jen gray

July 31, 2008

crush....

barron, chicago ~ canon xti

because you are one of the kindest persons i have ever met.
because you make me laugh at least once a day.
because your smile is so bright it almost hurts my eyes.

because you madly adore your daughter and are so very dedicated
to her and that beautiful soul she is growing into.

because you will do art with me and take pictures with me.
because you know what really matters.
because you are a good man, an honest man, a man with deep integrity.

because you are so patient with my complicated self.

because you make me feel pretty.
because you are very strong and very sensible when drama hits the stage.

because you are always willing to work on things.

because you love the farm, the woods, the open roads, and totally get the sacred of simplicity.

because there is no one in this entire universe that could ever make me as happy as you, and by the way,
you are so frickin' handsome it gets me all crushed out.

i love you in my life.

Posted by jen at 08:43 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 30, 2008

room

where we were, canon 20 d (textured inspired by boho and thea)

whatever it is, i have room.

and wherever you may be, it's okay.

no matter what, im sticking around.

i have room.

because i know your heart.

and i can still see it, even with all that other stuff spinning around you.

i know we are all trying so very hard,

and that life gets messy,

and old stuff keeps trying to get in the way,

and all of that...

but ive still got room.

when it comes to you and
your heart,
messy or not,

ill always have room...

Posted by jen at 10:03 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 29, 2008

longing. . . .

she longed for that kind of solitude so deeply,
it made her bones ache.

Posted by jen at 11:29 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 25, 2008

whatever fits. . .

hill o' hats, canon xti

its okay that you want to a zillion different things.

i am the same way.

and that doesnt make us flighty.

that makes us curious and so totally not boring.

and besides, there are enough people walking down the same road,
wearing the same hat, and following the rules perfectly.

i say we try it all on and take what fits and toss what doesn't.

i think the way you are is absolutely brilliant.

have at it girly,
have at it.

this is YOUR life, not theirs.

Posted by jen at 02:32 PM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 24, 2008

when i looked at this pig...

charlotte, canon xti

....i drifted off into a total day dream.

and i began to imagine we lived on three thousand acres of
pine woods and sweet grass fields and wildflower oceans
and the clearest full river.
and we would transform
the old barn to our home...
loads of windows, a massive fireplace,
and shelves stuffed our favorite books and our old vinyl records.

and hidden amongst the property would be the most sweetest and divine cottage, so our friends and family could come and stay anytime they ever needed to rest and retreat. (and they would feel so safe and sound there)

and we would have the most lushy organic garden and pretty
white honey bee hives
and we would share our produce so not a single thing would be wasted.

and we would rescue two pigs, two cows, two goats, and two chickens from that county fair and i would make certain they lived happily and free from
mean people and gross flies.

and you could play your guitar and i would make daisy chains and we would make the best tree house for your little girl, decorating it with the textures and the colors and the softness she so craves. (and an ample supply of mini chocolate bars)....

and we would discover every single bird,
every single critter, every single scent,
every single thing that grew on our land and decorated the night sky....

and you would never ever have to go to a single stuffy corporate meeting ever again. and i would never have to endure the suffocation of the mind set of suburbia and strip malls.

and we would be as happy as we are right now, but just a million times more
free.

when i looked at this pig, that is where i went.

Posted by jen at 09:52 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 23, 2008

easy. . . .

stef and alex, where we drank tea ~ canon xti

Posted by jen at 09:24 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 21, 2008

simply the best. . . . .

me, andrea
swirly
marianne
alex

with a million conversations going on at any moment
about accomplishments
and successes
and achievements
and all those things
that seem to define who is more important
or successful
or creative or more
brilliant than the next,

i admit i wouldnt have much to chat about....

but the one thing i have going for me,
the one thing that makes me the most
grateful and the most proud of,
is the beautiful friendships i have to share my life with.

and to me,
that is what makes me the luckiest gal around.

i know, no matter what, i have the most exquisite collection of
priceless and lovely hearts to connect with when this world gets
to be a little too rough.

my heart is so very full because of all of you.
thank you for showing up in my life.

Posted by jen at 02:59 PM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 18, 2008

smitten. . . .

most beautiful, photo from auntie heather

a precious and beautiful 8 pound blossom named isabella
entered the world tonight, making me a very honored auntie.

feels like my entire heart has turned into a puddle of love. . .

Posted by jen at 09:10 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 16, 2008

healing places. . .

puppy in the pea patch, canon 20d

“I am not bound for any public place,
but for ground of my own where I have
planted vines and orchard trees, and in
the heat of the day climbed up into the
healing shadow of the woods.”
Wendell Berry

(i meant to write this first, but mr. berry beat me to it)

Posted by jen at 08:12 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 15, 2008

pretty little one. . . .

freshly picked, canon 20 d

i had to tell her the truth.
they didnt react that way because she was somehow not good enough,

they reacted that way because she carried something
they could never purchase,
and it was so pretty and so free and
so far from the life they knew.

and her happiness triggered their bitterness.

it was easier to ignore her than to dare to
bask in her wild and beautiful music.....

Posted by jen at 10:34 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 14, 2008

farm living. . . . .

our boots, canon xti

it doesnt need to be anywhere especially exotic....
the wheat fields,
the speckled cows,
working in the garden,
suits me just fine.

as long as i can have those times of solitude
where the horizon brilliance steals the show
and the firefly's dance is like a psychedelic glow fest

and we can live uninterrupted from the static of all that other stuff
(even if it is only for a couple days)

i know i will be okay.

and to have your boots beside mine on the front porch at the end of the day
just makes my life that much more better.

Posted by jen at 05:32 PM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 10, 2008

my kind of folk.

street song, new orleans, canon 20 d

she felt like she couldnt breathe,... like the pearls around her neck were slowly choking her as she listened to the cocktail conversations of this and that, and what and who, and the 'oh how you should be impressed' chatter. ..

while she was well versed in the ability to make polite conversation, and could do so with grace and charm,
inside she was chanting :
"i wish you would shut up".

as soon as she could make her escape, she ditched her heels and the choker around her neck. she stepped into her flip flops and her old hippie skirt.

she hit the streets in search of anything raw and real and souful.

it was around the very next corner she saw him.
the one they crossed the street to avoid ~
writing him off as some strange and scary beggar.

she sat down beside him
and he sang to her.

and they talked about god and the hurricane and art and pain and humanity and that sweet smell of jasmine that was thick in the air.

he was her kind of people.
and that was the most elegant event she had attended all week.

Posted by jen at 10:16 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 09, 2008

no apologies allowed.

ginger's farm, (texture effects inspired by thea and boho) ~ canon xti

Posted by jen at 08:32 AM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 07, 2008

art picnic.

Posted by jen at 12:28 PM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 02, 2008

doing what you do. . .

getting wiggy jr. style, canon 20 d

and while i was watching her through my lens,
wearing my silly white wig,
and looking so darn adorable,
i was noticing how comfortable
and at ease she was with herself.

and i was trying to remember
the last time i felt that good, that confident,
that sure of myself.....

and then i realized,
it was right then and there.

it was happening to me at that moment
because i was doing what i love.

and because i was bringing joy
and freedom of expression to a child.

and for me, that makes my heart feel plenty full.

and for me, that is when i feel best about who i am.

(imagine how good it would be
if we were all doing what it is we truly love... )

Posted by jen at 03:19 PM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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July 01, 2008

summer gift.

the chickies, canon 20 d

one of my many jobs this summer is getting to hang out with these two little darlings. (i get to hang out with their brother too but he declined the photo shoot!)

today we cranked on the makeup (electric blue eyeliner of course)
sampled my ample supply of wigs,
blasted music and had a photo shoot.

being around their creative and beautiful spirits inspires me so. and i feel like I am the one who gets to benefit from having spent time with them.

I went home with an art piece from one of the girls that had this written on it:

"She's an Artist
A Painter actually.
See that smile on her face?
Well its her most famous piece...."

(see what i mean?)

Posted by jen at 06:13 PM   |   link   |   Comments (0)

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