My You Story

          Anyone who has been through something that took lots of hard work will know what I mean when I say this. Don't you think it's true that right before that something ends, is when you become your craziest, but you know what comes at the very end so it's all worth it?? That's pretty much how I feel right now. This is my last week of classes before finals next week and I literally have goosebumps just thinking about graduation. About an hour ago, my roommates and I were talking about packing up and getting ready for graduation, and excitement flooded over me because I'll FINALLY be living at home with my husband. No biggie, only took an entire school year since we've been engaged. I know for some people living with a partner is normal, but I've never done that. Until next Saturday that is. I just can't even imagine how it's going to be. All I know is, it'll be great! I'll be walking down the graduation aisle in my hubbies gown, stunt

          After a week of understanding how to reach our success, it's times to go for what it is that we want. #7 Create your action plan. Up until this point, I knew what it was that I wanted with mine and Marc's relationship, but I was struggling to think of ways to have it all work out. Something I want to work on, is letting Marc know every single day how much I love and appreciate him. That doesn't mean texting him every day saying, "I love and appreciate you," anyone can say that. I'll have reason behind those words every single time I say them. There is no time to start like the now, so here it goes. Thank you babe! Not for just marrying me, but for allowing me to know what a marriage is supposed to feel like. The support you give me every day helps tremendously. I know I've said this before, but thank you for taking up my family the way you have. I could not have brought a better guy home to be apart of the Rodriguez-Robles clan. I really appr

          The end of the series is near, but there is still much to put together. Who and what does my relationship with Marc consist of? I don't know about your relationship, but Marc and I are constantly saying God knows what he's doing. If something is going a way we didn't intend, we understand it's all for a reason. I've already mentioned what I want for mine and Marc's relationship, why I want it, how to change our beliefs from the lies we've been told, got clear on who we are, what our story consists of, and now to figure out who is on our team. I like to believe Marc and I are blessed in this sense. We both have very similar values, which makes things and life a little easier to navigate, and we have amazing support. Our parents are our biggest supporters. Without their guidance and wise words, it definitely helps knowing people around us want to succeed so much. #6 Know who is on your team . Then we have our siblings. Marc and I both have strong

          We're wrapping up on year 8! We've had a great run, and will continue to create our story of a lifetime. I know sometimes the things I say may not be super relevant to outsiders, but everything on this blog means something to me and my relationship with Marc. Even the short posts, or posts that just talk about how happy I am to have Marc around for the weekends. Every day that passes is just another page in our book. Our story is honestly much deeper than this blog, and that's because we do want our privacy of course, but at the end of the day, our story has so much to offer, and has so much value. We wouldn't be the people we are today if we hadn't gone through the things we have. I spoke about it yesterday, but our story matters. We know where we've been, and we know the lives we've lived. #5 Know your story.  Our story has been unpredictable, exciting, adventurous, joyful, and full of trial & error. We can talk to each other about the tri

          I started up on today's part just a little bit yesterday. I spoke about not letting neither Marc nor I's past defining us. This is again, another thinking point. Do you want to be judged off of every choice you've ever made? Or do you want to be looked up to because of the person you are? I don't think anyone can say they've never made a mistake, or a wrong choice. I'm constantly beating myself up for having such a long break before pursuing Marc again. 14 years old to 18. That's four year I could have had with Marc. But you know what? We grew. A lot. We continue to grow. We will continue growing for as long as we live. Sometimes Marc and I both have our doubts about, are we giving each other what we need? Of course we have our bumps in the road, but we always come back to understand, we are more than enough for each other. I love Marc, and I love his story. Marc loves me, and he loves me for exactly that. Who am I? For the longest, I didn't

          Yesterday I mentioned the fear I've always felt when thinking about my relationship with Marc. Today, I'm going to get to the root of it, and understand where that fear comes from. There is always so much negativity lurking around couples. "You're never going to have the relationship your grandparents have. Look at the divorce rates." "Marriage is a waste of time" "After a few years, the love will die down" "You'll grow apart" The list goes on and on. There has been too much said that is clogging up and messing with my thoughts. I'm too optimistic to let these lies take over. I know what I know, and our marriage will be successful. To all of the doubters, I will not believe your lies. My relationship with Marc is too strong for your negativity. I know what you are trying to do, and I won't allow you to win. You won't take over. For so long, I believed I might be incapable of being in a relationship that wor

          When you think success, what is the number one thing holding you back from reaching it? Think about it for a second. You want something so bad, but there is that "thing" holding you hostage. Well, just to throw mine out there, it is fear. I don't like not knowing. The unknown scares the daylights out of me, and I try to avoid it at all cost. If I'm unsure of something, I usually do something else that leads me to a known result. (I apologize for any confusion ahead of time) But what I was told this weekend hit me like a ton of bricks. I already knew this, but I let it get away from me for a while. Your mind controls everything. Fear is not real. We make it up. Of all the things you are fearful of happening, how many of them actually happen? Let's be honest, we tend to be a lot more negative than we play off to be. I know this to be true for myself. When it comes to my relationship with Marc, I get scared. Will we last forever? Are we a good team? Will

          Like I said yesterday, I've learned so much in the past three days. About myself, grad school, and creating/maintaining relationships (when it comes to school, jobs, etc.). Who would've thought, I'd listen to a speech so inspiring, it made me want to be a better wife? Not me, that's for sure. I thought at most I'd be getting knew info that we'd need, not a whole character check. I'm not one to admit my wrongs, but I know I have been a very cranky person lately. I have become someone that I was not a fan of. Someone who needed to check themselves before lashing out at others. For a good while, I was no longer loving Becca the way I used to. If I've learned anything this weekend, it's you have to love and believe in yourself first, in order to give the best you to others, in my case, my husband, Marc. Today I'll begin a seven day mini series. Again, what I'm going to be letting you in on is what I have learned during a speech, very

          This weekend I've learned a lot. Not just about graduate school, but about myself, about relationships, and I feel like the theme this weekend has been spirituality within one's self. What I've learned will not just help me in the future, but Marc as well. We're always excited to better ourselves, but when we get the chance to better ourselves and others along the way, it feels that much greater. I won't get in depth about what I learned tonight because I'm on a time crunch, but tomorrow you will understand why I am so inspired at the moment. My mind is set. I thought it was before, but it has been completely solidified this weekend. I love my husband, I know he loves me, and we are going to make it. For the next 21 days I will name 1 reason why our marriage will have an against-the-odds, everlasting, successful relationship. I can't wait to begin tomorrow! I would start tonight, but I already know what I want to say in 21 days. Tonight I will p

          I'm trapped in a hotel!! Haha just kidding. But seriously, I'm in Philly. No dog, no husband, what has the world come to?? I'm just saying, this is weirder than I thought. Apparently the other seniors on this trip are feeling the same way. At least I have others around me constantly repeating, "Three more weeks, three more weeks" along with me. We've all been talking about what we'll be doing after school, where we'll be living, and it's honestly just showing me, we're really growing up babe. So often, I still feel like a 15 year old still, and yet, I remind myself, Becca, you're about to be a college graduate, you're married, when school is over you'll be working, and you'll be living with your HUSBAND! We're definitely young, but we're still growing up. Eating crappy food during undergrad, and lack of sleep will all be worth it when we're both working great jobs, toughing out the world standing side by

          Throughout my college career, I don't think I've had a weirder weekend. So, tomorrow I'll be going to Philly with the school, meaning I won't be driving myself. It also means, I'll be with the group all weekend unable to go home. I'm not sure how it's going to feel. I'll be so close to home, and so far from home at the same time. Of course I'm appreciative of the opportunity, but it's like having a giant chocolate cake right in front of you, but you can't eat it. (I'm clearly very hungry) All I have to tell myself is, by the time I come back to school, I'll have two weeks of class left, and one week of finals. It's okay though, this weekend will prepare me for mine and Marc's greater future. I'll be educated on grad school, I'll be able to network, and I'll have a more focused idea hopefully on how to navigate these next couple of years. Like I said yesterday, anything beyond my graduation in 3 weeks w

          Between class, work, and everything else, I always find writing the blog to be my peaceful time of day. Even if it's just to talk about talking about Marc, it gives me a sense of comfort for the half-hour to forty-five minutes it takes for me to type this up. This is probably the best habit I have ever created for myself. For this bit of time every day, I know I get to talk about Marc, aka my favorite topic ever. At work today, I had a floater pharmacist, Kelly, come back for the day. She quickly asked how my boyfriend was. You can imagine how excited I was to show her my ring. It's crazy because it hasn't even been a year since I saw her, and I was able to show her so much of what has transpired in the last 9 months. I became giddy because my marriage isn't new anymore, but to her it was. Instant excitement took over because it felt like Christmas all over again, telling people what happened. I happily took out my phone and showed her tons of wedding pictu

          This past Thanksgiving, Marc, my grandma, my mom, and I all brought up things we are thankful for. Marc's word was, time. Right now, that's all that has been on my mind lately. I think about how fast time has flown by, not only here at IUP, but with Marc in general. I was only 14 when I met Marc, and today, 8 years later, I couldn't love him anymore than I do. I'm less than a month away from living with him, and it's just crazy. While Marc was here at IUP, it felt like we lived together because we were always with each other. But it's finally happening. I'm nervous, excited, and anxious. We'll finally be married and living under the same roof. No more, non-traditional Marc and Becca relationship like we've had thus far. Even though this is the end of our undergrad careers, it is the beginning of a long life together. Beyond graduation, everything we do, we will take it on together the whole way through. Just Marc and I, taking on the wor

          I've talked plenty about mine and Marc's eating interests before, but today as I looked through old pictures, it gave me a major sense of nostalgia. I thought about our first actual date at Carrabba's Italian Grill. A date I'll never forget, for both great and embarrassing reasons. Then I think about the many trips to Dairy Queen, The Meadows, and Cold Stones. I guess ice cream is sort of our thing too. Now that I brought up ice cream, I'm remembering our first summer talking again. Marc has this thing where he won't eat or drink anything when visiting a house, which drives me nuts. My mom always said, "When you have guests over, don't ask them if they want food or drinks, just give it to them," I'm guessing because of people like Marc. Well, at first when he started coming over, I made sure to always get him something to drink. Eventually, I was able to sneak ice cream into the picture. Butter Pecan ice cream specifically. Once I

          Coming up to school all the way in Indiana, I was aware I wouldn't be able to go home whenever I wanted. It's a long drive, and I worked most of the time I was up here. Prior to coming up to college, there was not a single holiday that I didn't spend with my family. It didn't matter how big or small the holiday, we always stayed together. Whenever friends would ask me to hang out with them, it was an instant no because I knew where I needed to be. Ever since I've been at IUP, I may not have had my immediate family, but I always had Marc up here with me. Freshman year first semester, I really struggled with homesickness, and I wouldn't have made it without Marc by my side. He was truly my home away from home. Today marks the first big holiday I won't have my parents, Sara, or Marc around, and it just feels weird. I love Easter, and yet today feels like a regular Sunday. I look forward to never having another one of these holidays. It has definite

          We all have those things that remind us of our significant other. For a lot of us, it's almost everything! I'm one of those people. This morning I woke up and decided to clean. Every time I clean, I think about Marc telling me how fast I cleaned the house at home a couple of months ago. It got me hype to clean that much faster. Then I began doing some homework that is being overlooked by Marc's mentor and of course, that was an easy Marc thought. After that, eyebrow doing time. This time I thought about Marc and my mom coming with me to get my eyebrows done, and them making fun of me for crying so much. Finally, on to grocery shopping. A couple of days ago, or maybe yesterday, Marc and I were talking about work outs and healthy eating. He sent me a picture of healthy foods, so I made sure to get sweet potatoes babe :) Currently in the oven. We're gonna kill this new healthy eating lifestyle. I did forget the protein powder though. But you get the point. Mar

          Clearly I've been thinking about leaving school a lot because of graduation, but it's making me think about coming here to Indiana in the first place. Right now, specifically, I'm thinking about my freshman year, move in weekend. Freshman year, of course I was excited to start school, but that was also the beginning of another go around for Marc and I. I don't usually talk about the times where the Becca Marc relationship was down, but I want to show Marc just how much he stayed on my mind. Coming in to school, we weren't exactly talking at the time, but that does not mean I didn't want to. And obviously, I never gave up. Well, I was sure to take advantage of every opportunity I could get. When I first arrived on campus, and my parents and aunt were helping me unpack my stuff, we were struggling to get the tv set up. Well, my dad had a few students from Philly that he used to mentor who went to IUP. They just so happened to be Marc's roommates t

          Since we're on this kick of talking about food mistakes and how appreciative Marc is, I figured let's continue. I have plenty of stories, and they're all funny. This story is going to be a combination of stories, but still entertaining. It started out freshman year when I was always asking Marc to let me cook at his house. I had been super eager to cook all freshman year, and never could because I was on campus. I don't think I ever did get the chance to cook at the house, so on Easter Sunday, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Mind you, I did not have any cooking supplies and was left to cook on a campus kitchen. I remember Marc saying how extra I was being (which I was), but stubborn Becca is super annoying and doesn't know how to chill out. I never told Marc this, but that Sunday, I made three pots of rice before actually giving him some. I burned the first two and was determined to get a half decent serving of rice to Marc just to be extra

          Honestly, there are too many moments when I realized this, but one specific memory stuck out to me today, and I just have to share. I've said before how close Marc and Sara (my little sister) are, but this story show's me how caring Marc is. Babe, I'm literally cracking up just thinking about this. There's a saying, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Marc and I are always trying to help Sara out in whatever way we can. Whether it's as a mentor, a motivator, or someone to just talk to. Well, this specific day, we were trying to give her a little independence in the kitchen. <--- Yupp, that story. Anytime I'm home, I do lots of cooking. Desserts, dinner, you name it. I love getting creative and making all of Marc's favorites. So, I directed Sara in the kitchen this one night, and apparently was not paying enough attention. The meal was something like rice, beans, and chicken. Nothing too crazy. Well, my dad, Sara, Marc, and

          It's currently raining cats and dogs outside, and all I want is for Marc and I to be cuddled up under some blankies catching up on our favorites shows. And yes, I get to be super extra and cutesie with my words because I love my husband dearly. I'm looking at the date right now, and we're literally 1 month and 2 days from graduation babe! How stinking exciting is that!? Earlier today when I popped my head in to see one of Marc's old bosses on campus he asked how it has been being married and separated because of school. Honestly, that's a question I get all the time, and it makes me kinda sad. I'm constantly wishing I was home, and living my life with my bub. That's clearly my dreamworld. But we know what we have to do in order to live our lives the way we want, and that means sacrifice. Granted, me being a year younger having to finish school isn't even something to sacrifice, but you know what I mean. We just have to do what's best for

          I don't think I've ever been recognized simply for my last name before. Granted, Rodriguez was too common of a name, but you get what I'm saying. I seriously walked into a room today, said my name, and immediately received hugs on hugs on hugs for being the wife of Marc Colón. I wonder if that's what would happen if Marc were to walk in a sociology room and say Rodriguez. Hey Soc professors, would you give him hugs???? I'm just excited that I get to see how much people care for Marc. I know I say that all the time, but it really never gets old. I guess this is how moms feel when their kids are the star children of their classes. Very proud, I am! There is something about Marc that always leave a mark. He can talk to a stranger for 1 minute, and I'd bet that they'd remember Marc for a very long time. He just has that kind of personality. I know that every day when he goes off to work, he's showing more and more people what a fantastic person

          If you don't know who Benji Jr. is, you'll learn right now. When we were in high school, Marc had pretty much the cutest little pup ever, named Benji. He adored that dog. Seriously. It was Marc's baby. Well, my senior year of high school, Marc and I had been talking about care packages one day, and vwah-la. Idea! I took one full day to make this care package perfect. That day I went to the mall, and to the super market. I wanted to buy things that would remind Marc of home, and to show him I was thinking about him. My first stop was the supermarket. I bought things like Vienna sausages, a mini bag of Goya rice, and I think I grabbed some snacks I knew he would like, but I can't remember right now. Then off to the mall. I wanted to get him a Benji #2. So, of course Build-a-Bear is where I had to go. I went with my future freshman roommate, and I'm pretty sure she thought I was being beyond extra with this care package, but I didn't care. I wanted B

          Today, as I ran a couple of little errands for Marc, I couldn't help but think of how I felt last year as I helped him prepare for an event he threw on campus. I was so excited, and felt like I had an important job. Doing little things for Marc like getting table cloths, balloons, centerpieces for tables, and other cute stuff is always so much fun. It's like he knows I like to do this kind of stuff. Do you babe? Or is it just by chance?Anyway, that day last year was a great day. I felt like Marc's personal secretary. Speaking of secretary!!! My freshman year up here at college, I was legit Marc's secretary hahaha. I'm not kidding guys. I reminded him on things that needed reminded, and I knew Marc's schedule like the back of my hand. Literally. I don't remember how it started, but I took that job very seriously. I don't know how it ended, but it was a fantastic "job" hahaha. Every day, I would end up with about 10 sticky notes on m

          Can you tell what I was in the mood to learn about?? Today's blog might have to wait for you to go on lunch today to watch, but this was very interesting. In the Mood for Love With love always, Becca Colón P.s. Cool to know that love is still a mystical power that science can't figure out <3

          So, I'm here at class extra early because I'm a fantastic student, jkjk, cause my first class was canceled, and I'm writing the blog while waiting for the professor that loves this idea. I'm sure she's going to get extra excited when I tell her I'm typing up the blog right in front of her. I love when people mention things I've written in the blog, and how they feel, like they know things about Marc and I. Sometimes I do get deep into our relationship, but remember, this blog was created to help Marc enjoy every day, and to show him I love him so much, I'm willing to show him off to the world. Sometimes I want to broadcast this blog to the world, and get a bit excited when I see great numbers for my posts, but I always have to reel myself back in and remind myself who it's really for. Marc. What story can I remind Marc of that will have him giggling and reminiscing all day long? What can I say to have him feeling confident, walking with

           If there is one thing I hope never goes away, it is for my constant crush on my husband. A lot of people who have been in long relationships are always complaining about losing the spark with their partner, and I never want that to happen. I wish to always have those butterflies in my stomach when seeing Marc. Whether I'm dressed in a nice outfit or just waking up, I want to be excited to see Marc's reaction. Marc and I have been doing some talking about living our lives a bit healthier. He may be on a faster track than I am, but I think he finally figured out a way to get me into it. AKA, send Becca a cute picture of himself dressed in gym gear heading to work out, SOLD! To the lazy lady with curly red hair. Who would've thought a simple picture was enough to get me in the gym at 7am? Not me, that's for sure. But now, I'm thinking of all the benefits that can come from this healthy lifestyle of ours. Healthy longer lives = More time to drive Marc insa

          Today, things all became too real. I've been excited about graduation, and making it home to Marc and my family, but today as our school co-op store began selling graduation regalia, it all became that much more real. As I checked in at registration we were asked to present our IUP ID cards, and it made me think how far Marc and I have made it together. On my iCard, my name is written as Rebecca A. Rodriguez, my maiden name (that's feels so weird to say being only 21). I thought back to freshman orientation. Talk about throw back stories, I'm already cracking up. At orientation, the last night of orientation they put all of the upcoming freshmen in an event space on campus. They provide snacks, drinks, games, and all kinds of activities. I always wanted a cool spray tattoo, so that was the first activity I did. I couldn't think of what I wanted, and finally I decided. M.A.C. down my rib side. In case you don't know what that stands for... Marc Anthony C

          It is finally time to wind down, and end the night on a bright note talking about my love. You know how you have those long days at work and all you want to do is run home and relax with your loved ones? Well, I'm having a major case of that right now. Work was rough, that is until towards the end when I got to speak about Marc. I've told this story before, probably in one of my first five posts, but I got to tell it at work today. One of my bosses at work isn't married and thinks of love in a cynical way. After hearing mine and Marc's story, he said there was some hope. Of course he joked about never finding love, but if my story can help melt one chilly heart at a time, than I'll do it everyday (Well, I kind of try that already, but you get the point). So, I went on to tell my boss how I had this crazy random crush on Marc when I was 14. I spotted him from a bus I was on, and was immediately intrigued. Not long after, I convinced a friend to give him

         I come across this situation every single time I come home. Leave to Indiana the night before, or very early the day of? If you're normal, you'll probably say, "Oh I'll just leave at night so I don't have to panic the next day" but of course that's not me. This morning before church I packed all of my things so I could leave a little after church, and well, that didn't happen. I am currently at home, typing today's blog, and getting things ready for the week to come. 4am will just have to do. When I'm home, I seriously just get too overwhelmed with excitement and just don't feel like going back. If it weren't for this diploma, I honestly would love to just stay here. Of course, I can't do that though. I'll just stick to schooling for the next six weeks and then finally I won't have to cram doing everything I want to in two days, or better yet trying to cram in weeks worth of quality time into just a couple of days

          When you're looking for a partner, one of the most important things you look for in a partner is to have aligning values. In a world like today, it's nearly impossible to find someone who agrees with you on a lot of stuff. With Marc, I can talk about anything and feel comfortable speaking my mind. I don't exactly remember when I realized I felt completely comfortable with Marc, but he has made me feel that way more and more every day. Not only has he made me super comfortable, but he's been an easy person to talk to for my family as well. One of the best things for me, is knowing Marc can hang out with my family, no problem. Once again, my blog was interrupted in the middle of me typing, but never for a reason I don't like. Last night it was to cook and watch tv with my bub, and tonight it was for a family outing to ColdStones. Mom, dad, Sissy pants, Marc, and myself, what a group! I don't know if any of them were paying attention, but I'm prett