together in the floor above Jess and me for about a year.  We had a blast!

When I think of Christmas - the best, most solemn, and happiest sort of Christmas moments - ironically, I think of a place where I never spent Christmas. Living in North Carolina, snow (and even cold!) are rarities on Christmas. But in Grove City, Pennsylvania, where I attended college, you can see the snow by lamplight almost any winter night. You wear your scarf not for fashion but for warmth. Boots get snow caked in them, and - the Thursday night before Christmas vacation - you cram into pews with your best friends holding melting candles for the Candlelight service. It ends with a Christmas poem that is a compilation of verses from the Gospel of John about Christ, and then “Silent Night,” of course.  Nothing ever put me in the “Christmas spirit” more than that special service. I think it was the poem that really captures the meaning of Christmas. I do remember parts of it…the verses from John, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life…”

 

My favorite new Christmas song is Andrew Peterson’s “Labor of Love.” It made me cry the first time I heard it last year. I was pregnant and the song grippingly made me realize the reality of the incarnation, and how difficult that holy night was for Mary. Here are a few of the words:

It was not a silent night

There was blood on the ground

You could hear a woman cry

In the alleyways that night

On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean

And the cobblestones were cold

And little Mary full of grace

With the tears upon her face

Had no mother's hand to hold…

 

I have a feeling my favorite Christmas photos will be taken in a few weeks with my new family…especially our beautiful little boy! Don’t have any yet though!

Jessica Hawk Smartt (friend, post-college roommate)

 

Seven Swans a-Swimming: Laura

  
One of the most joyous sounds of my Christmases past was the sound of Caitlin as a youngster gasping at beautiful Christmas light displays.  She would “ooohh” and “awwww” in delight as if a gift had just been given to her senses.  Which it had.
 
I had the privilege of being in New York City at Christmas time one year with Mom and Caitlin.  The Tavern on the Green in Central Park was one of Mom’s favorite spots in New York. (It’s now closing down)  It was perfect at Christmas with its thousands of lights on the trees and sculpted plants and its chandeliers inside the restaurant.  Those are sights of Christmas that come to mind.
 
Our extended family Christmases have always been full of the sweet sound of loving laughter and delight.  That is Christmas to me.

Laura Whiteside (my aunt)

the aforementioned extended family

Left to Right: Joseph, Carolyn, Joe, Laura, Jane, John, Ruia, Matt

Laura with great-niece, Haley.

 
 
 

Six Geese a Laying: Mike

Tim, Rob, Steve, Mike and Tristan

Christmas to me is about the combination of tradition and surprise.  We know Christmas is about certain decorations, songs, food, and people, yet year after year we are surprised by a gift, a card, a new dish, a new experience, a new person, or a new perspective in our lives.  I see the same dynamic in the religious significance of Christmas, for Jesus' birth is the surprise event which sits between the Old and New in the Bible.  He is born into the traditions of the Jewish religion yet he calls the world to see God in a new way through himself.
 
Favorite song: Christmas Time Is Here.

Mike Dausch (friend from Davidson College)

Five Golden Rings: Jane

The Whiteside Family at Joe and Ruia's Wedding, December 30th, 1977.

A Christmas Memory that you can relate to is the Christmas Morning when there was  knocking at the door and who should appear but Joe and Ruia [my parents] who were supposed to be in Washington D.C. where Joe was going to graduate law school.  They had driven day and night to make it home for Christmas.  They were so  young and beautiful just as you and Kenzo are now.  Enjoy it, darling Janie, the years go so fast.

My favorite carol now and always is "Silent Night," but I love them all, and new ones like "the Little Drummer Boy" are wonderful.

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

Jane Whiteside (my grandmama, of course I had to give you the 5 Golden Rings for your five children!)

Grandmama, surrounded by family on Noche Buena as we gave her the following photo of all of her grandkids, including a great grandchild and two grand-son-in-laws:

 

Looking at the camera:

  

Jane Whiteside as a baby
 

Jane and Hue as young parents.  Aunt Carolyn on Hue's back.

Jane with her four oldest (left to right):  Bill, Carolyn, Laura and Ruia

Christmas . . . Carolyn, Ruia and Bill with their dad.

Her legacy:

Two Turtle Doves: Alison

Christmas traditions new and old . . . . 

My family instilled in me a deep appreciation for holiday traditions. For as long as I can remember my two brothers and I would all bring sleeping bags into one room on Christmas eve.  Dad would read 'T'was the Night Before Christmas,' and we would fall asleep together in the same room with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.  This tradition continued until I got married two years ago.   Traditions provide stability to the hectic holiday season, they instill family meaning and closeness as we gather together in a common tradition, and they create loving anticipation of what the holidays mean for our family.

When I got married, I realized that my husband and I get to establish new family traditions of our own- some stemming from his family, some from mine, and some we create on our own. One new tradition we started when we were dating was to discipline ourselves to wait to have our beloved "red-cup drinks" at Starbucks until the day we got our Christmas tree. We choose a night in December to have a special date night. We dress up in green and red, head to Home Depot to pick out our Christmas tree, then stop by Starbucks to pick up a "red-cup" drink (he loves the Eggnog Latte, and I love the Peppermint mocha) then bring home our tree to decorate that night. The fabulous smells of fresh tree needles, the warm drinks in our hands and the shared experience of picking out a tree together have allowed us to set aside a night to celebrate the beginning of a fun holiday season!

Below is a picture of me holding our red cups, with the tree attached to our car! Love this fun holiday tradition!

Alison Wheeler Dunagan (college friend, roommate and one of my maid's of honor)

 

 

A Partridge in a Pear Tree: Samantha

Photo taken by Craig Grasso (Sam's dad).   top Nate (Sam's husband), Sam, Clayton (Sam's brother), Jodi (Sam's stepmom)
bottom...Arianna, Sable, Eden (Sam's sisters)

I loooove Christmas! Everything about it. The songs, the smells, the decorations, the break from work, and most importantly, thinking about my God as an infant!  That's so magical!  Christmas smells like pine trees, scotch tape, and crisp air.  I love the idea of passing down traditions and decorations.  For me, I've never had a white Christmas since I've been in Florida or San Fransisco for every single one.  We've started an ice skating tradition with my little sisters to get a little bit of a feel for what it's like!  Our other traditions are playing games, drinking eggnog, and we always do a shot of liquor Christmas morning.....weird and old tradition in our family.  It's not one that ANY of us enjoy. 

Christmas is taking a break from what you think is important, and focusing on what really is important...God and family.

Samantha Lewis (friend since 8th grade)

the 12 posts of Christmas

 

On Sunday my mom and I went to the Bucs game, which many people know, was not such a hot showing for our boys.  However, it was quality time for me to talk with my mother and spend some time together before I head out of town for Christmas and New Years.  Something she said has stuck with me: 

"Be a blessing.  Be a blessing to everyone you encounter and to everyone you are around."

At this time of year, so many people begin to count their blessings.  I think my blessings come in the many different shapes and sizes of special people in my life.  I truly am blessed to have a large number of friends and family that I love, that I feel close to and connected with, and that I turn to, anytime, for all different kinds of reasons.

I asked some of these people to share their stories of favorite Christmas memories, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, traditions and meanings with me.  I have really enjoyed getting to read their various responses.  Over the next few days I will be sharing their stories with you as we count down the days until Jesus' Birthday.  One thing I learned in church last week is that the 12 days of Christmas actually start on Christmas Day and go to January 6th.  The days leading up to Christmas are Advent.  My 12-posts-of-Christmas will be around Christmas-time and not so concerned with hitting the nail on the head.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

How He Loves Us

I love how music can touch something deep within you, without you even knowing that it need to be touched, or that it was even there.  Some songs are composed in a way that the lyrics and music together simply speak to you, your soul, your current situation, or just an emotion inside of you.  For me, David Crowder's new song, "How He Loves Us" has been doing that over the past couple of weeks and especially this weekend.

On Saturday I felt like I watched from my living room as this song was played out in front of me.  The weather was cold, rainy and windy.  The grey skies cast a somber mood over the lake.  But the wind and the rain made the trees and the plants look as if they were dancing.  As I looked out the window the lyrics that have been going through my head for days came to life.  I threw on a sweatshirt, grabbed my camera and went out to get swept away in the dance.

Like all of the songs I post, you need QuickTime to be able to play it.

He is jealous for me.

Loves like a hurricane,

I am a tree.

Bending beneath the weight of his wind

and mercy . . .

. . .When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory . . .

. . . and I realize just how beautiful you are . . .

. . . and how great your affections are for me.

Oh.  How he loves us, oh . . .

. . . oh, how he loves us.  How he loves us, oh."

 

On a different note, while I was researching the song a little bit this past weekend, I came upon the "Official Music Video" and I thought that it had to be a joke.  I had never seen what David Crowder looked like and I don't know what I expected, but it just took me by surprise.

The Birthday Boy

Kenzo will laugh when he sees that I posted this photo.  We were in Guatemala, sitting in a stair-well, waiting for a rainstorm to pass and I snapped it.  He wanted me to erase it.  "Heck no, this is your model photo!" was my response. 

Today he turned the big 2-6.  We celebrated with a sushi date last night and a late night, post-class, slice of pumpkin cake tonight.

Happy Birthday Babe!  

I love you.

Pumpkin Carving

Pizza, pumpkin & blueberry flavored beer and a little pumpkin carving was the perfect way to get in the Halloween mood.  Kenzo's over ambitious Davidson Wildcat turned out to be just the outline when the whole face fell into the middle.  Kendall's bird and John's USF Bull rocked the house.  Brian and I played it safe with a typical Halloween skull and a jack-o-lantern.  And Thea did a great job with her second attempt at a "V".

Happy Halloween!

Global Fast (Guest Photographers/Videographers)

 I did not take any of the photos in this post.  They're all being used with permission from Generosity Water. 

This past spring and summer I participated in Global Fast with a group of 25 friends.  We knew that there was a water crisis on our planet . . . that there are 1 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean water . . . and we wanted to do something to change that.  So, we each fasted one meal a week for a few months and donated the money we would have spent on that meal to "our water project."  By the end of a few months, we raised enough money to fund a well for a the small village of Xulu, Uganda.  

Our goal was to get kids like these to stop having to drink water like this . . .

. . . and instead, have access to water like this . . .

. . . so that young women would not have to miss school to walk four hours each way to a "water hole" like this . . .

. . . but instead, in their own community, could drink water like this . . .

 . . . and with a small personal sacrifice, we did it.  The well we built will serve 500 people in Xulu, for at least 20 years.

Global Fast partners with Generosity Water to build these wells.  You can learn a lot more about it by actually visiting each of their websites.  But, one thing that I will say, is that both do a great job of keeping you up to date with the change that you're making.  They even invited some of our teammates to go to Uganda in October and visit Xulu.  Unfortunately, I will not be able to go, but Michael Muniz, (our team leader and the guy in the video below) is going to represent our team.  Needless to say, I cannot wait to see the photos!!

This fall Global Fast has an even bigger vision.  We want 250 people to give $10/meal for 12 weeks.  If we achieve this goal, we will collectively raise $30,000 and with that we can build 10 wells that will give clean water to over 4,000 people.  I am helping by building a team of 25 people (or couples).  Our current team consists of Walker, Jeff, the Cone's, the Beaudry's, the Morrell's and the Koike's.  We started fasting this past Wednesday and will be going until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  We're looking for about 19 other people (or couples) to join us in the fast.  Will you consider doing so?  It's a small sacrifice of 12 meals out of your life that can change the lives of an entire community.

To join our team:

• Go to http://globalfast.org
• Click on "Fall Campaign, Join Now".
• Click "add to cart".
• Enter your information.
• In the "How did you hear about us?" field, put Janie which will let them know you're on this team.
  

We would love to have you be a part of this life-changing endeavor!  If you have any questions, feel free to email me.  

Together we're replacing this contaminated drinking water with clean, potable water.

prints, prints, prints . . .

I am super excited because a batch of prints I ordered just came in and they look great!  They're all ready to be sold at Dasilva's Coffee in Lithia.  I need to place another order for the shop and will be doing so on Monday night.  Since some people have asked if they could purchase prints, I thought that this would be the perfect time to give YOU the opportunity to order some as well.  You might ask yourself, "Why do I have to order them instead of just printing them off of the site?"  Well, one, that's stealing, but two, I have to shrink them down to a small size (i.e. poor quality) to be able to fit them onto the blog, so they will not print out well (trust us, my mom tried on photos of my brother and the quality was horrible).  

So, here is how it is going to work.  You tell me what photo(s) you would like to order and in what size, I order a large batch (on Monday), you mail me a check for the photo(s) you purchased, I get them all back and mail you your photo(s).

Pricing Guide (these are special prices for you, they're more than 2.5 times this at the coffee shop & this includes the price for shipping from me to you):

5x7: $10

8x10: $15

10x15: $25

 (Note: I ordered the first photo from "People of Guatemala" in this size and it looked amazing!)

Specialty sizes: price varies

How to place your order:

• Look through the blog and decide what photo(s) you would like to order
• Email me at jakoike@gmail.com and include this info:  

1. Your Name, Phone Number and Mailing Address
2. Name of the post for the photo that you like and number of the photo on that post (for example, "Colors of Guatemala", #4, would be the cat photo, since it is the 4th photo down).
3. Size of photo you're purchasing (5x7, 8x10, etc).
4. Repeat 4-5 for each photo you'd like.

• I will respond to you before I order to confirm that we've got the right one.
• Please have your email in to me by Monday at 6pm.  I will be placing the order around 8pm and want to be sure that I have had a chance to confirm with you.
• PS...do not feel any obligation to order, I just wanted to give you an opportunity since I will be doing so.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

PS...the shot is from a coffee plantation in Guatemala, those are the unripe coffee beans.  More photos to come.

Hope

"There is hope, for me yet,

because God, won't forget

All the plans, he made for me

I have to wait and see . . .

He's not finished with me yet. 

He's not finished with me yet."

-Brandon Heath

I don't always listen to Christian music because unfortunately so much of it is so cheesy.  However, there are times, when I just need a little encouragement or peace, and that's when I change the station to 91.5, theJoyFM, which actually plays some great Christian songs.  Anyway, last Friday as I was driving to USF to take the GRE (basically the equivalent to the SAT but for grad-school admission) I started to get a little nervous.  I guess I was nervous about the test, but also and probably more I was nervous about the future.   Is going back to school a smart plan for Kenzo and me financially?  Will I have time to get the degree before Kenzo completes medical school and we might have to move?  After getting the degree I will still need to complete 1500 hours of "observed" counseling before being able to actually be licensed (not to mention passing the licensing exam).  Is it worth it?  And what about kids and a family?  Will I be able to handle it all?  Needless to say, this was not the time for such questions to be running through my head.  I needed it to be clear and ready to compute basic math functions and do antonyms and analogys.  Thankfully my friend Sara happened to call me and took my mind off of the test a little bit.  When we got off the phone I turned on the radio and the lyrics above, that come from Brandon Heath's "Wait and See," happened to be playing.  It was perfect timing.  I heard God's promise that while I might not know all of the answers, there is a plan for me, He has given me hope and a future, no matter what that looks like. 

As if those words and that encouragement was not enough, this past week at work, a former colleague emailed me a short paragraph that just touched me right where I was.  I have a lot of friends my age who cannot figure out "what I am supposed to do with my life."  I've also talked recently to at least one friend or family member of varying ages, who has been affected by this recession, or whose family is going through a hard time, or who is battling an eating disorder, or who is in counseling after being raped, or who is struggling with a physical illness or depression . . . and while a few words cannot make it all better, I hope the lyrics above and the words below will bring you a sense of hope for where you are and where you're headed. 

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love."

-Unknown

 

3 years.

photo taken by Dorsett Clark

3 years.  It was three years ago today, that Kenzo and I stood at the front of a crowded church and promised to love one another for the rest of our lives.  Three years ago today that we danced to Stand By Me and continued to dance the rest of the night as we celebrated our love with our loved ones.  It was three years ago today that I got to wear my beautiful wedding dress, that my dad walked me down the aisle, that the doors opened and at the end, I saw my cute, nervous husband.  It was three years ago today that I became a wife and Kenzo became a husband.

I can't believe how fast it has flown by, and at the same time, when I look back, I realize that a lot has happened in these three short years.  We've laughed a ton; I've cried . . . a lot; he's cried. . .once; we've each started a new job; we both lost a beloved grandparent; we bought our first home; he started medical school; we've traveled with friends, with family and with just ourselves; we've lost contact with good friends; we've reconnected with others; we've met new friends; we've learned how to annoy the hell out of one another; we've cooked; we've developed new passions; we've accumulated the perfect collection of beach gear; we've made dreams; we've found favorite restaurants; we've encouraged one another; we've argued; we've prayed; we've celebrated; we've learned and we've loved.

Here's to 3 times 33 more years of happy marriage.

I love you Kenzo.  Happy Anniversary!

photo taken by Sharon Clark

photo taken by Dorsett Clark

Melbourne Margaritaville

Went to the beach this past weekend with my girl friends.  Awesomeness took place.

I didn't take too many photos, but I promise there are a few more to come. 

Hanging out with Riley

I like this photo of Riley "smiling".  Also, I don't know where this fossil-like turtle shell came from, but he definitely had a fun time investigating it.

Jocelyn graduates from University of Florida today, which also happens to be her 22nd birthday.  CONGRATS & Happy Birthday!  Since Jeff and Jocelyn are both in Gainesville to celebrate, Kenzo and I have been dog-sitting their baby, Riley.  While his first 24 hours with us consisted of him moping around and literally sitting at the door waiting for their return, I think he's warmed up to us a lot.  Yesterday he played in the lake while I sat and studied GRE vocab words.  He LOVED it!  It was the first time since his mom and dad left that I saw him being puppy-playful!  I grabbed my camera and caught a couple of fun ones.  Last night he kept fetching a tennis ball from us while we watched a movie and this morning he even jumped up on the bed.  I know we'll lose his affection as soon as Jeff and Jocelyn get back, but it's been fun while it lasted.  

Reflections

It isn't easy coming back to reality after an amazingly adventurous vacation in a beautiful country.  This week I feel like I wasn't as motivated to get 800 things done at a time.  Hence, I didn't post any more photos to the blog, only "worked out" once (a walk and doubles tennis with neighbors, definitely didn't work off all that I accumulated indulging myself in delicious food in Guatemala), haven't responded to the majority of personal email/facebook messages, etc.  I just couldn't bring myself to get on the computer after spending all day at work sitting at my desk.  I asked my friend, whose job is to seek sponsorships for the local chamber, if she would seek someone who would sponsor me to travel the world.  She said she'd work on it, but didn't sound too hopeful.  Besides not wanting to sit at the computer after work, Wednesday night we had a fun dinner party with Jeff Kuykendall (who was in town taking the FL bar), Jacki Waring (in town visiting fam), my mom, and Jeff and Jocelyn (my brother and his girlfriend who just moved into our condo complex, SO FUN!  They're currently out on our boat with their cute "puppy Rielly."  Them moving into the neighborhood makes three cousins, one brother and an aunt who live here. Yay!)

Anyway, this weekend I will be spending most of my time enjoying my hubby, since he'll be starting his second year of medical school on Monday and we all know that means I won't really get much time with him.  Over the next couple of weeks I will be studying for the GRE (NOT FUN) and don't know how much time I will have to post.  But man, I have SO SO SO many photos from our adventures in Guatemala.  So, I will have to find some time to blog, it's an outlet for me that I thoroughly enjoy . . . I'm just trying to practically balance "life" right now and I guess what I am trying to say is, I don't know when these photos will get up. 

It's kind of crazy thinking that a week ago today Kenzo and I woke up in the jungle in Guatemala.  A week and three planes later, we're back to "normal" life in Florida.  Are you ever amazed at how accessible our world is to us?  While walking around in the Guatemalan jungle on Thursday afternoon, we watched a group of 12 spider monkeys playing for almost an hour until they got upset with us (maybe we outstayed our welcome?) and started beating their chest and throwing sticks at Kenzo.  It was kind of funny and kind of intimidating.  I think it is incredible how easily we are able to travel.  And "we" doesn't mean everyone.  Maybe just Americans?  Probably Europeans and others too, right?  We were talking to our waiter, Mariano, at our hotel at Lake Atitlan.  He is from the small village of Tzunana located right below the hotel and has hopes of one day traveling to the USA but up to now he has not been able to acquire a VISA.  The owners of the hotel are a Belgian-Paraguayan couple who met while both working for the UN.  The wife, although born in the US when her father was a diplomat, has not been able to secure a VISA since 9-11, mainly because she is from a Latin American country.  Talking to a few people who really want to visit our country but simply are not able to, made me even more appreciative of the opportunity that we have to see the world (as well as even more overwhelmed at the huge global issues our world has that I don't know the answers to).  Guatemala was definitely a beautiful part of this world to see!  

Last Saturday, during our long day of travel, Kenzo and I were talking about how amazing our trip was because of all of the different things we saw and did.  We started off hiking on a volcano, which alone took us through four different ecosystems.  We then spent a couple of days in the busy city of Xela.  One of the best parts of our hike and time in Xela was getting to be with our friend Duni :)!  We moved on to Lake Atitlan where we visited several different small cities that circled the lake.  We spent some time walking the streets of Antigua and visiting the ruins of Cathedrals and Monasteries that were destroyed by earthquakes in the 1700s.  We took a tour of a Coffee Plantation and got to walk through the rows of trees as we heard about the process of making that delicious beverage I enjoy almost every morning.  We hiked an active volcano, Pacaya, and literally got to watch as the extremely hot lava flowed down beside us (not to mention that we did this around sunset so had a beautiful view of another volcano with the sunset behind it the whole time).  We spent a day exploring Mayan Ruins in the Guatemalan Jungle at Tikal and here got to watch the aforementioned spider monkeys, heard the intimidating screams of Howler Monkeys and saw several toucans.  We spent our last day playing on the hot and humid island of Flores that kind of reminded me of a smaller Bohemian Island.  We jumped in the lake because we were so hot and then spent the evening sampling Pina Coladas and appetizers at several of it's lake-side bars.  We truly did have a blast and a wonderful adventure.  Surprisingly, at least to me, we were both excited and ready to return to our home.  To hot showers, fruit, safe water, milk, air condition and people we know and love.  Anyway, those are just some of todays "reflections" of our trip.  The photo at the top of this post was taken on the dock of our hotel at Lake Atitlan.  You can see the beautiful view through Kenzo's glasses of what we got to see everyday.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! 

(Obviously I did not take the photos below.  Also, just FYI, besides photos that I am in, and obviously did not take, if I post someone else's photo, I will always tell you.  And typically they'll be a smaller size then the photos I took.  Just so you know that the photos I am sharing are my photos.)

For all of you who I have told we were close to flowing lava . . . this is it.  We were REALLY close.  It was SO hot.  I'll post more from Pacaya, but wanted to show you I wasn't lying.  That was really cool!

Fun with Duni.  He took this photo and looks like a giant in it. So naturally we laughed a lot.  Dune, THANK YOU for being in Xela with Kenzo and for staying around long enough for me to see you.  We've quoted you many times since your phone call to your senora, "Mama, es Daniel.  Estoy en el parque central . . ."

Random Happenings from My Day

I am currently working on the second "Revisiting" post, but thought that in the meantime you could enjoy some of what my day looked like.  Above is a shot of downtown Tampa taken from the Vaughn Center at the University of Tampa.  We were there for the American Red Cross' Annual Meeting.  

My grandmother graciously invited me over for dinner tonight.  My Aunt Laura and Uncle Bill joined as well.  It was a treat and in perfect timing since I haven't been to the grocery store in over 2 weeks now and didn't really want to have to go.  Anyway, after dinner Sparta started messing with Happy's leash and we all got a kick out of it.  I video-taped it to show my brother and Kenzo, but thought it would be funny to share here.

I do not know how to insert the controls for the video, so you'll just have to double click on it to make it play.

Goodbye Sunrise

I took Kenzo to the airport very early this morning.  He's headed to Guatemala for a month to participate in a Spanish immersion program in Quetzaltenango.  He'll be living with a Guatemalan family and having one-on-one Spanish lessons five hours a day.  I am very excited for him and if I'm completely honest, a little jealous.  This trip is going to be one of those amazing, self-stretching, eye-opening experiences that you never forget.  I'm thankful that I'm his girl and will get to see the changes (hopefully including more fluency in Spanish) in him when he returns.  Kenzo took the SLR camera; which was hard to let go of for a whole month, but we thought he might have more interesting things to see there then I have here.  When I got home from dropping him off, I saw this beautiful scene and already missed the camera.  But the little point-and-shoot did a descent job at 5:45am capturing this "goodbye sunrise".  I will definitely be keeping up with the blog over the next four weeks.  I have a lot of "old" images that I haven't had the chance to share yet and still owe you the "Uptown Girls" photo shoot from last weekend.  That'll be up by tomorrow evening.  For now, enjoy and have a wonderful Sunday afternoon.  :)

Sunsets with Keeley

Sunset at Pass-a-Grille in St. Petersburg.  I loved how the little girl was waving bye to the sun. 

(PS...this was shot with my canon powershot, point and shoot camera.  Sometimes you just have to take it off of automatic and play around with the manual settings)

Sunset over our lake in North Tampa.  Stunning.

Last weekend came and went way too quickly!  This is all because my best friend, Keeley, flew down from St. Louis for a much-needed impromptu visit.  She was only here two nights, and I don't know if we realized it at the time, but both nights we were blessed with beautiful sunsets.  The first one was enjoyed while sipping margaritas, talking and walking along the beach at pass-a-grille.  The second one was enjoyed on a sunset cruise on our lake, still sipping margaritas, but this time we were intensely jamming out to Lady Gaga.  We really had an amazing weekend of catching up.  There were much-needed deep, soul-pouring conversations intermixed with intense dancing sessions in the car (we named "club camry") or conversations that started with her calling me a mean name and then us proceeding to discuss how we've changed since college (admitting that we both cuss more than we used to).  Keeley, I miss you so much already.  Thanks for visiting me.  I cannot wait to do it again . . . soon ;)  

Shots from our sunset cruise.  Thank you Kenzo for being our captain and our dance photographer . . .

There's something about Davidson

There really is something about this place, especially in the spring.   Spring on Davidson College Campus is incredible, there's this magical feeling that I don't know how to describe.  The weather seems to draw students, faculty and community members out from indoors and while I know the students have a whole lot on their minds, they seem to be more carefree and relaxed...or at least more willing to put off studying for a couple of hours and layout on Chambers lawn, or take a jog on the cross country trails, or head over to the lake campus.  Kenzo and I were thrilled to be able to visit Davidson at the end of our trip.  We both really loved our experience at Davidson and have many sweet memories of the time we spent there in our formative college years.  I thought that I would use these photos to tell you "What I love about Davidson College" (I must warn you that this list is definitely not exhaustive).  In no specific order, here we go . . .

I love seeing students playing ultimate frisbee or football out on Chambers lawn.

I love Thursday Night Worship (above, photo taken by Kenzo) held at Davidson College Presbyterian Church (below).

I love heading out to our Lake Campus and laying out on the peninsula...and while you cannot see it here, I love stopping for snow ice at the hut on 115 on the drive home.

I love Summit Coffee, especially the Chai Latte or Frappe.  I also love Main Street in general and the fact that you always run into people you know when you're hanging out there (even after being gone for two years, we ran into 3 or 4 people we knew and even some we did not know, including Stephen Curry and the rest of the Davidson Basketball team.)

Above is Chambers, our academics building where we took the majority of our classes.  I know this is crazy, but I love Davidson Academics.  The professors are inspiring and personal (my advisor even came to my wedding in Tampa the weekend before Fall Classes started).  Our classes are challenging and formative.  And while I spent my entire senior year toiling over my senior honors thesis, it was probably one of my favorite things I did in all of my time at Davidson.  It required me to dig deep and try to touch and understand the lives and experiences of the people I wrote about and I will never forget some of the things that I learned.  I titled it, Life Writing, Representacion y la Experiencia del Inmigrante...(I was a Spanish major).

I love the spring flowers that bloom everywhere and the fact that this particular place, right behind the Chemistry building, near Jackson Court, will forever be (to me) "Keeley's  perfect make-out spot."

I love my husband, Kenzo, who I met at Davidson College and I love his love for our alma mater.

I love the quirky, weird students.  I took this photo for all of my Davidson friends who haven't been to campus in awhile.  This "Free Speech Board" is now located in the Union and it is always entertaining to read.  The weekend we were there happened to be Decision Davidson, so I guess they were saying "What one piece of advice would you offer to incoming students?" for the Decision Davidson kids to read.  It's funny that I remember this, but when I was a senior in high school and visiting during Decision Davidson, I stayed in Belk Dorm and met Mike, Tim and Tristan  (who later became some of my favorite Davidson friends).  I still remember their advice...it was something like "Bring something, anything, that will enable you to get off campus.  A car, bike, skate board, whatever.  You have to be able to escape."  Haha, I'm glad they didn't scare me from coming ;) but they were right.  Sometimes you just have to get off campus.

I loved my senior year, living in F (above) with my best friends!  Something like 90% of Davidson students live on campus all four years and the first three are usually spent in dorms.  Moving into the senior apartments, where you actually have a kitchen and living room to share with your roommates, makes the year a ton of fun.  You could often find some impromptu wiffle ball games going on in our front yard or a volleyball or basketball game going on in the back.

I love the honor code that we all were bound to.  In summary, it states that we will not lie, cheat or steal during our time at Davidson.  This allowed for us to have certain advantages like "self-scheduled exams" and the community bike system from the photo above.  You can literally take it, ride it to anywhere on campus and just leave it.  The Honor Code makes Davidson and incredibly unique place.  My freshman year I left my laptop in a carrel at the library for two weeks straight and it was never touched, amazing, huh?

The photo above is for my husband who came to Davidson to play soccer.  I loved Davidson athletics, even before our basketball team was big time.  There was nothing better than watching a baseball game (go Michael) or tennis match (yeah Fillnows) in the beautiful spring weather or supporting Trisha's swimming team, Jess' in field hockey, or catching a football game. 

I love the cross country trails.  While I was never a great runner, I always loved getting away for an hour and walking or jogging the trails, both alone or with a friend.  There is this part of the trails (I really hope that it is still there) that is covered in kudzu and it always made me think of the secret garden.  I didn't really have time to jog them during our trip, but snuck away long enough to walk the short route from the back of F to the back of Belk.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...

I love the people that I met during my four years as a Davidson Student and two more years working in the area.  It was so much fun to get to see so many of you!

David, Trey and Kenzo

Alice and me; at the lake campus (above) and in keeley's make out spot (below)

Meghan, Misty, me and Kelly at Toast in Huntersville

(This is a fun little "small world" story.  Misty actually went to Grove City College and graduated in 05 like me.  We became friends when she moved down to Charlotte (through lots of different connections).  Anyway, since I moved to Tampa, she met Meghan through teaching and now hangs out with the twins.  So fun!)

Ryan, my favorite boss ever!  We had fun seeing you! 

(Ryan is the area director for Lake Norman Young Life and a VERY proud graduate of University of Tennessee.  Probably over a month before football season he would play "It's Football Time in Tennessee" like 10 times a day in the office and get ridiculously excited.  He also will get stuck on a song that he likes and literally play it on repeat over and over until you finally ask him if you can change songs..."I Ain't Settling" from Sugarland is one that stands out in my mind)

PS...former Lake Norman Young Life leaders, if you're ever visiting Davidson, you should definitely go check out the new YL office on Main Street!!  It's amazing.  You enter it from the back of the building right in between the Soda Shop and the store that so many of you cleared boxes out of.

The Smartts, Felts and Koikes.  "Normal pose"

"excited that jess is having a baby in 2.5 weeks!  touch the tummy."

"run and jump in the photo before the timer goes off!"

We got to hang out and cook dinner with the Smartt's and Felts.  They probably would like for me to make it clear that they did not go to Davidson, but they are some of our best friends in NC and we always have so much fun visiting with them!!  We love you guys.  Cannot wait to meet Samual Smartt and host the Felts again for Gasparilla!

Kenzo and me at the Lake Campus

Kenzo, Emily and I at her wedding in Spartanburg on Saturday.  The wedding was the perfect way to end our amazing trip.  I posted several fun group shots on my facebook account, but wanted to post this one of us here. 

Finally . . .

Jaimie, Duni and Bethany, I cannot believe that we forgot to grab a photo of us.  Thanks for driving from school to come visit us and grab some Cookout at 11:30pm!  I miss you all and love you to the moon.  I cannot wait for the girls' visit this summer and Duni, I really want you to go to Guatemala with Kenzo this summer...make it happen!  Ashley, Sarah, Emily and Becca, I wish I would have gotten a photo with you as well.  While it was too brief, it was great to see all of you!

Start to Spring Break

Kenzo started his spring break on Friday, after studying for days for a ridiculously hard medical school test.  As soon as he finished, we headed down to S. Tampa to hang out with the family on the bay.  The photos on this post were from our Friday evening boat ride and dinner at Hula Bay Club.  Both were taken with my little point-and-shoot camera set on the "manual" setting.  He has definitely been enjoying his time off...playing tennis, volleyball, watching late movies, staying up until 3am last night with our neighbors (I finally had to get in bed at 1:45).  Today at about 2:30pm, Kenzo and I will take off for our  long-awaited "tour of historic cities," starting in St. Augustine, FL, passing through Savannah, GA, spending time with friends in Davidson, NC and then celebrating a wedding in Spartanburg, SC.  We cannot wait to get on the road!  I am sure I'll have some images to share once we get back next week.  Until then, take care :)

Nostalgia

This week has been full of nostalgia for me as I have reflected on the things that have happened in my life during this particular week in February.  It was three years ago this week that Kenzo and I went home to Morgantown, WV to celebrate his grandmother, Mary McTeer's, 96th birthday.  To my great surprise, on Saturday, February 18th, 2006 he asked me to marry him on top of a snow-covered mountain in 9 degree weather (let's remember I'm a Florida Girl and I about froze to death!)  When we got back to his parents' house from hiking we had our engagement and his wonderful grandmother's birthday to celebrate.  His grandmother gave him the diamond that I wear on my left hand.  It was the diamond she received from the man whom she married in her late 70s.  He was her high school "beau" who reconnected with her after both of their first spouses had died.  Mary passed away two weeks ago.  Today she would have celebrated her 99th birthday.  She loved ice cream, especially Wendy's frosties, so tonight we're going to grab some and celebrate in her honor and memory.  This week we also hit our 2.5 years of marriage mark.  Which just made me sit back and think about our lives over the past couple of years.  These photos were taken back in August when we went out to a restaurant on Anna Maria Island to celebrate our 2 year anniversary.  The images remind me of lazy summer days spent enjoying beautiful Florida surroundings and fill me with a desire to be sitting on a beach right now, relaxed and enjoying sites like these.    

My Camera

On my post "Gasparilla 2009", Mike posted a comment asking what kind of camera I use. Since I have gotten this question from several people, I just thought I'd respond in a post. Most of the photos I take (and most on this blog) are shot with my "nicer camera". It's a Canon Rebel XTi with a Canon Zoom L Series EF lens (24-105mm). I also have a point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot SD450.