BIG Changes!!

I can't believe I only have three weeks left in DC. That means I only have 4.5 weeks till I fly out to Qatar for four months. Holy shamoley!! I have no idea where the summer has gone...definitely quickest summer ever.

Lots of things have been happening over the last couple of weeks. After I got back from NYC, I got tasked with writing a 15 page paper for my mentor. Sounds like a lot of pressure, and it is. This guy can recommend me or not recommend me for the job I feel I have been called to do, so I need to impress him with everything I've got.

On the note of the job I feel I've been called to do, we visited there last week.  It was a phenomenal trip, and honestly, it made me want to work there more.  I was mystified and blown away by the coolness of the place, even though it apparently wears off after a while.  Something that hurt me, however, was that my mentor isn't sure I'm cut out for it. Now, I don't know if he's saying things to get reactions out of me and judge where he thinks I am, or if he's being serious.  He's been known to say or do certain things to see how people respond, so we'll see what happens.

On that note, because of his wariness to recommend me at this point, and because he wants to see me succeed, he has told me not to put all my eggs in one basket.  Because of that, Naval Reserves is back on the table.  I have filled out all my paperwork and sent it in to my recruiter, so all I have left are the interviews.  This may come as a shock to some of you, but really, it shouldn't.  I started talking to a recruiter back in April, told my parents, tabled it per my mentor's instructions, and have brought it back to the forefront as of Friday.  The board to decide whether or not I'm a good fit meets in September, pending the results of sequestration.  There's a chance my board may get canceled, but I am praying it will not.  I have struggled deciding whether or not to reenlist for years, hence why this should not be a shock.  Whether it would be AF, Navy, or Marines was really the decision.  AF is going through a huge cutback, so they were taken off the table.  I love my Marines and would be thrilled to join them, but the Navy offers me more opportunities as a female officer.  Even some of my Marines here have suggested that because they feel it would be a better fit, that I would be able to use my abilities more in the Navy than in the Marines (Marines are still trying to figure out the female/male balance).

SO. SUMMARY:

• Lots of work to do and things to read before I leave in three weeks
• Job not guaranteed at end of internship
• Joining Navy - if wanted - to be effective in September as a Reserve Intel Officer

AKA, PRAYERS MUCH APPRECIATED AND ADVICE/LOVE/SUPPORT ALWAYS WELCOME!!

New York City!!!!

Y'all I had soooooo much fun in New York for the 24 hours I was there lol. I went up to see my church's high school choir perform as part of their mission trip.  Gosh it brought back so many memories.  I went to NYC twice for my mission trips, and both were equally memorable.  I remember passing ice cubes in the back row while performing before Billy Graham's Crusades.  I remember watching the Philippian Strikers jam out on trash cans in the subway.  I remember doing all that choreography in crazy heat and just loving Jesus in the middle of New York City.  Here's a little taste of what it was like:

Me and my Anna! I can't believe she's graduated now! God is going to do some wonderful things in her life :)

 

So that's a taste of my church. LOVE. THEM. TO. DEATH. But I didn't just go with them that weekend. I also took myself up the Empire State Building (fear of heights whaaa?) and got not only to learn the history of the building (built in 1 year 30 days!!) but also got to see the majesty of New York City from the 86th floor. I had just seen Sleepless in Seattle, so there may or may not have been some romantic thoughts up there. Don't judge me. :-P  Enjoy some pictures of the beautiful city!

This was spray painted on the side of the new WTC Tower!

Yay family!!

I was sooooo grateful and excited to have my family come visit me for a week last week!! We packed our schedules so much that we were all exhausted by the end of the week - and I was headed straight for New York! Lemme see if I can remember everything we did and everywhere we went:

Sunday evening: La familia arrived and we headed for Thai food down the street from my place
Monday: Normal work day for me, so they went to the Air and Space Museum, while I got dinner ready for them. They got to come see where I live and work (yay for free tours!), eat dinner with me, and play rounds of dominoes!
Tuesday: Another full day for me, so they went to Smithsonians that I had already been to, but afterward we went to the game!
Wednesday: *see Happy Birthday America post* ;)
Thursday: I took a half day off work, so we all went to the Holocaust Museum and then to the Museum of American History to lighten the mood. There's only so much Holocaust you can take in one day, so we finished it Friday.  Because I'm with the USMC, we got to go in whenever we wanted and didn't have to wait for tickets! For dinner we went and got Noodles and Co., which, by the way, is delicious.  The guy was so nice, too, because he gave us two free Rice Krispies treats since we had never been there!

Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf's uniforms during Desert Storm!

Friday: Last day with the family :(  There was no way they were going to get to see everything, so we split up after finishing the Holocaust Museum and National Gallery of Art.  Megan and Dad went to see the Iwo Jima Memorial (which I have yet to do) and the WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials, while Mom and I went back to the hotel to relax. After walking 16 miles in two days...walking more is the last thing you wanna do!

Early Saturday morning they left for Texas and I went to NYC...but more on that LATER!

Happy Birthday America!!!

Happy 4th of July America!! Today was a wonderful day :)  I got to show a lot of DC to my family; our list included:

• National Gallery of Art
• National Museum of Natural History
• Johnny Rockets
• Fireworks show by Air Force memorial with Air Force band in background
  
  
  We saw so many cool things at both of the museums! There was a Neanderthal doing a Sic 'Em, a T-Rex, quartz and diamonds of all different colors, a da Vinci piece that we studied in AcDec, and the AF memorial itself! 
  
  
  We also enjoyed the Nats game last night where we spanked the Giants! Granted, there was rain for an hour, so we didn't get to enjoy the fireworks.....but it was still awesome :) :)
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Yes, because I always wanted my lithium to both kill me and cure me

  
  

  

  Mommy and Daddy!!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  And the rockets' red glare

  

  The bombs bursting in air!