22 May 2007

My first Meme

As most folks know, I'm new here, so this is my first Meme. Ray was so kind and thoughtful to tag me...not! Other Memes just ask objective questions, this one takes a little work. Here goes nothing.

The rules, posted per instruction:
Here are the rules according to whomever likes to make up rules: • Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. • People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. • At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. • Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My meme:

1. What do you hope to accomplish with your blog?
Father Altier, in his homilies, used to talk about people who just want to make the bottom rung of Heaven. He said you should try to make the highest rung possible, because if you shoot for the lowest rung and fail...
Well, I was going to say I didn't really have a goal, but with Father Altier's voice in the back of my head, I am going to say I hope to have a good blog that provides something of value to the folks that read it with a dab of sarcasm here and there.

2. Are you a spiritual person?
Who wrote these questions? Bill Clinton would ask what the definition of "spiritual" is before answering. My definition of "spiritual" certainly doesn't translate to what others consider spiritual. I think I'm more mystical. No, just kidding! I believe in all that the Catholic Church does: all its beauty, spirituality, mysticism, communion of saints, miracles, angels, grace, etc. So, if that's YOUR definition of spiritual, then I guess I make the list. No, I have never really messed with the occult, New Age or the like, but that's solely by the Grace of God.

3. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you want to have with you?
I hate this question. I never have a really good answer. I think I would need a copy of Al Gore's, An Inconvenient Truth, so I could predict how long it would take for the polar ice caps to melt before I would have to have my palm frond boat built to save me from the rising water and to always remember to conserve my resources. Seriously, my brother is a warrant officer in the Army, so I'd have to ask him for a recommendation on a good survival book. A deck of cards. Matches.

4. What’s your favorite childhood memory?
I had a large Catholic family that was as close to the Cleavers as it gets. We all got together often and truly enjoyed each other's company. I was incredibly blessed and just wish my children could experience the same. Favorite memories are many, but especially the times I spent with my grandfather. He was a saint. He was loved by many, many people and his funeral was the largest I have ever seen. Kind, humble, generous and lived his Catholicism every moment of the day. Got down on his knees every night to pray. Often put his last dollar in the collection. Trusted God would take care of him always. Used to put the worm on my hook when we went fishing. Thank you, Grandpa, for your example.

5. Are these your first (tagging) memes?
Yes.

6. Eight random facts about me

a. Though I haven't participated in years, I enter various food items in the State Fair. Never have won. Don't think I've ever even come close. I'm a good cook, despite what those judges think! My aunt, on the other hand, enters knitted, cross-stitched items, etc., and always comes away with a ribbon. I don't even know how to knit.

b. I'm a pretty good shot with just about any type gun. I haven't shot in years though. My father would take me shooting with him when I was very young. Since he passed away several years ago, I guess it's safe to say, without CPS coming to get him, that I have a photo of me, pre-K, shooting a .22 Believe it or not, when I was in high school they actually offered BB gun shooting in PE. I was the only girl in the class and I out-shot all the guys.

c. I met my husband when we both worked at Target. How incredibly romantic.

d. I'm a cat person. Have owned Siamese cats since I was very little. Never owned a dog. No pets at the moment...just put down my cat last summer and plan to wait to get any more pets until my kids are older.

e. I've been inside one of the pyramids.

f. I have about 50 first-cousins. I know someone who has 90+ My husband has about 12.

g. I have my mother's sterling silver rosary that was given to her at her first communion in the 30s. It is gorgeous and one of my prized possessions. I also have my mother's-side-of-the-family bible. My great-grandfather used to read it every day and at Easter the family would kneel in the living room while he read the Passion from it.

h. I have one brother who lives in Switzerland. He is married and has two sons. Like many, he is not practicing his Faith. Please say a prayer for him when you read this.

Don't know eight bloggers that I would feel comfortable sending this to. Sorry. Like I said, I'm new here.

6 comments:

Sanctus Belle said...

You're new here but a welcome addition to the Minnesota Catholic Blogosphere.

I've been to one of Fr. Altiers masses and loved the way he spoke with such authority. We need more priests like him.

Love the pic of St. Monica too!

Cathy_of_Alex said...

smissmiss: #3-LOL!

Adoro said...

LOL! Another Catholic gun owner!

My cousin taught me how to shoot and he took great pains to do it right and between him and all my law enf training, I've never forgotten the lessons.

I last went shooting a couple years ago (how quickly time flies!) and everyone was very impressed that my first rounds (in three years, that time) were true and to the point.

:-)

I enjoy shooting, but I don't do it much anymore, either. Between the gas to get to the range and the cost of even reloads, it just doesn't seem worth it unless there's a point to it.

Uh..I guess practice is a point...

What was my point?

swissmiss said...

Adoro:

I'm afraid I'm so out of practice I would shoot myself in the foot. I think it's like riding a bike though. My personal gun is a Glock 9mm. I still have the old .22 of my dad's. CPS would also be freaked out to learn that he used to give me the gun (I was in high school by then) when he and my mom went out of town. I am proud to say I never messed with guns, misused guns, etc. I had learned to respect them and handle them properly since childhood.

Adoro said...

I have my Dad's old .22 Ruger, a .30-.30 Winchester (of his), and the HK .9MM I purchased in college.

On the job I carried a S & W .45, but that was dept. issue so when I left I gave it up, too.

The last time I went shooting I had the opp to try a .45 Sig Sauer (sp?), and that gun has less recoil than a .22! If I ever find myself in the market for a new handgun, that one is IT!

That was one sweet weapon, both easy to handle, to disassemble for cleaning, and very true to the course.

Unknown said...

Boy, SwissMiss, I don't understand why you were nervous about blogging?

You're a natural. Such wonderful posts!

Thanks for playing with us.

I have 18 first cousins. I thought that was a lot. I'm a piker.

And I did qualify as "Expert" on the M-14 Rifle in the Army (by two points. I missed all my targets at 50 meters and got the 500 meter ones).