in 2007, tequia joined senator durbin's staff. i've never forgiven him for that, for taking her from me but he's done a lot of nice things so i guess i'll sweep that under the rug. but i don't think i've gotten over that. i told him more often than not that he stole her from me. but those things happen. and on a serious note, it was the right thing for her. it was an advancement for her, and she's from illinois and it's worked out well for her. she became director of constituent services and legislative correspondent for senator durbin, my dear friend. despite her hard work in my office and that of the assistant democratic leader, senator durbin, she found time to perform as a cheerleader for the washington redskins for three years. these are difficult jobs. they practice like football teams, and it's hard. they have tryouts. it's really quite an honor. and so we've always recognized her for this accomplishment, and that's certainly what it is. when she joined the cloakroom staff in 2010, she brought her warm personality and reall