August Blog Challenge Day 1

Well, we are starting the August Blog Challenge. Today I am to provide a recent picture of myself and 15 interesting facts. So, here is a recent picture:

1. I recently learned about snow cones and have that I really like them. 
2. I enjoy cooking, but don't really appreciate my own food. I would much rather cook for others. 
3. I am addicted to listening to Audible books on my Kindle...they get me through my day. 
4. For that matter, I'm addicted to my Kindle and find it very handy to take with me for reading where ever I have time. 
5. I am taking up ceramics this fall. I have grand dreams or turning my back porch into a pottery studio...but I have to wait for that first class and learn slowly. Who knows, maybe I'll have a whole new art format to go crazy about. 
6. I am picking out paint colors for my house. I figure I've been in the house going on 3 years now and still haven't really put "my" stamp on it. 
7. I have signed up for not 1 but 2 Half Marathons this fall. I don't know what I was thinking and I haven't even started training...we'll see how that turns out. 
8. I love how my dog smells, not all the time but when he first wakes up in the morning. I think he smells like frito corn chips....I know, weird, huh?
9. I often wonder how my life would be different if the University of Texas had won a certain football game in November of 1985. 
10. I can't decide what kind of new car I want to purchase....or do I want to just duct tape and chicken wire together my current car and keep it going for a while longer. 
11. I despise house keeping, but really like to have a clean house....need to get maid service included in budget. 
12. I've recently started attending a Universal Unitarian church and am greatly enjoying learning more about it. 
13. I want to travel more and see more of this world. My next big trip is going to be to Hawaii but I also want to take some road trips across this great country. 
14. Once in a great while I purchase lottery tickets. I've never won and half the time I forget about them and only check a couple of weeks later....in fact, I think I have a couple that I need to take a look at. 
15. I feel very strongly that the US corporate world needs to adopt a siesta program where every worker is required to take a nap in the afternoon. Think how much more productive we could be....

Okay, so, a very random set of 15 questions and very difficult to come up with, but they are done. Enjoy....

For Kathleen

Finally, the quilt for Kathleen's graduation is complete. I just picked it up from the quilter and now need to schedule some time to hand it off to our graduate so that she can take it with her to college.

Here is a shot of almost the whole quilt. It is a queen size quilt and it is difficult to take a picture of it without it being held up and I step away from it.

A close up of the Dresden plate square:

Close up of my favorite block in the quilt:

The quilter included in the quilt "To Kathleen, Love Andrea".

Hopefully, this will be well loved and well used and will need to be replaced upon graduation from college. 

Happy Anniversary!!

One year ago today, July 22, this little fellow came into my life and made my heart his home:

Oh, my sweet boy, how you have improved my life!! 

Religious Experience X2?

So, this weekend I did a couple of new things (I tell you this is turning into quite the adventurous year). On Friday afternoon, I had an appointment for an hour in a flotation tank, sometimes called a sensory deprivation tank. I first learned of these tanks many years ago while watching The Simpsons. In the episode Make Room for Lisa, Homer screws up and agrees to do something just for Lisa. Because Lisa is having tummy troubles due to stress they opt for a trip in a sensory deprivation tank to aid in getting rid of her stress. Lisa has a magical experience, Homer not so much.

Anyway, I had my own experience this past Friday. Admittedly, I did have a hard time relaxing and figuring out my own rhythm in order to have full appreciation of the experience. The hardest part for me was when the door was closed I felt like I was suffocating. I also could hear myself breathing and really think I may have a deviated septum because it wasn't until I started breathing through my mouth was I able to fully relax and start to fall asleep, of course this was also about the time that my time was up and when the motor came on to swish the water around me it scared the dickens out of me. Prior to relaxing, though, I did enjoy the floating around in the tank pushing myself back and forth between the two side walls or up and down to pushing off from the bottom with my toes and making certain that I kept my hand above my head so as to not bang my head. Since I did this once, and I have a coupon to do it again, I will make another appointment and learn to relax earlier.

The second thing I did this weekend was visit a church. I went to visit Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church. I visited a UU church last Sunday with my folks and had actually been looking at the UU philosophy for over a decade (yeah, it takes me a long time to make a commitment). The people were really welcoming to me. As I sat in the sanctuary, one of the members of the congregation came and introduced herself to me (of course, I suck at remembering names and can't remember her's) she then 'ordered' me to scoot over a seat and she sat with me and talked with me and introduced me to others as they came in. It felt really great to be that welcomed. I mean, they start their welcome in both the bulletin and as the start of the service with the following:

Whoever you are, whomever you love, you are welcome here. You may be young or old, rich or poor and you are welcome here. Whether you walked in with assistance or have special needs, you are welcome here. And regardless of your religious or ethnic origins, you are most welcome here! We are glad you have joined us in our celebration of religious community.  

We do not ask what you believe, nor expect you to think as we do. Rather, our community encourages its members to pursue the deepening of their own religious conviction. This liberal church is united, not by creed, but by a common purpose to embrace the compassionate wisdom of all ages and cultures, in order to realize a community of love, peace, and justice for all. 

The current minister of the church is on sabbatical, so the congregation is having visiting ministers come in and speak. This week was a former member of the congregation who became ordained and now has her own church in Canada. I have to say that today was the most entertaining and enlightening church experience that I think I have ever had. The topic of today's sermon was "Sex" and I'll leave it at that. I feel strongly about this new path that I exploring; all the way down to the affirmation that speaks to the philosophy of this church:

Love is the doctrine of our church,
The quest for truth is its sacrament,
And service is its prayer,
To dwell together in peace,
To seek knowledge in freedom,
To server humanity in harmony with the earth,
Thus do we covenant together. 

I'll keep you informed of my quest.