31 on the 31st

I'm 31 now. Time flies by doesn't it? I mean, I look at C.J., and it seems like yesterday that Kory and Allen handed me the card for my birthday telling me that I was going to be an uncle...and that was 4 years ago now. I can still remember holding Ainsley for the first time when I moved back to Texas last summer...now she has already had her 1st birthday. And every time I see Rylee and Brayden, I can tell that they are growing faster than anyone wants them to.

It puts into perspective that you need to make sure you cherish the moments you have. Take time to spend time with the ones you love, and tell them that you love them. Even if that means being up at 3:30 in the morning and putting it on your blog.

It's always nice when people remember your birthday. Knowing that they are thinking about you, and they take time out of what they have going on to let you know they are thinking about you gives me a wonderful feeling. People ask "what do you want for your birthday?" I never have an answer for that, because I try not to get wrapped up in material things. But now I know what I want for my birthday every year...even if it's in the middle of the night. : )

So another year starts, and even though I didn't have any candles in my cake this year, I made a wish. And I have always heard that if you tell your wish, then it won't come true. So I will keep it to myself, but it's nice how parts of the wish come true so quickly.

It gets hard sometimes...

I was checking some of my email on different websites this morning, and I came across an email that had a couple songs in it. I have been listening to them over and over this morning...my mind wandering...my heart with mixed feelings of loneliness and heartache, but overpowered by feelings of complete joy in listening to the words of those songs.

I have been back in NC since July 10th. I love being back here...getting to be so close to most of my family (all of my family soon)...being with an organization where there could be wonderful opportunities for growth and to make a difference...and being close to a really good friend...that I would like to hear from ; )

I see my nieces and nephew, hold them and play with them, and I start wishing for that for myself...to have a small someone of my own to take care of, to watch grow, and to love. That's a hope and dream of mine. But for now, I don't mind giving my attention and love to my wonderful nieces and nephew.

I know the majority of this post doesn't follow the title I chose for this blog, and probably sounds a little like a Nicholas Sparks book. But it's what was on my mind this morning, so thanks for bearing with me.

By the way, Nicholas Sparks will be in Greensboro for a book signing in a couple months...and you know I'll be there for it, and to get his new book..."The Last Song"...which they say is being turned into a movie. They also have said that his book "Dear John" is already in the works as a movie. Just to update those of you who like his stuff. I'm on his fanpage on Facebook, so I get updates : )

Wyoming bound!

Ok, I know...I just got back to North Carolina from Texas, now I'm taking off to Wyoming??? Well, we've had this planned for quite some time, and there's no way I was going to miss it! I'm just glad that my new boss said it was ok for me to go. :D

So, tomorrow after work, I am driving up to meet my stepdad, my brother-in-law Allen, and a buddy of his and we're driving to Wyoming! I know you're wondering "Why on earth are they taking off to Wyoming?" Well, when it involves Cheyenne Frontier Days, a rodeo, and a concert by The Great Mr. George Strait, I don't believe anything else needs to be said!

I started my new job today with the YMCA here in Charlotte, and I think it's going to be great! This Y is so organized, well designed, and well-run! It's about 3 times the size of the one I worked for in Texas, but I don't know if this new Y will have the same caliber of people that I worked with in Texas....Debbie, Lisa, Lorraine, Linda....they were wonderful!!!

So I won't be online for about a week because I'm not taking my laptop. If we're going to be camping out while we're out there, there's no point in bringing a computer. But I will have my Blackberry, so try me on it if you wanna get in touch with me.

North Carolina...I'm coming back!!!

Well, I have finished my time in Texas. I had my last day at the Grand Prairie YMCA, and spent the evening with some friends that I made while I was there. Texas has been a wonderful experience for me, but it's time to get back closer to the people that mean the most. My brother Casey and his family are still in Texas, but they will be joining us soon, and we'll all be within a reasonable distance from each other. It makes me very happy to know that. I'm looking forward to being able to watch my nieces and nephew grow up.

I'm also happy about being back closer to good friends. I had a conversation with a friend of mine who means alot to me, and they said that it has been weird knowing that I have been in Texas the past couple of years. But they are happy that I will be back in NC, and closer than I was before I moved to Texas. That means alot to me.

There's nothing better in life than to surround yourself with the people that you care about the most, and that care about you.

So I'm heading out in a few hours to make the 16.5 hour drive back to NC. I won't be able to check in for a little bit because of setting up new internet service, but I'll be back on as soon as I can!

Thanks to everyone in Texas that has been a part of my experience here...it was awesome!

Changes...

Well, I got a job offer in Charlotte, NC at one of their YMCAs. If everything works out, I'll be moving in a couple weeks. I will know for sure on Wednesday.

On a more somber note...I was knocked for a loop just a few minutes ago. As insignificant as it might sound, I was removed from a friend list. I have a very good friend that I have known for quite a few years (11 years on June 30), and it seems that I've done something wrong. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that I haven't, and that they will be contacting me soon.

Kinda lost for words right now, so this is a short post.

I'm an uncle again!!! Twice in 2 days!!!

So I came back to NC to visit, and to check into the possibility of moving back from TX. I got back on Friday night/early Saturday morning (May 29/30). I get a text message early on Sunday morning (May 31) with a picture of my new niece, Rylee Ann!!! Here's a picture of me and her from later that day...









Then, on Monday (June 1), my little sister had my first nephew, Brayden Tucker!!! Here's a picture of him...and a short video (a little dark, but listen to the noise he makes when he exhales)...














So I've been spending alot of time in Raleigh, but I also had to go to Charlotte for a job interview. It's a job with a YMCA there. I enjoy working at the Y so much in Texas, that I thought I would just look into that here too. I should hear back from them by the end of the week, so we'll see. It still won't be extremely close to my family, but 1.5 to 2 hours is much better than 16.5 to 17!!!

If you are on facebook, I have alot of pictures there, too. And I will put some on MySpace too, just in case. Ok, I will update again soon.

I'm Gradumatated!!!

Well, I've been graduated for a week, and it's been 3 weeks since my last post, so I thought I would put a little something on here. Mom came out for the graduation, and Alex came out too. Alex came out more to just hang out than specifically for my graduation. I ended up with 5 "A's" and 2 "B's" for this last semester. My GPA was high enough to put me on the President's Honor Roll (kinda like the Dean's List). So, now I just have to wait for my diploma to come in the mail. Here's a picture of graduation:

So now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do. The YMCA here in Texas wants me to stay here, but all my family is back in NC. I'm actually traveling back to NC this coming week to spend some time there and see how things go. I'm thankful to the YMCA here for allowing me to do so.

I had a phone interview today with the YMCA in Charlotte, and I think it went well. They had 120 applications/resumes submitted for this particular position. They narrowed it down to 15 for phone interviews, and they will narrow it down again to about 5 or 6 for face-to-face interviews. The lady I was speaking with said that she felt very strongly that I would be called for one of those interviews.

So, depending on what they say about that job, I will have a decision to make. Stay here at the YMCA where they really want me to stay and move into a higher position in a few months, or come back to NC and work for the YMCA there (if it's offered to me). The position in NC is a part-time position, but the lady said it will become a full-time position...and also there is the opportunity to pick up extra hours working on the front desk and things like that. There's always something to do at the Y!!!

Needless to say, I've got alot to think about. We will see how everything goes.

On a funner note...Ainsley has started to walk! It's cute because she gets so excited that she loses balance alot of the time. Oh...Casey and Erin are still telling her to call me Uncle Bob, because she can only speak in single syllables. It's ok because she's super cute!