Bear project updates

Bear Project Updates

Dear Readers;

My charity projects are coming along slowly, but my determination to complete them is ever unwavering. I have this issue with being perfect that I realize is more of a roadblock than anything. I have all the pieces for the "Bren Bear" ready to go, and quite a bit of them sewn up, but I can not get the head right and I keep tearing it apart. After about the third attempt, I was ready to scream and took a break. After a while, I realized something very profound; this kids do not need me to be perfect. They need a bear to hold and give them courage as they battle for their lives against people who want to hurt them. I am never going to make a perfect anything, because I am a human being and I make mistakes. Those little mistakes I make are not going to matter to these kids at all. What matters is having a animal friend who was made by someone who loves them and wants to help them in the moment they need it most. So onward I will press, and this week I am making a vow to myself to complete one "Bren Bear". Wish me luck everyone!

Sincerely and Artfully Yours,

Jetta Marie

Juggling life

Dear Readers;

I apologize sincerely for the lack of posts this past month, and hope that you can forgive me for my absence. I feel like I am being pulled in so many directions that I am going to burst, but I am grateful as well for the lemons that life has handed me. It is hard to go into EVERYTHING that is going on, and quite honestly that is not what my blog is about. My blog is about being optimistic when it is hard to be, and seeing the beauty in the world around us when it seems like winter will never end. Heaven knows I have been baring that difficulty in my life now, but despite my hardships, I know that I am being looked after as well.

It is difficult to juggle the responsibilities of  life at times. Sometimes it seems all but impossible to be everywhere you need to be, yet there is no option NOT to be to those engagements. But in this hectic world we live in, where we are all but expected to be more than human, there is a anchor and balance for me in my efforts to juggle the enormous challenges I am facing right now. I find so much comfort that I do not have to face my current hurdles alone. Between my family, my amazing work family at Lifetouch, my ability to grow from my failures, my husband pushing me on when I am ready to give up, I am so grateful for how much I have grown in the last month as a photographer, a caregiver, a writer, and a person.

Sometimes when you are in the middle of something difficult, it can be very difficult to realize the beauty in the challenges you face. Challenges and hardships are a chance for you to overcome and grow in ways that you could never grow otherwise. There will always be moments of weakness in doubt when your limits are pushed. Intelligence and wisdom are like a muscle; they must be stretched and pushed or they can never reach their potential . There are moments in each challenge where you want to scream and give up. There are moments where you want to hide in a hole and not come out till its over. But as I am reaching those points over and over again, I am coming to slowly understand that I need to be looking forward to those points because they are truly the point where the challenge and I come face to face for battle and I am so close to victory I can taste it.

After the dust settles I have an opportunity to look back on my victory or loss with eyes and heart of gratitude. No man has ever described a battle of wits and bloodshed as a fun experience, and life is truly the most challenging opponent one could ever face. In the conflicts of life, our enemys are in the environment in which we live, our circumstances, other people, time, and most challenging of all, ourselves.  But in the victories of life we come to a deeper understanding of what we are capable of and our purposes in this world. The juggling act we live each day, and the moments where we seem to be juggling balls of fire are the moments we prove what we are made of and we grow as people in a quest of understanding ourselfs and our environment. Keep plugging along, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep that seed of gratitude in your hearts, my dear readers. i believe in each and every one of you and love you all. Thank you for your support and love and There will be a few post this weekend.

Always and Artfully yours,

Jetta Marie

Never give up when darkness bites

Never give into the endless nights. 

Never stop trying to find your way

Never stop searching for the dawn of day

Never give up when the going gets tuff

Never tell anyone you lack the stuff

Never believe that you cannot go on

Never deni you that victory song

Never give up and never give in

For I believe that lifes fight is a battle you'll win.

Never give up, friend, never back down

You are destend for greatness and victory bound

Second Place In Taylorsville Art Show

Photo: Chaz Boren
Gratitude Of The Day: The opportunity to compete in the Taylorsville art show with my cousin, Stephanie, and win second place on two of my pieces. Horray! :)

Dear Readers;

I know that without the companionship and support from my amazing cousin and fellow artist, Ms. Stephanie Killpack, I never would have had the courage to enter this art show in the first place. But I am so grateful that I did! I won TWICE. It is humbling to realize how much people do love what I do in the world of photography, and I am so grateful to be a part of the art community and for the wonderful mentors that I have guiding me as I grow in my techniques and skills.  Everyday I am on the field at Lifetouch, I am being guided and encouraged to be better in my technique and to understand what makes photos amazing or subpar. I learn new things every day and I grow everyday. I am encouraged to grow outside of what I do with the company and become a better artist in my own work. I am the artist I am because of the people who are guiding my natural abilities and encouraging me to shoot for the moon. I may have landed among some amazing starts in this art show, but next time, I am making it to the moon and winning that first place ribbon. Thank you to all of you who are encouraging and loving me as I endeavor to show the world the everyday art around us all. Chaz, Stephie, Ms. Carrie Howlett, Mike Puttnam, my parents and family...you are all wonderful and I could not do this without you. Two second place is amazing for my first art show, but next time I am bringing home the FIRST place for you all. :)

Artfully Yours,

Jetta Marie

Birthday Day with Adam

Birthday Day With Adam Boren

A personal favorite. 

It is really neat to see him playing with the settings on the little nikon he was using and how the pictures progress as he is learning. Look at the differance between this one...

And this one. And then comes the real kicker...Go down 6 photos...

And the kid COLOR ISOLATES this photo. I did not show him anything, he just played with the settings and eyeballed it. AMAZING! 

Can you BELIEVE a 13 year old took this??? This is an almost perfect two thirds photo technique. Again the kid just did it by eyeballing it. What talent!

Photography: First two photos are by Jetta Marie, the rest are by Adam Boren

Poem: Jetta Marie

Gratitude of the day: Being able to spend the day with my wonderful nephew, Adam, for a very belated birthday lunch. His birthday was in January, but we were still thinking of him and love him to pieces so we made arrangements to take him for the day last Saturday and it was so much fun! We took him to Sage Café in salt lake and he had the blueberry pancakes. We had some adventures at the art show I was being featured at, and we went up to magna out in the farm lands and took some amazing pictures. The ones posted here are all Adam. What a talented guy. Happy 13^th birthday, Adam. You are awesome and we had a blast.

Birthday Wishes To Adam

Here’s to you, the Birthday man!

Wishes from your cheesy fan!

Your birthday day was so much fun

And here’s to more to surly come.

Horary for you and 13 years

Of laughter so strong its brought me tears

Your funny and your full of spunk

You’re not the usual teenage punk

You’re unique in every way

And that’s a great thing in the world today

You full of energy and kindness too

I am so glad that I have you

To call my nephew what a joy

Though it’s hard to say you’re not a boy

But now a man growing up so fast

But memories like these will always last

I’m so glad to have you and I just have to say

Thank you for sharing your wonderful day

I love you so much, Child, know that’s true

And here are my wishes from me to you;

Grow up to love you as much as I do

Grow up to know that your wonderful too

Grow up to know that no matter the storm

You’ve been loved and adored

since the day you were born

Know that your strong, kind loyal and true

And most of all know that we all love you!

Happy birthday!

Mom's Birthday

Photography: Jetta Marie
Poem: Jetta Marie
Gratitude of the day: My Mom; need I say more?

Dear Readers;

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend Feb,6,2014 with my Mom. I know growing up she and I did not see eye to eye AT ALL, but I am so grateful to have her as my mom. She is funny,dedicated to her family, artistic, and just as bull headed as I am, which in raising me was probably a good thing for her to be. She never gave up on me no matter how stubborn and defiant I got.  She is one of my best friends now and I am so glad to have her in my life. Love you, Mom! Happy Birthday.

Mom's Birthday

She is stubborn and determined,

She is bound to get her way

She always has a method 

To have the final say

She is funny, and so quirky

She can be spunky and carefree

Am I referring to my  mother,

Or I am talking about me?

She loves with all her heart,

And always keeps her word

She will have your back

No matter how much your absurd

No matter what the weather,

She's there through thick and thin

No matter how she has to fight

She's there and has always been

She never gives up trying

To prove that you are loved

And even when she falls behind

She keeps trying just because

I have never met a women 

Who loved her children more

Than the one that I call Mother

I love her to the core

There was every reason 

To consider my future gone

But she was in the background

My friend, my strong willed Mom

I am so glad to have her in my life

And I have to truly say

My mom is a huge reason

Why I am here today

She loved me when I hated her

And anger filled my veins

 She did nothing wrong to me

But I was angry just the same

But my mother watched me

And loved me still and prayed

And for that I just want to tell her

Thanks mom, I love you; 

And happiest birthday!