Ten Years

What can happen in ten years?

You can get your ears pierced.
You can move.
You can invent 3D movies.
You can make 10 new friends.
You can outgrow a passport.
You can learn to cook.
You can invent Facebook.
You can forget your kindergarten enemy.
You can forget how mad you were that one time.
You can forget what that shirt looked like.
You can forget the disagreement with your sister.

But there are some things you cannot forget.

September 11, 2001.

Smoke.
Fire.
Fear.
Silence.

Great, loud, looming, shocked silence.

Unity.
Tears.
Tragedy.
Unison.

Breathing.
Whispering.
Wailing.
Balking.

Grandmas calling.
Mommas crying.
Children wondering.

What happened? What was so great? So terrible? What had happened that was so big the whole world stopped to watch?

There are lots of ways to say it; each one makes your stomach clench, your mind flinch, your heart squeeze.

Nine-eleven. 9-11. September 11. The World Trade Center. The Twin Towers.

It's funny trying to remember a time before it happened. It's funny because we will never forget what happened, but we've already forgotten what it was like before.

Remember when middle-eastern people didn't look scary?
Remember when you could walk right onto an airplane without checking bags?
Remember when the word "terrorism" was foreign?
Remember when America felt like the safest place in the world?

I was seven when it happened; I barely remember those things. But I do remember. What's sad is the kids I know who don't.

The nine-year-old girl I babysit can’t remember a time before Nine-Eleven. She doesn't remember when middle-eastern people were just people. She doesn't remember not having extensive airplane security. She doesn't remember not knowing what "terrorism" is. She doesn't remember thinking that America was invincible.

It's been ten years. America is growing again, in some good directions, and in some bad, but she is growing. That's the only thing she can do. People may try to strike her down, but the values she stands for--Freedom, Equality, Bravery, Honor, Justice--will endure forever, as long as the people defend them.

And that's what we will do. No matter what happens, no matter who tries to derail us, we will stand strong for our God-given rights and for WHAT is right. We will remember not only Nine-Eleven, but everything before that, everything our founding fathers stood for.

On this anniversary of the great American tragedy, don't just remember the Twin Towers. Remember why they were destroyed, and uphold those values all the stronger.

In ten years, a lot can happen, but some things you never forget.

And some of those things you never should.

~Kendra

Guuuuuuuys?

I did something last week.

Something I asked you guys about a while ago.

Ready for this?

Ipiercedmyears.


So yeah :)

~Kendra

HEY! :)

Hi! :) Remember me? Kendra?

No?

...

Yeahh, this is awkward.

Anyway, hello there :) It is July 6th, which means there are 2 days until something very big happens to me. You might remember me talking about this in January, and if you don't, here's the post: Official Announcement Post.

*gives you a minute to read it*




*still giving*




Finished? Yeah, you didn't read it, did you? :P

Anyway, it basically says that I am going to Europe. I am going to Spain, France and Italy, without my family, for 19 days. That's a long time, my friends. Up until this week, I haven't been nervous whatsoever. Up until today, I've only been nervous about the plane (I've never been on one before). But now, I'm starting to get just plain old nervous in general.

19 days is a long time! Almost three weeks, in fact! I won't see my friends, my family, my dog, my bed, anyone for almost a month! What have I gotten myself into?

But the biggest part of myself is still really excited :) I'm not going to flip out and beg to get out of this like I used to do about things. I'm going to pretend I'm not nervous at all and get on the plane without a single tear. I'm going to console my mom and Lizzy and tell them I'll take pictures and notes for them and not to be sad. I'll be strong.

I'll get homesick, I know, but I'll also have a really good time. It's literally the chance of a lifetime. I can't believe I get to do this! This is so cool!

Prayers would be greatly appreciated if you ever happen to think of me during the next few weeks. I know I'll be needing them, if only for the little things.

Talk to you later! Bye!

~Kendra

P.S. I miss this...

Carpe Diem

You may have noticed something (Okay, probably more than one something, but I'm talking about something specific XD):

My lack of blogging.

(Okay maybe you didn't XD But now that I've brought it to your attention...)

I love ~Carpe Diem~. Like, I think I might actually love it, like it's a person, an extension of myself. It's been a sounding board for new ideas, my journal for good times and bad, a venue for meeting some of the most amazing people, a way to document my life in fun and beautiful ways that I never would have been able to otherwise. I LOVE ~Carpe Diem~.

The name is perfect; Seize the day. Live, love, laugh, learn. To me, ~Carpe Diem~ represents growing up and changing and being excited about life. Even the templates have been happy and fresh.

So it feels kind of like my heart is breaking as I say that I think I'm finished here.

I'm so silly, I'm almost crying XD

(Dang, as I type, I'm not sure if I can go through with this.)

For some reason, there's been a distance growing between me and ~Carpe Diem~. Not a dislike, not a disinterest, just a distance. I'm growing up, but that's not quite what I mean. I've outgrown ~CD~ is more like it. I haven't matured out of it, I've grown out of it. I know that might sound like the same thing, but it isn't. Maturing would mean that I feel ~CD~ is below my thought level now, that it was cute while it lasted but I'm moving on. That is not how I feel.

I feel like ~CD~ represents a definite chapter of my life, of who I am, and that chapter is over.

Honestly (for you writers out there), it feels like I've finished a book. I'm heartbroken to leave it behind, but it's truly finished and it's time to move on. It'll always be there, and I'll reread it or maybe even work on it, but it's in the past now. I've finished it. I've out grown it and I'm ready to move on.

If I haven't made it obnoxiously obvious yet, I will now: I won't be posting on ~Carpe Diem~ anymore. I may post occasionally, but most likely it'll be memorial posts (~CD~'s birthday, MY birthday, holidays, etc.) and not a regular thing. At this point, I don't plan to ever come back to daily posting.

I love ~Carpe Diem~ dearly, and much more than anyone should love a blog, and I love all of you. I can't believe 137 people care about what I say! It's mind-boggling! Me? ME?? You want to read ME??

I've gotten really arrogant about the whole blog thing too, and I think that was what started the distance. I started caring too much about the number of followers and not enough about the real reason for blogging. I'm so sorry.

As hard as it is to make myself come to terms with this decision, I feel like it's almost been made for me. I grow up, I change, and those plain facts are out of my control. So this is goodbye. (Forget almost crying, I AM crying >.<) I honestly cannot thank you enough for being a part of this wonderful journey I've been on.

If you're interested in keeping up with me, I have something to tell you, but you need to email me: livinglovinglaughinglearning@gmail.com.

With much, much, MUCH love,
Kendra Logan

So They Say...

I have a pretty good vocabulary. There aren't a lot of words that I'm unfamiliar with, and my stupid Latin background can help me figure out the rest. Most of what I know comes from reading, which I've been obsessed with since I was about 2. That's fine and everything, except for one thing:

You have to actually SAY the words in real life.

Facade ~ It's not actually pronounced fa-KADE. There's a little French thing on the C that apparently makes it an S...fa-SOD. The French would.

Vigilante ~ See this one I thought WAS French-sounding. vih-jil-AHNT. Little did I know, it's actually vih-jill-ANT-ee. Go figure.

Phoebe ~ I read a book about a girl named Phoebe when I was 8. I pronounced it POE-bee. Being 8, I didn't think about it. Then when I got to be about 13, I realized...that was little off.

Lambaste ~ I thought it rhymed with "cast." It rhymes with "paste." ...whatever.

Preface ~ It is not PRE-face. It's PREH-fiss. I hate words like this; they trick you with how simple they look, then all the sudden you find out you've been mispronouncing it since fifth grade.

Placate ~ ...yeahhh, I'm still not sure how this one goes.

Then there's the opposite problem, where I've heard a phrase all my life, but never actually seen it spelled.

You know the phrase "the whole kit and caboodle"? Until yesterday, I thought it was "kitten caboodle." Yes, I am seventeen, thanks for asking.

"For all intents and purposes." I finally saw that one written down a few months ago. Come to think of it, that makes a HECK of a lot more sense than "all intensive purposes." ...what was I thinking?

Hope this was good for a laugh, and maybe even a little bit enlightening XD

~Kendra

Life in Pink

Hey! So, guess what? My sister Lizzy finally got a blog! :D It's really cute and she's super excited (as am I). Check it out!

Life in Pink

~Kendra

Kendra's Friday is Average

Friday, because it was more interesting XD

Friday it was 80 degrees and I went out to tan. Somehow, I only tanned on one shoulder.

Friday I hardcore danced in the bathroom. To Celtic music.

Friday I choked on an ibuprofen tablet.

Friday I started a texting conversation, then immediately forgot and walked away from my phone for hours. Three times.

Friday I searched my entire room for my house key, only to find it was in my purse where it belongs. How weird.

Friday I realized I had an entire hour to get ready to go. I spent 45 minutes doing nothing and was pissed when I had to rush around the last 15.

Friday I had to reach waaaay up to help my "little" sister with her hair. Depressing.

I've been planning on going prom dress shopping with my friend on Saturday for weeks. Friday it occurred to me that I needed one too.

Friday I read my assigned section of "Hamlet" and was so into it that I kept going.

My Friday is average.

~Kendra