We are tentatively planning a June 6th wedding in San Diego. I didn't want to be engaged for more than 6 months, but since Brian will be on patrol from Dec. 27th to March 22nd, I think it will all work out nicely.

Other than that, I'm still enjoying my job at Childrens Hosptial in Los Angeles (most of the time). It's been a bit crazy and hectic lately, but I seem to do better with that than with slow and boring. One of the managers I work with just sent a very nice e-mail to my boss today telling him how excellent I am to work with and how wonderful I've been in assisting her. That added to the high of being recently engaged has left me on cloud nine and I'm not expecting to come back down to reality for a few days.

Anyway, I thought you'd all want to hear the good news! I hope you're doing well.

In other news...new boyfriend. He's awesome. His name is Brian Barrow. He's 23 and he's an officer in the Coast Guard. He's stationed at the naval base in San Diego, but he's leaving next week to go out on patrol for the next 2 1/2 months. That's sad news, but I think we'll make it. I met his parents last weekend and they love me and I love them, so that's working out pretty well so far. If you're curious, you can see a picture with him on myspace or facebook.

On top of school I'm working about 15-20 hours a week doing telephone customer service and data entry for a magazine renewal agency. Surprisingly, I really enjoy it, but it is adding a bit of craziness to my life. I'm not counting on having much of a social life this semester. I'm already down to 6 hours of sleep a night and not really keeping up with everything. I just keep reminding myself I'm graduating in 16 weeks :)

I have high hopes for the new year. Next semester may be very stressful, especially since I am starting a part-time job on top of school and all that fun stuff. However, that does mean more money, which is always nice. I will be graduating at the end of May, hopefully going on an exciting vacation and getting a job. For the most part, I don't like change, but those are the kinds of changes I like. I am confident, especially considering all the things He's brought me through in the past year, that God will continue to pour out his grace and blessings on my life as long as I continue to seek him. Honestly, I'd also really like to meet the man I'm going to marry and fall in love. But for now I'm praying that God will bring my sister the right man (so she can get married before me) and I'm trusting that He'll take care of me in time.

Probably the biggest news I have is that I am now an aunt! I think most of you know that by now. Noah Allen Monte was born the day after Thanksgiving to my brother Stephen and sister-in-law Bethany. He has blond hair and blue eyes and he's a pretty great nephew already. Mostly he just slept when I saw him, but I know he's got good parents and good genes, so I'm not worried :)

Other than that, not much exciting going on in my life. There are no new men in my life, despite my efforts to get my friends to set me up with people. I'm on track to graduate at the end of May and I would like to get a job working in corporate communication. That's about a clear as much future plan are at the moment. Oh yeah, and I'm going to Portland for a week just after Christmas so I can visit my family up there. It should be fun, and cold.

After spending a week detoxing from the semster and a week of "vacation" visiting family I'm attempting to get my summer started. I'm still working at my friend's daycare a couple of days a week, just for the next couple of weeks. I signed up with a temp agency today so that I can work this summer to make a little money and keep from getting too bored. I'm also finally attempting to clean my house, start working out, and beginning my thesis. So far I'm doing the best at exercising, but we'll see if I can keep that up. I've also been doing my best to ward off boredom and loneliness by watching the first two season of Grey's Anatomy. Right now I'm about halfway through the second season, and it's keeping me entertained.

Our college and career group at church is going through a book about revival right now, and I've been trying to really let it sink in. It's been hitting me pretty hard where Josh is concerned. I'm still kind of pissed off at him (or rather pissed off at him again) because he won't really talk to me or be my friend. And seriously, he broke up with me, so if anyone should be avoiding the other one it should be me not him. I don't get guys. What's their deal? Anyway, I'm learning that no matter what Josh may or may not have done, God wants to deal with my heart and teach me to love and to react the way Christ would. It's pretty difficult stuff, but I'm trying to die to myself and let Christ work through me.

In other news, my landlady may finally be moving home by the end of the month or so. That's going to rock my world. Living with a 69-year-old woman will definitely be interesting. In some ways I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but the company will be nice for sure.

I've thought a lot about love, and relationships, and knowledge, and education, and church, and God and the future. Some days I feel so lost. I am familiar only with the past, but I cannot live there. I don't understand the present, but it is the only reality I can touch. The future simulaneously holds my hopes and my uncertainties. I want it to come, but I do not know if it will live up to my expectations. I don't know what God is doing with me.

Yesterday I was struck with a phrase, and a small bit of understanding. In the Bible, Nehemiah goes to re-build the wall in Jerusalem, but he doesn't have the time or the manpower to do it. He gets each person to build the part of the wall in front of his or her house, and the wall goes up in record time. What seemed impossible was accomplished brick by brick, when each person focused on the task at hand. It made sense to me, to my life. While I feel a bit overwhelmed and at the same time uncertain, I have to focus on the task at hand and accomplish each task one by one. That's how I will make it through the end of the semester, and that's how I will make it through life.

I still have questions, and issues that my mind is dwelling on, but at least now I have a game plan. I may not know if I'm educated enough, if I'm too educated, if I will ever meet the right guy, or what I want my life to look like, but I do know that God will take care of me, and that I can fulfill my purpose in life if I do it one brick at a time.