Sunday, December 4, 2011

Ronnebeck Recap 2011

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” 
~Bill Vaughan
Arriving at Watertown Airport!

I wouldn't say I'm a pessimist, but I would be lying if I told you I was going to stay up for one reason and not the other, I'd be lying. 2011 has been the hardest year I've ever had to face, and though there has been plenty of challenges, there has been plenty of good too. It's just sometimes harder to hone in on the good when the bad, is so very depressing. I want to preface this Ronnebeck Recap experience for you by saying sorry it's out of order. After failing my third attempt at putting the photos in order, I decided I would just caption them for you and move on with my life!

Erica & Morgan with the sign they made me.
My year started out by going to South Dakota to visit with my family for a late Christmas. After packing a checked bag and planning to carry only my purse, I talked with Mom and at the last minute before leaving for the airport decided to just bring one carry-on. Best decision of my life! I ended up spending New Years Eve with a bunch of strangers in a TGI Friday's attached to the hotel Delta put me up in for the night because of the snow. I did get to my family the next day, but wow for the crazy luck after being drawn out of a hat (basically) and getting one seat on a plane that holds 36 and a pool of about 90 people. 
Needless to say I was happy to see these faces!
It's fun to walk into an airport greeted by cheering of about 20 people. Tears ensued and so did the hugs!

I was able to spend quite a bit of time with my family a whole week! In that week we laughed a lot, cried a lot and treasured every moment. 

The beauty that kept me in Minneapolis for the night... SNOW

A Midnight Trip to Wal-Mart for us cousins

Momma and her Kids!

Our Goofy Family!
Grammi and her grandbabies

Mom's Chemo Nap Time.
I was able to accompany Mom to one of her Chemo treatments. January marked 19 months for Mom's battle - she fought cancer like a champion.

Us at the Goss Opera House
By ML Portraits
This was Mom's Christmas present. For us to go get our photos professionally done.
Second best idea of my life (see above).





I Love these photos so much!
Thank you Missy.
Addison, Abby & Elio
I had a lot of fun being home...
I got to meet a lot of my cousins kids' that I hadn't gotten a chance to meet yet.

Erica, Grammi, Shannie, Nani and Abby

Visiting Dad & Kathy

And Grandma and Grandpa

Abby & Kyle
Being in South Dakota gave me lots of time to bond with my nephews!
The Famous Kneeland Family Photo.
 Okay - Back to the Pacific Northwest. Eric and I celebrated 34 and 27 respectively. It was a great year for birthdays in our household, we both chose to spend time down at the market, which is one of our favorite places to be, and we ate at one of our new favorite places, The Steelhead Diner.


We spent a lot of the winter relaxing, and being a family.
Eric's Dad's Square at the Market.

Our Favorite Place!

Kitty's New Home :)

Us at the SteelHead.

Aquaman and Mom in the park

We did get some snow this year... 
 Which made us get to our blankets STAT!

I love him...

Dad and Gracie.
Gracie has decided to be part of our family this year. I know I say this every year, but she has really taken to sitting by us on the couch, and even letting Eric pick her up and pet her!
Notice I said ERIC there, she's decided that I am not supposed to do that, but it's okay at least one of us get a little love from the Kitty.
Megan, Abby & Eric W. at RCRG
.


I found a NEW love this year..

ROLLER DERBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rat City Rollergirls!!!!!!!!!!

My first time on 8 wheels in a LONG time.
I Loved it so much I decided to go skate myself...
And Skate I have...


And well, there's more to that story below.
Nice Wheels!

Eric and I at Rat City!

Aquaman's Birthday
Our little man turned 3 this year!

Yes, he's still as spoiled as ever
He's seriously such a bright spot in our life!

Yeah... skates... So I bought my Own!
 

I managed to see EVERYONE in that short trip, I spent the afternoon having coffee and cookies with Grandma and Grandpa.
Then, We went to Marvin and spent some time on the merry -go- round with Mom and Kathy and Shannie and Erica.



I got to ride spanky, which was a propane tank that I used to "ride" when I was a kid for fun. I told Mom that I needed to have more toys if I was playing with a Propane tank...
*Sigh... Home ♥

Momma had a lot of chair time, which I was happy to spend with her.


 I also helped auntie Kathy and uncle Todd out with the races a little bit.

And got to catch a few laps of one of the races!
Here's Mom's Mothers Day Dinner!

And my favorite picture of the four of us, ever.

Rettig 2 Rumble with the Oly Rollers
I left South Dakota but only for a mere 3 weeks. 
In those Three weeks I, [of course] watched some Derby - and fell in love even harder
My pads and Skates!

Me skating with all my friends :(
 I was home long enough to watch derby, skate, and work.

Then, the call came in that Momma needed me to be in South Dakota...


So, I organized my work, so I could work from South Dakota, Organized my Relay Co-captain so they could operate without me (as if there were any doubts). I packed my bags, gave my pets and husband some love, and I was on my way...
I won't get into the nitty gritty details, You can see them here...www.dianneshope.blogspot.com
But the short of it is this... I was there for 3 days, and on that day we placed Mom with home hospice care.

We spent her remaining days together as a family, and on June 20th, we were there holding her had as she went to meet her maker. I have missed her every second of every day since.

Momma and her Mom.

Momma and Brendie

Grammi and her Grandbabies

Momma and her kids...
 

Thank you everyone who gave their love and support during this time. It was such a difficult trek for her, and we were happy to see her pain come to an end, but it was not easy to come to that conclusion.


She now rests at the Mount Hope Cemetary in Watertown South Dakota.
The night of her funeral, we all put on our "Diannes Battle" Tee shirts and hit the track at our local Relay for Life.


It was breath taking to see so many people there in support of her.

It was the appropriate way to say goodbye.








I will always Relay for my Mom.



After being apart for most of the month of June, Eric came to South Dakota for the funeral and we took a few days after to go to Minnesota and see the new Twins ballpark. It was a much needed vacation after a difficult month.
I found myself at the baseball game in a complete daze but to be back with my husband was such a breath of fresh air. Funny how after a few years of being together it feels so wrong to be apart.







We hit the road a few days later, to come home...
Home... Sweet... Home.....




But first...
Wall Drug...



Of Course!



 It was nice to be back to life, back skating.

I had a lot to work through, and still do, but for the most part I could do nothing but go on.
I even managed to get a co-worker involved with my shenanigans. Yay for Megan and her derbyness...
We went to PFM new skater together.

I passed!!!!
In July we took a trip to see Eric's Mom in Big Sandy Tennessee.
We Flew into Atlanta, and spent the time at their house.

It's a beautiful area, and we found that the south is a pretty neat place.


I could drink RC Cola and eat Moonpies all day.
Us at Coca-Cola World!

The American Cancer Society!!!


Thanks to Jackie I know know we were crossing the Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) on this itty bitty Ferry! Thanks for the help Jacks, you're the best :)

See? RC Cola & Moonpies!

Me at Turner Field - Atlanta Skyline

Us at Turner Field!

Eric Drinking Coca-Cola after tasting some of the BEST and some of the WORST samples in the universe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turner Field... I look awesome (Yay for Heatstroke)

Kids at the park - Olympic Park

Georgia Aquarium is AWESOME
Going to Georgia / Tennessee was such a blast! We got to see so many things, and spend some much needed time with Jackie and Mum Kay. We had a lot of fun looking through old pictures, and buttons (YAY for the buttons!) and we ate lots of yummy food.
That being said...
HOME... HOME SWEET HOME....

We made a point to spend lots of time together, and have made a weekly ritual of going to Blue vanilla for a cup of coffee and a pastry on Saturday Mornings. Distance make the heart grow fonder indeed!

 Back to that Derby thing.... Megan and I started up with the Jet City Rollergirls and I started practicing with their BSL league on Saturday and Sunday Mornings.
 This isn't at BSL for the record ... It's in the office. We thought it was pretty funny!
It was fun to show our co-workers how awesome we look in all our gear!
Gearing up for practice!

And then... on that fateful day in September...
 I tore my mother effing ACL - not like "blew" but tore, a slight teeny tiny little tear.


And in a second, my derby career came to a screeching halt. Crap.


I have yet to get back on skates, I'm still healing, but I hope to soon - whatever soon means.
So back to that family thing
 Oh and we added a new family member to our house hold this year - our Dania Couch, and Kitty has deemed it her favorite family member... Damn cat.




 And we got some fun new neighbors this year...

Then they learned how to fly and it made me sad and kind of proud they left the nest.
 November came and Brought me Friends!!!

Liz and Kolby came to visit!!!!!!!!!!!!


 We dined with Tim and Katherine for Thanksgiving, and had a rowdy game of marbles!

Katherine and I won!!!!

Though, I should mention that thus far Tim has won 4 times, and Eric 8.

Darn boys! 

We've made a night of playing marbles and eating together - generally Fridays it's been fantastic.

And Eric brought this to the family


  We've re-arranged...


We've brought more things into our life...
and tried to make our apartment a HOME.


Other highlights include.... me meeting my favorite skater of All time --- Rettig!
Abby & Rettig 2 Rumble

We're just taking one day at a time....
It's been a decent year.

We're trying hard to keep thing simple as we go into the new year.

The New Year Holds for me some trying times for work, and some new horizons!
We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas
and a HAPPY 2012!
Love, The Ronnebecks!

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