Must Reads for Women

I'm not quite through reading it yet, but I have to say that "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" by Christiane Northrup, M.D., is a book that every woman should read. I was fortunate to pick up my tattered copy at my library branch in the used book section. I don't even know if it's a popular book currently or not. But it should be.

This book is thorough (it's fatter than a Bible). I've found it helpful on so many levels. It goes through a lot of medical stuff relating to the female reproductive system. That is useful. It talks about the experience of pregnancy, labour/delivery, and motherhood, of miscarriage and infertility, of abortion, and of sexual abuse...all with women's stories. It talks about the many kinds of cancers and other diseases unique to women. Tons of information.

What I especially liked in this book though, was the unique perspective Northrup has as a medical doctor with all the traditional knowledge and experience, but who also has a very wholistic perspective: treating the whole woman because she recognizes that mind, body, spirit, emotions are all inter-related. She gives story after story of women who have experienced healing of cysts, fibroids, bleeding etc. after they have listened to their bodies, processed their emotions from past pain/trauma, begun to make changes in their lives and relationships, turned to a higher power, and/or begun to gather the support that they need around them. I was astounded.

Another favorite thing I took away from this book was greater understanding about the energy systems of the body. Our bodies have a number of different energy pathways (chakras) that are related to different areas/organs in our bodies. They ways we process our emotions, approach life, feed our bodies and so on can block these energy pathways so that different areas are more susceptible to illness. She has a chart that shows the correlation between different chakras, the mental/emotional issues, and examples of related illnesses. Discovering this information is actually helping give me direction for my life in order to help bring healing to my thyroid.

The third section I particularly enjoyed was all about a woman's menstrual cycle and the significance of the ebb and flow of energy, creativity, and wisdom. I think we've all been ripped off when it comes to learning about this in grade four. There is so much more to this than tampons, pads, making babies, and birth control. A woman's uterus is much more than a place where an egg can grow if fertilized. It is her space for creativity. It is her "low heart". And our fine balance of hormones which regulates our cycle allows us to be intuitive and reflective at times, more open to receiving others at other times, and more energetic at others. But we need to learn to listen to our bodies rather than pushing ourselves to the limit.

The other book I'd recommend (from a different perspective), is "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. It is actually the major inspiration for Eve Studios. But I've done enough writing for tonight.

Just a reminder that FemFest 2009 is coming up soon, starting September 25th. FemFest is theatre and workshops "by women for everyone" put on by Sarasvati Productions. The theme this year is "Herstory". One of the shows I am interested in is "Pitch Blond": the story of Judy Holliday, the 170-IQ genius who specialized in playing dumb blondes. Tickets are $10 for a single show. We'll be giving away some tickets for FemFest, as well as some gift certificates at FemFest. More details to come...

The beauty of nature

A few weeks ago we were in Saskatchewan to spend some time with family; I like to take these opportunities to capture beauty of another sort, so I try to never be without my camera. Here is some of what we saw. Have a great long weekend.

Rodney

So long, so sorry!

So long no blog. I’m sorry about the wait, life has been crazy and I need a vacation that will not come for a long time, I did however take the time to gather evidence that summer did drive by us here in the peg as I went to the beach yesterday with my family and enjoyed an amazing sunburn (I’m very, very thankful that we didn’t go to a nude beach, that would have really hurt!!!)

One of the things I want to learn this year is how to be a more thankful person, it seams that I all too seldom take the time to be grateful for what I am blessed with, and as I have been thinking about this I have been overcome by a sense of wonder at how we have been blessed with such good clients. If you are one of our clients, I want you to know that you are really really appreciated; and in case we haven’t expressed it to you lately, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lived, it’s an honour we don’t take lightly.

Since we have another few weeks of summer left, here’s a look at a recent session with a long time friend and client, if you are interested in an outdoor session just let me know and we can arrange something that you will love.

Rodney

Stories to Share

I was just going through my file of testimonials while updating the look of our gift certificates, and I thought I would share a couple. Reading these just makes me so proud of my husband and what we do as a studio.

"I had an amazing experience with Eve Studios! Something I will never forget! I was getting married last July and decided it would be a neat wedding gift to have some photos taken for my husband, but it turned out to be so much more than that! Rodney made me feel so good about myself and who I am. From the instant I walked into Eve Studios I felt comfortable, respected and excited! While my husband and I picked a great picture to hang on our wall, the experience left me feeling confident, strong and empowered. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of shape or size; a photo shoot with Rodney is an amazing way to appreciate yourself for who you are, inside and out!" - C.L.

"I enjoyed every minute of our session together and could have stayed all day. Everything about your studio and your professionalism was very comforting which brought out my inner beauty. My boyfriend and my very close friends have always told me that I was beautiful and sexy, but to be honest I never truly believed them. Through your pictures I now see what they see and am more confident. Thank you, thank you. I wish every woman could share the experience." - T.S.

"Following the session, I was feeling a noticeable sparkle, and my yoga practice that night felt better than it has in a long time. Instead of feeling stiff and closed-in, I felt free and expressive. The session has helped to rejuvenate my practice, and I am so grateful for that. Now I want to do another session all over again! ☺ As you said, I think it's quite addicting.

I think every woman should experience a session, as it really can be quite therapeutic in so many ways." - T.M.

Thank you to each of our clients for sharing their stories. I hope they can inspire you, too!

Studio Update

Rodney just sent me this image of our lobby after he put up this gorgeous 30 x 48" print to update our look. He is loving the classic feel it gives our lobby. What do you think?

In other news, we will be away for a portion of this month visiting family and doing our "Saskatchewan Family Portrait Tour"...allowing rural families near my home town the opportunity to do family portrait sessions in the beauty of where they live. If you are interested in a similar kind of session for your family, feel free to give Rodney a call. August to October will be fabulous times to photograph family outdoors. Rodney also just completed an incredibly beautiful session at Patricia Beach at sunset for one of our Eve clients. I hope he'll be able to post an image or two soon.

We have just started advertising with Winnipeg Women, a local magazine that we love. We have a couple of extra copies in the studio if you want to stop by and pick one up.

Hope you are having an excellent summer: soaking up the sun, getting active, getting into nature, being rejuvenated...even if it's just in your backyard. When we get back, we're planning lots of BBQ's with friends! (which reminds me...there's this great little shop on Academy Rd. called the Garden Room...you've gotta go there!)

Enjoy life! I've got some packing to do!

Service

I have experienced some amazing service in the last two weeks or so from a couple of businesses. I thought I'd share them with you here, as they all could be very helpful busy women.

1. GemStar Insurance - Rodney just did some work for them, and so naturally, when our Autopac premium installment was due, he paid it there and dropped of the CD at the same time. Here's what I love about Ken Bull and his team at GemStar. First, he went out of his way to pay us on the spot for our work, even though the person who normally prints out the cheques was gone that day. Then, after we paid our Autopac, he asked us when he could quote on our home insurance. Well, it so happened that we were trying with little luck to shop it around as it was renewing the next day. He got us a quote and saved us $110 while giving us more coverage than we had before. But what is really amazing is that he was willing to do an installment plan for us on our terms and with no administration fee. AND, he was willing to pick up a payment when he was out and about if we needed that, since he couldn't provide online banking through his business. Now, I realize he knows us and trusts us and could offer that kind of service because we have a relationship...but this is the heartbeat of his business. A while back, he saved us because we had forgotten to renew our Autopac and he phoned it in for us while at a business meeting. They do renewals by fax and delivery if you want. They're located at 3034 Portage Ave. (but that's nearly irrelevant) and you can reach them at 889-1880.
2. Bye Insurance - We have had our life insurance with them for quite awhile now. Recently, we received a call from them to see if we wanted to review our coverage. Well, we had been thinking of increasing coverage, and when we found out that they can do RESP's, we were psyched. We'd been procrastinating on that for too many years. (We had the kids' SIN numbers, but just hadn't finished the job). It turns out that the broker Rodney had seen before had a son who was just starting the business. Bryan, is a soft-spoken 22-year-old who just got married last year. He is great with kids (he read my daughter a book while I filled out paperwork) and is still able to be very flexible with appointments, coming out to our home either in the morning before Rodney went to work, or after the kids were in bed. He's a patient, no-pressure kind of guy. We both ended up increasing our coverage, and now we finally have an RESP in place as well. Good stuff! Bye Insurance is on Provencher and you can call 943-6367.
3. The Green Cleaning Ladies - this is a brand new business comprised of a mother and daughter who want to use environmentally responsible products. I just had them clean my house and will be keeping them on weekly. It was a big decision to hire someone to clean for me, so I'm very happy to have found this new company. I love their friendliness and warmth. And they're experienced cleaners, too! I'm looking forward to this energy injection every week! Check out their ad and maybe you can enjoy a little peace and beauty, too...(but make sure you tell them who sent you, so I can get a free hour of cleaning, ok?) The number to call is 334-8176.

I know these descriptions were a bit lengthy (sorry), but I know in these busy times, it is SO helpful to use referrals instead of having to do your own research. Let me know your experience with these businesses if you use them.

Celebration time

It’s been a crazy week and I know about half of you are waiting for me to respond to emails…..it’s coming. First things first, I want to wish a happy 13th anniversary to my beautiful bride Sonya. Wew wew!! Thant’s right folks, Sonya and I spent Monday celebrating 13 years of wedded bliss and I still can’t figure out why she loves me.

It’s hot outside and summer is here so why are you reading my writing; grab someone you love and go outside and enjoy the young mosquito population-I’ll write again soon.

Rodney

Growing

My beans are growing. My kids are growing. Our business is growing. I am growing. It is exciting to see things develop.


It seems like when we had that prolonged cool weather, that our lives were reflecting that. I felt dormant. Yes, we were getting a lot of landscaping preparation done. That was a blessing to do minus the heat and mosquitoes. We did the major push for our "Just As I Am" project, which we're actually still accepting people for this week-end, and it was nice to have a quiet period in our business in order to focus on that. But my optimism, my physical energy, and my purpose were all very weak.


Now, it feels like we've regrouped our energies, and we're ready to branch out again. Stretching, expanding, reaching out, going deeper...and we anticipate a surge of growth that will bring our business to the next level. I believe this will happen as we do some inner work, find ways to feed our souls, and as we gather with supportive people.


These last two weeks have been interesting. I've been looking at energy in a number of different ways: learning about the fascinating way the body functions, taking more seriously how different things drain my energy, and looking for ways to boost my energy. One step I'm taking is using money to hire people to do things for me that aren't getting done easily and are dragging me down. It's a scary step, as I need to believe that more money will come when I do this to compensate (even abundantly more). But I am now willing to take the step and see it where it leads me. That, for me, is growth.


How are you growing?


(If anyone has a cleaning person or a bookkeeper they want to recommend, I'd love to hear it).

Faith, Fun and the Circus!

I’m tired and it seems there aren’t enough hours in the day. On the bright side the sun has come out a few times in the last two days and it has been a real mood booster to say the least to see that beautiful piece of fiery goodness.

This weekend we had a family outing on Saturday, we went to the circus together and then worked on some landscaping as a family. The circus, what a feeling of electricity I felt from our kids as we walked into the big tent in the Grant Park mall parking lot. We bought “Circus” Cotton Candy, and “Circus” Popcorn , a “Circus” Balloon and a “Circus” hotdog and mini doughnuts. What was so special about the “Circus” Food, to us it was simply really really expensive but to our children it was magical. It seems I have something on my forehead that says “Pick me” because in the whole tent full of people the clown picked me to come up on stage, be an idiot and ultimately get shot backstage (My kids were more than a little concerned about that) before ultimately emerging from behind the curtain to new life and a new lease on life.

Speaking of that I have had a number of people ask me about my faith, views on faith and all the rest of that mumbo jumbo so I will take a moment to let you into the deepest part of my being and share with you where I am at.

Firstly, I’m not a terribly religious person in that I define religion as a list of rules to follow to appease the gods or God. I do however have a deep faith and here it is:

I believe that God loves me (and you) and has a plan for my (and your) life.
I believe that I (and you) have missed the mark that God has set out for us, and are therefore sinful and separated from God.
I believe that God sent his very own son Jesus die on the cross 2000 years ago to bridge the separation between us and God.
I believe that God gives us the opportunity to either accept or reject the gift of his son and thereby accept or reject the opportunity of having a relationship with him (although God is not a boy or a girl, history has generally given God the Masculine words like he, him, his) should we choose.

To put it another way, Dad just wrote us a check for a million but the money isn’t actually ours until we decide to deposit the check or cash it.

As a Christian I don’t somehow feel as though I’m any better than anyone else because I’m not, I have simply chosen to ask for forgiveness for my many imperfections. I have also been asked how as a Christian I can do the type of work I do at Eve Studios or the types of projects I do such as Just As I Am. The answer is a simple one, when I look at the universe around us and the world in which we dwell I see such incredible beauty everywhere I look and I feel as though God is the ultimate artist. I also look at the body that God created and marvel at the beauty and complexity of it and quite frankly feel as though it is the ultimate slap in the face to God to not appreciate and capture the beauty of the human body and spirit.

I know this is sort of the readers digest version that I’ve just given you but when it comes right down to it faith is not nearly as complex as many make it, God’s biggest command is “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength; and to love your neighbour as yourself." I feel as though if we all lived even a little bit like this the world would be a much better place.

I hope this answers some questions, if not, call me up and set up a time to bring me a beloved Pepsi and we can sit down and discuss anything that’s on your mind.

Love you all,

Rodney

Not dead yet!!

No I’m not dead or if I am heaven is a lot different then I imagined it to be. I’m so sorry about the time between blogs; I’ve been in Saskatchewan for a week and then trying to dig out of the aftermath of a week away from home and studio.

Firstly I must say to Jan and Sarah, congratulations on your newfound fame, I hear you were simply superb in your interview on CBC Radio. CBC wanted to do a story on the whole Just As I Am project but apparently I wasn’t handsome enough to be part of it; odd isn’t it since it was a radio interview. No offence taken though and Jan and Sarah were interviewed from the perspective of someone wanting to be a part of this project as a model. Unfortunately I missed it but we are hoping to get an MP3 that you can all link to.

I also want to send out a huge congratulations to Leila Marston, She was the feature actress this last weekend in a play that Sonya and I had the pleasure of taking in at the Ellice café and theatre. Leila was playing the role of a mermaid who was searching for an eternal soul, you were amazing Leila!!

Well as I mentioned I spent a week in Regina for a convention and have come back very inspired, I have so many things that I have learned that I want to try. Anyway, landscaping at the house is calling me and when it uses Sonya to call it’s best to listen and obey, I’ll talk to you all soon.

Blessings.

Rodney