Thursday, November 30, 2006

Thursday Thirteen

A big thanks to my buddy, Mary, who really has this whole blogging thing down. And who gives me great ideas on how to get the wheels turning! This theme of posting 13 of my random thoughts was "borrowed" from her blog... :)

I feel really full. I just ate yesterday's lunch leftovers -- General Tso's chicken with pork fried rice. It was great, but I feel incredibly bloated.
I could easily spend my entire month's pay on Christmas decorations! Every store I walk into is loaded with the cutest things, and I'm having to practice major discipline to not snatch up everything I see...
I can't believe it's almost December and it's close to 80 degrees outside.
I'll be 28 in 1 week and 2 days. My, how time flies...
Jade better stop breaking things. In the last week, he's broken both a ceramic vase and the little flap that covers the lens on my digital camera. I've also been finding squished grape tomatoes around the house, under tables and things. Apparently he discovered my onion/tomato dish in the kitchen...
I can't wait to go see the holiday lights at James Island County Park this year! I want to ride Santa's train and roast marshmallows with all the kids!
I can't wait to go to England to visit my Dad and my "other" mom, Donna! Only 2 months and 1 day! I better start saving money...
Actually, I'll see them before then, in North Carolina for Christmas!
I wish it would REALLY snow here (last weeks flurries didn't count). I want a snow day off tomorrow.
I really need to clean my bathroom.
What is Pamela Anderson going to look like in 20 years?
I know that Pamela Anderson thought seems totally random, but now that she's in the news because of her and Kid Rock's divorce, I just wonder how she'll look (and function) when she really starts to age...
I love this jazzy online Christmas station I found! I'm listening to Billie Holiday sing "I've got my love to keep me warm" right now.

Weslynn at 11:26 AM

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Wednesday, November 29, 2006

A to Z Meme

A - Available/Single? Yep
B - Best Friend? I can't pick just one!
C- Cake or Pie? Pie (Lemon meringue, banana cream...)
D - Drink Of Choice? Coffee (AM), ginger ale (PM)
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? Shampoo. I wish I could get by without washing my hair everyday like some people, but it won't let me...
F - Favorite Color? It used to be yellow, but now I find myself drawn to olive and celadon green.
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Worms
H - Hometown? Summerville, SC
I - Indulgence? Cooking and decorating magazines
J - January Or February? January -- new beginnings
K - Kids & Their Names? Not quite yet... :)
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Jesus in my life
M - Marriage Date? Not quite yet... :)
N- Number Of Siblings? 1 "real" sister, 3 stepsisters and 1 stepbrother
O - Oranges Or Apples? Oranges
P - Phobias/Fears? Falling down stairs. Although it's getting better...
Q - Favorite Quote? What is revealed is healed!
R - Reason to Smile? Holidays and vacation time!!!
S - Season? I usually say Spring or Fall, but I'm enjoying this one so much, let's say Winter this time.
T - Tag Three People? All my blogging friends have already been tagged, I think.
U - Unknown Fact About Me? In addition to my first name, I also take my middle name from my Dad. His middle name is Govan; mine is Vanessa. :)
V - Vegetable you don't like? I love 'em all!
W - Worst Habit? Letting things grow in my bathroom before I decide to clean it.
X - X-rays You've Had? Dental, spinal
Y - Your Favorite Food? Greek (I love cooking with feta, artichokes, olives, anything Mediterranean)
Z - Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius

Weslynn at 10:19 AM

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

All rats go to heaven

Wow, my sanguine personality has really shown off this past couple of weeks through my lack of blogging. Sorry it's been so long! Can I use the holidays as an excuse? Didn't think so... well, hey, I tried! Where do I begin? I'm a storyteller at heart, and there is so much to say, I could be here for DAYS!

I suppose I'll start with a story about a rat named Stinky. Stinky lived in downtown Charleston. His favorite past time was rummaging through the dumpster and finding a gourmet meal amidst the scraps. He also had a particular weakness for women. So when Stinky found an office that looked like a big pink dumpster and had three lovely ladies working inside, he thought he had found heaven on earth. If only Stinky would have known how close to rat heaven he was...

One day, Stinky decided to play a game of hide-and-go-seek with the exterminator in the big pink dumpster house, and he won! He felt like a real man. He heard the exterminator tell the three ladies of their fun game, and he was surprised at their reaction. "You mean, they don't want me here?" Stinky thought to himself. He was crushed. Shortly after his heart break, Stinky died of heart failure. Although he left this world alone, Stinky left a legacy...

... a stench that could be smelled all the way to Toledo!

Translation: Yep. A nasty, dead rat was discovered in the wall, under the duct work, in our office this morning. And I thought the palmetto bugs were nasty!!! Ugh...

From my grateful-the-rat-is-gone-and-now-I-can-breathe heart,

Weslynn at 1:23 PM

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

More than a Father

Wow, it's been almost a week since my last post. Sorry I've been so slack!

Oh, the holidays... it's really all that's on my mind lately! The stores are already filled with the cutest holiday decorations, and I'm having to practice great discipline to hold myself back from buying every cute little doodad I see! Needless to say, I'm very excited about the upcoming holidays and the time I get to spend with family and friends.

At the same time, however, I'm having to really push myself to balance all of this excitement and stay "hooked in" with the Lord and my personal time with Him. It's so easy to be distracted by other things (despite how innocent they are), to focus too much energy into them.. and again, leave God the scraps of my time, energy and even thoughts. And although our church has been in revival all week, and I've been there every night since Sunday, I know that those services can't replace the time I need with Him -- just me and Him.

Speaking of needing Him, the revival speaker at our church said something so profound on Monday night. He said that God is looking for people who not only recognize their need for Him, but who really want Him. I'd never quite thought of it that way before, but it makes perfect sense. To me, it's like the difference between a parent-child relationship and a husband-wife relationship. Knowing God as my Father is awesome, yes, but what He truly longs for is for me to have the passion for Him that a wife has for her husband. For our relationship to go beyond something I know I need, and instead be something that I deeply desire. My desire -- and my challenge to myself -- is to take my relationship with Him to that next level. I want more.

From my heart,

Weslynn at 10:30 AM

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

When Thursday turns into Friday

Yesterday I discovered (thanks to my knowledgeable carpool buddies) that Friday I have the day off from work! I didn't even realize that tomorrow is Veteran's Day. I typically keep holidays marked on my calendar (in bold, nonetheless), so that I'm fully prepared for my day off. I was glad that I didn't have this one marked though. It was a great surprise!

Since today is basically like a Friday for me, I'm kicking off my weekend after work today with my buddies Beth, Mandy and Margaret. We're meeting up for Mexican grub at Senor Tequila's in West Ashley, and then we're going to start our Christmas decoration shopping by heading to the fun, discount places -- Big Lots, Marshall's and TJ Maxx. What fun! I've got some new ideas for how to decorate my place this year, and I can't wait to get started!

After an evening with the girls, I plan on going home and watching whatever movie is in the mail from Blockbuster (hopefully "The New World" is in!). And tomorrow... I'm just going to CHILL! And do some way overdue laundry... I may even start some of my holiday baking! I've got some great recipes from my Bon Appetit magazine that I can't wait to try. Individual chocolate lava cakes, ginger pumpkin cheesecake (a little different from my usual), chocolate peppermint stars,dark chocolate truffles... oh my! The hard part will be deciding which one to make first!

Before I get all carried away in how I'll spend Veteran's Day (oh, wait, I already have), let me stop and express my gratitude for all of the veterans who have served our country (especially since my Dad is one! Thanks, Dad!). Here's a link to the history of Veteran's Day as well, for your reading pleasure.

From my heart,

Weslynn at 12:51 PM

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Monday, November 06, 2006

Mary Poppins and the Three Stooges

This past weekend was not a typical one for me. While I would typically spend my weekend doing "single girl" things, I had the pleasure of watching over 3 kids. Talk about breaking away from the usual! :) This is my second or third time watching Wyn (13), Ashton (11) and Brianne (9) for my good friends Liz and Pastor Clint, while they were away in Myrtle Beach at our church's annual couple's retreat (with about 40 other couples from our church). Hanging with these three is always fun... and interesting!

Saturday morning I played soccer mom at Ashton's game at the YMCA field. I got to briefly experience a parent's pride when he scored the first goal! It was a very intense game that ended in a tie (2-2) and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time (which is a big deal considering I'm not a sports fan at all)! It was also neat making the human "tunnel" with the other parents for the team to run through after the game.

After Ashton's game and lunch back at the Knowles home, we headed downtown to Market Street for some Ben & Jerry's ice cream (their peanut butter and chocolate is awesome!). We then walked down to Market Street Sweets and each fixed ourself a bag of our favorite candies (mine: gummies!). Gotta load up on the sugar! :) Our final destination was the Charleston IMAX, where we caught the 6:00 showing of Sharks 3D. The film was a little more than Brianne had anticipated, and after about 2 minutes of the movie, she took off her 3D glasses because she was afraid of the sharks. I immediately felt like such a failure! I tried to convince her to put her glasses back on, that the sharks weren't going to jump out at her... they were just swimming around. But she wasn't hearing it. I asked her if she was okay, and she said yes. So I told her that if she wanted to hold my hand, she could. She didn't respond, so I decided to let her be. About five minutes later, she tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear with her sweet, soft voice, "I'll put my glasses back on, but only if you'll hold my hand." My heart almost leaped outside of my chest! I put my hand on her leg, she put her glasses back on and then tightly gripped my hand with both of her little hands. That moment was most definitely the highlight of the weekend for me! (To truly appreciate this, you must understand that Brianne is the most strong-willed of the three. Her humility was so precious!) Holding her hand in that theatre for the rest of the movie was so sweet!

Now Wyn... he's 13, and this kid's got it together, so the most I felt needed by him was when he asked to borrow my hairspray on Sunday morning. Hey, I'll take what I can get! He was a huge help (as usual) and was a real goofball with his silly gangsta impressions. He was cracking me up all weekend!

Going back to my quiet home on Sunday evening was kind of sad, after spending a weekend with the three little rascals. The only pitter patter of feet I heard were my own (and Jade's), and it seemed way too quiet without giggling and screaming. I actually missed the little boogers! Some people say that babysitting for a single gal is the best birth control out there... but for me, it just makes me want kids more! :) One day, Weslynn... one day...

From my heart,

Weslynn at 11:39 AM

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Thursday, November 02, 2006

I'm a Barbie girl

Like many other girls, I was a big Barbie fan as a kid. I enjoyed creating these dramatic, soap opera-style lives for my dolls, filled with all kinds of crises and excitement (funny how as as kids we fantasize about the realities of adult life that, later in life, we try to avoid!). More than playing "Jerry Springer" with them, however, what I really loved about Barbies was dressing them up. Changing their outfits and their shoes was the best part of it all.

I also loved playing dress-up, especially at my Nanny's house. She always had (and I believe she still does) her dresser filled with Estee Lauder cosmetics, enough jewelry to make a little girl feel like she was royalty, and the coolest clothes to play dress-up in. A trip to Nanny's was always destined to be sheer "glam-yourself-up" delight.

But something happened as I got older. I didn't like to play dress-up anymore. Makeup for me, as a teenager, was only a way to cover up acne. And jewelry? Don't even think about it. For whatever reason, I didn't like being girly as a teenager, and even throughout college. It wasn't until after I graduated college that my desire to dress a little more feminine kindled. And since then it's been small, very paced baby steps...

But now... I love it! I absolutely love being a girl! Some days when I get dressed and look in the mirror, I laugh inside and think, "Three or four years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead in this ruffly, pastel purple shirt!" Now, however, I'm happily addicted to all things girly: ruffles, heels, skirts, fingernail polish... even dresses! Actually, I've found myself growing more and more fond of dresses. Today I took a trip to White House Black Market to simply window shop during lunch. And what did I end up with? A fabulous dress (see above)! (Hey, I have a black-tie event for work tomorrow night. Gotta look good. Good excuse.)

Today is one of those days that I thank God I'm a woman. I can't wait to zip up that dress tomorrow night, throw on some heels, pull up my hair, take my time putting on makeup (just because it's fun)... and pretend like I'm that little girl again, prancing in front of the mirror! How fun! :)

From my heart,

Weslynn at 4:16 PM

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