We're not looking back, we're just looking ahead

Every true genius is bound to be naive.
-- J.C.F. von Schiller

Well done is better than well said.
-- Benjamin Franklin

Adversity is like a strong wind.
It tears away from us all the things that cannot be torn,
so that we see ourselves as we really are.
-- Arthur Golden

They'll know we are Christians by our love.
-- Jars of Clay

Subscribers: 81

So, the Top 36 are revealed tonight! No, I don't buy into the spoilers who already released the list (because, last year, they said Carly Smithson would win so I hated her the entire time because of that. She was actually a very good singer and seemed like a nice person). Anyway, I'm excited! I have my paper ready with 1-18 numbered for girls and guys. I can't wait!

I really love those 2 best friends, the one where the guy's wife died. They are both so adorable and seem like great friends. I really hope they make it. But I really hope that one girl who moved from one room to another room doesn't. She's the one who keeps trying to sing to make the judges say, "Yes." She's really annoying. Be smart, AI! She won't make it far because she's not likable at all.

Who's your favorite? No hate comments, please. If you don't like AI, that's your prerogative but kindly click the red X and leave. Thanks!

Burn in everything I'm learning

You may not realize it when it happens,
but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.
-- Walt Disney

If you can find a path with no obstacles,
it probably doesn't lead anywhere.
-- Frank A. Clark

The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.
-- Harry Golden

Subscribers: 79

That's more like it! :]

In super good news, I got a job on Friday! I have been searching and searching and searching so I am super happy about this news! It's about 30 hours a week, at a daycare, and works perfectly around my school schedule. So, yay! The best news? I get to play with babies for 6 hours a day. Who can beat that?

These are the words that the world needs to hear

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
-- James D. Miles

The real world is for people who can't imagine anything better.

Life doesn't give you the people you want.
It gives you the people you need.
To help you, to hurt you, to love you, to leave you.
To make you into the person you were meant to be.

A man cannot be comforable without his own approval.
-- Mark Twain

Subscribers: 75

Hm...no new subscribers and no comments last post? Oh, well. It was a rather dull post.

Anyone not receiving their subscriptions e-mail lately? I haven't received any Xanga e-mails in a while and everything seems to be kosher so I don't know.

I don't have much to say today! Sorry for the lack of posts, school has been kicking my butt. In good news, I may have found a job! It's actually at my old work that I quit about a year ago but it's good pay and that's all that matters right now. :)

How is everyone else in Xangaland?

Love is the best thing we do

Subscribers: 75

On Thursday, I interviewed my grandma for an article I'm writing on her. She was diagnosed in May 2008 with Stage IV colon cancer and endured 7 months of chemo which really wreaked havoc on her life and body. She lost 30 lbs and is just now starting to get her strength back. In October 2008, she got a PET scan which revealed that she had no cancer at all! It was indeed a miracle and the reason I wanted to write my very first article on her. She's an amazing woman with an amazing faith. It was a trying season for her (they are also raising 13-year-old twin girls who are definitely a handful!) but she stuck by her Savior and He led her through it. I'm constantly amazed by her strength and endurance.

What about you? Have you ever known anyone with cancer, either a survivor or not? I haven't had any experience with it until 2008. My dog was diagnosed with lymphoma in May 2008, as well, and we had to put her down on June 8th, 2008 because the cancer had wreaked so much havoc in her body. So I've known both ends of the spectrum - someone who has beaten it and someone who has lost their life to it. Tell me your stories, if you have any.

Trying to find the magic

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.
-- Fyodor Dostoevsky

You learn to like someone when you find out what makes them laugh.
But you can never truly love someone until you find out what makes them cry.
-- Author Unknown

Those who are quite satisfied sit still and do nothing;
Those who are not quite satisfied are the sole benefactors of this world.
-- Walter Savage Landor

Sometimes you just got to give yourself what you wish someone else would give you.
-- Dr. Phil

"No, the Lord is all I need. He takes care of me."
-- Psalm 16:5 (NCV)

"That is why you need to put on God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing."
-- Ephesians 5:32 (NCV)

There is no one like my God.
-- God of This City, Chris Tomlin

"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."
-- Barack Obama, Inauguration speech

Subscribers: 71

So, Barack Obama's inauguration was on Tuesday and I watched from 8 a.m. until the local news came on at 5 p.m. Obviously, Tuesdays I have no classes and since I'm currently unemployed, I have the whole day free. So I spent the day watching the inauguration which was pretty spectacular, I have to say. I've never seen an inauguration exactly so I have nothing to compare it by. I was still in high school for the last one. I was really intrigued about everything! Hearing the stories of the people who were there (one such lady brought her two little kids and said how she woke them up on Wednesday morning and said, "When you were sleeping last night, Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream came true." That quote impacted me quite a bit.), seeing all the who's who of Washington show up, seeing very old and frail African-American's show up in wheelchair's. It was all amazing. Obama's speech was nothing short of inspiring. I'm actually a Republican but there's something about him. I was rooting for him from the start. He's young, he's fresh, and he's new. I think he's going to do a lot of good for this country. What do you think? Did you watch the Inauguration at all? Do you think Obama will be a good president? Give me your opinions!