Welcome! I decided to participate in the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom because, well, new friends can't hurt, right? And at one time in my life, I could really work a party.
When I was a kid, our neighborhood had block parties several times, usually hosted by one family or another in their backyard in the summertime. I loved those parties because it really gave us a sense of place, a sense of home, of being a part of a community. The Ultimate Blog Party sort of reminds me of that, only in more of a progressive dinner party sense (where you go from house to house for different courses). So, anyway, welcome to my mountain log cabin in my little corner of the blogosphere. Please, make yourself at home. Let me ladle up a bowl of soup, pour a nice cup of coffee for you. Linger a bit and look around before you move along to the next house. 
My name is Wesley. I'm known in some Internet circles (small ones) as wesleyjeanne, largely because I was tired of people thinking I'm male. I will be 40 years old this year (gulp); have been married to the love of my life, Paul, for nearly ten years; and have two children: going-on-four-year-old Owen Jane and just-turned one-year-old Barrett Catherine. (Yes, we have a thing for boy's names for girls in my family, you can read about the origins of my name and my children's names in this post).
Paul and I met in high school long long ago but didn't date until nine years after he graduated (two years ahead of me). In December we will have been together fifteen years and in May we celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. I can honestly say that being married to Paul is the easiest thing I do in life. You can read our story in this post.
Paul and I both grew up in the beautiful mountain town of Asheville, NC. We each made our way to Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of NC in 1993 for advanced educations and jobs, met up, and spent the rest of our time together wishing we could return to the mountains we love. In 2005, we made the plunge, picked up our lives, and returned to our heart's home. Since then, we've both begun new careers in education, Paul has started a doctoral program, we've had a second child, and we've embarked on the task of trying to simplify our lives--to live more authentically. You can read about our journey through my About page, which includes some links to posts that tell much more about us, about me.
On this blog I write about motherhood (with all its challenges and joys), about finding meaning, about paying attention to life, about our journey. I write about books, share recipes and menu plans, and share photos. My most popular posts are usually my Wordless Wednesdays.
I enjoy reading (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, any genre except mysteries and most sci fi); writing; photography; blogging; cooking; canning; gardening; hiking; camping; dogs; exploring this beautiful state; learning about the world around me; teaching psychology; learning about the brain, mind, and body (learning anything really); and hanging out with my beautiful girls on my porch. I would love to get into more creative pursuits and I wish I could sew or paint or do some sort of art. As it is, I will simply have to endeavor to make my life my art. I guess that's not such a bad goal is it?
Ah, but here I've dominated your time with my intimate talk here in the corner of the room. There is much more of the party to see, more people to meet, and so I'll let you move along. Thanks for stopping by and for listening. I hope to see you again soon.
