BeenJen

[beenjen]

Things I’ve done, TODAY, that I’ve been pushing off for an embarrassing amount of time -

1) reached out to a new primary care facility for a new patient appointment

2) set up new patient dentist, my last one stopped taking my insurance

3) set up to see a specialty post op for management

4) set up for the ole k pop demon slayer (koda the Doggo) to be groomed. He’s a 120 lb Great Pyrenees, I paid extra for some chill so that they can groom ALL of him, he loses interest as things progress

It’s been so hard to get back to taking care of myself. At this point I have to acknowledge I’ve been letting a lot slide. Due to being overwhelmed, not prioritizing my wellness, some depression with the general state of things, as well as a lot of personal shit with my folks the last several years, any and all of the above.

I’ve been off work since last Friday, for last week of school for the kids and coverage until the day summer camp to kick in. We were supposed to leave for the firefly vacation, which had to be delayed as dad had urgent surgery. He had just gotten out of the C collar, and this was a set back, however he came through well.

Getting that sorted, then a late trek out of town with the kids, J’s promotion ceremony to middle school, C needing to travel for work - which is rare, we both traveled this year and haven’t for a long time - also my close friends brother passed unexpectedly, I committed to hosting a retirement party this weekend and the studios 4th ‘birthday’ celebration. It’s Thursday of the following week and I am just now taking a breath.

I think the lapse of self care has really been a side effect of a hectic life. The thing is, it’s always going to be something. I sent emails on the websites for dentist and pcp, and the dentist called back to confirm, waiting on the clinic, it made things so easy.

Today while J mowed the back yard, I cleaned the back porch off. We also have our camping gear out as it was rainy and things needed to be cleaned/dried before storage and I was able to get the sleeping systems put away, the canopy for dining and additional table/chairs stored, the tent has to have some repairs, so it’s cleaned, just pitched until the specialty tape gets here for the seam. I’ve been framing art from the school year and also took some leaves out of our dinning room table for a change.

The cleaning and organizing and appointment making has made me feel settled for the first time in months really. It’s been nonstop.

Blah blah life stuff blah blah. Here’s some pics -

The last pic is trying to capture the lightening bugs - they peaked this year later than expected due to weather. It was a really cool experience and we plan to try for the lottery again to the Smokies this next year. It was impossible to photograph and I snapped a couple photos, then just experienced it.

Be in the moment xx

[beenjen]

She’s alive, aliiivvveee!!!!

The school put on the kids art show - it was so incredible. Almost the entire bottom floor of the school was covered with pottery, glow in the dark paintings, hanging clay birds from the ceiling, Dolly Parton impressions. It was so great. So creative and fun. You can tell there is a lot of effort and care taken with the kids. It was beautiful. So grateful we made the change this past year with schools and for the soft landing.

We are in a neighborhood and the kids have friends that are neighbors. The boys are biking back and forth. Our kids world has blossomed. So glad we made the leap. It’s been magical.

My girlfriend sent me pictures of some photos her mom just developed of a ‘lingerie shower’ she hosted me. And it was right around our anniversary - 18 years. Wild. It’s hysterical though, I remember laughing and laughing and having the best time. She shared several shots of the pics and wow, what a wonderful timeline. Va Va voom 😂

I traveled for work, some training/education. It ended up being really great. Went to a championship game, nose nose bleed section - it’s been years since I have been to any sporting event or even watched a game really. It was super fun. There were towels to wave and a t-shirt in each chair, it was interactive and they had killer music sound bites. Such a great time. The energy was so hype. It was fun to get swept up in the spirit of things. The work group I went with was just incredible. Couldn’t have asked for a better team.

The dress code was business casual. For someone that wears scrubs at my 9-5 and teaches yoga on the side, I haven’t had to dress fancy in a long time. It was a time capsule digging through my closet. I made it work.

I found an amazing yoga studio close to our hotel. Went to 3 classes while I was there. I slept through the night uninterrupted. Ate well. It was a gift. Made even better by being close to the ever lovely @theunstuffedpepper 😍😍😍

Yoga every damn day xx

[beenjen]

Spent yesterday organizing my upstairs space. This is 90% settled. Deciding on window treatments or honestly leaning towards dowels over the windows and hanging plants that can vine down over the windows.

Also there’s some holes/certain access points we needed open for wiring upgrades for the house, computer jargon inserted here, and there’s a plan to cover that, its just not here yet 👍

Next up, first round of windows for converting this covered porch into a green house where I can grow spinach, kale, asparagus, maybe strawberries and tomatoes? Not sure. It’s going to be a work in progress we’ve been working towards for a while now. It’s exciting to see plans taking shape in reality.

The kids have enjoyed visiting dad and working in his shop lol that’s my childhood, helping dad with his machines.

Have a lovely week xx

[beenjen]

I scheduled an arm balance workshop for tonight after work last month. It’s something I really want to lock down in my yoga practice.

It was humbling and challenging at the same time. I’ve missed challenging myself physically. It’s been nice starting that back up again.

I’m 6 months post op, give or take, and I feel as well as I suppose I will. I’ve been lax on heavier strength training and more advanced yoga. I’m ready to pivot that. It’s something I’ve missed.

I teach a class weekly, yoga that is, and I whooped their arses this week. Didn’t realize I had done so? So I definitely have a foundation of strength. The arm balances though, are on another level - at least for me. So, I’m saying it here, it’s my next goal.

Not sure I mentioned it previously, my co-chair at the non-profit studio, asked me to teach a class at a retreat she hosted (again yoga, matter fact, it’s all yoga - whole post) several weekends back.

Teaching is still something that I have to decide before each class I can do. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone. I teach at a cozy studio, and my class sizes range from 2-8 most times. The retreat was over 20 or so people. By and large the largest class I’ve taught.

It went really well. I awake dreamed the whole sequence that I taught, and I practiced it prior to get a music plan.

You know I quote beastie boys and wear my Peg Bundy leggings friends. You already know.

It’s been a good week.

Headed this weekend to pick up the windows my brother sat aside for me for this idea C and I have for a greenhouse. That’ll be fun. The back porch is patched from the ice storms in January, and the material is ordered, just this area is COVERED UP with repairs at the moment. It’ll prob be a bit longer.

Still sorting the upstairs.

Converted the raised garden boxes in the front to flower beds. The deer ate everything last year. EVERYTHING. So I’m going to put a row or two of some stuff in the back and just bloom it loud and proud out front this season.

Example is this tulip bed. I’ll add more because I want each bed bursting with color an blossoms and each bed is a different flower.

Anywho, that’s some of the haps. Be well, live well xx

[beenjen]

Phew. Up at my dad’s with the kids -

Today was a full ‘adult’ day. This morning C and I went with his parents to an estate planing lawyer. After that, he went to work and I headed up to my dad’s, to drive him to his follow up neurosurgery appointment from his cervical fracture in February.

He was in hospital 3 weeks, rehab an additional week and then has been home with home health and my brother and I alternating visits/coordinating care for the last couple. He has local family close too; brothers and a niece. Looks like another month in the brace and some PT for mobility and he will have a license to ill.

This is where I am with the upstairs. Still moving all the furniture, deciding what flows best one spot to the next and haven’t gotten all the art up, but -

First 2 are the big room. Some pieces in there are from my grandma and mom. 3rd is my office and the 4th is the playroom. So relieved for that to be wrapping up. It’ll take some time to get a feel for what works best for the space and for my plants to take over muahahaha

Easter shenanigans at my uncles -

Happy spring xx

[beenjen]

Last weekend a couple girlfriends and I traversed a backpacking trail out past a waterfall and through a gorge at a state park here. We hiked in Saturday morning, hiked out Monday early.

It was so empowering. The freedom and space out there was palpable. Just a true unplugging. You could get a sat signal but that’s it, a creek for water and thankfully a relatively well maintained outhouse.

Keeping with Jen fashion, I spent my time practicing yoga, enjoyed a guided meditation and sat in silence on a rock in the stream. We ate delicious food - I brought in frozen salmon for our first dinner, another friend, freeze dried chicken parm - both worked out so well. The weather was divine. The conversation was top tier.

The first night there were other campers in scattered sites, the last night we were there alone. It was a much needed recharge. Sun. Fresh air. The creek rippling in the background. The wind through the trees. It was immersive.

They have largely finished with the inside of the house. I owe you some pics. Still navigating the game of keep or let go with furniture, toys, some things we’ve had in the attic area.

Happy spring. Happy Easter. Happy renewal 🌙

[beenjen]

Full spectrum -

Yoga first -

#everydamnday

Yeah -

> the kids 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

The truth about aging, growing, becoming. Getting ready the other day I checked my reflection and caught a slight turkey waddle - the crepes-ing of skin under my neck. wtf. shocks me sometimes, this, regardless, is 44 -

Gah, the upstairs is happening. It’s a precipice. We bought his place in 2012. It was THE PLACE FOR us. It was everything - but the kitchen, the upstairs, the etc Lolol one of the goals we had was to redo the upstairs, and it’s here. It’s coming to fruition after kids and a roof leak, but that shit is here, and it’s better than we had even dreamed. Color is cornflower yellow. My office and the bonus room are different and also looking so great guys. Getting excited after the suffocation of a 6 month Reno lol

The worm moon 🌕

we’ve made it through trauma ICU with dad, to Step Down and now rehab. He’s being discharged to home tomorrow.

Did the full kitchen clean out, a grocery restock and house shape up tonight. Wowza. Phew.

March 2026 xx

[beenjen]

Just when you think shit will chill, you get a call at 2 am that your dad has fallen and broken his neck.

Thankfully he has no residual weakness or paralysis. It’s been a couple weeks in hospital and working to transition to rehab. Brace will last 6-8 weeks and then I guess we will see.

More reno upstairs continues. It’ll be a couple more weeks. They’ve moved furniture from one room to the next. Tarped shit, but it’s still a dusty disaster up there. These fools have completely fucked several plants and after the ice storm where we were without power for over a week and just life in general, it feels like the walls are closing in.

I did on a whim pick colors for the walls versus a cream I had originally thought of as neutral -

I also fried chicken for the first time ever -

Ultimately some normalcy and even a single week of routine would be chefs kiss at this point.

More late night yoga for the win -

Hang in there. I’m told it’ll get better xx

[beenjen]

The house progresses -

The larger of the spaces I envision as a plantopia 🪴😍

Both kids are on the mend; Lils had a recurrence of strep, then J came down with the flu.

More of me doing yoga in the middle of the night -

Today was an in lieu off day for Presidents’ Day on Monday. Met up with a pal and snarfed a turmeric latte, practiced with one of my teacher training gurus and it was sunny and mid 60s here -

Xx

[beenjen]

Front yard is largely cleared aside from smaller branches and what not. The early estimate is that nashville lost 30% of canopy coverage from this storm. Sad.

Cleared what I couldn’t even see from the house of broken remnants from the transformer change over.

Then I burned sticks - hog heaven for me.

Celebrated with one of my gals 40th 😍 I went for a couple hours and C watched the kids. It was a last minute venue change to 21 & Up. It’s been a bit since I’ve dressed up and actually gone out out. As in not to yoga, the grocery, work or a kid related need lol

C moved all the office furniture stuff this am as I tended J man - who woke up with a fever, boo. Early morning pediatrician run to rule out the spread of strep through the family.

That routine I mentioned? Apparently not this week.

I did however manage to scrub the baseboards in the kitchen, the cabinets and wood wax them as well as the island. Haven’t deep cleaned my kitchen in a minute. Maybe I’ll tackle the kids bath and bedrooms tomorrow while I have a sick kiddo snoozing on the couch.

Take it easy xx

[beenjen]

Throw back night with Jen. Yoga on the floor past 11p -

You’re up next, live 😘

> power restored 🙌

> contruction on the house continues. We are in it from November and now have to consolidate an entire other room of furniture somewhere in our house. lol RIGHT. BY MONDAY. Ahhahahah

> Catastrophic debris - branches, trees, leaves, destroyed shit, has a deadline of Monday as well - it’s Friday after we were without school or power for a week - to get what we need picked up at the street, to the street.

I’m grateful, no mistake, that we have power, house intact and the physical ability to clean up my damn yard, just dayum.

> Lilith had a rebound of strep - fucking fever, sore throat, Scarlett fever rash and all, same week we had just returned to work/school… yes, yes indeed.

So damn grateful for the flexibility of our jobs to move meetings/appointments a few hours, so we can both effing work/keep our jobs, as well as take care of our family.

> there’s a lot, really it’s all apathetic at this point.

If we could get in a routine, just mildly, or even biweekly, bimonthly, I’d be eternally grateful.

Apparently the Super Bowl is this weekend 🤘💀

Check the health and growth of my hair. Ayervedic scalp massage -

my twinkies -

Life. Just life. You matter xx

[beenjen]

We have power! It’s a good thing too, my bedroom was turning into a jungle with all the plant shuffling I’ve done to keep everyone as lit as possible-

We spent some time with my dad today, got the deep freeze sorted - just in time for the power to kick back in natch - and the kids school was cleared for them to go back in the morning 💗

Also, snow moon baybee -

If you look closely you can peep a coupe of the skylights in the front. From The current project.

We decided to have our contractor fix the back covered porch damage while he’s here finishing up the upstairs. Turns out one of the large branches actually hit so hard, it punctured through the roofing and busted the gutter and wood support in one spot. Truth be told it still feels lucky that’s the extent of what we ended up with. Some of our neighbors, not so much.

Hang in there. This too shall pass xx

[beenjen]

Here we are, the wee hours Saturday morning. We’ve been without power for 6 days at this point. It’s a hot mess. We’ve, as citizens and neighbors, cleared our own roads, made sure there were coat/blanket/warm gear drives. Fed one another and taken in the vulnerable. I love Nashville for that reason.

I worked all week from a combination hot spot, car adapter plug and grit. I’ll say at least the ‘office’ from my driveway had heated seats. It’s all been so surreal - and full honesty here, there have been far worse tragedy’s, other places and even that I have lived through, it’s hitting different with kids, with the weight of what’s happening these days, all of it.

Today was my first day into the office - my main campus has remained closed all week from damage and icy facility conditions - so this was the local one. It was so discombobulating to set an alarm, get up from the pull out couch in the living room, and have C kindly making me campfire coffee and starting my vehicle. Getting ready with my phone flashlight feature.

Kids have been out of school all week and there are several schools In our county with burst pipes and destruction - anywhere from caved in walls/roofs from fallen trees, to busted windows, no power - so juries out if the kids will go back on Monday. (Again this is a privileged perspective in comparison to so many things that have come before, for others, for us)

Here’s to cooktop pizzas -

Our Terra-cotta-candle- contraption that’s kept the laundry room pipes from freezing -

Flashlight night stories -

The moon -

Sunsets on the way home from my cousins, who has power and offered a hot shower -

And so it goes. Miles to

Go before I sleep ✌️ xx

[beenjen]

Ended up with over an inch of ice after the snow and temps below 20 for the next several days. As far as ice storms go, this was pretty gnarly. The weight of the ice on branches and in cases, entire trees toppling, caused debris hitting houses, taking out lines, cars. It’s messy.

We lost power around Sunday morning 2am ish, and it’s now Monday evening. Being as the powerline is laying on the ground both from the house to the pole, and off the pole and laying in the yard, and snapped from the pole that connects us to the network, it’s going to be a couple more days likely before we are restored.

We luckily have gas for heat and you guys know our backpacking and camping a$$es have cook gear for days -

Here’s the crows, still coming for breakfast 😍

The back retaining wall deck ended up with several branches over it. The pictures don’t really show it, that one limb in the back hit the covered porch taking off part of the gutter - lucky.

This is one of the trees over our road. The whole thing, roots and all, just uprooted, falling over from the weight.

In case you are wondering how ice could be so damning. Here’s a small pic to show an example of how everything is coated.

Staying warm. Eating well. This too shall pass.

Going to try to work remote from my car in the morning with a hotspot. Wish me luck lol

Xx

[beenjen]

The initial predictions were that we would get over 2 foot of snow, it ended up being maybe 2 inches.

The south closes down with weather. The kids school has already called it for Monday and Tuesday. So we are just hamming it up. Ready to rumble.

Our Pyrenees rescue is in absolute bliss -

In accordance with tradition, we took the kids out and about after dark - to the neighborhood sledding hill. Another local dad and 2 kiddos also came out, and the kids hit it off, the ‘disc of doom’ and hubbys metal sled from childhood - think rosebud, Citizen Kane - were highlights and they blazed a trail. The boy and Lils were excitedly talking about their favorite cryptids, J and the daughter were the daredevils with upping tricks, they all love games and want to start a club 😍 -

The dad and C are both techy, and though the mom wasn’t out for sledding, she and I are both old ICU nurses that went back to school. The son, when they were leaving, started interviewing me for a friendship with his mom. It was FABULOUS guys. The sweetest.

He said, ‘you like to read?’ I told him I did, and he asked, ‘fantasy?’ - um, yessir! Then he questioned if I enjoy candles, and I assured him candles are amazing, I told him his mom and I have the same career and I can’t wait to share plant cuttings with her. He was pleased to hear it.

Lowkey excited. They like to backpack, camp, and hike at all the local places we do…. It was so neat.

If nothing else, having some friends on the same street for the kids is just so cool. It’s something growing up out in the sticks and going to a private school in another town, I never had.

And of course, yoga every damn where -

Stay warm xx

[beenjen]

More on the house…. Even though I knew we were ‘raising the roof’ I was NOT prepared to not have a roof over part of the house. Yeesh that was something.

It was off and framed in 2 days, then roofed the next. They killed it. Now we have insulation, all the skylights are in, it’s being framed up, all coming along!

We also went to Fall Creek Falls for a long weekend. It was 20 degrees, so hiking was limited, we hung at the cabin playing games and eating popcorn. C found mythbusters, we had fancy desserts at the lodge (which is breathtaking, it’s a must go), night strolled and cuddled.

Oh! The bald cypress are also here - though we are predicted to get the tail end of a snow-ice combo with below 10 weather for several days and they are lovingly tucked into the garage until defrost, I cannot wait. They are SO BEAUTIFUL.

Stay warm friends and 👋 xx

[beenjen]

How’s your week going?

They delivered the lumbar for our house project. To the wrong address.

👍

[beenjen]

Realizing I used lumbar 🦴 and not lumber is such a medical slip lolol