I love my 2nd grader so much!

Our family uses the we word often. As in “We are in first grade”. As many parents do, we spend time at Meridian School, volunteering, arranging classmate play-dates and best of all, socializing with parents. Here are a few photos from our hors d’oeuvres and wine gathering at my studio just prior to the Meridian School Auction.

After much contemplation and unanticipated angst choosing a grade school, my husband and I finally chose The Meridian School for our daughter (in 2009). The angst was not caused by Meridian School- we felt immediately comfortable with administration and the parents who warmly welcomed us. The angst was our own; a result of many fine private schools to choose from. (See this past post for a few others great Seattle private school choices.) Saddened by the transitions and chaos (at least during 2009 and 2010) within the Seattle public school system, private school seemed the obvious choice. Sixteen kids per class and academic/ social-emotional focus being equally addressed at Meridian continue to be obvious, if presumptive, advantages.

No-- gambling isn't a part of Meridian's curriculum!

Meridian continues to receive our vote of confidence.
Who might not be best served by Meridian? In my non-expert ( read NON-EXPERT) opinion, Meridian has many socially adjusted kids who range academically from perhaps average up to very high achievers. If tests indicate your child falls at the tippy-top of the 99th percentile, and/or if social impairments are dramatic, schools such as Seattle Country Day, Evergreen, and in the downtown or North ends, Lowell Public School may be a better fit. In downtown and South end, Public School Thurgood Marshall has an excellent academic reputation.
Here are a few moments illustrating life at Meridian School in Seattle including our wonderful park campus and community service focus. Here for more photos, including Community Service Day.

As fun as Meridian School is, Kids must wear shoes! Parents are nearby.

Meridian School puts emphasis on building community

Pure joy at Meridian School's adjacent Park

Meridian School Playground

Meridian School Playground hints at Spanish emphasis

It's nice to know Meridian Kids are in good hands at the Good Shepherd Center

Sharing a building with Seattle Tilth has lovely advantages

We knew Meridian was for us after visiting the classrooms. There we found attentive students expressing themselves and turning towards each other to give and receive support.

If you have an impression of Meridian School, or any other Seattle school, please add your voice. For other voices search the blog for “Meridian”.

My father-in-law is awesome. Not only does he spawn great kids, he spawns fish themselves. His wood carvings of fish in their environments have always astounded me with the minute detail and true-to-life subtle hues.
Now Bob has been recognized by the Courier Journal. Perhaps you’ll meet Bob Rohleder on an autograph tour.

Bob Rohleder with one of his many fish carvings. Each glistens in subtle hues. Photo by Pam Spaulding of The Courier Journal

Wishing everyone, worldwide, a happy 4th of July, and a special encouragement to those who today continue to seek independence, whether for country, gender, or state-of-mind.

American Flag face painting. Ellie wishes everyone a Happy 4th of July

Proud spouses frequently share their partners successes, and I simply can’t help myself. Tim’s architectural firm, Rohleder Borges, was included alongside the “big boys” in NW architecture.
Amanda Reed on WorldChanging wrote “…the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Seattle Committee on the Environment hosted a public presentation of the top eleven projects in the running for the 2010 What Makes it GREEN? Top Ten Regional Green Awards,

Highline Heratage Museum by Rohleder Borges Architecture

Rohleder Borges Architecture, along with the citizens of Burien, were honored when the Highline Heritage Museum stood tall among other creative winning projects; 9 designed by (seemingly) giant firms.
Amanda shared, “The Highline project also provided the most feel-good moment of the afternoon. “
(Bold is mine, the proud spouse.)

Vote for which project you think is the most “green” in the People’s Choice Award category here.

Read the entire article.

My dad has a lust for life at 83 to inspire and often amuse all those around him. Formerly I dedicated a post to him including a slideshow that depicts his life post medical school.

American Public Media just ran a radio interview with Dad about his European bicycle trip. At 78 Dad returned to a bridge where army friends were killed in an ambush during World War II. His story was all news to me, since he never talked about the war, only saying wars are horrible and to be avoided if at all humanly possible. Once a patriotic 17 year old he was inspired to serve his country, the United States of America. On his bicycle trip at age 78, Dad was able to finally care for a 60 year old wound.

If you visit the program, find the “listen now” link at the bottom of the page. Dad’s portion is the first 20 minutes.

Hugs, Dad. I’m so proud of you!

Come get your holiday shopping under way and support an amazing cause at the same time; Janet is one of the Soulumination photographers

I have loved Alaska since my first visit there about 20 Years ago. Arriving aboard a ferry along with numerous other budget conscious adventurers, I camped in my tent on the back deck never wanting to miss a moment of beauty, weather, or learning what made fellow-passengers tick.

Never did I realize that within Alaska’s grand mountain-capped walls might there lurk the likes of Palin. I’m not talking hunters and strong women. What better place to be than Alaska! I’m talking supporting a dictator, or perhaps I’m exaggerating (a bit). Power can be used or it can be abused, of which Palin clearly practices the latter.

I was disappointed to learn Alaska voted her into any office. Sometimes it takes a nation to wake up, shake up our distracted minds, of which mine is often included. But Alaska is wide awake and roaring now. Check out this post. Phew! I was worried one of my favorite states was wanting a leader so badly, following Palin down the 7% oil-covered, slippery slope of “My way or the highway” might be misinterpreted as safe. NO SUCH PASSIVITY IN ALASKA!!!

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/

I am thrilled and honored that the Readers of Seattle Bride voted me, Janet Klinger, the “Best Photographer 2008″. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart. Granted it was a TIE, but according to Ali Basye (the Editor of Seattle Bride) we split the largest number of votes ever cast in a tie. Spreading the love.

The fabulously talented J Garner won Best Photographer in the “Vendors Choice” category along with his wife, Katarina. These two are not only incredibly talented, but industrious, personable, and business savvy. Hmmm. Wait. Don’t hire them. Hire me! After all, this is MY blog.

Other Winning Vendors (A partial list as it’s late. Purchase the latest edition of Seattle Bride for details.)

True Color Events: Best Wedding Planner AND Day-of-Wedding Planner. Vendors’ Choice.
Aisle of View: Best Wedding Planner AND Day-of-Wedding Planner AND ALL AROUND BEST WEDDING VENDOR. Readers’ Choice. Go Merry Beth!!!
Luly Yang Couture: Best Custom Dress Designer AND Best Bridal Accessories. Readers’ Choice.
Luly Yang Couture: Best Custom Dress Designer AND Best Dress Shop. Vendors’ Choice.
Golf Club At Newcastle: Best Location for a Sunset Wedding. Readers’ Choice.
Flora Nova: Best Florist. Vendors’ Choice. (She’s all over this blog. Do a search!)
Aria Style: Best Florist. Readers’ Choice.
Moms, Maids and More: Best Mother-of-the-Bride Apparel AND Flower Girl Dresses. Vendors’ Choice AND Readers’ Choice.
E.E. Robbins, The Engagement Ring Store: Engagement/Wedding Rings. Vendors’ Choice.
The Healthy Bride: Bridal Fitness Plan. (I work out with her too, but I’m a healthy “Goddess”, not bride.)
The Michael Benson Band: Best Live Band/Entertainment. Vendors’ Choice AND Readers’ Choice.
Wave Link Music: Best DJ for the Reception. Vendors’ Choice.
Hotel 1000: Best Hotel for Guests. Vendors’ Choice.
A Heavenly Ceremony: Best Officiant/Clergy. Readers’ Choice.
Fairmont Olympic Hotel: Best Quintessential Seattle-Area Reception Site. Readers’ Choice.

Anyone notice anything in common? Nearly all of these vendors have been featured on Janet Klinger’s Photography Blog. Love to say I told you so. For more Wedding Vendors we adore, choose the “Vendor” category on the right.

Here comes the eccentric neighborhood activist decked out in Rollerski gear, even though the streets of Chicago are still icy. That’s my dad. Still running, swimming and/or biking nearly each day of the week, Dad has always loved to be active and adventuresome. In the last few years he went biking in Europe, biked the West Coast on Highway 1, bused to Washington DC to protest, and is planning his next bike trip with my cousin Jerry. Granted I am getting a bit more worried about him, especially after his dip in the Danube, bike and all. While a bit more cautious, and certainly slower, Dad remains dedicated to his active lifestyle and true to his personable, adventuresome spirit.

Beyond nurturing his eccentricities and devoting himself to multiple causes, my Pop finds time to show how much he loves me. I’ve never doubted it. Truly blessed am I to know the meaning of unconditional love. I hope to be able to share the security this brings with my own little bambina. Happy Birthday, Dad. Thank you for the gift.

Before The Healthy Goddess, Christi Masi created The Healthy Bride. Herself beautiful, fit, and athletic, Christi is clever enough to make a living helping others maintain or create their own positive self-image. And If there is anyone who wants to look good, it’s a bride. Twice each week future brides join Christi at the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park to get in the shape of their lives to celebrate the happiest day of their lives.

BUT WHAT ABOUT AFTER THE WEDDING? Christi found women disinterested in socializing with future brides once no longer belonging to this special club. Hence, The Healthy Goddess. Then even further beyond these newlywed women are women like me who put themselves more in the category of “Recovering Moms”. If there has ever been a group in desperate need of a little kick in the booty camp, its members of THIS club. Move over you trim, fit, gorgeous brides. Here come the rest of us huffing up the hill in hopes of surviving another of Christi’s intense workouts.

Their is nothing like a little camaraderie to inspire me to get out of bed at 5:30 for a rain or shine workout. Even better is having a committed and inspired trainer like Christi Masi creating workouts step by step so my still sleeping brain can relax while the rest of me works toward looking even better than on my wedding day. Or at least better than yesterday. See you at the Greenlake track at 6am SHARP!

Where oh where did those days of traveling to Ecuador or cross country skiing in Yellowstone Park go? In these hectic days of parenthood, I both relish being energetic Ellie’s Mom, and resent the daily responsibilities I’m now faced with– and disappointed in myself for falling down on the job. Right now our fridge interior is barren except for the 5 day old Brazilian black bean soup, last weekends now-cardboard pancakes, and last night’s quinoa pasta leftovers.

Truth be told, the grueling challenge of a “responsible” life goes further back than Ellie. After a scary misdiagnosis with Lupus, I cut back working all waking hours of the day that I wasn’t playing. Until that doctor’s appointment, I felt balanced. Yet the 2 week wait for test results had me reevaluating balance. As my 30′s set in, so did my desire to find that special life-long snuggle guy. Running full boar all waking hours left little time for romance. Scared by the unknown, I felt I would have to give up my full-of-play ways. Sure enough, when I fell in love, I was drawn to the responsible, tenderly adorable, creative, orderly architect, Tim Rohleder. While I thought we had a perfect match, however close, nothing is perfect. Here is a man who puts family first, just as I always dreamed. Tim works hard, loves his clients, bikes to work, takes an equal responsibility for household chores. What more could I want? The answer points to me, not Tim. Janet’s Agenda: supermom, superwife, superphotographer, superathlete, superfriend, supersmart, but subtract “super” and you have a clear idea of how I feel. Not bad, not great. Where is life’s adventure and spontaneity I fell in love with so long ago?

Happily we are able to take 2 annual trips to visit each Tim’s family and my family. Then there’s work related travel. It’s no secret that I relish these work excursions hinting of my old travel ways. Grateful for these work/travel opportunities, today my challenge is to revive self-inspired excursions rather than passively accept them only when clients request. And to somehow get Tim and Ellie to join in the fun.

Modeling an adventuresome yet balanced life to Ellie would be a gift to her, to myself, and to our family team. Onward I struggle for this precarious balance, unwilling to accept my vision only as a dream.

With tickets now booked to Anchorage (June1-7), I’m off to the grocery store… Balance is achieved one day at a time.

A carefree day in Yellowstone Park:

A boy in Ecuador:

In the ever-present struggle to regain balance between personal and professional life, life as momma to Ellie and wife to Tim, Thursday night has been carved out as “MY” night. Granted one Thursday each month I’m at an informative PUG meeting, or an educational Woodland Park 3-5s co-op meeting, or occasionally an inspiring Soulumination meeting. Still, 1 to 3 nights each month are for doing as I please. This tiny freedom rejuvenates.

I usually spend that time with friends, so much do I miss being social. Now it’s easiest to build friendships with other working moms who are also motivated to go around Greenlake at 8:30 in the pitch blackness.

But last Thursday, oh my! I had forgotten the sheer pleasure of nestling into the warm sands of Olympus Spa. Blissful, rare relaxation overcomes me as I bake in the mud & jade room, then cool down to warm in the charcoal room. I don’t know the exact purpose of these “earth energy” rooms. Who cares about energy anyway. Give me it’s antithesis!

Then into the mugwort steamroom. Yuck. Slimy on the butt! Might that be why they gave me an extra tiny towel? With towel in place, mind off the slime, my pores couldn’t be happier, my breathing easier. To cool off, into the freezing waterfall pool. Gasp! Then into the hottest of the pools to soak before I have a 50 minute Korean body scrub.

1) Mud & Jade room 2) Relaxation lounge with foot message 3) Waterfall pool surrounded by 3 other warm to hot pools.

Why work if you can’t splurge now and then? Use of the spa for a day is $35 in Lynnwood, $30 in Tacoma. The bodyscrub is $65/60 Lynnwood/Tacoma. I’m so happy Tim and I figured out a way to have some time for each of us. I’m ready for another week.

Tim is SO sweet. One of his many great traits is his adoration of Ellie, and his complete commitment to our little family. Nothing’s more romantic than being held in the thoughts of the man you love. Ellie adores her daddy, and so do I!

(Tim’s really private and never reads my blog. Shhh. If you don’t mention this he’ll never know.) Oh. Did I mention complete honesty is the key to a successful relationship?

Ellie and Tim Rohleder refueling.

Our annual group trip to Skalitude in Carlton Washington never disappoints. When I want to ski, snowshoe, or sled out my door, this snowy cabin is the place.

Tim & Ellie stepping out.

Vida knows how to travel. Mush, Daddy, Mush.

And neither parent has blue eyes… Look Mom, no Photoshop either!

Thanks to Julian’s trains and track, inside was kid-heaven too.

More on Skalitude

Sipping fine champagne on the beaches of Nantucket. Sunset made to order. Five adult girls indulge in giggles and cameras- just like 22 years earlier living together, traveling and playing at being professional photographers. Claudia Kronenberg and I have emerged from RIT and our year photographing abroad as successful photographers on different coasts. Annie Wiswal Widger’s creation of Gentle Thunder Farms is an equestrian Shangri-La. With her big-heart humor, Annie leads trial rides and boards/owns 20 horses. She also runs a gift shop with all things equestrian. Both Anne Sarsfield Morton and Laura Zeffer have found their personal peace through meditation and self-awareness. Anne occasionally teaches meditation after years of running an on-line fine art gallery featuring her fellow Vermont artists. Laura meditates under the guidance of the late world-renown guru for peace, Sri Chin moi. Laura and I both live in Seattle now so get to run and swim together.

Anne, Annie, Laura, Claudia

Five years until our next official reunion, we College and Europe-traveling friends are happily bonded for life.

Before meeting my daughter Ellie in 2004, my photo studio’s motto was “Elegant Weddings, Distinctive Portraiture”. But now…

Growing with Ellie has emphasized for me the warmth and humor of capturing life’s little moments. That, and having a history with client families including coverage of their wedding, pregnancy, birth, newborn, growing years, three generations, high school seniors, and plain old LIFE gently tugged me to re-evaluate my business emphasis. Now my motto is “for your extraordinary life”. Mine has never felt more extraordinary since Ellie completed our home. I’m in love, more than I ever imagined.

Holiday excitement is in the air, both for my family at home, and for my family at the studio. Excitement being contagious, here are some upcoming events and specials I’m excited about:

• DEC 14 – My Chicago-based family begins arriving to fill our house with Holiday Cheer.
• DEC 15 – SPECIAL OFFER. We have just become one of Washington State’s exclusive photographers to offer Gina Alexander Bags. Come see samples at the studio, or in a week see the “boutique” section of the new website. I LOVE this gorgeous purse/tote collection. Purchase one or more by JAN 15th (Martin Luther King’s REAL birthday) and get 30% off! This is a one-time offer!!!
• 
• DEC 24 – Ellie bakes cookies for Santa Claus.
• DEC 25 – Family celebration of Christmas at our home.
• DEC 29 – Leave for cross country skiing and snow shoeing in Methow Valley at wonderful Skalitude. See my previous journal entry praising this dreamy cross country ski paradise. Meet up with my great friends who I originally met in Teacher Sarah’s Music Together class.
• DEC 31 – Celebrate with said friends the shimmering New Year, or so it looks from Skalitude’s mountain log cabin.
• JAN 1 – Happy New Year (and it’s my birthday!)
• JAN 5 & 6 – Seattle Wedding Show. Come see our Gina Alexander collection, photo stamps, cards, folios, albums, slideshows, and meet my great photo-team. Special Seattle Wedding Show Offer: If you book me or an associate for a wedding between Dec 15th and 5pm Jan 6, your package will be upgraded by one hour each for the wedding day and for your engagement session.
• JAN 8-12 – Portrait Sessions on Nantucket Island, MA. Details here.
• JAN 15 – Happy Birthday to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr! May we all put your wisdom into practice, today.
• JAN 27 - Bride Ideas at University Village. I’m proud to be included as one of the exclusive wedding professionals in this boutique-style event. Bride Ideas hand-picks the best wedding vendors in the area and hosts them in an intimate and elegant setting. Brides can relax in knowing they are visiting with, and learning from, the leaders in the industry. There will be fun fashion shows at each of the sessions too.
  As far as I’m concerned this event should be “Groom and Bride Ideas”. Happily, men are increasingly more involved in wedding planning.

Happy Holidays. Happy New Year. May Peace Be Imminent.