More Blog Bling

So, yesterday evening, I get an email in my inbox showing I have a comment to moderate on the blog. It's from my most prolific commenter, GunDiva, advising me that she has an award waiting for me.

The award looks something like this.



In fact, you could say it looks exactly like that.

As I've come to discover, blog awards such as this one are not so much about any particular accomplishment but more about introducing other people to the blogs a particular person finds interesting. The fact that GunDiva has given me 3 of these awards must mean I've made an impression. Not sure exactly how or why, but she is well armed and not afraid to use her weapons. So, who am I to argue with her?

Inevitably, these awards come with strings attached in the form of rules for propagating the species. They are fairly simple and, in this case, are as follows:

• Link to the person who awarded me the blog: GunDiva
• Offer up 7 things about yourself
• Pass it on to 15 bloggers you've recently found and followed

7 Things About Me (To Love or Hate)

1. I am sickeningly, maddeningly, obsessively, overwhelmingly, passionately, and desperately in love with my wife. GunDiva has remarked on my oft stated love for The Queen. I'm glad someone noticed. I try to be a good example of what a husband should be.
2. I am a Christian. Not long after I chose to follow a more religious life than I had previously, my mother commented that I had started to sound like a preacher. It's time that I embraced the fact that, just as my wife is The Queen, I am, in fact, The Preacher here at Preachers and Horse Thieves. I endeavor to live my life according to the example set for me in the Bible by the name sake of my chosen religion, Jesus Christ (after all, Christian means follower of Christ). Sometimes (more frequently than I care to admit), I stumble and fall short of that example as we all do. I try very hard to pick myself up again and do better next time so that I am not just saying, but doing as well.
3. I am easy to get to know but hard to get to know well. My mother tells stories of how, as a child, I would go up to a group of kids and tell a few that I would play with them and tell the rest I would play with them tomorrow. Somewhere along the way, that all changed. I still make acquaintances fairly easily; however, I have very few close friends. The person closest to me is my wife, and even she occasionally complains that I do not open up enough with her.
4. I envy craftsmen and artisans. I have a desperate desire to create and build which is going unfulfilled in my life right now. I have tried my hand at drawing, painting, woodworking and pottery as well as other crafts and arts with moderate degrees of success; but, someone who is truly gifted and can make something heartbreakingly beautiful where only a stick of wood or lump of clay existed previously is, perhaps, as close as one can ever get to the marvel and wonder God must have felt as He created the universe and the little ball of dirt we call home.
5. In 14 days, I will be 40 years old. Without The Queen in perfect health, it does not seem to be anything worth celebrating.
6. I have a morbid fascination with snipers.
7. I am a conservative (NOT a republican) who feels that the horse thieves elected to public office have abandoned we the people in order to form a more perfect bank balance or power base. I am disgusted by what passes for leadership in this country, and I pray that God will remind them that He brought 'em into this world and He can take 'em right back out.

15 Award Winning Bloggers (...more or less)

In truth, I'm not sure I know 15 bloggers much less ones I've started reading recently. I guess that makes me a bad blogger buddy or something.

1. Bob Hoover's Blog Bob is an interesting guy. He's a bit sporadic on his postings because he's dealing with cancer. Based on his writings and lack of response to comments, he's probably not big into this type of recognition; but, since this is about introducing others to blogs they might not find otherwise, he gets a nod.
2. Crazy Texas Mommy I've nominated her before for one of the other awards GunDiva sent my way. A good read more often than not. Especially if you're from Texas.
3. Flight Level 390 Captain Dave is a commercial airline pilot for an unspecified air carrier. Like Bob Hoover he does not appear to be in this blogging thing for the awards, but his stuff is very interesting to the pilot in me and would be of interest to any travelers out there looking for insight into the world of commercial air travel.
4. Fresh Confessions of a Screwed Up Texan This girl shares my love of Dr Pepper and has promised to let me be her editor when she makes it to the big times as an author.
5. Not So Humble Pie If you like food and especially anything baked, this is your place. Her science inspired cookies and other baked items are just incredible.
6. Mary Witzl at Resident Alien I've mentioned Mary before as well. She's worth a read.
7. Nathanael Rey at This Is How It Feels T!nk most definitely qualifies as the most incongruous selection in the list of blogs I follow. We have next to nothing in common, but his writing is strong and he's convicted about his opinions. Got to give him props for that.
8. Shatner's Hall Shatner is definitely a recent addition to the list of folks I follow.

...and, I'm out. There are other blogs that I follow, and it's not that I don't think they are worthy of mention here. It's just that they are either very sporadic in their postings, already have big followings and don't need my help, or are not personal blogs.

That, and the fact that I must go spend time with The Queen