love at first sight....

Meet Ally Paige....she made my heart melt the instant she came into the world! I know I am completely biased, but my new little niece was cute from the first minute and continues to get cuter every day.

Not quite sure where she gets the red hair from, but I am happy to see she has the Reynolds' blue eyes :-) This post is purely about cuteness captured on film over the past 2 months....

I have a feeling this blog is going to see a lot of Ally in the next little while. Nothing says adorable photo-op like a babies first halloween :-)

www.jenniferreynolds.ca

giving thanks for cottages, family, dogs & fall foliage....

It feels so great to get out from under the constant pressure and guilt of my comp's and start to enjoy my weekends and to take pictures again. Another great weekend was spent at the cottage enjoying family, the outdoors, great food and great memories.

Once again, the dogs thoroughly enjoyed the lake and this time Ally did too :-)
Speaking of my ultra-adorable little niece Ally, a new blog post is in the making documenting all her cuteness over the past 2 months. She truly is what Thanksgiving is all about.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

www.jenniferreynolds.ca

to Vienna with love....

It was the home of Mozart, Strauss, Haydn, and Beethoven. Vienna is a city of marvelous palaces, Gothic cathedrals, a synergy of both baroque and contemporary architecture, and historic coffeehouses frequented by writers, academics, and artists - both past & present. True exploration of any city requires that you get lost at least once and Vienna is a great city to get lost in and enjoy the exploration...

I was originally in Vienna over 15 years ago, however, this past visit felt like I was seeing the city again for the first time. One of the best memories that I had of Vienna was of the KunstHausWien and the Hundertwasser House, created by the contemporary painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

His work encapsulates environmentalism, philosophy, and design through his boldly-coloured paintings and irregular formed architecture projects. Today's reality was as good as my memory remembered it to be!

Cafe Hawelka is a gem! It exemplifies a warm and peaceful coffee retreat practically untouched since the mid-sixties. As a phd student, I find myself spending many hours in coffee shops working away and the historic vibe of this place just felt like a little slice of academic familiarity.

It has often been said that coffee is the Viennese drink of choice, and with the many types to choose from you soon realize that the coffee ritual in Vienna is much more than coffee with a bit of milk or sugar.

The Stephansdom is a stunning Gothic cathedral in the heart of the city centre. During my travels I have been to many places of worship, and the interior of this church was truly breathtaking with its intricate interior structure and artistry.

Vienna is such a walkable city and as you explore on foot you stroll past the Karlskirche church, many museums and can easily imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago.

After my time in Vienna, it was off to Amsterdam....more on that part of the trip soon!

www.jenniferreynolds.ca

meet Max.....

Made a new little friend today:) At times he wasn't always too keen on getting his picture taken, but in the end he was such a cutie when he needed to be.

Gotta love a baby with a ready-made mullet :) He wears it sooo well!

Shooting this little guy got me soooo very excited for the upcoming arrival of my little niece :) Two weeks and counting....

www.jenniferreynolds.ca

Kiwi-land with a touch of Aussie

So here is my second installment of pics from my recent trip down under. Constantly surprised how quickly time passes, as it feels like ages ago that I was there. Almost time for another adventure.....

So after some R&R in the Abel Tasman National Park, I headed east to Christchurch. Christchurch is such a lovely place.....so green and pretty! It is filled with wandering parks along the Avon River. But what I loved the most was the really artisan feel this city has.

I am a huge fan of structure....so my camera could hear this building calling from miles away.

After Christchurch I headed over to Aussie-land! I had never been outside of the Sydney airport before so I was quite excited. Plus, I was able to spend time with a great friend of mine who lives there...so that is always a bonus. Unfortunately, was only there for a couple of days....but will definitely be going back. Sydney exceeded my expectations and I was really impressed with the city.

This final shop just made me shake my head....a woman's touch is always a good thing ;) but whether or not it has to be a "white" lady is a bit problematic!

www.jenniferreynolds.ca

......and I'm back!

Definitely have neglected my blog the past couple of months...side effect of trying to juggle work, school and other priorities.

I was recently able to recharge in New Zealand. While this was my second time to this fantastic country, it was my first time to the South Island and I fell in love with it. Anyone who enjoys being active and outdoors should try to make it to New Zealand. The first part of my trip was spent in the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park. Four fantastic days of sun, hiking, kayaking and the ocean. I developed a bit of kayaking addiction which was incredible, but not the most conducive to photography.

Some may already know, but I have a slight fear of heights. I try not to let it stop me from doing things, but this swinging bridge on the trail was not fun! It was about 100 meters across and it took everything in me to look straight ahead and just keep walking. The worst was when someone started walking on the bridge behind me. I was definitely happy to reach the other side.

More updates later....and I promise it won't take 3 months to post the rest of my trip ;)