The Lucky One!

To pick up where I left off... My trip to Pensacola was rather disappointing and definitely not well worth it! Well, add to the fact that I was on the road for almost 8 hours (round trip) on Wednesday, we did not get great applicants from University of West Florida! Their Career Fair was a JOKE... There were only about 25 companies (while FSU's Career Fair last week had about 400), so you would think we would get more students because there really was no competition, but it seems like the Career Fair coordinators sent out a mass e-mail to the public! We literally had people (not even UWF alumni nor students) and some with no degrees, who were just there for the freebies that companies were giving out! The students, on the other hand, stopped by (as if on a whim) in their T-shirts, caps and flip-flops, with no resumes in hand!!! Anyways, it seems like we're DEFINITELY going to be hiring a Seminole for the IT position, because we only got 3 resumes from UWF and none of them look stellar! They do have a nice campus though...

Well, we went to Kevin's game last night against Leon High... Man, those Lions really did come prepared! They were tough last night... but just as ALWAYS, the Trojans beat the poor Lions AGAIN! I took several pictures this time (I finally remembered to bring my camera!)... So, I will post those next time... As far as FSU goes... well, the offense did A LOT better, but Weatherford made a critical mistake in the 4th quarter that made me soooo mad! So... we lost, by 4! Oh well... nobody really wants to talk about it... so, I'm just looking forward to this weekend!

Anyways, I was so exhausted when I got home from Pensacola on Wednesday night that I came down with a slight fever... Rob was such a sweetheart! I just wanted to share some things with you and hope that you get inspired... Rob IS so caring!!! He got me dinner, made sure I took my medicine, gave me a full-body massage for about an hour, then tucked me in for bedtime! I am so blessed to have such an awesome husband!!! And just to see him after a long day's work melts all the stress away!!! I cannot put into words how amazing my husband is!!! We love each other so much... I adore him and he adores me... and just seeing him care about those I love is truly priceless! Rob would do anything for my family, especially my siblings! He looks up to my dad and is finding out that they have a lot more in common! They say, you end up marrying a man who is just like your dad... and I used to find that hard to believe, but it turns out... I did!!!... And equally so, Rob admires my mom... We have a weird way (Rob, my brothers and sister, and I) of showing "mama" how much we love her... We simply tease her... A LOT, but that's the only reason why!!! Rob loves hanging out with my brothers, especially when they get to play basketball or video games... perhaps because he couldn't do that with his own brother, Spencer, due to his condition (he has a learning disability and so he cannot be independent)... but Spencer is something else... Rob's not just Spencer's brother, he IS his second dad! Rob and I have talked about it and when the time comes, Spencer WILL live with us! We both LOVE our families so much and are grateful to be living so close to them!

I have the best co-workers... that no matter how stressful it gets, they never fail to stop by my office and ask how I'm doing or whether I need help and what not! Rob and I have great friends whom we can hang out with whenever we have those much needed "girls' night out" or "boys' time"... and we also have great family friends, whom we have known through the years and who are even MORE like relatives, than those you are actually related to... They say, you can never choose your family because you're born into it... But a lot of people seem to disagree, because the word "family" has a different meaning to different people... and yes, you can choose certain people to be a part of this "family"... and in our case, we have found them in the Tanguiligs (in my side of the family)... We have known them for almost 10 years now and since then, we've shared every Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, weddings, funerals, summer picnics, graduations, etc... etc... When I introduce their kids, I say "MY cousins, Michael and Andie"... except for Rachel, because she's "MY god-daughter"... I also say "aunt" and "uncle" to their parents--Tita Edith and Uncle Tito... We always look forward to seeing them, like tomorrow when we celebrate Rachel's birthday!

I also have the best in-laws in the world! We live about 4 blocks from mom, dad and Spencer, and so, we see them at least twice a week and we make sure to have dinners with them every week! I CANNOT stress enough how much my mother-in-law means to me! She is everything a woman could ever EVER hope for... She came over to Rob's house and set up his living room with tons of candles and roses right before he proposed to me!!! When we were planning for the wedding, she stood as my mother, because my own mom worked a lot, while she had been retired since 2004. She was NEVER pushy, always made sure I got what I wanted, and was always there for a hug when things got too stressful... She was there on all of my showers... and at my bridal shower, she gave me a stack of presents--of little trinkets and books which she envisioned the future would look like for Rob and I--and on top... underneath the bows, a note was tucked... and it read: "To the BEST daughter I could have ever hoped for... love always, Mom"... I cried... I treasure that note SO much... It is hidden away in my night stand!

And so, no matter how crazy it gets... I always remind myself of these people who make up the fibers of my life... That they're here and no matter what happens, they will ALWAYS be in my heart... and there's no way better of saying it... but I am... TRULY... The Lucky One!