Yes! It's the weekend. I love weekends. What makes everything even better is that next week at this time I'll either already be home or I'll be on my way home. My plane leaves at 8pm, but I'm hoping that I can get on standby for and earlier flight.

Today at crew practice we went out on the water. Coach Hall had me as stroke of the Eagle even though I haven't done a lot of the practices this week cuz I've been sick. I was worried at first because this afternoon I was feeling a little worse and didnt' have much energy, but once we got out on the water and started rowing I got into the groove of things and it felt great. When I'm rowing, especially when I'm stroke, it's almost like I'm connected to the boat. I can see what my oar is doing even though I can't physically see it. I know how it reacts to the things I do with it and it becomes like a part of my body. My mind corrects me and tells me what I'm doing wrong and what I need to concentrate on and so I correct it. Being out on the water is great because all the other pressures and stress are forgotten about. I don't think about all of the homework that I need to do, or that I have all these other things that need to get done. The only things on my mind are how hard I'm pulling, my technique, and how beautiful everything is around me. Of course I only notice the beauty when I we stop to turn around because the rest of the time I'm staring straight ahead at the coxswain even though in my minds I I'm looking at my oar.

I think the fall is my favorite season, and not just because my birthday is in the fall. Football afternoons, cool, crisp evening walks with a close friend, the majestic trees as they change color, and the special smell in the air. When I was younger I loved football Saturdays, but not becuase I liked to watch the game. While my parents were inside watching the UM game I'd be outside raking leaves into a huge pile, sometimes as tall as me, under the swing set. I'd then climb from the tree house onto the top of the swing set and jump into the pile. I'd race around the yard playing with a football and all other manner of toys and sports equipment. Freshman year of high school I started going to Mission Christ and during the fellowship time Frank and I would go on long walks through the neighborhood talking about anything and everything. That was the highlight of my week freshman year. Last year in the fall was Plebe Parent Weekend and my parents, Heidi, and Matt came up for it. That was one of the best, if not the best, thing 1st semester. The only thing that would have made it even better would be if Betsy had come too, because then all of the people who I care about the most in my life would have been here.

My Mom sent me a package from home a few days ago because I wanted my teddy bear. I left him at home over summer because he'd get really dirty at Buckner. She dressed him in pants and a yellow t-shirt that she made that says "USMA Fired up C-4 Go Cowboys" on the front and has a picture of a cowboy hat. On the back it has "Class of 2005" written on it. I love it. She also sent me cookies, gummi bears, my water bottle, vitamin C drops, noise makers, and a letter with some farside cartoons. My parents are wonderful. Annah thinks so too.