R is for Ronnebeck!

It’s that time of year again… Relay. There's a Momma sized hole in my heart that just won't quite heal... Last year, as I took the track for the Luminaria Lap, I found myself being pulled aside for different reasons, and I didn’t really get to honor Mom the way I wanted to. I realized that since 2009 when I started walking to honor Mom I have had nothing but Relay on the brain, and it took over a little. Now that I’m making the turn into year 3 without Mom, I’ve decided to step back a bit, and step up my Fundraising game to fight back against this disease that took my Mom. Cancer took too much from us as a family, losing Mom in June of 2011 was incredibly difficult for everyone, but I think watching the cancer slowly take her over was the saddest thing any of us had ever experienced. She had a really long, hard fought battle, and in the end, the cancer was just too strong, too much, too greedy.  We don’t want any other family to feel the pain of losing a loved ...

This is kind of a "Public Service Announcement" if you will... Stop what you're doing, and go to the store - buy one (or both) of these creamers for your coffee! Trust me, you won't regret it! That's all for now, Abby

January and February have always been "downer" months for me. I have in the past struggled with depression, not debilitating, but for sure makes me a more snarly version of myself. The past few weeks I've struggled to put a smile on my face. The wind, the rain, the non-stop grey sky really gets a person down. SAD - or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a whole lot harder to battle here in Seattle where the skies are often grey; and during the months of January and February, SAD is particularly hard on me. Last weekend was normally my weekend to "Recharge" and "Rebound" but then I got smacked in the face (literally) with some pink eye, and it made me angry, probably unreasonably so. Don't worry - I'm on the rebound now, March and April are often months when I "bounce back" and start to notice that I'm feeling SAD and angst-y, so I start to DO something about it instead of hanging out feeling SAD and angst-y. I was a bear on Fr...

Upon traveling home for my Grandpa Harvey’s funeral last August, we heard a lot of stories and memories from various people in Grandpa’s life. One story in particular has stuck with me, and I wanted to share it with you to pass along his legacy. My Grandpa was a farmer – to the core. He worked long hard days to make sure his family was fed, his livestock was fed, and his crops were healthy.   One of the things Grandpa often labored on was the weed control in his fields, more specifically the Leafy Spurge control in his fields. Leafy Spurge is a quick growing, quick spreading weed that is hard to get on top of and eliminate.   It was a particular thorn in my Grandpa’s side. One day, Dad had dropped Grandpa off in the corner of one of his lots with a back pack sprayer of “Spurge -o-Cide” or whatever he used to kill Leafy Spurge, and my Grandfather walked back and forth across his acres of land spraying this pesky weed. He spent all day walking back and forth, and I ...

I don’t LOVE Valentine’s Day, on a normal year I ignore it altogether – or hope it lands on a weekend so I really don’t have to deal with it. But this year, I’m feeling more tolerant of said fake holiday. I even brought a few treats for my beloved co-workers, because who doesn’t need a little chocolate on a Friday? So, in celebration, of Love today, I wanted to share our love story … Summer of 2003 – I moved to Washington for the summer, working at an internship with Grace Lutheran Church.   Eric worked with the youth, and I met him that summer. When I saw him, I asked Tim if he had a girlfriend, much to my dismay the answer was yes, but we still got to know each other through working with the youth program that summer. Fast Forward – Summer 2005 – Tim and Eric were taking a road trip to South Dakota and Minnesota. They got the idea to meet up with me to say hello! We got together to have some Potato Ole’s at Taco Johns in Watertown, and when we parted ways we had ...

I feel like I should have written this long, thought out post about turning 30, and I had really great intentions to, but somewhere along the line, I kind of lost my blogging Mojo. Maybe it was the move, maybe it was the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, maybe it’s the nagging pain in my right hand, whatever the motive, the mojo has somewhat returned, so I’m going to capitalize on that, and post (albeit 1 week later) an Abby-centric post. Now, I may remind you that turning 30 was something that totally paralyzed me with fear last week for reasons unknown to me, and for whatever reason I was unable to adequately describe my thoughts to my friends/family/coworkers as to why 30 was so traumatic for me, and still, I remain speechless, I’m not sure what about it that drives me a little crazy, but I do know that I’m ready to face it now, because, well, what other choice do I have? So, here’s some “Factoids” about me since you know, celebrating a birthday is all about ME - In saying goo...

I am an "Inspirational quote" kind of gal, they do inspire me, and often I look to them for comfort or *Gasp* Inspiration. I share them with family, and friends, but I put a lot of thought into them before I share, I don't want it to be contrived or stupid, I really want it to mean something. So, I've decided to share a few of my "hot button" ones with you today, the ones that are really speaking to me recently, but I ask, please that you pass it on, or soak it in, please don't just gloss over. And, if you have a good one for me, please share it! My Mantra for 2014 is.... "She believed she could, so she Did!" "Always Compete" - Pete Carroll "Just because you are struggling, does not mean you are failing. Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there. " - Anonymous "Nothing can stop a person with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help a person with the w...

Today was one of those days I dreaded... 30... wow! But, it looks like it won't be so bad from here! Looking forward to what my 30's hold, and saying see ya to my 20s! This morning I woke to a fresh 2.5 inch blanket of snow... so we went out to play! Then, Eric baked me a wonderful toasted coconut cake, and Tikka Masala is on the menu for dinner along with a viewing of the Walking Dead!

Yeah... this household is a little excited!