What's New

The Latest News

6/25/08
So I've finally, almost a year later, added the pictures I've kept promising! Please check out the amazingly cute album of my amazingly cute daughter Abigail!
This album runs from her birth on Aug 11, 2007, to the present! I suppose that when I add updates, I'll figure out a way to put them on the same page as this, so check back if you want more in the future! In a few weeks we take her first plane ride to Idaho, and it's just over a month until her first birthday! What a great girl I have!

Stay tuned for at least one or two more essays coming this summer on the opinion page, at least one of which will be on "The Religion of Self"...

By the way, I GRADUATED on May 18 with a bachelor's degree in Linguistics, AND I have been accepted into the University of Minnesota's MA-ESL program, which I will start in the fall, with plans of getting an Adult Basic Education certification as well. More school, but this time, I'm a graduate!

1/18/08
Okay, I know it's been forever since I've updated - man, I don't even have pictures of my now-five-months-old daughter! I'll get right on that. It's amazing how little time you have when you have a new baby, work 25-30 hours a week, and have 19 credits in school, along with a little teaching on the side. Thankfully, during this Spring semester, I only have 14 credits - my last semester! That's right, I graduate on May 18, 2008, with a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics. I am currently applying for the MA in ESL program at the University, so if I am accepted, I will be starting that 2-year program this fall.

That's the latest news, and here's the latest update - my longest poem ever, at 230 lines and 2166 words, is a story about the journey of faith. It's obviously an allegory of the different theologies that we encounter on this road, what the true nature of God is, and how we can truly find Him. I hope you find it insightful! If you think it has great need to be changed, let me know how, but please enjoy: See, Fear, Trust.

Oh, and if you'd like to see some Abi pictures in the interim, here's the latest facebook album: Abi from 2-4 months

8/12/07
ANNOUNCING...

Abigail Carin Gill
born Saturday, Aug 11, 7:26pm. 4 days early.
8 pounds, 11 ounces. 21 1/2 inches long.
Beginning of labor: 2:47am Friday. (that's 41 hours start-to-finish)

For 18 pictures from Abi's first few hours, go here.

7/3/07
We just returned from a wonderful vacation! I've posted pictures to take you through our 3400-mile Great Lakes vacation! We spent time in 3 major cities, went up the 3 tallest buildings in North America (CN Tower in Toronto, Sears Tower in Chicago, and Empire State Building in New York), dipped our feet in 4 of the 5 great lakes, camped, stayed in hotels, visited friends and family, and saw lots of little towns as we stayed off the main highways as much as possible. It was truly a delightful, unforgettable time! Brenda did very well for being 7 weeks away from giving birth to our first child (now down to 6 weeks!) - 3400 miles and camping are no small tasks, and I'm proud of her! We have so many stories and memories that will stick with us, it was truly an awesome vacation, and much needed as we prepare for Baby Gill, due August 15!

Speaking of Baby Gill, I had forgotten to mention that I wrote a song, sometime just before vacation, which I neglected to put up until now. It's called "Grow" , and it's about our new growing baby, growing faith, growing testimony, and growing the Kingdom of God. Enjoy that one.

5/24/07
I have finally written a new poem, my first in a year. I wrote it for Brenda for her first mother's day: Love Sonnet #5 I have also updated "The Meaning of Et Al" section (get there from the main page), where I explain all of my poems. I have made sure that there are explanations for every one of my poems (133 at last count), and many of them are quite interesting.

In other news, spring semester is done, and I got all A's and B's, which is quite a feat with 19 credits, a teaching internship, and 25-30 hrs/wk bartending, all in the first year of marriage with a pregnant wife. It has truly been a joy, however, to be supported by my lovely wife, and to lift her up! To see how I feel about her, read Love Sonnets 1-5... Also coming up is our first family vacation, which will take us by car around the Great Lakes, 9 states, and 1 Canadian province, in 2 1/2 weeks! We'll be gone from June 12-29. When we return, it's buckle-down-and-prepare time for August 15, the due date for our truly awesome baby to arrive! What an eventful summer!

New stuff on the docket for the website: revamping of boring menu pages, correction of really old links (see entry from 8/2/04), new poetry and/or articles (still to be written, of course), and in a few months, baby pictures! Stay tuned!

3/15/07
A friend recently introduced me to the ideas of one particular atheist who is becoming more and more popular and/or unpopular as he speaks about his views about his disbelief in God. His book, "The God Delusion", is getting lots of press, just as the Da Vinci Code did, especially since his is supposedly not fiction. How does a Christian respond to people like him? I have responded in my newest article, "The Atheist Delusion". Let me know what you think.

1/22/07
Today is the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that invented the constitutional right to an abortion on demand. I have written an article regarding this, and I hope you will read it no matter what your beliefs or feelings about abortion are. It is meant only to argue the facts, not to accuse anyone that may have had an abortion, or spew hatred towards anyone. I hope you can take the time to read it carefully, especially if you don't have an opinion one way or the other. So, without further ado, I present The Facts of Life.

1/11/07
I've updated my movie list from the old one, which was from 2002...I have 3 times as many movies now as I did then! I also updated the About Me page, since much of that info was at least a year old. Also, in the interest of saving money for copies, envelopes, and stamps, and saving time for mailing and addressing and such, I have uploaded our New Year's Letter here! Feel free to right click and "save as" to download the Word document.

1/6/07
Hooray! I've finally done something on the site! The first of plenty of things to come (at least, I hope so), I've updated everyone's favorite section, the pictures. I put up pictures from Italy, where Brenda and I went for our honeymoon in July. In 24 days we visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa/Livorno, and the Alps, and it was even better than the photos! Go to the picture index to see them. There is also a space left there for wedding photos, which is the next step, and hopefully will be done before school starts next week.

In other news, Brenda and I are expecting a little one to join us in August! A new member of our family is currently the size of a lima bean, and we've nicknamed him/her "Norbert" for now. We don't plan on finding out what gender our baby is, and if we do, we're not telling! And we're not hinting at names yet, either, so don't ask. We are really excited to be parents, and we're praising the Lord for His great kindness towards us, choosing this time to give us a baby! We know He's ultimately the One providing for Norbert anyway, so we give Him the glory for it all. More to follow!

10/23/06
Okay, so I know I haven't done any of the updates that I said I would 2 1/2 months ago... In fact this is the only update I've had in that time. But then again, I am working 25 hours a week while going to school full time, so that explains a lot. Anyway, this is just an update to say that it is coming, and hopefully soon. Worst case scenario, I'll have something up before Christmas! I have lots of wedding and honeymoon photos to put up! I promise, it will come! If you haven't been here in a while, or just check for updates, go ahead and explore - I guarantee there's plenty to keep you busy for a few hours...

8/7/06
So we're back! We had a wonderful time at the wedding, and on our 4 week honeymoon in Italy! We were in Rome for a week, on the Mediterranean coast for a few days, in Florence for 6 days, Venice for 3, and up in the Italian Alps for 2 before working our way back down to Rome to fly out. I only took 700 pictures (and she took about 125), so we're sorting those out, and probably will be for a while yet! It was so perfect, just about everything worked exactly as we'd planned. We alternated between hardcore sight-seeing, and relaxing days at the beach or in the mountains. We ate some wonderful food, saw some amazing things, and just plain had a magnificent time experiencing Italy for nearly a month! Brenda got to use her French, and I my German and Spanish, and we both learned a good deal of Italian! There were certainly some places where we agreed we could easily move to, though I doubt that's in our future. Also, Venice and Riva del Garda have made our list of worldwide favorite cities/towns... actually, everywhere we were is somewhere in our top 20! And experiencing it together for the first time was the best part.

Pictures will probably be spotty (a few highlights from each place), but they'll be up eventually. The index page is Riva del Garda, the town in the Alps that we stayed in. That particular picture is taken from about 1/4 of the way up the mountain, which we climbed all the way to the summit - a 1200m rise (about 3800 ft) from bottom to top!

Lots more highlights to be talked about, but it'll have to wait until we're settled in, a process that we're in the middle of now! Glad to be home.

6/23/06
Well, it's less than 397 hours until my wedding, so it's likely that updates will be scarce during that time and during the 3 1/2-week honeymoon in Italy! So let me take this time to thank you all for coming here as often as you do, and giving me your feedback on the various things I put on this site, specifically my poetry and writings. Speaking of which, the new item today is a bit of a sermon that I wrote for the American church. It's entitled, "Are You A Humanist?", and it is meant to wake Christians up to the widespread and deep-seated lies of humanism that have crept into true Christianity. I pray that as you read it, you will be both challenged and changed by the Holy Spirit! If you have questions or comments, don't hesitate to email them to me.

Our New Address:
101 E 54th St, #304
Minneapolis, MN 55419

I will update the site again once I return in August, a (happily) married man!

5/10/06
Hello everyone! Sorry it's been getting longer and longer between updates. Obviously I've adjusted to being home, but just as obviously, I'm getting busier and busier until the wedding! Well, probably after the wedding, too, especially that 3 1/2 weeks we'll be in Italy for the honeymoon... Anyway, I know I didn't write any poetry during the month of April, and although that's too bad, I wouldn't have traded that time with Brenda for anything! However, I have successfully written Love Sonnet #4, which I hope you will all enjoy. One of the most important things to remember in an intimate love relationship is that the strength of a man gives a woman beauty, and the beauty of a woman arouses strength in the man. This is important, but nearly as important as keeping the Lord the head of your marriage, who ultimately is the source of both strength and beauty, in abundant measure! So that's what this is about. Feel free to let me know what you think of it, I really enjoy comments! (If you hated it, I don't care, because Brenda loves it! Go write your own!)

For anyone still unsure what's going on in my life, Brenda and I are getting married on July 9, 2006, after 2 years and 2 weeks of engagement! We are so thankful to the Lord for all He's brought us through. We're looking for apartments in Uptown or South Mpls, and our wedding will be at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. Invitations will probably (!) be sent out at the end of this month. Again, please visit the "Ikea Wish List" page below!

4/20/06
I figured it was time to update this again, since I am indeed home and safe and happy and with my Brenda! Of course, that's probably also why I've delayed updating... Anyway, I got home on Tuesday, April 11th, a few days and a few hours later than we hoped (long story...perhaps you saw it on the news). No matter. Since then I've been able to both relax and get things done, and Brenda and I have dived right into wedding stuff! I am happy to finally be doing something for it, and she is happy to have the help! We completed our registry at Target, and we completed our wish list at IKEA. But since IKEA does not do registries, we've made our own! Click here to see the list of things we have picked out. However, unlike a regular registry, you won't be able to tell what's already been purchased, so make sure you include a receipt. We're expecting plenty of duplicates, so don't feel bad. We hope you'll have as much fun shopping at IKEA as we've had! (Shameless plug...where's my ad money?) Anyway, lots of things on the agenda in the next few months! Feel free to give me a call on my cell, the number's still the same. If you don't have it, email me.

4/3/06
Finally on the way home! I'm sitting in Kuwait until tomorrow night or so, then I'll be back in California for a few more days before we get home, which I'm guessing will be next weekend, though it's up in the air depending on the availabilities of certain things in 29 Palms. Either way, it's not long until I am back in the cool, wet, fresh spring air of Minnesota. And, completely DONE with the Marine Corps! Having been in for 6 years, I should say it's about time. It's about time. And most importantly, I will be back in the arms of my beloved Brenda, never to leave again! It's only 98 days until our wedding! In case you can't imagine how much we miss each other right now, we have seen each other only 3 total weeks in the last 15 months! By the time we get married, we will have been engaged for 2 years and 2 weeks. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, because we never could have gotten this far without His help! See you all soon!

3/13/06
Hey all! New poem written today, called The Mercy Rule. It's about the salvation of a heart that's only "dying trying" (to be good). Enjoy!

3/9/06
I don't have anything new on the site at the moment, but if you want to download this little audio clip, feel free! USMC-answeringmaching.mp3 (Right click and choose "save target as" to download).

The latest news is simply my return dates, which seem to be pretty set in stone: I leave this base on March 23, I should be in Kuwait by March 28, and back in the USA by April 1 (in California). From there, it should be about 3 days until I am home for good! By the way, 3 days ago was my EAS (end of active service - my 6-year anniversary where I am supposed to be done), so feel free to get me a present. :) Preferably single malt. Wait, what?

2/18/06
I made this update the same color as the one below because it's only been 24 hours... I've written my newest column, inspired by an Army recruiting poster, no less! The title of it is " Right Is Might: Proving the existence of good, God, and meaning in life." I find it rather thoughtful. And yes, philosophical. These essays will hopefully follow more frequently, as opposed to a blog, which I despise. If you're going to add something to the world wide web, let it be a little bit valuable, not just a chronology of your worthless day's events. That's enough ranting for me, I'm not Maddox or anything, but suffice it to say that I hate blogs. Anyway, I think the next one will be on a very controversial subject: women in the military. Stay tuned.

2/17/06
Well I've put in the new "first time here" option on the main menu. The nifty picture on the teaser page is one I took at Glacier National Park of a close-up glacier we hiked to. The picture was taken by putting the camera lens up to the lens of binoculars! I thought it turned out rather niftily! Anyway the main update I have here today is 2006's first poem, which is also a song, called Especially Today. Once you read that, check out the first time page to see what kinds of things you may have missed during your frequent or infrequent navigations of jonathangill.net!

1/24/06
New pictures from here in Iraq! Finally, 60 new pictures from grand old Camp Al-Asad. Plenty more updates to follow, but this should entertain you and give you a little picture of what life is like here! Or rather, 60 little pictures.

1/21/06
Not a whole lot new on the site, but I figured I ought to give a little update. New backgrounds to keep things interesting, new picture redirect page (go to "pictures") to keep things more organized, new writing redirect page (go to "poetry and writings"), for the same reason. I've joined myspace.com, so you can view my profile here. I've also started a new email address (finally) at this domain: me@jonathangill.net

12/25/05
Merry Christmas everyone!

For Christmas this year, I've put up the latest of my boredom-killers here in Iraq: the Etch-A-Sketch! Included are a series of 13 of my better drawings, though I may add more as they come along. Check it out!

I have also written a Christmas sonnet, called Forget Me Not, about the true meaning of Christmas.
The last thing is Love Sonnet #3, "on the spice of love's seasons." Enjoy!

12/22/05
As promised, here are my two essays on Iraq so far. "An Opinion That Counts" was written in April 2004, as fighting was increasing and approval for the war was dropping sharply. Part 2 was written just a week ago, as Iraq took part in their third election, and after I read an interesting article in the Marine Corps Times newspaper.
These essays are merely my opinion, and although I know that many of my fellow Marines feel the same way, I cannot speak for them, for the Marine Corps, for the Military, or the U.S. Government. This is just my opinion, based on my deductions and experiences.

12/19/05
The first of the many things I want to put up in the next week: Collected Humor. Mostly religious humor, this is just a hodge-podge collection I dug up from somewhere. It can also be found by navigating through the "Interesting Things" section. More to follow soon!

12/18/05
Just wanted to give you all a heads-up on what I plan on putting up in the next few days. None of it's completely ready yet, but it should be soon. The other day, I wrote out part 2 of my opinion on Iraq. I've always said that whether or not you agree with me, my opinion is a little more informed, a little more unique than the bandwagon beliefs you find back home. I wrote part 1, "An Opinion That Counts", in April 2004, and I believe it was actually the day before a friend of mine was killed in Baghdad. Now, 20 months later and back in Iraq, I've written part 2: "Intelligence, Intelligence, and Reality". I will post both in a new section that I hope doesn't become my "blog", but rather only gets well-thought-out opinion columns. It'll be one of the few serious things on this site, though I don't know how often I'll have something for it. Then again, I may not keep it all serious...I want to type up a conversation we had the other day about how Arnold Schwarzeneggar is the Antichrist...

ANYWAY, the other things I will be posting is some more pictures. I know I haven't done anything in that area since at least October, so I will post as many as possible, including a series on my new favorite toy, the Etch-A-Sketch.
So, keep checking back, I should have something up before Christmas!

11/28/05
This entry is incomplete, but I wanted to put up the newest poem, a nice long story with A Happy Ending. At 112 lines, it's my second longest poem in lines, and longest in words (937). Still, I think it's a nice little story.
Also check out a few new things in the "Interesting Things" page:
278 Corollaries to Murphy's Law, and
The Complete Script to Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail
More to come in the next 48 hours!

11/23/05
Check out the poetry link now, as it gives you a choice how to navigate the hundreds of poems on this site. The newest update is the Chronological Organization of my poetry, so that you can see how my poetry has progressed through the last 7 1/2 years. You can also see when I've been most and least inspired, by how often I would write.

There will be much more coming in the next few weeks, including a lot of humor-related things to go under the "Interesting Things" link, which I haven't updated in a long time. Hopefully I will also have some more pictures for you all soon.

11/21/05
A few new things I just put up. While looking through some older files on my computer, I found these three "new" things. Two are poems by my brother Matt, who I still have to email to ask his permission to publish here. I'm sure he'll be fine with it. The other is a large collection of haiku and limericks. An explanation is given.
Check out Matt's poems:
So Sing Of The Wise Ones With Light In Their Eyes
and
Wander
I've always insisted to people that his poetry is better than mine, though he is not one to admit it.

Also check out the wonderful works of the Balaam's Talking Mule fans and members, in their natural element - writing crazy and foolish random poetry to each other:
Haiku and Limericks from the BTM guestbook

11/16/05
A lot's been happening here, so I haven't had much time to update. I have found the time to write a new series, however! Some crazy, crazy humor coming your way, because here comes the great and mysterious "A5 Ma Gnome Raps"! Enjoy.

10/22/05
For the third poem of October (apparently a productive month in this regard), check out Wedding Pantoum, a pantoum about my wedding day.
Life here continues to be safe for now, and I feel like a real-life cop, though perhaps in a small, boring, desert town where little happens. Also, I haven't been able to find a donut anywhere! Still, it's not bad, and hopefully time will faithfully plod on as my Marine Corps career comes to a close. More pictures and poems and probably some other stuff to follow!

10/8/05
Hey! Check out the new one, The Reddest Rose, another love ode to Brenda in story form. This is how I tell the world!

10/2/05
"Adventures in Al-Asad"

Okay, so it's not so adventurous yet. There's the possibility that if our customs duties decrease or disappear altogether, that we may do convoys in the future. For now, our duties consist of customs inspections, badge enforcement, other regulation enforcement, and on-base peace-keeping and security. There are only about 30 of us involved (on a base of 12,000), so we're doing what we can with what we're given. None of the jobs are particularily challenging, nor are they very dangerous, but they are welcome for those of us who weren't looking forward to being in danger of roadside bombs every day. That's most of us. We are working long hours, but once people start leaving this base (we are thousands over capacity during the changeover), either the hours or the work should settle down. As one of the few certified MP's working these specific MP missions, I find myself giving a great deal of advice and leadership, especially as we begin the deployment. So far I have little to no problems with any of the guys I'm with, and have had to put up with only a minimal amount of stupidity/assininity (my greatest pet peeve). I've become hooked on "Alias", and am into the second season already...great show.

Some challenges I face already are practical ones - the gym is over a mile away, and there are 30-90 minute waits for every food place, stores, internet, and telephones. I have not yet called home since my layover in Germany, due to phone center technical difficulties and the long lines. My only hope for internet and phone is usually to go in the middle of the night, but even then it's at least 30 minutes wait for 30 minutes of use.

So I've decided to do most of the updates, writing, and layout code in my room on my computer, then upload it by way of my thumb drive during my 30 minute intervals. Hopefully I'll have enough time for that.

I'm trying to start a table for the pictures from this deployment, and to keep them separate from the pics of 2003's deployment. They were totally different parts of Iraq doing totally different missions. Any Arabic I learn on this trip (as it stands now) will have to be done on my own, as the contact here on base is not very much. For a quick photo-journal of my trip here and what my living conditions are, click here.

Check back for more updates and format changes to this page, and perhaps the front page. You won't be getting a ton of scenery shots, as there is none to speak of. Try to check back once a week, and I'll make it my goal to update that often, with anecdotes and/or pictures. Also, I'm trying to write at least one poem per month, but September was a pretty crazy month for me. I'll try to make it up this month, starting with this new one, A River Runs Through It, inspired by Isaiah 43:18-21.

10/1/05
Greetings from Al-Asad, Iraq!
A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks, many things that have changed from the original plan. I've been taken away from my company and put with a small detachment of MP's on a different base. The rest of my company is doing convoys in Fallujah, which is a dangerous job, but I am at Al-Asad (about 2-3 hours west of Fallujah, 3-4 from Baghdad) doing various MP missions that don't involve leaving the security of the base at this time. While it was hard for me to leave my home unit (for those that know, this is the second time), I'm relieved to have been moved to a safer location and a safer job. This base is an airfield in the middle of nowhere, and it's huge, so even when we do get the occasional mortar fire 'pot shots', they don't ever hit anything.
My jobs so far include the much familiar customs job, which I did for 2 full months in 2003, to roaming the base examining the badges of U.S. civilians, Iraqi employees, and 'third-country nationals', which just means employees and workers from other countries such as India and Pakistan. There are nearly 2000 of them here. Base security is important, especially for a base this large, so we're traveling around a lot on foot, in Humvees, or on ATV's (4-wheelers), to keep the MP mission of the interior: "To preserve order, protect property, and enforce regulations." Though it seems a bogus job to be doing for the next 6 months (especially for the new guys who were hoping for some action), I welcome the safer, more mundane job while here. The time has been flying by already, and we should be kept busy enough for that to continue.
I'll put up an update in the next 24 hours with a few pictures and more details, but here's my new mailing address:

CPL GILL, JONATHAN R. BSSG-1, MP DET. UNIT 42340 FPO AP 96426-2340

Please send mail here from now on! Check back in soon for updates!

9/17/05
Hello from Kuwait!

Yes, we stopped in my favorite place of all* before moving on to Fallujah. In fact, both our flight this morning and the flight this evening have been cancelled, so I have no idea how long we�ll be here. Likely it won�t be long, but it�s not too bad. Even though the internet isn�t free here (I guess it is in Iraq), the fact that I can get on whenever I want is better than two years ago.

Anyway, after two long flights (10 hours from L.A. to Frankfurt, and 4 � hours from Frankfurt to Kuwait, and then briefing after briefing about being over here (more to come, I�m sure), we finally got to sleep. And sleep we did! Because our morning flight was cancelled, and our evening one promised to make a late night, we slept nearly the entire day. Now, our evening flight�s been cancelled, so I came back to get online and update for you all.

God�s been showing me great things already, so I�m excited to see what He shows me the rest of the time. We�ve been assured by those leaving the area that although we�ll work very hard, the time goes by pretty fast. It�s likely our missions will be rotated, which helps it go by faster. We�ll still be doing convoys, but the demands, locations, and reasons for them will change.

I look forward to keeping you all updated, and for coming home before I know it! Keep checking back for frequent updates!

*Okay, so the camp I'm at doesn't actually look like this right now...but you get the point, right?

9/15/05
Well everyone, round 2 is here. In about 10 hours, I ship out to Fallujah, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom once again. I am thankful to have been given all of last week to come home and spend lots of quality time with Brenda and my family, and a few friends. I'm sorry that I didn't get to see everyone, but I'll be back again!
While I'm away, I will have access to email frequently, and I intend to update this site regularly to keep everyone informed of all that's going on with me. You can reach me by email or by snail mail:

CPL GILL, JONATHAN R.
5/14 MPCO., 4th PLT.
UNIT 72302
FPO AE 09509-2302

Our mission is convoy security, which means we will be on the roads quite a bit, so pray for our safety. We will be returning in April, at which time I will be permanently done with the Marine Corps! That in itself is good motivation, but I'm also getting married on July 9, 2006! Can't wait!
Anyway, that's the main news for now; please keep in touch, send mail and email, and check here frequently for updates! God bless you all!

8/9/05
Lots of things going on, very little to tell about. I did have a WONDERFUL weekend in San Diego with my Brenda, however! We went to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo, and swimming in the ocean (her first time!). I'll include pictures soon, and maybe some stories. This update is for the excuse of showing you the newest poem, Revelationship, a hexameter "sonnet" with several hidden messages. One is obvious, the other not so much. If you have trouble with the unusual rhythm, listen to a musical piece played in 6/4 time signature, if you know what that is. If not, maybe you can still follow it.

7/30/05
It's been a pretty busy month so far, and it will get busier before we leave in 6 weeks or so. But every now and then, I still get the chance to do a little writing - my goal has been to write a new poem every month. So, July's poem, The Hard Rock is actually a little more complicated than it sounds at first read. It was inspired not by the parable of the wise man who built his house upon the rock (though that lesson is present in the poem), but by the engagement ring that I gave Brenda just over 13 months ago. It has two smaller diamonds on either side of a large center diamond, signifying how Christ is the center of our relationship, how we surrender to him, how He walks between us, and also, how He causes the two to become one. As I started thinking about diamonds, I saw yet another significance to the diamond being on a wedding ring - the hardest, most solid of all stones is a good picture of the Hard Rock that we build our lives on, and it is also one of the most beautiful of all gems, with an infinite number of sparkles. The more I think about diamonds, love, and life in Christ, the more I am captivated and fascinated by the Solid Rock on which I stand.

7/2/05
Happy long weekend! This weekend kicked off with some very good news: I was promoted yesterday, from Lance Corporal (which I have been for nearly 5 years), to Corporal! I have been working towards this promotion for a while, but did not think it would come after only 2 weeks on duty. It was one of my top goals to be met on this deployment, and it's happened already! This also means that you should address my mail to CPL GILL, J.R., not LCPL.
This weekend should be a nice relaxing time - I'm not doing anything big or crazy, like going to Las Vegas or Mexico. At least, that's not in the plan right now. I should have some new pics up soon, as soon as I figure out how to upload them from here. More is to follow, but I don't have a ton of time right now - I just wanted to tell everyone of my promotion! Huzzah!

6/21/05
Hello from sunny California! I am currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, for the next few months. I will be here until September, when we leave for Fallujah, Iraq. So anyway, I'll have my phone on me down here, so feel free to give me a call, 612-730-2281. Also, I just received my new email address today -

LCPL GILL, J.R.
MPCO, DET. 4
HQBN, 1ST MAR DIV
BOX 555183
CAMP PENDLETON, CA 92055

So that's where you can send me mail for the summer! It's likely I will be back for a few days in September, just before we leave, but I have no idea how much time I will have to see people. More than likely, you'll all just have to wait until April, when we get back and I'm done with the Marine Corps!
I'm running out of time, so just keep me, Brenda, and all the Marines I'm with in your prayers over the next year. I hope to hear from you shortly!

6/13/05
Well everyone, the time has come to once again serve my country by deploying to Iraq! That's big news, I know, and it's been great not to have had to go back since my first trip in 2003, but as I am still in the Marines for 9 more months, they've decided to send me.

I will still be keeping updates on this site, perhaps telling small stories, etc., and as regular updates as I can to keep you all interested and informed. In fact, I won't even be in Iraq until September, even though I am leaving on Sunday morning for California. Sunday is also my 25th birthday. Happy Iraqi Birthday to me...

I updated the picture page a few days ago, so check that out. I will also be adding an Iraqi picture page (other than the one that I already have up) for me to post whatever pictures I manage to upload from over there this time around.

All in all, Brenda and I are sad to once again be apart for an extended period of time, especially so soon after our reunion, but we know that all this is in the Lord's hands, and He has a wonderful purpose for both of us for this time, much of which we can already see coming into being. If the Lord wants me in Iraq, there is a reason, and He will keep me safe to return home to my waiting fiancee and family. His ways are higher than ours, and I am excited to follow His plan for my life, rather than my own wishes. I want what He wants.

5/27/05
Well, I'm home from Thailand, and a lot of stuff is happening! I may be going back to Iraq, being mobilized on June 12th. I would be there until April. So that's the bad news, but the good news is better! Brenda is coming home!!!! Yes, as you may have heard on the news, Uzbekistan is in a bit of turmoil politically, so they did not renew her team's visas. Thus, she is being given the option of being reassigned to a new country, or coming home! She says that she is "toying" with the options, which is a play on words, because the Uzbek word "toy" means WEDDING! So, I have a lot on my mind right now! Needless to say, I am quite happy about seeing her again right now, no matter what happens to me in the next month. Still, I would appreciate your prayers for the next few weeks.

Oh, also, my photos from Thailand can be viewed on Webshots! I have about 130 - enjoy!

5/18/05
This is the first time I've updated separately two days in a row, but it's just a quickie to say hey, check out Love Sonnet #2! I told you I'd write more...

5/17/05
Hello from Thailand! That's right, I'm at Camp Samaesan, Thailand right now. It's near Pattaya, for anyone who cares to look on a map of Thailand. It's really hot and muggy, but pretty cool (as in neat) here. It's a lot of "firsts" for me: first time across the int'l date line, first time in SE Asia, first time in a country that drives on the left side of the road (still haven't gotten used to that!), and also the furthest south, west, or east I've ever been from home. I've been to a few other places with this climate (Dominican Republic and Guatemala), but it's a very new experience. This makes my 18th country, too. :) I like that fact.
I won't be able to upload any of my pictures until I get home next week, but I thought it'd at least be fun to put a post up from here. Unfortunatetly, I haven't gotten anything close to a grasp on learning this language. It's tonal, and that's also a first for me. I also have no one to teach me, nor any materials. So I've given up and just act like your average tourist. It's fun. Pictures and stories to follow next week!

5/3/05
I wrote a Sonnet recently, and although I had written it by the last update, I did not put it up until now because I wanted Brenda to see it first. Now that she has, check out Love Sonnet #1! And, today's update comes because I have written the first poem of May today. It is the third-longest poem I've written, it's the first story poem I've written in nearly 2 years, and it's my second poem in iambic pentameter! It can be found in Books 1 and 4, since it is both about Brenda and I, and a story. I think it also makes the seventh poem inspired by the book Wild At Heart. Anyway, you can read all about it in "The Meaning Of It All". It's called The Rescue. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

And for fans of DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and fans of juggling, check out this video of a DDR master! Unbelievable. (Right click and "save as" - 4.49MB)

4/11/05
I have a few more pictures on the main pictures page, and I've been doing a little more writing, though nothing I've put up yet. I did put up a new piece in the Writer's Forum, by my friend Jonas, whom I know from school. It's a lovely description of the disconnect of the mind and heart, so naturally I enjoyed it.
I should be posting some new poems soon, as I'm going to try to do one per month at the least. Writing only on inspiration is great, but there are more inspirations than we know, and looking for them usually yields better results and more thought-through work. Remember, even though all my works are "published" on this site, feel free to tell your friends and tell me if you think I should publish them in book form. I hope to at some point, but I'd love your feedback. Also, I hope to bring back the "Best Of" list, so you quickie visitors can get a good dose of my better poetry without having to sort through all 100+ of my works! It's just so hard for me to judge my own poetry! Better yet, you all should give me your feedback.

Send feedback on poetry publishing and your favorite poems/songs to: My Inbox!

2/16/05
Not a whole lot new, but the second song to Brenda has been written and posted. It's not as joyful or sweet as "Goodnight, Good Morning" was, but it focuses on surviving only by the grace of God. Let's face it, we should all realize that that's the only way we're alive right now. Anyway, this one is called Because You're His (You're Mine) Enjoy!

2/8/05
I got my first letter from Brenda today! And I talked to her on Sunday for the first time since she left the U.S. Plus, I have a phone card now with which I can call her for about 1/18 of the price! Today is a good day.

As far as the new stuff on the site, I've been working a lot on fixing it up. Perhaps you noticed the difference in the index page - I have moved the links to a new section that I can easier expand, plus Chris Sanny helped me use some javascript for the pictures! Also, you can now more easily access and remember my web address! Just type in the domain: www.jonathangill.net! See what happens, if that's not the way you came in this time. I have also updated the pictures from Iraq (finally) - there are 63 now. Now that I've finished that, I'll finally work on updating my regular pictures page! That's probably the most disappointing page on this site. Lots of plans, and I'm actually doing them! Lastly, I've also added one chorus to the song I wrote a few weeks ago for Brenda. You can see it at the link in the paragraph below.

Until next time, keep checking stuff out! And for a really addicting puzzle game, try to crack the Combination Lock!

1/17/05
Brenda left yesterday morning for Uzbekistan, until April 2, 2007. That's 805 days away. It was not the funnest thing to say goodbye, but we both remain in good spirits knowing that we are being obedient to the Lord and following His plan and not our own selfish desires. She will learn a lot while teaching English over there, and I will learn a lot as I finish school and the Marines in that time back here.
Feeling inspired, of course, I wrote a song this morning that I have posted here. It seems that writing a new poem is the only reason I update this site, but even so, that should be happening more and more now. If you'd like to hear the music, I guess you'll just have to wait, although I do hope to hit the studio this year to record as much of my stuff as possible. Anyway, I'll keep you posted as new things come up! And please pray for Brenda, for her safety in body, mind, and spirit while in Uzbekistan.

11/07/04
It's been quite a while! Sorry about that - three months is not an acceptable amount of limbo time. Plenty has happened! Brenda has found out her assignment and time schedule for the Peace Corps: she will be leaving for Uzbekistan to teach English for 2 years, starting January 15, 2005. I have been told that I may be going back to Iraq around that time also, but I will know that when...I know that. The way of the Marine Corps. Anyway, so we have the holidays together for sure.

I am going to school again, at the U of MN. I'm in two Linguistics classes, both of which involve a lot of work, but both are interesting and useful. I'm juggling still, and other than that my time is spent at work or with Brenda. So much so that I've only written 2 poems in about the last 6 months, and I think this is the first announcement of those, so here's the links:

Sad Round King, from August or September (I think)
Of The Lily's Fine Bouquet, from about 2 days ago.

So anyway, I won't bore you with empty promises of what I plan to do with this site. I'll briefly mention that I'm hoping to start my own Opinion Page, where I can just vent stuff, logical or not. I also intend to put up more pictures of Brenda, and other activities that I do, since I have the space. Pictures take longer, though, so that's going to be slower. Same with the full portion of Iraq photos. The site's main purpose when I built it was for poetry, and that remain not only the prominent purpose, but easiest to keep updated, being as it's all text! So hopefully that will keep coming. Anyway, I'll try to be more current than I have been. Thanks for still coming!

08/02/04
Well, if you're here and there's no ad above this writing, then you have discovered my new domain, www.jonathangill.net! If there's now an ad, you need to click here. Anyway, while this is a good thing and I have a domain and 500MB of space, it also means that all my paths are new and need to be changed. So, many of the links will not be fixed for a long time. I'm going to try to fix all the ones that are important or often-used first, but since I have a total of about 300 pages or more of code to go through and change, it will take a while before all of them are fixed! If you can't get to a link because I haven't updated the path yet, you'll have to type in the old address or path. The root is www25.brinkster.com/royalhelmut/ and then add whatever file you're trying to get to. If you don't know how to do that, you can see the file's name by looking at your status bar when you have your mouse over the link. All the old paths will first say "/royalhelmut/" and the file name is the last part.

The other newest thing is a powerpoint presentation of Raymond the Otter! He had some adventures last weekend in Duluth and the Mall of America, and he wants to share them with you. The file is large (25MB), so download time could be a few minutes if you're on a slow connection. Also, you'll want to have Power Point 2000 or newer (it was created in PPT 2002) in order to see all the correct animations. To save/download it, right click on the link and go to "save target as" to start your download. This is better because some browsers want to open the file in their own window, and that just won't work right. Here's the link:

Raymond.ppt (download 24MB - worth it!)

06/28/04
Perhaps you noticed the new picture on the main index page already, but that is indeed the news! Brenda Westerbur has agreed to become my wife! Here are the details, since I know most of you probably care:

This all happened on Friday, June 25, 2004. We began the day by mini-golfing at Walker Art Center's sculpture gardens, in a course designed by artists. (For those of you who don't know, Brenda is an excellent and fully capable artist. Any artist graduating Magna Cum Laude in Art and Art History would have to be.) Anyway, then we spent some time at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, a lovely place for romantic walks and such. To cap the day off, my original plan was to take a ride in a hot air balloon, and then at the time for proposal, pull out a fake ring, and in my nervousness, drop it over the side! Then I'd pull out the real one, after she strangled me. :) But, God had other plans, so I let Him! The hot air balloon was cancelled due to high winds and "continuous unfavorable conditions", but we ended up going to downtown St. Paul. It was there, exactly 5 months earlier, that we had gone on our first "date", when we tried to find the ice palace. We had gotten lost and ended up at some gravel pits a few miles away. So we stopped and climbed the gravel piles, and got to look out over the river and downtown St Paul. Well this time, the gravel pits were still in use, so rather than get in trouble or eaten by a bulldozer, we decided to find our way to the top of the cliffs overlooking everything. What we discovered was Mounds Park, which overlooks the river, Downtown St Paul, the Capitol, and even Downtown Minneapolis in the distance, 10 miles away. And the sun set behind everything! When we found that park up there, we got out, took some pictures, and then sat down on a bench overlooking it all. We started to pray and thank God for eachother, for romantic times, and for everything He's done in our relationship. Then, as we were praying, I just said (something like) "Brenda, I know my plans were changed today, but God is free to change our plans anytime. The plans of a man are his own, but the Lord directs his steps [Prov 16:9], so I still want to do this today." From that moment she realized what I was doing and started to cry. :) Then I got down on one knee and said "Brenda, I know I have nothing to offer you except that which I receive by the grace of God, but I would be honored if you would agree to be my wife." She squeaked out a "yes" through her tears and smiles, and I put the ring on her finger, and then she tackled me and cried. Then she got up and pranced off into a field of wildflowers, tripped and scratched her arm, tackled me again, then got up and shouted at some strangers "We just got engaged!!!!" and then ran around in circles for a while. She's definitely my kind of woman! :) Then we spent a while calling our family and friends with the news. After watching the entired sunset, we went to the Carousel Restaurant, a rotating restaurant on the top of the Radisson in Downtown St Paul. We were pretty much alone, since we got there 10 minutes before the kitchen closed! We had champagne and steak, and it was good.

And there you have the juicy details! It was quite romantic, and just perfect despite changed plans! So, that's the latest news. We haven't set a specific date, but it will likely be in 2007, since she is leaving with the Peace Corps for approximately 27 months, starting approximately in September. That will give me time to finish school and get out of the Marine Corps, get a job and an apartment, etc. So, it's a ways away, but it will all be in God's time. I'll keep you all updated! Peace.

06/23/04
Hello everyone! Sorry for the long absence...Brinkster changed their format, and I finally had to call them to figure out how to edit my page! Now that I'm back on, allow me to update you on all that's happened!

The school year has ended, giving way to a glorious summer! It was made more glorious by the news in May that I will not be returning to Iraq this month, as previously planned. Brenda and I have been enjoying every minute of the great weather so far. She graduated Magna Cum Laude (which means "way freakin' smarter than you" in Latin). She is now renting a room in my parents' house in Chanhassen. She was nominated for the Peace Corps and expects to leave sometime in September. She will be gone for 27 months, with some vacation time. What else? Hmm...I turned 24 last Saturday (June 19), thankful that I wasn't spending another birthday overseas. Did you know I've had 3 birthdays overseas, and they've been on 3 different continents?
Anyway, that's about all the big news so far. I'm glad I can keep you updated again, and now that I'm able, I should have a bunch of new stuff up soon. There should be at least one more new work of writing in the Writer's Forum within a few days, I'll let you know. Check back more often!

03/21/04
I could really use a full-body massage right now. Anyone? Yes, well, anyway...I just got done with this month's drill weekend, which was Swimming Qualification. I qualified WSQ, which is a step higher than my already-elite 1st Class qualification previously. To find out what all those include, click here. My qualification probably puts me in about the top 1% of the Marine Corps, or thereabouts (not counting special forces or instructors).

In other news, I would be wrong to not mention the things the Lord has been doing in my life in my relationship with Brenda! I figure, since I want to tell the whole world about how amazing God has made her to me, what better place to do it than my own website, where anyone coming here can't help but learn things about my life, even if they don't care a hoot! Anyway, the short version (so as not to get too sappy) is that we are now seeking the Lord in the long-awaited pursuit of marriage. But no, we're not engaged! Just in case you read that wrong...

More to be up soon, I just thought I'd update some life stuff first. This entry may even be edited later...after my nap!

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