R is for Ronnebeck!

You were born a daughter. You looked up to your mother. You looked up to your father. You looked up at everyone. You wanted to be a princess. You thought you were a princess. You wanted to own a horse. You wanted to be a horse. You wanted your brother to be a horse. You wanted to wear pink. You never wanted to wear pink. You wanted to be a Veterinarian. You wanted to be President. You wanted to be the President’s Veterinarian. You were picked last for the team. You were the best one on the team. You refused to be on the team. You wanted to be good in algebra. You hid during algebra. You wanted the boys to notice you. You were afraid the boys would notice you. You started to get acne. You started to get breasts. You started to get acne that was bigger than your breasts. You wouldn’t wear a bra. You couldn’t wait to wear a bra. You couldn’t fit into a bra. You didn’t like the way you looked. You didn’t like the way your parents looked. You didn’t want to

 1| Some days we all need a little lift. This past few weeks have been a little like that for me. I just haven't been able to put my finger on it. A little alone time? More shopping? More Eric time? What fits right? What do I NEED to make me feel more like me? Last night... It was Toys R' Us. A little play, and the world seemed right again.  2| Some day I may regret posting those on the Internet, but they made me giggle this morning, so I'm hoping they'll do the same for you.     3| Eric has work today - he's helping our neighbor's move. I'm not happy about that, but mostly because we really love our neighbors Jay and Sonia, and we're not happy to see them leave. 4| Our birds have left their nest. They have been flying around the past couple days, but last night was the first time we went home and headed up stairs and when we looked up at the nest it was empty. Sadness. 5| Sunday morning I woke up to a couple Thumps like something was hitting the wi

Our COO Eric is possibly our biggest fan. He is so enthralled that we are skating derby style, and can't wait to see us skate! He's even mentioned having a company skate night. So when we started working Saturday mornings, I asked Eric if I could wear my skates to work to offset any derby practice I would be missing. Of course I was kidding, but he didn't care if I was kidding or not, and said "sure!" So, Megan and I got the genius idea of gearing up and skating over to surprise him. So we took our time and "padded up". And then we took off to the other side of the office.  We're a couple of mean looking derby girls... :) He SO did not expect us, and it totally thrilled him.  So much so that he put on his own derby shirt (that we designed and hand crafted, of course).  And that photo was his idea, and probably my favorite shot of the day.  Then we went back to work... because, ya know, we're professionals like

Last night I had a crazy dream A wish was granted just for me It could be for anything I didn't ask for money Or a mansion in Malibu I simply wished, for one more day with you One more day One more time One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied But then again I know what it would do Leave me wishing still, for one more day with you First thing I'd do, is pray for time to crawl Then I'd unplug the telephone And keep the TV off I'd hold you every second Say a million I love you's That's what I'd do, with one more day with you One more day One more time One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied But then again I know what it would do Leave me wishing still, for one more day with you Leave me wishing still, for one more day Leave me wishing still, for one more day

Do they really pave the road to hell? God I hope not! I really did have great intentions to have a productive weekend around the house since it was going to be just me and the animals, but things came up, life happened and here I sit on Sunday evening trying to keep my attitude on the upside as I face my alarm at 4:30 tomorrow morning which seems like way too soon. I made an entire list that I wanted to conquer, and on that list of say 30 different things, I accomplished one, Friday night, I organized half of my crafty bits. I still need to hit the scrapbook supplies, but that's a whole other beast. Saturday morning I headed off to work and my co-worker Megan and I suited up with our Derby gear toward the end of the work time and  skated into Eric's office. It was fun stuff. Lots of good pictures to come! After work on Saturday I drove out to Auburn to meet up with my Uncle Gene. Gene has lived in Yuma Arizona for as long as I can remember, actually for as long as I hav

My dear friend Mariya & her hubby Robb welcomed their new little bundle into the world last night (early this am). Neah Audrey Wynn Preston Skaggs Born at 2:34 on August 28, 2011. 8 lbs, 19 inches.  Welcome to our world baby Neah, we're glad to have you!

 The Niece and Nephews are back to school this week! I can't believe they're headed that direction all ready.  It's nearly depressing. Our summer which hasn't been very summer around here is nearly over, and soon we'll be hearing the kids in the park at recess too. Any ways -- Erica is hitting 8th grade this year... OMG! Could you get any cuter Erica Rae!??? Seriouslyy, good luck beating those boys off with a stick sister - you better just head to Menards and get yourself a chainsaw! Here she is/was last year!   and there's a link there for the year before :)  Carter's going to be in 4th grade this year! I can't believe he's grown so fast! And to see his summer mohawk is gone tells me that it's indeed school time! Kick school butt this year Carter! Troy was totally excited to get back in the swing of things and hang out with his friends from Tee ball. He's headed to 1st grade this year and is going to hit it like a hurricane! Here t

1| Last night we took Aquaman over to see the Frank family! My Co-worker Meg and her husband Keaka invited us over for pizza. We took their kids and ours (Aquaman) to the park and they played until all three of them were nearly exhausted. Leilani and Ikiaka were so excited to play with the puppy! Aquaman was cashed out in the car on the way home, and woke me twice last night by his snoring. They were tuckered out! To say they had fun is obviously an understatement. 2| My friend Madge totally called me out on not posting Ten on Tuesday yesterday -which is why you're getting it today. I thought maybe my TWO posts yesterday would suffice, but I guess not (smile). Thanks for keeping me on track Madge! 3| My Uncle Gene is currently working with a company in Auburn. Gene has spent most of my life (and his I think at this point) in Yuma Arizona and we never got to see eachother much. I'm not sure how long he'll be in the Auburn area, but I'm looking forward to spending some

Madge at I-Madge-ine the Twaddl e tagged me in this post over on her blog. It sounded like fun to dig through the ole blog again, so I'm going to give it a shot! Here are the rules: 1| The blogger who is nominated (me) must publish 7 links of his/her own blog for the categories below. (1 link per category). 2| The blogger then nominates 5-7 bloggers to take part, and (hopefully) it goes on. 7| The Post that I'm most proud of:  "Something New" | This post I'm proud of less for the blogging part, but more because I accomplished so much in a year, and this is my record of that. 6| The post that didn't get the attention it deserved: "Christmas Memories" | I even called out my sister and cousin in this post to help me reminisce, and no one said a word. It's still one of my favorites! 5| The most surprising successful post:  "Mr & Mrs. Jonathan Knight" | again, this is because of what I did, not necessarily the qual

 Sunday after Derby practice my friend Lori and I took our dogs to Grandview dogpark. There's normally a ton of people there, but since it was so stinking hot and we went during the hottest part of the day, it was pretty quiet. Her pup Jesse (husky in the front) and Aquaman had yet to have a "play date" yet, so we thought we'd let them run together.  Aquaman was a little intimidated by the big dogs, but surprisingly enough he held his own when he felt uncomfortable; he would growl and tell them to back off. He obviously had a good time though - look at the little dirt ball!

 Aquaman HATES his kennel, with a capital H. He does really anything to avoid actually having to go in it. We've tried all sorts of training tactics... trust me. Often when we tell him to "kennel" he looks up in the air in the opposite direction of where you're standing and pretends he didn't hear.  Sometimes I swear he is actually a 3 year old kid. We have to put him in the "K-word" (code so he doesn't know what us humans are talking about) because he would try to dig his way out of the house starting at the front door every time we leave. It's sad. He's such an anxious little guy. So, now that he's chewed a hole through his plastic one he's gotten an upgrade. Yay! New K word for our friend!  Enjoy little man - as much as you can.

I hate having a busy schedule. I know that it means that I’m having a lot of fun with friends, family and co-workers, but it also means that I have less time to date my Husband. I know that he is reading this and rolling his eyes about now, because he doesn’t think we “date” anymore, but hear me out. People say when they get married that the “honeymoon is over” but it’s not like that for us. We still play / date and have fun, but when our schedules get busy the “go out and play” doesn’t happen nearly as much as the “hang out at home” does. Don’t get me wrong, I love that too, but right now, I miss our play. It reenergizes us as a couple and me as an individual. It’s hard balancing it all; Work, Derby, Hobbies, Pets, Friends, Co-workers and Family. I sit back in awe of those of you who seem to balance it perfectly and keep trucking right along while humming the tune “so happy together”. Now that I say that out loud I don’t know if I sit back in awe, or if it’s nauseating to watch.

 There are 5 little birdies in this nest.  They are barn swallows, and Mom and Dad have been nesting for a month or so. They've hatched and there's nothing better than walking downstairs and hearing them cheep cheep cheep!  Even though this shot was blurry I was lucky Momma (or Dad) came into feed them! They are probably going to leave the nest soon; so I'm glad I got these shots when I could.

1| An extra hot Venti White Mocha with Half Syrup was totally a necessity this morning, really, it was. I didn't sleep well. I tossed and turned, and with every toss and turned I quietly whimpered "ow". 2| The "Ow's" are coming from my tight calves and quads as I dove into some Roller Derby practice on Saturday and Sunday. Who knew I had muscles there? Let alone that they were so TENDER once they were used. For those of you who have asked, yes, I'm practicing Roller Derby. I am currently attending the "New Skater" practice for the Jet City Rollergirls of Everett. They have an amazing program, it's only been a week, but I'm loving it. 3| This weekend went by so fast, but Saturday seemed SO LONG. Once I was done with Derby practice, We went for a walk to Eric's favorite coffee joint and bakery; Blue Vanilla. We had vanilla lattes and he had a blueberry scone, and I had a Snicker doodle. Try their Cinnamon rolls or Eclairs, you won

Eric and I have heard rave reviews of this place called Menchies . Most of the youth on Facebook talk about this place All. The. Time. We hadn't made a pilgrimage yet, and Miss Lauren and Miss Sarah thought that was kind of a crime of sorts. So we arranged a trip to Menchies with these girls and wow.  Not only was the company wonderful, the frozen yogurt was delish, and that's because you can put as many toppings on it as you'd like - then, they weigh it and you pay for it! It's a self serve type situation, and you can get as crazy as you want! I had Dulce De Leche yogurt with chocolate covered sunflower seeds, heath bar, brownie bites, waffle cone and caramel sauce. YUMMM. I love being able to pile my sundae high with goodies!  Thanks for the laughter and the love Sarah & Lauren, good luck at school ladies! We love you!

We've become "Those" people and have been enjoying our bird wildlife around our apartment recently. I can't say that I blame people who like to bird watch, the birds have such funny little personalities. I don't plan on namming them, or blogging about them often, but I happened to catch a photo of one of our little friends hanging out at our bird feeder that we got at PetSmart the other day. We are happy that it has attracted some little guys - but next time we're totally getting one that doesn't shed all over the deck.

When I was little, this was our Popcorn Popper & Bowl. It's my opinion that My Mom made the best popcorn. When we were cleaning up and dividing out things, I took the popper. It is one of thoes physical things I attached human emotion to, and just couldn't see it going to the Goodwill. So, I bought myself some popcorn yesterday and it tasted just as wonderful as I remembered.

Okay, Maybe I'm being just a weee bit sarcastic but here's the beginning of yet another "Something New" for me this year. I'll be studying for the Series 7 exam and it will become my best friend. I'm determine to pass, so send good thoughts my way!

It's been awhile since I've shared Monday Musings - They've moved to "Ten on Tuesday" but I think I should probably mix it up every once and awhile and give you a little of both. A| This is my new skate bag. I haven't bragged it up yet, but you'd be amazed at how much crap you can shove in there! This is a pic of me headed to my first PFM. Eric is a very proud hubby and took this picture of me headed to the car! I was so nervous. Anyways, back to the ZUCA bag... it's a must purchase!!! B| Eric and I had a pretty eventful weekend. Not much of anything in particular, but he got to see both of his buddies Lee & James, I got to hang with Megan and do PFM, and I got to spend most of the day Sunday licking my wounds! C| Aquaman and I hopped in the bathtub this weekend, he drew blood trying to get out. But he did smell lots better when we were done. D| Also, He loves his new toy - Thanks Grammi Kay E| Speaking of Kay, we went with her and Jackie to

 I try really hard not to let my inner Derby Girl spill all over this blog. For one, I could type on and on and on about my love for Derby. For two? You don't come HERE to read about Derby. But today, Is a special day! Megan (my co-worker) and I went to Potential Fresh Meat (PFM) New Skater practice today. I've been rink skating since March in my love for Derby, but today was the first day I received any instruction in the world of Derby and Skating, and I am SORE. PFM is an organization that is not affiliated with any league and they are a non profit group that both trains new skaters and provides a wonderful place for girls who want to skate learn in an encouraging environment no matter what their goals are for skating. You can read more about PFM on their website . So, today I did manage to demonstrate enough skill in a decent enough manner and I PASSED NEW SKATER. Now I can go to practice with all the "big girl" skaters! I'm terrified of that practice, but

For Christmas this past year, I booked a photo shoot with Mom. I called up a classmate of mine from high school and asked if we could get a few shots of me and my Mom. At the time I thought my time with Mom might be limited, but trying to be positive, I thought it would just be nice to have images of us in my house that are of higher quality than snapshots.   When I got these taken, I shared a few, but recently Missy sent me a few digital images of a few that I didn't purchase. What a blessing these photos are to me.  They made me tear up a little this morning when I received them, but I can say that I will never regret getting this for Mom and I for Christmas. It was the worlds best gift.  I miss you Momma, Every second, of every day. I love you Most.