I don't know if anyone reads xanga anymore. I rarely do myself, but i just feel like writing, so i guess it doesn't matter if it gets read or not. It has been a while since I last wrote. i guess in my last entry i was still engaged to Aaron. If you haven't heard or guessed by now, we broke up and went our separate ways. There isn't really a nice way to say it, we just wanted different things out of life in the end, and our hearts suffered the result of having allowed things to go too far before that was discovered.

It has been a little while now, and many things have changed in my life. New job, new boyfriend, new school soon, new home, new roommate, new church. Very few things are the same as they were even 6 months ago. It just reiterates to me how God is the only constant that there has ever been in my life, and i am enjoying the process of learning to lean on Him and trust in His care.

I remember...do you?

I was talking to some people at work today and I asked them where they were and what they were doing when the tragedy of September 11th took place. Without fail, each and every single person could pinpoint their exact thoughts and feelings that morning, how they found out, and who they were with. None of them had lost a close friend or a family member in the crash, yet it was significant enough to permanently embed itself into their memories and I daresay the hearts of almost every American old enough to understand.

I'm not even sure that at the time I myself understood the magnitude of the destruction, or the significance of being attacked in the heart of our own country. As someone who has traveled a modest amount, I have had the experience of conversing with many people in other countries sometimes well received, and sometimes not as well. One thing that I have found in my travels is that when I tell people where I am from, they often repond by saying that they have visited the US and when I ask where, 9 times out of 10 they say New York City. I believe that this is significant because if we travel back in time a little bit to NY and specifically Ellis Island, we will remember that this is where America opened her arms and said, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses....." etc. Many of us can trace our ancestors straight  back to that very city for that reason! That Statue of Liberty was the most welcome sight a lot of them had ever seen because she represented freedom and hope for the future. It makes perfect sense then, that terrorists would attack us in New York to attempt to kill and crush everything that our wonderful Country stands for.

But it's not over! What they didn't know and hadn't considered was this: the hope and the freedom that our ancestors claimed when they sailed over here, that they fought and died for in war after war, cannot be stopped, It is alive in the hearts of every fireman and policeman that pulled people from the wreckage, every military member on the front lines everyday, and every American that sat at home and watched in horror as that second plane hit the towers.

So today I sit at home and reflect on my life and the liberties that I enjoy. I urge you to do the same. Someone somewhere died to give me the right to do that. And I am grateful, both to God and my Country. Don't forget that as you go about your busy life today. Don't forget that as you go through the rest of your week. And definitely, definitely don't forget that as you head to the polls on election day. She is worth fighting for.

Most of you have probably already heard, but in case you haven't.......Aaron and I are engaged! He proposed to me over New Years and I accepted and we are very happy. We are planning to be married in San Antonio in March of 2009 and I hope that everyone will be there!

Also I have only 9 1/2 months left in the Navy, so I am very excited about that as well. I am hoping that it will go by quickly. :)

Well, I don't ever use this anymore, except to check on my friends that still xanga, but I am almost entirely converted to myspace. It is just so all inclusive and convenient! I thought I would post something though, to say hi, and to update anyone who cares on my life at this point.

My ship was supposed to go out to sea on October 3rd, and in fact.....it did. I was supposed to be on it though, and I was not. Just 3 days prior to its leaving, I was accidentally dropped by a friend of mine, onto the oak coffee table that sits in my living room. The coffee table did not break, but my back did. To make a long story short, I spent a few days in and out of the hospital, and my ship left without me.

I now go back to the doctor next tuesday (please pray) to find out how it is healing, and if/when I will be able to fly out and rejoin my ship and my friends. I already missed Italy and Greece, :(  so now I am not all that anxious to get out there except to see Aaron. I am currently in SC with my family, but next week I will be back in VA.

That is really all that is happening in my life....it is pretty boring, and I am not allowed to do much of anything but lie around, so if you are bored also, please call me, and we can catch up!

Pulled in again last week, pulling out again on sunday! Most of my time now is spent in the middle of the ocean, but I guess that's what I get for signing up for the Navy, so oh well! It's not too bad....after all, that is how I met the love of my life, so I can't complain too much! Not too much else is new, but I miss everyone a lot, so email me, or post a comment, and let me know how you are!! Till next time!