The Frog and the Butterfly 🦋🐸🦋🐸🦋

Sep 25, 2022
2 min read

I want to share my little story about my friend Jennifer…full name Jennifer Schutzendorf Hooley and (aka J-Dog, Schutzie, and Shutzendorfenbachen).

She and I have known each other for over 25 years…

We met when we were young and up-and-comers in Washington, DC… me in my national security and foreign policy career, and her in her painting career.

Those years were so incredibly special, fun, and crazy - young and living it up with our awesome group of friends…hanging out in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Downtown, Capitol Hill, Glover Park, Cathedral Heights, and Old Town, Alexandria.

I will always, always cherish those memories.

She and I are two peas in a pod. Individual peas of course with different characteristics:

She loves frogs 🐸 and I love butterflies 🦋
She has a cat 🐱 and I have dogs 🐶.
She’s a blonde 👱‍♀️ and I’m a brunette 👩🏻

However, we are alike in many ways. Our humor, intellect, and how we think are incredibly similar. And…we are freaking hilarious together…at least we think so! 😛

We get each other, and when we’re on a roll, it’s a scene - pure gut level laughter. That’s such a gift.

We can also be serious though (sometimes)…and can honestly talk about everything and anything. Freely. I would trust her with my life.

We’ve seen each other cry, watched each other fall in love, and have walked through so many other lifey life stuff together - many years of fun, laughter, adventure, love and loss, and so much more.

She is one of my best friends, and by far one of the coolest most beautiful (inside and out) people on the planet 🌎. Finding a friend like her is priceless - from an instantaneous connection to an unbreakable bond that transcends distance and time.

(DC Reunion 💕- our friend Wright is on the right!)

Jennifer also an extremely talented artist.

I’ve been admiring her work, her hard work, and talent for as many years as I’ve known her. (See her beautiful art 🖼 at https://www.froghappy.com/)

This woman and her artwork is an inspiration to me on so many levels.

When I started painting, she was who I went to for advice.

From the moment I started my art journey, she has been my champion, my mentor, and my absolutely biggest supporter. She even created this beautiful website! 💜❤️

She is also my mama bear 🐻 making sure that all of my needs are met on my medical journey. Again, I an truly grateful and blessed to call her my friend.

When she heard of what I was going through, she immediately flew out to visit to see me here San Diego. 💕😇

Despite her busy life and her own responsibilities in Cazenovia, NY (aka “Caz”), she took time to come see me. I couldn’t believe it and I’m still so touched that she did that.

I had stopped painting by that point and thought my art journey was over. However, she inspired and helped me start again despite my physical difficulties.