12 Weeks Prego!!

We can finally blog about it! We wanted to wait until we were able to tell Ryan's family in person, and we did that this weekend when they came in town for a visit. It may have worked out better this way because the blogging world (cross my fingers) may have missed the constant nausea stories.

We found out in June. We both sort of knew, but of course you want to verify with the good ole pregnancy test. Baby Jenkins should arrive sometime at the beginning or middle of February!!

We would be so grateful for any prayers or good thoughts as the little one grows.

We're excited about the journey, and we look forward to sharing it with you all. From constipation, midwifery care, food cravings, a big belly, and whatever else comes up - we hope you all will enjoy the adventure.


The morning that sealed the deal.

Mr. Rogers - The Best Neighbor Ever

Ryan sent me this CNN story on 15 Things That Make Mr. Rogers The Best Neighbor. It's fun to read about how he lived the same way off screen as he did on screen. He seemed like a pretty wonderful man. I would have liked to have met him.

Here's the link for the story. Just click on it, and it should take you there.

Enjoy!


http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/07/28/mf.mrrogers.neighbor/index.html

Welcome To "The Jelly Toaster!"

Where to begin with this one?

I got in a car accident last Thursday. I was at a two-way stop sign, stopped, and looked. I know I stopped and looked in all directions because I was contemplating a bike route. Ryan and I bought bikes last week, and I was attempting to create a bike route to the Park and to work. After stopping and looking, I decided to go straight. Before I knew it, as I crossed the two lane intersection, my car and I were spinning. It's easy to place fault and blame, especially when dealing with insurance, but I'll leave that alone. I don't have any broken bones, but I am healing from some nasty bruises and whiplash. What was our only car sits at the wrecker waiting for an adjuster to let us know if it's totaled.

On to The Jelly Toaster...Ryan and I have been saving money to buy a car in the Fall. We've been talking about buying a new car for a couple of years, gone to car shows, read and researched the different cars that we're fond of. Well, when this all happened, we double checked our finances. We had a certain amount and said to each other....let's go and see what happens. We went and test drove a couple of cars that we've had our eye on that we knew we were interested in. There are some things that Ryan and I just know deep down, and we both knew deep down which vehicle we wanted before we even went. Of course, after the fact - we admit that to each other. After a day of driving and talking, we purchased a new car. It's a 2008 Honda Element that we named The Jelly Toaster.



Let's see - what have I gleaned from this experience so far.

In a nutshell, be conscious and aware when you're driving. They are huge metal machines that are not to be reckoned with. You are not invincible just because you are in a metal cage. When you're driving, drive.

Our bodies are amazing. Knowing how the body works is pretty interesting. I could feel my body doing the whole "fight or flight" thing during and right after the accident. And now it's healing itself. I haven't had to take pain medication - just ice, heat, rest, massage, and Epsom Salt soaks.

Family and true friends love and support you. Ryan came immediately to my rescue and has been dealing with the insurance companies and loving on me ever since. He's even taken a couple of days off to spend time with me. Our friend, Jim, dashed out of work to check on me and give me a ride home. Ryan was on his motorcycle, so I needed a way to get my stuff and me home. Jim and Choyer as well as our friend, Logan, offered up vehicles to the Jenkins'. Logan and Becky brought ice cream over - Soy!, of course...and my favorite flavor at that. Both of our parents have called to check on us a lot and give us advice and their love. Maranda, another friend, gave up a slot for a paying client to give me a massage the day after. A group of friends rearranged "Girls Day" so I could be there. Everyone has been so kind and nice.

Show gratitude. At first I had a hard time being appreciative for the new car. I had this guilt for having an accident and then spending money for a new car. I didn't feel like I deserved it! I admitted that to a friend, and she put it into perspective for me. Speak your gratitude. I am very grateful that we have been able to buy a new car, the one we've had our eye on for years. I am also grateful that everyone is safe and healthy.

Airing Out the Family Trash

Airing out the Family Trash, huh? I wondered if that would spark anyone's interest. What is KJ up to now? Is she about to disclose some family secrets for the world to read? Sorry to disappoint, or should I say "You are so welcome." No, this time I literally mean...Here is The Jenkins' Family Trash!!

Honestly, I never really thought about recycling. Don't roll your eyes - I'm being honest here. In Spring Hill, there wasn't a system of recycling that I was aware and so I never thought too much about it. I didn't know what I could or couldn't recycle or what to do with it. So, nothing ever got done. I didn't even know where or how to start.

When we moved into Nashville, there was a green trashcan and a tan trashcan. What in the world did we need 2 trashcans for? Common sense...green is the color for the environment. Hmm...recycling?

It didn't take long for me to get curious about recycling. For one, the county dropped off another set when we moved into the house, so we have 2 tan ones and 2 green ones. Here we have 4 trashcans and only one was being used. Ryan and I got on the internet and researched "Curby." That's Nashville's recycling! We read about what could and couldn't be thrown away in the recycling trashcan, what day Curby comes to pick up our recycled trash - which is once a month, where do you take your glass and plastic bags, and where exactly the recycling goes. It's a pretty interesting website.

We started one week setting aside everything that could be recycled at the end of the counter. It was overflowing with aluminum cans, junk mail, empty frozen veggie bags, cardboard boxes like Cheerios and Oatmeal, and glass jars and bottles after a couple of days. When the garbage came that week, we didn't even have a bag that needed to be taken. Whoah! It hit me all the trash we were dumping in landfills that would never go away. And there is a solution. It can be reused.

Now that we've been doing it for over a year, it's real simple. And it's efficient and good for the Earth we live on. Every couple of days, we walk to the back of the house and dump our recycling in the can. Once a month we have to take one or maybe two of our green trashcans up to the road. And on our normal trash day, we often times don't have a bag to dump or if we do, it's usually one measly plastic bag. It really does blow our minds every time the trash comes.

My new interest now is composting. Because when I take a look in the trash, all I see is food that could be composted and used as fertilizer. We'll let you know as that adventure progresses.

Oh! And about the glass and plastic grocery bags. I had my first experience this week. We kept our glass bottles in our basement and the plastic bags that people manage to collect for nearly a year. I admit Ryan and I are procrastinators on certain things. But there are stations throughout town that you drop off those items. The closest one to us is a couple of miles away. I went to Kroger and gave them back their bags in the bins placed outside the store. Took a total of 2 minutes tops. And then I went across the street to dump the jars and bottles. They even had a system there!!! I dumped brown colored glass in one bin, green/blue in another one, and clear in yet a different one. Let me tell you - I had so much fun. If you have any pent up tension that needs a way out, offer to recycle someone's glass. As you threw the glass in, you could hear it shatter when it hit the bottom. It was a great stress reliever!

Anyway, check out your local recycling. I mean you are already on the Internet. See what's available in your area and look into what you can do. Write your local officials if you need to.

Thanks for taking a look into The Jenkins' Family Trash today!

Life with a Honda Civic...

...and only a Honda Civic.

Kari and I sold our truck last November. It was an ol' 98 Mazda B3000 we lovingly called the White Buddah, only because we had to rub the dashboard to make sure it'd get us where we wanted to go.
We decided to live life with one car for a while, just to save money so when we bought another vehicle we could pay cash. Luckily I have my motorcycle to rely on, so the going hasn't been too tough. If the temp was above freezing when I left in the morning or the rain was holding off, I was ok riding the Yamaha almost every day this winter. But we came to a realization this week...
...A Honda Civic and a motorcycle are no help when your trying to bring home 5 large shrubs for your newly bare flowerbed...
I took some of the precious free time that I am allotted now and dug up the flower bed in our front yard. The folks before us had just put a hodge-podge of shrubs and bushes there, and we promised ourselves we would work on it this April. So Wednesday Kari and I stopped by the store after work to pick up some boxwoods for the flowerbed.
First of all, I left two shrubs that I thought were boxwoods in the flowerbed, just because they were still alive and I thought we could just add to them. Well, we get to the store and start looking at the boxwoods and Kari says...."that's not what we have at home." I was convinced it was. But after careful consideration...(Kari's always right)...I realized what we had at home were a type of Holly bush. So we ended up buying a couple of those and 5 Boxwoods.
Now realize that the Boxwoods were about 2-3 feet tall and fairly wide. We cart them out to our car and stand there wondering "how in the world are we going to get these things home?"
Bad planning on our part.
So sure enough, because we live by the motto of our life being an adventure, we begin stuffing the plants into the innocent Honda Civic. About 15 minutes later, we finally had them all in...and this is what we looked like:

Now, I'm not sure if you can see or not, but Kari is stuffed in the middle of the back seat between all the shrubs. Don't worry, she somehow got her seatbelt on and miraculously I was able to see out of all the rear-view mirrors.
It would have been nice to have a truck or large SUV to throw all the plants in and head home, but what fun would that have been? We laughed the whole way home wondering what people thought of us.
We got the plants home and I spent some time today planting them. I have to say, I wish we had a before picture, because it has made a world of difference. I actually feel good about the front of our house now.
So if you are looking for a vehicle to help you move a large load of....well, anything, then look no further than a Honda Civic. We know from experience.

"You Know" is the new "Um"

Last night Ryan and I were hanging out with some friends. They were asking me some childbirth and doula questions.
After we left, Ryan and I were talking about how I did. I asked him to honestly critique me. Most of the time when I meet with families I'm on my own but because they're good friends Ryan was with us. He mentioned that I did a great job and he's amazed of the knowledge I have on childbirth, but he noticed that I say, "You know" - A LOT. I never noticed that I did that. He says it seems like I do that when I don't complete a sentence or just fill the space like....the word - Um.
As we were driving home, I began to notice when I said it. Then, Ryan realized he was doing it too. Ryan admitted that it's a bad habit he developed a long time ago, and in 5 years I've picked it up too.
Now, we have a game to help us stop saying You Know so much. It's real simple. Whenever the words "You Know" comes out of one of our mouths, we gently poke the other person with our index finger. It's quite entertaining to say the least. It's a habit I'm trying to nip in the bud (Is that the expression or did I totally mess that up?).
So, if I'm talking with you, feel free to point out my "You Knows" all you want. It's a funny game I've decided to play. And I know that my friend, Jamina, will have a field day with my new tick I'm trying to end. I'm the one that pointed out hers which was a fast-paced, side-to-side motion she did with the tip of her tongue on her top lip when she was thinking. Obviously, since I said "was" her tick, she became aware and quit. But I do miss the fascinating tick. I wonder if people will miss mine.

Oh My! Today My Cup Is Overflowing!

I am so elated and in a heightened state today. I had an incredible experience and I can only attempt to capture its beauty in words.

I'm sure that most of you know that two and half years ago Ryan and I gave birth to a son that passed through this life in my womb. We delivered on the 6th floor of Centennial Women's Hospital. It was a life-opening and life-changing experience. I've always wanted to give back to that high-risk maternity floor, but never knew exactly how. At one point, I even attempted knitting a baby blanket since some kind-hearted woman had done the same for me. But that never came to fruition.

About a week ago, the receptionist at work booked a prenatal massage outcall. For all the receptionist knew I am a certified prenatal massage therapist and I had an opening. She suggested I call the client because she was in the hospital and needed to explain her situation. When I was on the phone with her, she let me know that she had been in the hospital since she was 16 weeks along with twins. The little girl passed, but the boy is holding strong. She's been on bedrest there for 80 days, and her doctor let her know that a massage would be great for her. She called around town but no one would call her back. She found the massage studio where I work and tried again. Well, we spoke briefly about my previous circumstance. Come to find out she is at Centennial Women's Hospital on the 6th floor using the same doctors as we did. For a week now, I have been "Jones-in" for this day to come.

So today I arrived with a body pillow, a radio, some relaxation music, lotion, lavender essential oil, and a homemade room spray. While she was preparing for the massage, I dimmed the lights, made sure the window was open for some fresh air, set the Native American flute music in its proper place, dabbed some lavender oil on a tissue for her pillow, and spritzed the linens with a lavender, rose, and jasmine concoction I proudly made for my Doula clients. After learning how to adjust those electronic hospital beds, we started the massage.

When I placed my hands on her back, she started having an emotional release. Later I reassured it that it was normal. I explained how we store all the things that happen to us physically and emotionally in our bodies, and it was perfectly fine for her to cry. I spent an hour working those achy bed tired and emotionally drained muscles. When we were done, we sat and talked for awhile. She opened up about the journey she's on, and I was able to listen and encourage her. We talked about not being angry at God or the universe and finding peace. We discussed about how going on this journey with our life partners has made our relationships stronger. We shared about how the people you expect to come around you at this time aren't always the ones you thought, but all the while openly receiving the embrace of those who surprise you. I am trusting that it was a very healing and therapeutic session for her because I know it was for me. I felt very rewarded in my career today, and I look forward to another session with her in a few weeks.

Love Circle, Sunrise, & Good Intentions

Vernal Equinox?
I've seen it on the calendar for years and just brushed it off as having something to do with the signal of Spring.

A good friend of mine, Maranda, mentioned it to me earlier this week. She asked if I wanted to meet her at Love Circle (a small road in Nashville that overlooks the city) at Sunrise to burn our intentions for the year. "Huh?," I said with a crinkled nose. I'm always open for new adventures, so without much hesitation - I agreed. She told me to work on what I wanted or intended for myself this year and write it down.

I went to the computer to find out - "What is this thing they call Vernal Equinox? I knew it was a change of seasons, but after a brief google search, here's what I found. Equinox means "equal night." The Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. I never knew, but people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There are lots of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Early people celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx, so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox. In Japan, Vernal Equinox Day is an official national holiday and is spent visiting family graves and holding family reunions. In many Arab countries, Mother's Day is celebrated on the March equinox.



So, this year just as I plan to Spring Clean my home, I've set aside a Spring Cleaning for myself to create space for new abundance that will come my way.

When I started writing it out, I kept saying...I want....I want...I want. It felt weird, and I called Maranda up for a little more guidance on the matter. She suggested that saying "want" admits that you're lacking. Hmmmm....good point. With my English-degreed mind, I went to a thesaurus searching for the right words. I looked up "intend" and words like aspire, determined, aim, dedicate, look forward to popped up. It got my juices flowing and away I wrote. I covered things from our home, finances, personally, career wise, relationships, vacations. It all came out!



This morning I woke up before the sun came up and got ready. Bundled up with some matches, a coffee, my camera, and my intentions, I headed for Love Circle. The sun was starting to light the Earth when we got there. We climbed to the top, made some final adjustments, played a quick game of Paper, Rock, Scissors to see who went first, and I started to reading out loud my intentions. After we read them, we burned them as the sun came over the horizon. We opened our arms and voiced our acceptance of the goodness and abundance we would receive this year.

It was a fun experience! I'll definitely do it again. If you want, I encourage you all to do the same. It's never too late. Vernal Equinox was just a cool day to do it!

DELICIOUS New Recipes from Kari's Kitchen!!

People are their own worst critics, and I admit I do the same. People tell me I'm too hard on myself, so for me to say I have some Delicious New Recipes...you know they gotta be good. So good that I have to post them for everyone! I've been told that everyone needs a good cookbook, and I finally found one. It's called "Vegan Planet." Even if you're NOT a vegetarian/vegan, these recipes ROCK!! My friend, Galit, told me about it. So, I owe her big time. I've cooked 6 recipes from this book, and they've all been praised from those lucky people who've dined on them. Here's what I've been doing. Some of the recipes take awhile, so I choose a day that I'm off or have a little time in the morning or evening to start preparing it. I get in the kitchen, open the outside door, turn on some music, and reach deep into my inner "cooking" self and have a blast making some healthy and scrumpulescent munchies. Then, we have food for a few meals. Here are a few of the recipes from "Vegan Planet" that everyone should try.

The pancakes and hash go great together for breakfast, brunch, or breakfast night!!

Spiced Banana Pancakes
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar or natural sweetener
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/4 cups soy milk or other dairy-free milk
3 medium-size, ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice and set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine the soy milk and half of the bananas and process until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing with a few swift strokes until just combined. Fold in the remaining bananas.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Ladle about 3 tablespoons of the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook on one side until small bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancake with a metal spatula and cook until the other side is lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Keep the cooked pancakes warm in the oven while you prepare the remaining pancakes.

Serves 4



Spicy Sweet-Potato Hash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, diced, and cooked (use leftover baked sweet potatoes OR peel and dice the potatoes and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F until tender, 15 to 20 minutes)

2 frozen veggie burgers, thawed and chopped or crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, veggie burgers, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4



Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small, fresh hot chile, seeded and minced
1 1/2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh salsa or your favorite salsa
8 large flour tortillas
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast until tender, turning once, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Spread a thin layer of salsa over the bottom of a lightly oiled 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
4. Place a tortilla on a flat work surface. Spoon a portion of the sweet potato mixture down the center of the tortilla and roll it up. Place the filled tortilla in the baking dish seam side down and repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling mixture. Spoon any remaining filling mixture on top of the enchiladas, top with the remaining salsa, and sprinkle with the onion. Cover and bake until hot and bubble, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 8.

Happy "Vegan" Cooking! The Animals Thank You!!

Motorcycle Gang

We went on our first ride with our motorcycle gang this afternoon! We're a bunch of wild bandits. You wouldn't want to mess with us. To be initiated, you have to agree to go on an adventure with us at some point. We initiated the first two members of our biker gang last spring on a trip to Alaska. Jim and Choyer started asking me about motorcycles a while back and I just answered questions for them. After watching a motorcycle movie called Long Way Around, I got a call from Choyer saying "want to go motorcycle shopping?" Kari and I went motorcycle shopping with them one weekend, two weekends later I was taking a rider safety course with them and two weeks after that they had their license and we were at the store again shopping for bikes. Sure enough they bought two wheelers and now my motorcycle has two friends!
We went on a ride all together for the first time today down the Natchez Trace. We stopped after about 45 miles and had a snack under the trees then headed back. Causin' trouble...that's what this biker gang is doing. Eating apples on a scenic parkway pull off.

Park Ranger 101

This is my second day off of work in 5 weeks. But surprisingly, I wasn't in desperate need of a day off.
For the last 5 weekends, I have been working at Radnor Lake State Park and Natural Area as a Seasonal Park Ranger. (That's just a fancy term for Part-Time Park Ranger). I started volunteering at the park last summer one weekend a month just to see what work inside a park was like. Was it boring? Was it too difficult? Would it be monotonous?
Well, no, no, and no. Ok, it's pretty difficult, but never boring or monotonous.
After volunteering for a number of months and getting to know the park staff, the Park Manager let me know they were short handed and needed some weekend help and that if I wanted to, I could have a job there. I thought about it for about 15 seconds and agreed. (Although I came home and talked to Kari about it for a few days.) I would be working every Sat. and Sun., doing things like trail maintenance, patrolling the parking lots during our busy times and making sure people don't park where they're not supposed to, hiking the trails to make sure people are staying on them and don't have dogs on them or picnics or feeding the animals, and just general park upkeep.
And that's what I've been doing. Alot of other things go along with the job, but that is a general overview. I have been able to do some cool things though. When doing trail work I get to drive a 4 wheel drive hauler down some of the trails. It reminds me of riding the 4-wheeler when I was a kid. I've been able to see so many amazing things. The wildlife alone has been an experience in itself. Owls, beavers, otters, geese, ducks, hawks and lots and lots of deer. The deer aren't even afraid of you, (which can be a bad thing outside of the park). I've been able to feed two captive hawks and two owls also. I've cut trees from across trails, built trailers, and hiked, hiked hiked, and hiked.
Everybody wonders if I am wearing myself out working this much. The thing is, working at the park is actually really refreshing. My weekday job is pretty monotonous. Pretty....florescent. Working at the park means I am outside all day, most of the time doing physical work. Work that gets your hands dirty, your body sweaty, and your muscles very tired. But my mind is always refreshed after a weekend of fresh air and hard work. I always feel better on Sunday evening than I do on Friday after work. I like it.
The job is supposed to go until July 1st. Steve, the Park Manager is hoping he can get permission to extend it through the Summer. The nice thing is that I was thinking about getting a part time job anyway. Kari and I have been living with one car for a few months now. We'd like to buy a car, but we don't want to make any payments. So this will help us save up some money for that. So what a better way to make a little extra money than being a Seasonal Park Ranger!
And just if you were wondering, the house is not falling apart since I have been so busy. Kari is working her rear off taking care of things around the house and in her work. Part of me feels bad for putting a bit more responsibility on her shoulders, but she has been very supportive of the whole endeavor and really doing great picking up the slack of me not being home on Saturdays and Sundays.
Chaco misses me being home with her on Saturdays, but I make up for it by letting her on the bed and playing with her when I get home.
So, from now on, you can just call me Ranger Jenkins, (pronounced by Kari, "Ranger Jankins!").
Randor Lake State Park
Friends of Radnor Lake

Winter Wonderland

We're walking in a Winter Wonderland in March! The snow and sleet started around 5:30 Friday evening and quickly changed to steady snow at 7 pm. It truly hasn't stopped since. We have 2 inches where it's compacted, but 5 inches in the grass. At 6:30 this morning, I felt like it was Christmas! I was nervous to peek out the window in fear of it being gone, but when I saw it wasn't...I just laid in bed staring at Ryan hoping his eyes would open soon. When they did, I smiled and asked if we could go outside. He asked for another 30 minutes of sleep. Like a child, I stared at the ceiling and pouted until 7. And we played for an hour. Chaco is loving it! And I confess, I love Snow Days too!!

Wake Up, Fellow Earthlings

So, I thought about writing this blog and then debated it for a week or two. I guess I was concerned about offending somebody or something. But then I realized - Hey this is my blog and I'm supposed to be honest and express myself. I have something that's important to me to share, and therefore, why would I keep it from you.

A friend from work was talking to me about a documentary she saw called Earthlings. She gave me the general idea. I told Ryan about it. He wanted to watch it first since he knows that I have nightmares from television and movies. He told me he didn't think I should watch it. He let me know about it and admitted that he barely made it through the hour and a half....watching it in various sittings and wiping tears from his face. Well. Well. I guess the curiosity got me and I watched it. It took me two different sittings a week apart, but I pushed myself through the documentary knowing that "Ignorance is not bliss."

Earthlings is a free documentary that you can watch online. We went to www.freedocumentaries.org and found it by typing in the title Earthlings or go to the site and click on animal abuse and then find the title. Now, I probably lost a bunch of you when I just mentioned animal abuse. But wait. I too toss the mail I get from animal abuse organizations not wanting to take a glimpse at the horrible treatment people do to animals. I mean, our dog, is so spoiled she sleeps in the bed with us at night. So, that's not me, and I don't want to see it is my usual thought process. That's NOT what this documentary is necessarily about. Here me out and then decide to watch it or not.

The documentary discusses the 5 ways that humankind uses animals: Pets, Food, Clothing, Entertainment, and Science Testing. They use undercover cameras to show you where your meat comes from, animals at shelters, exactly how the leather sofas or shoes we wear become shoes, the infamous circus and zoos we pay to go to, and how, as a consumer of products, animals get to test our crash ratings for vehicles and on and on.

Here's the argument I hear from most people who don't want to watch this documentary. "I don't want to know where my meat comes from. I like my chicken and burgers. I don't want to give it up." And here's my response. It's not fun to watch the movie, but people know in the back of their minds that things aren't nice in "those places." But how not nice??? Ignorance my friends isn't always bliss. Just because you choose not to look at it doesn't make you any less responsible. You're still a consumer; why would you not want to know where it comes from. You're feeding it to your families. You take your families to these places for fun and entertainment. You buy these products for yourself and the ones you love. In my opinion, you're crazy not to want to know. It doesn't mean you have to give up everything if you don't want to. But at least educate yourself to what you pay for and how it affects others. Be an informed consumer.

Ryan and I are still working through what having watched this documentary means for us as a family. It is life-changing...No Doubt. But I would rather be figuring it all out than to try to play dumb to it all when I'm not.

Please watch this documentary and then make an informed decision about you and your loved ones.
Remember -We are all Earthlings!

Video Link: Earthlings

A Great Morning!

I'm having one of those Great Mornings! A lot of times we remember the not so good ones, and we like to talk about it. But not today.

I woke up on my own this morning to a lot of wind, but still it was on my own. No alarm clock today. I actually saw daylight before it even went off. That's good for me! I sat up in bed and read some in a book that I'm really into right now. My husband and my furry child were asleep beside me.

After Ryan headed to work, I did some finishing touches to the house before my parents arrive. The house smells of burning candles and it rained hard this morning. I've been listening to records all morning. When my uncle passed in August, we were handed ALL of his albums for us to go through to keep or sell. I've been jamming out to Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder...just thinking about my Uncle Dennis and picturing him bouncing and dancing around his house. Knowing he is so proud of me because I'm totally enjoying his music puts a smile on my face.

Now the sun is coming through the clouds and I've been working on knitting a scarf. I'm trying to teach myself how to knit, and with the help of Dolly Parton's Heartbreaker album, I'm well on my way- Finally!

The only thing that could make this day any better would be for Ryan to be at home instead of work!! He'll be home in a few hours, and we'll enjoy some of my favorite food (Taco Salad) with my parents, and thanks to the Presidents of the United States - Ryan and I get to spend the day together tomorrow.

I Love Great Mornings!!! And it's only Noon.

The Newest Adventuresse Family Member

Here's a simple version of how The Adventuresse Family began and consistently grows:

After I finished college in 2002, one of my bestfriends, Jody, and I set off on an adventure. We packed up and headed Out West, camping and sightseeing along the way! I think we went away searching for the answers to life's questions and plans for our future. I don't think we found them, but the one thing we did discover was our deep desire and need for ADVENTURE!! So came "our name," The Adventuresses!!

Somewhere outside of the Black Hills of South Dakota with our newly purchased cowgirl hats, we knew we were in need of new names. Adventuresse/Outlaw names!! I mean, seriously, we were reaking havoc all over the West in our sweet-ride, a 4-Runner turned into a 2-seater named Sedona, on the trip. But we were stuck known in the West as Kari and Jody. Where's the fun in that?! Sedona was no wild horse, but it got us where we were going. The ride had a name. Our tent became known as The Westward Castle. Now, WE needed names! With a quick phone call to Doug, her father, he helped us and inspired us with ideas. Left to our own demise though we started fast at work.

On the run early that summer, I became forever known as Wrangler Daisy duke, and Jody became infamously called Sundance Jessie james!

In August of 2003, Wrangler Daisy married Ryan Jenkins. On our honeymoon in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, he discovered his name. You see receiving membership into The Adventuresse Family and declaring a name is serious and not to be taken lightly. It must be found on a exploration with an Adventuresse. Ryan was crowned with the name Shooter Jackson hole!

Then, there came David Thomas! Jody and David were dating at the time he was blessed with his name. The four of us were camping in Yosemite, and his name unfolded into Mustang Rocky balboa. Mustang Rocky and Sundance Jessie married in May 2006.

And now the newest arrival!!! Mustang Rocky and Sundance Jessie gave birth to their first child, a son, on January 18, 2008 at 7:41 pm. His birth name is Bodie David Thomas. And he will remain with that name until the proper age and the right Adventuresse moment. At that time, he will be dubbed with his own Adventure/Outlaw name.

He is a handsome and wonderful addition to The Adventuresse Family! I was so glad to be there for his first adventure into this world.

We all look forward to the family growing, our children finding the need for adventure, and discovering their forever Outlaw names! Who would ever know that a Road Trip out West would create and bind two Adventuresses together in such a way?!!

Congratulations and Blessings to the new parents from Aunt Daisy and Uncle Shooter!! The Adventure Continues...

Christmas in Charleston

We spent our Christmas in Charleston, South Carolina this year. When you say Charleston, I (Kari) request you say it with your best southern drawl. My brother, Derek, lives there...about 5 minutes from the beach. We had a family Christmas at a beach house we rented. Christmas at the beach was something neither of us had ever experienced. It was pretty cool. It was different being at the beach when it was cold and during the holidays but enjoyable to just be at Mama Ocean together.
My parents brought a little tree for us to decorate. Christmas morning Ryan and I brewed some coffee, grabbed a quilt and the camera, walked a couple of minutes to the Atlantic, and watched the sunrise. It was so amazing that we watched it again the morning we headed back home. Since we've tiled our bathroom and kitchen, we've been deemed the experts. My bro asked for a tiling job for Christmas. Ryan, Derek, and I spent a few days doing demolition, tiling, and grouting. Our tiling ventures keep getting better; that means Derek has the best one yet. We spent some time on a lighthouse hunt, walking Market Street, and eating some seafood. It was nice to be with family at the beach for Christmas.

T'was The Night For Love - Santa Love

T'was The Night Before Christmas is NOT the story for us this season; this year a new man is in town, and he has his own story. It's the story of Santa Love! Before we share his story, we'll provide you with some much needed background information, or it could be me making a long story...even longer.

When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I much admire the white icicle lights and battery operated white light window candles. White lights on the trees, and beautifully handmade white snowflake ornaments (probably from a unique artisan who has a workshop in Maine and whittles them from a special white oak tree) are such a cozy sight. It's like Southern Living at its finest! I picture a warm fire, eggnog being served in, of course, white mugs, and men and women in matching argyle sweaters. It's really quite nice....BUT...

At the Jenkins' we don't play like that! Our first Christmas I mentioned hanging those lights on the outside of our house, and Ryan was appalled. "No Way", he says. "If we're putting lights out, they're going to be colored bulbs and big ones at that." So, it begins. We don't aspire to be The Griswolds in Christmas Vacation (even though I bet they have a fun family Christmas), but we do like the colorful slightly over the top decor ...it's fun and joyful!

As I shared this story at work, a friend said she had been holding on to something special for a few years and she firmly believed it had just found a new loving home. We named him...Santa Love.

Santa Love was originally bought in New Orleans at a hardware store for the creator of a cartoon that aired on Cartoon Network called The Oblongs. From what I understand, the creator chooses to illuminate the rooms in his home with decorations like pigs rather than society's normal desk lamp. Being that he lived in San Francisco and Santa Love was purchased in Louisiana, the shipping dilemma began. It would have been cheaper for her to buy Santa Love a plane ticket than actually ship him through the United States Postal Service. With my friend not knowing how safely he would arrive at The Golden Gate Bridge, especially if he was not on a non-stop flight, she held on to him. Well, then came Hurricane Katrina. Santa Love resided in mid-city on Clarke Street with his owner at the time. With the evacuations, she trusted the protection of her home to Santa Love and reluctantly left him to fend for himself. After 2 months, she was able to return to her home....EVERYTHING flooded and destroyed...EVERYTHING but 3 items: some silver, a guitar, and the unscathed Santa Love. Knowing he must have a determined and special fate, she's held on to him since...waiting for the perfect home for him.

After one of my massage sessions this week, I walked into the break room. The lights were off, but a radiant glow was coming from around the corner. As I turned the corner, there he was in all his glory. He was more amazing than I had pictured...and he was ALL MINE! He stands at about 3 feet tall and weighs in at about 3 pounds or less...a definite lightweight. He's dressed in a Santa outfit, holds a Wish List, and beams a dark skin tone. His only flaw....a broken off pipe which now looks like the burning end of a smoked cigarette. He's beautiful. He's the newly named and warmly welcomed into the Jenkins' family - SANTA LOVE!!


Ryan suggested placing him on the roof. My response - "Not even a possibility for someone so fantastic. Get your own Santa for that!" He's staying safe and protected in the warm walls of our home. He's part of the family now. He's going right in the middle of the living room...where he belongs!

To view him, you'll have to come to the Jenkins' home. Be prepared to have your picture made with him. All guests have the opportunity. We'll update the photos as people have time to come in and enjoy some special quality time with Santa Love this Holiday Season.

Thank you so much, Bethann! Your generous gift has earned a permanent place in the life, the memories, and the legacy known as...The Jenk Adventure!

Chaco's Fascinated


New Family Portrait

Face to Face

Chad, Fawn, and Caedmon made the trek from Georgia to visit Santa Love!

Jim & Choyer come over to dine with Santa Love.

Jolynn and Maranda flirting with Santa Love.

The K Browns!

Gone With The Wind

Ok...I was born and raised in Georgia, and for so long was ashamed that I had never sat down and watched Gone With The Wind in its entirety. Since I've been sick for awhile, I've had some down time. After searching through our assortment of movies and wondering why we own so many and can't quite find ONE we want to watch, Ryan and I pulled out the Margaret Mitchell classic. I said I had always wanted to see it, and probably since I've been under the weather, he agreed to the viewing. It wasn't until it started that I shared with him it was nearly 4 hours.
We watched and watched, and took pee breaks and flipped the DVD over like a record to watch the second side. All the time wondering if there was a happy moment in this entire movie.
Now, I love my roots...don't get me wrong...but how depressing?!!! When Rhett Butler said his infamous phrase at the end and Scarlett walks back to Tara, the music starts and it FINALLY said - The End...we just looked at each other with this flabergasted look. What?!!!
Everybody dies, everybody's homes get destroyed, children are dying, people are racist, nobody ends up with the one they love, the nicest girl in the whole movie dies!
For it to be a classic, it was hardly one that either of us would watch again. And for it to win 10 Academy Awards...what?
Now to those of you out there who love or even like this movie, then more power to you. No hard feelings, but two thumbs down on this one. We both felt like we suffered through it more than enjoyed it.

Chaco's Montage

Chaco made herself a montage and wanted us to share it with everyone.

Merry Christmas,
Chaco

Cold Remedies

So, I'm trying to approach this "blog" thing more consistently. I figure it's like that movie Field Of Dreams..."If you build it, they will come." But in blogger world, I guess it's "If you write it, they will come." I apologize in advance for anything weird that comes out. I came down with something nasty yesterday, and I have serious medicine head. At about 2 pm yesterday, my throat started to close up, get tight, and become very sore. By 4 pm, my itchy watery eyes started to seal the deal. At 9 or so, I was so out of it I could barely talk. I drank some Emergen-C (vitamin boost), started taking cold and cough Ayurveda herbs, and started the whole gargle with warm salt water trick. I've rested today, had a couple of doses of Ny-Quil to aid in my sleeping abilities, drank OJ, sipped on soup, and religiously nursed Ricola Honey Herb throat drops. Now, I'm sitting up in bed, watching the room spin, and wondering is there anything else I can do to kick this thing?. If you've lasted this long in reading my cold blog, you are so awesome. Please feel free to pass on any cold tricks you've been taught over the years to help me in this "cold mess" or any future ones the Jenkins' will run into.
Thanks!!
Floating in Nashville,
Kari

Christmas Shopping? Any tips??

Christmas Shopping? The whole thing is bewildering to me.
First of all, I'm not a big shopper anyway...for which Ryan is always reminding me that he is grateful. On rare occasions, I'll get the shopping bug. For some reason, I'll have a little extra cash or it has been allotted in our monthly budget, and it's fun to search for the greatest deal and come back with a purchase and cash still in hand.
Second of all, it's a bit overwhelming...the gift, the perfect gift. I'm not one to just buy a gift for someone at random, wrap it up real quick, and throw it under the tree right before they walk in the door...just to pretend to look for it when I'm passing them out. I like to buy a gift that means something. Maybe I heard someone say they like this or are interested in that...when that's they case, I'm off - hightailing it...for the all-time perfect present (in my opinion). I find more joy in actually coming up with it, creatively brainstorming. I will say that yesterday I walked a few stores, and there are a few of you that showed yourself in the perfect gifts. Now, I just have to actually purchase them. Procrastination doesn't always work in my favor. But you see, when it's Christmas - I have to come up with the perfect gift for at least 20 people in a month's time.
At the end of every Christmas season, I say that I'll shop throughout the year. It sounds great, but it just doesn't happen. I admire the people I know that have their "gift" journal and buy and write the gifts down throughout the year or those who love Black Friday (Hats Off To Debbie!!), but it's the end of November and I'm wondering how I'm going to get 20 perfect gifts in a month's time.
So, for all you avid shopping guru's, please feel free to post any tips or ideas for how you do Christmas shopping. I would appreciate any advice you can give me for this season or the one that will come around again in about 365 days.

December Is Here, and We're Chasing Dreams!

It's here! We already have our lights up outside, the decorations up inside, and the shopping list done. Not the shopping....just the list! It's only a few days after Thanksgiving and we're already in the Christmas mood.
We had a good Thanksgiving this year. We hung out with a few couples that do not have family in town. A full afternoon of good food and football. We thought about going bowling...but after stuffing our faces, all we could do was raise the remote. The day before, Kari and I spent the entire afternoon cooking for the feast: sweet potato casserole, cinnamon apples, pumpkin roll, and apple pie. (Kari did most of the cooking...I just did some of the easy stuff!)
Life is being good to us but is also showing us some challenges. Work for both of us is going smoothly. Kari definitely enjoys her job. She also has been working diligently on her birth assistant certification. On top of that, she is also juggling the thought of going back to school to get a labor and delivery nursing degree. (Some of you may not know this, but she has the aspiration to open a center for expecting and new mothers that has prenatal massage, baby massage, yoga, birth assistants, among many other things.)
With me, I am just plugging away at my job. Not sure if the word has been passed around, but I am in the midst of a career change...(although this transformation may take a long time.) I am trying to change careers and become a Park Ranger. I know, I know...you're thinking "from Information Technology to a Park Ranger?" Well, after a lot of thought and soul searching, I have realized that I took my current job for the salary only, which doesn't always make for a fulfilling or enjoyable work week. I applied and had an interview for a job in a Georgia State Park, was selected as a part of the top three applicants, but lost the job to someone who had a lot more experience than me. So as of now, I am just going to try and work to save a little extra cash so I can possibly go back to school to get a Masters Degree to give me more of an edge on my application.
Yeah, we have some lofty dreams, but we're young still and have a lot of room to reinvent ourselves. That is part of the" Jenk Adventure" and the joy of this life.
Among all the other excitement in our lives, I'm going to sell my truck this week and we are going to be a one car family for a while. Luckily Kari and I work fairly close to each other, and I still have the motorcycle as a means of transportation.
So that's it mostly. I hope everyone is doing well and is having an adventurous season!

High Hopes and Lofty Dreams

Today I was checking up on a friend with a new babe and their new baby's website. I was posting a comment and sent it from this blog site. Honestly, in the last 6 months or so, we've been sucked into the world of myspace and keeping in contact with people there and totally forgot about this one. I started reading our last blog and I was like - Wow! A lot has happened. Since most of our family would check this one, I propose a new idea. When we blog at one, we copy and paste it to the other. That way we keep in touch with family and friends. What a genius idea?!
We'll do a quick rundown...
My bestfriend did have her baby 4 weeks ahead of her due date like I anticipated. I made it just in time on March 8th. Emileigh Kate is beautiful, and Amanda and her are coming up next weekend for some "Auntie" time.

After our bathroom job, we did the kitchen...tiling, painting (walls and cabinets), lights, and hardware. We painted our bedroom and got a bedroom suite...which we've been wanting for 4 years.

I finished my Infant Massage Training, a Prenatal Massage Certification Course, and now I'm taking a Doula/Birth Assistant Training at the end of October. I'm still at Practical Massage Therapy and loving it.

We went on a vacation with some of our close friends this summer. We went to Alaska and had the time of our lives! We did everything from train riding to 4 wheel driving to helicopter glacier landings to seakayaking to watching humpback whales and hiking mountains You can check out our pictures at www.picasaweb.google.com/thejenkadventure.

I (Ryan is typing now) got a chance to see my sister (Jessica) a few months ago. Until then, I hadn't seen her in about 7 years! It was great to see her and great to see that she was doing well and hear how things were going in her world in Montana. Even though we only got to see her for an afternoon, it was like we picked up right where we left off.

Chaco is still the furry kid in the house. She rules the roost and loves sleeping on the bed and barking at the squirrels.

So now, we are just working and trying to enjoy ourselves here at home. We have some more things to do to the house still. I've also been playing music and have some shows coming up that I am excited about. Kari has been doing a lot of quilting and we've both been exercising a bunch. We get up at 5 am every morning to go to the YMCA. We are also trying to do more camping.

We'll keep you updated on new things and we'll try to do this more often...(we say that every time!) I'm sure we'll have plenty of things to talk about in the near future.

For now....Jenkins Out!

February Is Over!!

February is over, and honestly we're kind of glad.

We had a lot going on this month. My Infant Massage Instructor Training is finally in the mail. Now, we go through the grading process, but the hard work is completed! I ended up taking a few days off of work to visit with my family and grandmother. While I was there, I spent some time doing some practicums for my Infant Massage stuff with some college roommates.

Ryan and I threw a couples baby shower in Cave Spring, GA for my bestfriend from high school, Amanda. And I also made a special trip down there for a photo shoot I gave her for Christmas. I've seen the pictures, and they are amazing! Now, my bags are getting packed, and I'm awaiting "the labor call." Yes, I'm a few weeks ahead of schedule, but our friend, Melanie, went 4 weeks before her due date. She caught us all off guard, so I'm just attempting to be calm and prepared for the occasion.

We finally finished our bathroom this month!! Two and a half months of working....no... slaving on the bathroom, has turned out to be all worth it. It is much, much better than when we first moved in. We tore out the sink, toilet, floor and shower walls. We tiled the floor, then put in a new plastic shower wall. We were not satisfied with the new wall so we decided to tear that down and cut out the wall and install a tile shower wall. It looks great! We then painted, put in a new shower head, put in new shower faucets and handle (which took some plumbing work!! That was fun!), put in one of those curved shower rods, a new toilet, and a new vanity/sink. It was quite the job...but we are pleased. We still have a couple minor decorating things to do, so when that is done this week, we will take some before and after photos and post them here.

From one project to another...now that we are done with the bathroom, we are going to start tearing up the kitchen floor today. We decided that if we didn't start it now, we would never get around to it!

We are frantically awaiting our trip to Alaska in June, and the Motorcycle riding season has begun, so the excitement never ends for us!

Since we are such good bloggers (can you hear the sarcasm?) we've also started up a Myspace page. It seems to be an easy way to keep in touch with friends we can't see alot. For any of you that has a Myspace page, come see us and add us as a friend!
www.myspace.com/thejenkadventure

We hope everyone is doing well and we'd love to hear what is going on in all of your worlds.

The Worst Bloggers EVER!

OK. So we admit it - We Are The World's Worst Bloggers! One day I'll think, "Hey, I should write about that." But then, something usually comes up and we don't. After a couple of times of that, then you think that you've got too much to write. We'll try and get better.
Right now we're anxiously awaiting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live...the perfect time to try and blog.

We sold our house within 1 week, and moved into Nashville at the end of November. We're now living in a 1960s ranch that we've started to work on. Ryan refinished the hardwoods underneath the carpet in the living room the first week we moved in. Now, we're tackling the main bathroom (luckily, we have one more in the basement). We took tiling classes at Home Depot and tiled the bathroom floor. We're waiting for more tiles to come in, so we can do the shower wall. We've got lots more to do!

Tiling at 3 A.M with a Cold

My parents and brother came to visit a few days before Christmas. Ryan got sick, so he was out of commission for the entire visit. We had a nice time seeing each other for the holidays. This was our first Christmas by ourselves where we didn't travel to see family. We spent it with friends this year here in Nashville. After Christmas we traveled to Virginia to visit Ryan's family. We enjoyed shackin' up with MawMaw and PawPaw and taking time to be with Ryan's family because we don't get to see them that often. We thought we were going to have to leave Chaco with MawMaw and PawPaw because they became so attached. If they weren't attached, they all did a good job of pretending. We were only there for 4 days, and we could have used another day or so to visit.















Christmas Eve with Friends




Chaco on Christmas Day

I'm loving my new job at Practical Massage Therapy. I picked up another day beginning in January.
We had a bird in our house. Ryan had to come home and rescue me from being attacked!
We're excited about our trip to Alaska in June. That's all Ryan can think about!!
Except for his new inversion therapy. He has this thing that he hung in a door frame. Every chance he can get he straps his "special" boots on and suspends himself upside down. He has degenerative disk disease and bad back pain, and this helps stretch him out and give him some relief.

Ryan upside down

I'm still working on my infant massage certification. I'm going to Atlanta soon to snag a couple of friends for my practicums. How cool is that?!! I get to see some close friends and teach them how to massage their babies and communicate through touch.

We'll try to blog more often and keep everyone up to date with The Jenk Adventure!!!

Early To Bed. Early To Rise...yawn.

I think that's how the phrase goes. I wouldn't know really. But I will say that the last two nights I've been waking up at times that I think God could even be asleep (He needs to rest, right?). Ryan and I have a lot going on right now, and something in me is turning on way too early. Wow! I'm turning into my mother. I always wondered what that was like for her. Due to a nightmare, I was planning our summer Alaskan vacation at 3 am yesterday, and this morning I was up at 4:30 singing Hanson and remodeling a bathroom (in my head). Probably, the only other time I've been like this was when our friends called us to let us know they were in labor. The ironing and the dishes were put away before 7 am that day. Anyway, I decided to channel my energy and efforts into a well over do blog that I've been scripting (also in my head) for a month now.

Before this morning, the title of the blog was going to be - (wo)MAN, I Love My Job! Due to confidentiality, we're going to give my client a "fake" date and a "fake" gender. Yesterday evening a client came in that I hadn't seen in over a year; we're going to call this client, a "her," and leave it be. She's a great person, and I had actually thought about her often. She heard I was in Nashville working now, and she decided to come and see me. We went into the room for the "interview" part of the session, and she said she just wanted to relax, had a lot going on, and felt the need to come in. Ok. I thought. I can handle that. Before I stepped out of the room, she added...I've got a lot of emotional stuff I'm dealing with. Can you help me get rid of the "bad" stuff and push it out or something? I thought, "Whoah there. Kind of caught ME off guard." Reduce muscular tension - check. Increase circulation of blood and lymph- check. But I'm not "directly" asked to help get rid off emotionally binding and burdening stuff too often. People will say that they want to relax and get away, and people will leave in an altered state brought about by releasing and balancing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects, but I'm not usually verbally called on before hand for such a task...you know to personally push out the emotionally "bad" stuff. Honestly, when she said that, it lit a fire under me. It didn't frighten me. It hit me like a ton of bricks (how many times do I need to be hit to remember) what the power of touch is capable of, and I get to be apart of that, assist that, watch that take place on a regular basis. Just so you know - she left relaxed, happy, and balanced. It's amazing what touch can do.

You'll all probably get a ton of information in the future about the class I took last month. But for now, in a nutshell, I went to Atlanta for 4 days last month and took a course that certifies you in Infant Touch and Massage. The teacher, Maria, helped pioneer the movement over the last couple of decades. She parted ways with some of the women because she felt the need for individualized touch sessions instead of the usual routine taught to parents for "well babies." She works for the University of New Mexico Hospital now. She makes home visits and works in the NICU at the hospital. They work a lot with drug exposed babies and premies. It was an incredible experience. We were in class for 4 days from 9-5 and learned the entire time. We had families come in, and it was one of my most amazing experiences. With this approach we teach parents how to touch and massage their infants in specific ways designed just for them. Some benefits for parents massaging their infants...where do I start? On the infant side - bonding, attachment, communication, body and sensory awareness, sleep deeper and longer (yeah!), stimulate GI and circulatory systems, neurological development, regulate state transitions, helps digestion and colic, regulates all physiological systems, relaxation, and that's not all of them. And then on the parent side, builds competence and confidence, ease stress, helps relax their child, relaxation and unwinding, communication, bonding - do I need to go on?! I totally enjoyed watching the families come in and #1 bond with their babies and #2 at the same time enhance their children's overall health. Blew me away! Maybe later I'll share specific stories. I'll ask the parents. So, right now...I'm in the certification process. I have to do some reading, teach at least 15 sessions, take an exam, do a little research, observe another instructor, and then I'll be good to go. If you're interested in knowing more, I would love to talk about it. And if you're a new mom or dad and you're not in my reach, I'll contact the instructors and find one for you in your area. Once Ryan gets up, I'll get him to help me attach a picture of the people I took the class with in Atlanta. They were awesome!

Hey, the sun is rising! Maybe I'll watch my Hanson dvd now.

We Have A Blog???

So, we had this brillant idea this summer to start a family blog...well, that's great but we never told anyone we had it. So, I guess until now...it was a private diary or something like that.
Here's an update on the Jenkins Family.
I (Kari) started a new job a few weeks ago. I left Studio Gaven and the room renting situation and moved my massage practice into Nashville. I'm at a neighborhood massage studio called Practical Massage Therapy. I feel like it's one of my wisest moves. The people there are great, and they obviously understand massage. So, I'm starting to build my business in Nashville. I'm also offering house calls to a few of my Franklin based clients. The new website is www.practicalmassage.com. Check it out when you get a chance. I think it's incredible.
I (Ryan) have been the same 'ol - same 'ol. Work is well, although this month I am in the process of replacing computers for all 67 of my employees. This is a job that takes alot of time and patience. Aside from work, I have been playing in a band since December of last year (2005). We are Losing Home. That is our bands name, not a description of mine and Kari's luck. We have only played a few shows, but we practice every week in the hopes that the shows will come more often once our newly recorded demo is finished. Check us out at Losing-Home.com. I made the web site, so no cracks! Oh, and speaking of losing homes, Kari and I have begun another adventure together!
It's Kari again. Since we both work downtown now, we knew we would need to make the move back closer to Nash-vegas. It just makes sense. Yesterday we put our house on the market, along with 11 others in our neighborhood, but we'll see what happens. For those of you who haven't been to our humble abode, you can check it out by following these simple instructions. Go to www.realtracs.com, click on Search for a Property, and at the bottom of the page put 812331 as the MLS #, and we should be there. We had to make it a model home look for the sale, so a lot of the personality and pictures are gone.
Well, I hope everyone is well. And I think after actually sending a blog out, we'll be more consistent. We will see. Take care!