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PAST ISSUES

     Junior Caitlin Allard spent last Wednesday going to the florist to pick out flowers between classes.  Planning for her upcoming wedding has become a part of her daily routine.

     She has been engaged for almost a year to her fiancé, a former Franklin Pierce student turned private in the United States Army, Joe Rosbury.  Caitlin juggles the challenges of being a full-time student, working a part-time job, planning a wedding, being in a long-distance relationship, and going to visit Rosbury on different Army bases across the country.  She feels that she has made the right decision by getting married.  "I don't like people telling me that I am too young to get married," she said.

           
     Caitlin and Joe met five years ago while snowboarding at Wachusett Mountain located in Massachusetts.  They have been together ever since. Rosbury is currently stationed at Fort Benning, which is located in Columbus, Georgia.  Caitlin returned from a visit this past weekend and said, "Having been to army bases, I have gotten to travel more in the last year than in my whole life.  People are very polite and I feel safe on the bases."
 

     Joe is also excited about the wedding.  "Being engaged and in the military is motivating and helps me get through my day.  It gives me something to look forward to," he said.

           
      Within the last year Caitlin has visited Joe in Missouri and Texas. Joe came home in July and she will not get to see him again until their wedding in December.  "The most nerve racking part is that there is always the chance that Joe may not get to come home.  He could always be shipped out," she said. 

           
     Caitlin has also had to become financially independent over the past year.  She said, "That's not always easy and neither is a long-distance relationship.  It's pretty overwhelming at times."  She has done things to become more budget-friendly, such as making her own wedding invitations, and she also moved back home this semester.  "That has saved me tons," she said. 

           
     The couple plan to have a traditional wedding at the Colonial Hotel, located in Gardener, Massachusetts, for approximately 100 family and friends.  "Joe asked for my dad's permission before he proposed," she said.

           
     Caitlin plans to graduate next year with a degree in Arts Management.  She also took classes this past summer so that she can graduate early.  She said, "After graduation I plan to go where Joe is stationed." 

     On one occasion someone called Caitlin a freak for getting engaged and married so young.  "People think that I won't have a chance to experience the world, but I know I'm making the right decision," she said.