Monday Meanderings

My "Jubisister" Skoots1mom "buttoned" me the other day with this Circle of Friends Award:

So the way this meme works: I share five things I love and then pass the button on to five friends in Bloggyville.

Five things I love:

1. Opening a new book to the first page and savoring the smell of its pages, enjoying the sight of ALL THOSE WORDS, knowing it will elicit real emotions as I read it.
2. Sitting around the table with my family, enjoying good food and conversation and laughter -- doesn't get any better than that.
3. The thrill of looking out the window of an airplane as we take off -- absolutely adore traveling!
4. Hearing someone's salvation story because each one is unique and special, and knowing that what God has done in that person's life is for all eternity.
5. Seeing my ideas come to fruition with each quilt; I actually love the entire process...thinking through what I want, sketching out ideas, choosing fabrics, cutting the pieces and sewing them together or appliquing them down, putting the three layers together and then doing the actual quilting and FINALLY putting on the binding...each step has its own special joy.

It's too hard to choose just five to pass this on to because there are so many wonderful folks in my Bloggyville Circle of Friends ...so I'm drawing names from a hat...

Christy @ Where I am

Ma @ Out Ioway

Mari @ My Little Corner of the World

Karen @ Small Town Runner

Heidi @ 2 Thinks To Share

So ladies, grab the button and continue the Circle of Friends :-)
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Attended my first 15th birthday party last night -- it's a very big deal for girls! They get a new formal dress, have their hair done in a salon, and have professional photos done before (sort of like high school senior photos) and during the parties (there are usually two parties -- one for the young people, another for everyone else). 

The guests started arriving at 9 p.m. and some were given long-stemmed flowers so that when the quinceañera arrived close to 10 p.m., it was to people on either side holding the flowers in an arched formation for her grand entrance. A video of photos and music was shown and there was a candle-lighting ceremony where she thanked different people for their part in her life. Lots of food, of course. We had started off with empanadas, sandwiches, and antipasta plates, then about 11:30 p.m. the pizza was delivered piping hot, and around 12:30 p.m. we cut into the multitude of tortas and tartas. There were so many people that we were stuffed like sardines throughout the house and spilling out into the yard. Some of her professional photos had been combined into collages and printed onto A4 size photo paper for guests to sign and leave a note of encouragement. Every room in the house was decorated (and emptied of most furniture to accommodate the crowds).

The amount of thought, time and work that went into throwing the party had to have been MASSIVE. Makes me glad my kids happened to have their 15th birthdays overseas while we were traveling. Jon turned 15 on our first visit to Argentina back in 1996 and Tina had her 15th during our year in Uganda. Not that we would have had big parties even if we'd been home :-)  This wasn't part of our tradition.

But it was fun to experience the party last night and get a glimpse into a bit of culture that we knew about but had not seen first-hand yet.

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I'm thoroughly enjoying the new couch. It is perfect for stretching out on for naps or to read a book.

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 Just one final thought...

10 days

until my daughter arrives!