Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Fishing on the Skyway

Well, let's take a few moments (just sit right there) I'll tell ya how I became the prince of a town called 'Belair'....In west Philedelphia born and raised on a play ground where I spent most of my days...

I promise that I have no idea where that came from, Fresh Prince was just all up in my mind today. This is what I was going to say:

Well, I only have a few minutes but I wanted to tell you about my loooong weekend because my Mom and her husband are visiting this week and I know that when they leave I will want to blog about that and not about the past Memorial Day weekend so I am sneaking it in here real quick-

On Saturday Kyle and I got a wild hair to go deep sea fishing so off we went to the Skyway Pier.
After we got our bait of shrimp and squid (gag, you can totally count on me to NOT touch the bait) we sat down to catch some fish. Well, that didn't happen. But, in the four hours we were there we had two dolphins playing in front of us, a school of about 200 sting rays go by and take all the line out our poles. Then we saw a 5 or 6' stingray go by on its own and that was really cool. I am completely convinced that I also saw a manatee. Then this little sweet family sat down beside us and 5 minutes later they had caught 3 fish using the same bait we had been using all day. We were outta there. It was a good day - then we took our fishy selves to Cheddars for some yummy food. Sunday we lounged and avoided cleaning- and then we went too town and bought 3 new fish and a frog (Hector, Ralphie, Ramone and Emerill (the frog)).

Monday was gruesome for cleaning and I had to do prep for my appointment at the doctor on Tuesday. This was not fun. To keep it simple I will just say that I had to drink a lot of liquid.

Tuesday was my procedure which (yay God!) went fine and the doctor found nothing tumorish or dangerous looking. This is good news but it also means that we dont know what is causing my problems. So, it looks like there is one more test my doctor wants to do and then we will see - I go back in a few weeks. One Blah and Two Yays for Tuesday!

So that was my weekend and back to work on Wednesday! My mom got here around noon yesterday and we had a great evening together with all our wedding talk.
The rest of the week and weekend look pretty fun so I am excited to spend some more time with them while they are here. I have to work b/c all my vaca is tied up in weddings and honeymoons but I am managing to take off a little early so the whole day isn't shot. Today they are off galavanting on Anna Maria Island and having a blast while Kyle and I are working the old daily grind..hee hee

A few shot outs!

Bridesmaids: dress fittings!!!

Sara: Saw a pic of you on your bike from my Mom (and I totally know who Steven is now) p.s. I am still waiting for a nice email explanation....hint hint!

Heath: Congrats on your job!

Pam: I am attempting an anti animal protein way of life (pray for me!)

Reg: Um, so I seriously want a play by play of the wedding you went to

Lots of love! Talk atcha soon-

I'll leave you with my daily quote from THE DESK OF LESLIE WHITTEN

"Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure, there your heart; where your heart, there your happiness."
-Augustine

I guess if this is true maybe our prayer should be that our "pleasure" is what God intends.
Something to think on...

Friday, May 25, 2007

Lyrically speaking...


"The gate is wide, The road is paved in moderation,
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground, You're safe and sound and until now, it's where I've been'
Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything
But it's been love, your love, that cuts the strings
So long status quo, I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was, Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
I am small and I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all, I say your name
Just your name and I'm ready to jump, even ready to fall
Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside?
I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me, that changes everything"

-Nichole Nordeman, "Brave"


Happy Friday campers! Hope everyone is gearing up for the big holiday weekend. We actually don't have any plans-just cleaning (b/c my Mom is coming next week) and we may hit the beach again. Otherwise it is just relaxing to think about 3 days off of work - actually I will have 4 because Tuesday I have that doctor's appt. and I will be off that day too. So, it is a beautiful forecast for the weekend and I am pumped. Last night I was so bummed that it was Thursday and not Friday that I couldn't get myself to do anything productive- I was a couch potato.

So, I have to share with you something that broke my heart yesterday. I was sitting in a waiting room thumbing through the nearest magazine when I stumbled upon an article about a soldier who recently passed away in Iraq. Apparently the reporter had interviewed the man 4 days before his death, the article began with stories from the soldier concerning the missions he had been on and his photographs of certain experiences. He told about the first person he had killed and about recurring nightmares and so forth. He had been a pastor at some point and then had went into the National Guard and after his second tour in Iraq he had denounced God after seeing so much devastation and had begun to study philosophy. It was a very interesting article and very detailed - I was so moved by it I was literally sick to my stomach. My heart was just breaking when the writer was speaking of his death by a sniper shot 4 days after the conclusion of the interview. In an email to his wife a few days before he had written a message that told the story of ancient Roman warriors and how brave they were and how honored they were even when they came home carried on top of their shields as opposed to carrying their shields in front of them. He asked his wife to love him the same whether he came home to her or was carried home "on his shield". She wrote a response asking him what was wrong, etc. but he had been killed. It was just so painful to think that this is a current story- that this is what is going on with people in our country today and Americans overseas. It just affected me so much and I was sick over it all day. I didn't get to finish the article but what I read before I had to leave was about how fallen soldiers must have extra security at their funerals due to so many anti-war opinions. At this soldiers funeral a pickup with anti-war signs and a driver yelling out the window swerved to hit the herse on the highway. It was a powerful article and it is just consuming my mind right now. This woman who lost her husband received his laptop that contained writings and journals made by her husband shortly after. The army had completely erased the harddrive for security purposes. I can't help but cringe everytime I think about it and how often this happens. This was the first time I have felt like I was part of the country that was at war. I don't know about everyone else but in my safe little corner of the world I tend to block out many of the things that trouble me. Mostly I blocked out the war because I hate to hear the death reports on the news every morning and I hate the politics. But I am ashamed that I havent let it upset me before I read that article. At the end of the article it gave some recognition from the wife that in the last few weeks before his death the soldier had made references to himself being ready if God should call him home and noted him having found a peace with his anger toward God.

I guess at this point in time with what our country is facing in the war and in politics all we have to lean on is prayer.

"As we sing to you, in our praises make your home
To my audience of one
You are Father, and you are Son
As your spirit flows free, let it find within me
A heart that beats to praise you.
And now just to know you more, has become my great reward
To see your kingdom come and your will be done
I only desire to be yours, Lord"

-Big Daddy Weave, "Audience of One"

On a ligher note:

Some Memorial Day BBQ rules: (thought this was cute)

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of eventsareput into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makesdessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a trayalong with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to theman who is lounging beside the grill - cold drink in hand.Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine....
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. Hethanks her and asks if she will refresh his drink while he deals with the situation.

Important again:
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins,sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed "her night off."


Its funny because it's true - not just in BBQ - I am sure that we have all felt before like we have to do EVERYTHING...


Have a safe and happy holiday!

-L


Monday, May 21, 2007

"To love someone means to see her as God intended her." -Feodor Dostoevsky

I think Feodor was right. Sometimes the hardest thing about loving someone is loving them for who they are and not trying to think of ways to change them to what you want.

Hope it was a good weekend for all. I thankfully did not have to work so on Saturday Kyle and I hit the beach. Afterwards we went to dinner and a movie in Ybor with our friends James and Amanda which was super fun. And on sunday although we intended to both go home and chill out for a while after church we ended up scouting out a few open houses. Yes....we are thinking about buying a house. Yikes! Right now we are just so torn up about what we want to do. Sometimes we think we won't be down here too much longer so why buy a home and then other times we think it might be two or three years before we want to venture back to the midwest. So confusing...but we are praying about it and we know God will help us make the right decision. So much fun to look at houses though! One we looked at was about twice our price range and we of course fell head over heels for it...and then the next one was completely perfect in just about everyway. Now we are so excited about thinking about buying a house. I would love to be able to paint and decorate our own home. I have had about all I can handle of my teeny tiny little apartment with white walls and white laminate counters. Buhlah! But I guess I will have to continue being patient-as I am being patient for November to come (SO EXCITED!!!!) My mom will be here next week and I am so excited to get to do more wedding stuff with her.

Lots of love! Have a good week!

-L

Friday, May 18, 2007

It's FINALLY FRIDAY!

Hey there chickpeas!
Well, we made it through another week. Just wanted to say hello and hope
everyone has a happy and healthy weekend. Looks like I might get the pleasure of
working on the weekend..otherwise Kyle and I are headed to the beach!

Lots of love:


Here is a link to the website for those (Geneva) who want to check it out:

www.mywedding.com/leslieloveskyle

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Going to the Chapel and We're gonna get married..

Well, I guess I'm going to the Beach instead of the chapel but who cares~
So I am blogging today to basically say that I wish November 3 was tomorrow because I am just getting so excited. All i see is wedding. All I hear is wedding. I am officially obsessed.

So far the wedding website has received rave reviews and I am so excited that people liked it!

The guys clothes have been applauded by the groomsmen so I am happy that they aren't hating what Kyle and I picked out.

A prayer request:
As some of you might know, I have had a few health problems lately and I just wanted to ask
if you would keep me in your prayers the next few weeks as I have some tests and things done. I'm a little nervous so - please just pray that things would go well and the results will be helpful.

Happy Wednesday!

-L

Monday, May 14, 2007

And its Monday once again...

This year is flying by at an unbelievable pace! 6 months is starting to feel like six weeks. Checked a few more wedding to-dos off the list this weekend. Basically took it easy all weekend and had a good time.

Happy Mother's Day to those Mother's out there - especially those new mommies!

Not a whole lot to report - I have started working on a blog with my writing on it so before long I might work up the nerve...we'll just see.

Hope everyone is good and had a happy weekend! Lots of love and hugs from Florida!

-L

Thursday, May 10, 2007

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;tread softly for you tread on my dreams. -Yeats

Another week is flying by me and I am sooo thankful - it seems like everyday I get more anxious and excited for November. Yes there is a ton of things left to do and to decide but I just cannot wait for it to get here. 6 months away!! Sometimes I can barely believe it.

Kyle and I are really getting into the groove of handling wedding decisions and we have seemed to find our niche when it comes to details and understanding each other's views on the event. Sometimes I think it should be called Project: Hawaii b/c it seems as if we both wish we had a fastfoward button we could press and release just as we are getting off the plane in Maui. (sigh) But then we would miss all the fun wedding stuff which I am just having a blast doing. It seems like everyday there is a new idea or something comes in the mail or someone leaves a message on the wedding website... Okay, I get it - I am gushing-

So, I have been considering something lately and I think it might be a good idea- you all know that I have this dream of being a writer- well, i had this idea to possibly put some parts of my more recent writing project on the blog and kind of see if I can spur a little more enthusiasm from my little creative forum here. I tend to write a bit and then leave it for 6 months so I am thinking that this might be a good inspiration for me. So I am tossing around the idea of starting another blog and linking it to this one that would have this on it OR just posting a few chapters, etc. here- We'll see if I can work up the nerve to do it-

Happy early weekend to everyone and my prayer request for today is that you Okies would send some of that rain our way before the whole state is ablaze.

Love ya-

-L

Monday, May 07, 2007

May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I am looking down.


Happy Monday all! Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend and was ready when that alarm went off early this morning. I had to DDDDRRRRAAAGGG myself out of bed! Weekends can be too relaxing sometimes - so much so that Monday is hard to get into.

So, I am slowly starting to get over this funk I have been in. And yet inevitably I am coming down with the bit of homesickness that gets me every once in a while. It's not so much that I am itching to be back home but its that comfort factor of home- sometimes it just seems too big down here and home seems kind of cozy. And sometimes I get sooo friendsick. We went to this marriage conference at our church and the speaker has this character study called Flagpage that you answet questiond for and it tells you from those questions what kind of person you are and groups you into these 4 different catagories. It's really neat and although it is really simple it seems very accurate in its descriptions. All of that to say that the speaker made this point about how different two people can be and it was very interesting to me: He said that some people can go through life and make best friend after best friend and they just have that ability to make many strong lasting bonds with people while others tend to make friendships that seem to hold firm throughout a lifetime and these people sometimes have trouble forming friendships of that magnitude again later in life. And something in my heart went 'Aha!' because I have struggled and struggled with this move to find my place with a new group of friends. I have made great friends and these are people I do things with and have a great time with - but in my heart there is absolutely no real bond or connection - and I am just not the kind of person who does things at a skin deep level. I want a friend who I know to the very tip of my toes is someone I could trust and show up on their doorstep with anything. I also realize that time is an issue but, I just have so much trouble sometimes with the fact that my friends are 1500 miles out of reach for a Saturday afternoon at the mall or a heart to heart chat over dinner. I miss you guys and sometimes I imagine having my life I have now without having to give up being within a short drive of all of you. There was a lot of stuff in this character study thing - I'll see if I can scan it or something and put it on my blog so you can see.

Anywhoo - thats my little bit o my heart today-

Love you all and have a great week!

-L


Okay- just for kicks: If you havent heard of these footless pantyhose that Oprah and Tyra Banks have been gaga about, I bought em' and I love them so here is the link- check em' out ladies who want to wear those pretty slacks that are just too thin to wear without having an awful pantyline-

http://www.spanx.com/pls/enetrixp/!stmenu_template.main

Friday, May 04, 2007

Eat Dessert First

Did anybody know that this was National Eat Dessert First Week? Well, what a fabulous celebration! Although I should of course steer clear of any dessert as I am on Project Lose Weight for Wedding, I was excited to learn about this great holiday and happy to share it with all my fellow sweet toothed friends.

In the News:
This week has flown by so fast! I second ago it was Monday and I was dragging myself out of bed to exercise and then ziiipppp! it's Friday afternoon. Not much has happened really. Surprisingly each of our parents have decided to come visit pre-wedding this summer and we are excited to have the company. My Mom is coming the first of June, Kyle's parents the end of June and my father is venturing down here solo at the end of July. What a summer we have ahead of us! We won't know what to do with so much family around!

My firm hired a interior design intern for the summer so that has been new and fun this week at work to actually have a fellow designer around as well as it's kind of fun to have an intern you can pass a bit of knowledge on to.

Kyle and I have been helping my Mom with her computer situation which has turned into a crazy DELL nightmare (we warned her!) but we have finally got it resolved and are on the HP route to computer happiness (hopefully).

We invited a new couple into our lifegroup this week, Ash & Quinn and hopefully they will stay and start to fill the void of our couple that is moving to Venice at the end of the month. Venice, Florida (45 or so minutes away) not Italy. Please keep our growing lifegroup in your prayers as we get new couples and continue finding our niche'.

Tonight Kyle and I are planning a Dinner and a Movie date (not the goofy cable show) and I so excited to just relax and spend time with my sweetie pie. We have our differences at times but there is no one I have more fun just being with. Love you honey!

Other than that the weekend holds a golf game and some good old R&R from this super fast week.

Lots of love and God Bless!

-L

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Happy Birthday Ashton!

Happy Happy Birthday to the sweetest little boy in the world! My best friend Heather's son turns one year old today! So happy birthday cutie pie!