Merry Christmas Everyone,

It's amazing how time seems to dilute all my feelings. If I were writing this five months ago it would have an entirely different tone. I am doing this today though and my attitude has changed considerably. No longer am I angry and vindictive. I have accepted what has happened to me and I just want to get on with my life. The following is what 1998 brought to me:

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I just finished reading all of my previous annual letters and I was amazed at how much my goals have changed every year. Little things that I am never able to anticipate always seem to alter my outlook on life, sometimes in a major way. I guess that I shouldn't plan my life out so far in advance. Just take it one year, one month, or one day at a time. So this letter will only focus on current and past events. I will keep any future predictions to myself for now. Besides, I'm content with where my life is right now anyway.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Well, this year sure went by fast. It seems like just last month I was trying to come up with an opening paragraph to my annual holiday letter. A year has passed though and what am I going to write about this time. Wait a minute, I've already written quite a bit and, with my next sentence, it should be enough! So, here's what happened in my life during the year of 1996.

-183 DAYS TO GO! Wow. I've been out of the NAVY for 6 months!

Dear family and friends,

For everything that has happened this year it has been a surprisingly unemotional time. After looking forward to the end of my time in the Navy for so long it just didn't seem as wonderful as I had imagined. Don't get me wrong I was very happy, but with everything that has happened in the recent years it would seem that my perceptions of the outside world have been slightly dulled. Nothing major mind you, just a feeling that my emotions have been numbed a little. This is not necessarily a bad thing because I don't seem to get angry easily anymore, but on the other hand I don't get feelings of extreme joy easily anymore either. Maybe this is all a sign that as I experience more in life I am using this new information to mold my personality into something which can deal with life's events in a more efficient manner. Now that I am finished growing physically it would seem that I have just started growing emotionally. I know every year I feel like a different person then I was the year before. Hopefully a better person.

Dear family and friends,

The year of 1994 was much like a roller coaster with all of its ups and downs. The beginning of the year started off pretty good and continued to rise until March. Then suddenly everything began to spiral downward to the depths of unknown. When it seemed like there would be no end to this bottomless void, it started to level off in September. By the end of the month the ride was going upwards once again. It is now December and I believe I may have finally reached the surface. What a ride!

I have only 562 days to go!

Dear People,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! It's Saturday and I'm at work because of duty that happens every 6 days. Last duty day was Sunday, December 5, my birthday. I turned 22 and I brought in a cake, candles and soda to celebrate. Happy, happy.. joy, joy.

This last year has been: well, what can I say? You can't really describe a whole year with one word. I've had my ups and downs, fun and sad times, exciting and depressing times. It probably averages out to a pretty good year though. I mean, how bad could it be? I am 365 days closer to getting out of the NAVY! The following is what happened during the year.

Dear class of 89,

Hello everyone! These five years sure went by fast. Of course everything seems to go by quickly when you look back at it. A lot has definitely happened in that time which has slowly evolved me into the person I am today. Of course you all have probably changed a little as well because life is too short to stand still. Well anyway, here are some of the major events that have shaped my life since graduating from high school.