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.