2012 Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from the Tronsgards!

Here are the answers to our Christmas Card Crossword! 

ACROSS
	4	The state where Derek took his senior high students on a mission trip last June Wyoming
	5	We bought our first one in March! House
	7	Derek and Bobbie Jo have raised the stock price of this store by their many visits there in 2012 Homedepot
	10	Bobbie Jo became an expert at using this to clean the siding powerwasher
	12	The Good Shepherd summer trip that both Derek & Bobbie Jo went on.Houseboat
	13	Bobbie Jo loves teaching at this school in St. Anthony Wilshire Park
	15	Someone from 18 across isn't trained very well, so Derek & Bobbie Jo have to use this as a bribe Peanut Butter
	16	Thought about getting season tickets, but Derek & Bobbie Jo made it to many of these football games Gophers
	18	Spoiled. Eats garbage. Ruins carpets. Loved dearly. Rainie
	19	Bobbie Jo's classroom grade third
	21	Derek and Bobbie Jo ran this 5k downtown Minneapolis on Thanksgiving Morning Turkeyday
	23	Derek and Bobbie Jo are headed here for a vacation in a few weeks Vegas

Down
	1	Derek's soon-to-be winter pastime. Easy access out our front door! Icefishing
	2	Bobbie Jo spent her fall coaching this sport Volleyball
	3	Derek's favorite place on earth. He also dragged Bobbie Jo along a few times last summer Target Field
	5	Derek's new creative hobby that has taken over the garage homebrewing
	6	Derek loves his job at this church in Mound (well...actually it's mailing address is Wayzata but it's located in Navarre which is a village of Orono) Good Shepherd
	8	The lake that can be seen out our front and back windows here at our new digs in Mound Minnetonka
	9	What our family wishes yours Merry Christmas
	11	While Derek was away on trips this summer, Bobbie Jo did this to make the new place feel like home Paint
	12	Derek and Bobbie Jo's new favorite TV show Homeland
	14	Now that Derek & Bobbie Jo own the thing from 5 across, there are too many of these to do Projects
	17	Derek's dad came out and helped Derek and Bobbie Jo build one of these in the backyard. Patio
	20	It's hard to make it to these football games because of Derek's job, but it's not like they missed much... Vikings
	22	Derek was terrified to learn about this allergy while fishing on Little Sand at the cabin bees

Thank you for being willing to do the Tronsgard crossword!  We are happy, healthy and excited to see what 2013 will bring!  Merry Christmas!

Love, 

Derek and BJo

Hi! My name is Rainie

Hi! My name is Rainie and I am the newest addition to Derek and Bobbie Jo's life. I am a golden retriever yellow lab puppy and I was born sometime in January. (Derek and BJo are still trying to figure out my exact birth date so I think they should just give me a bone every day in January to make up for their bad parenting!)

Merry Christmas

Disclaimer: We wanted to send this letter with our Christmas Cards but we opted to save money and a couple trees... so here it is!

We hope this letter finds you and your family counting down the days until the Minnesota Twins Baseball opener! After spending the last year in Seattle, Washington and cheering on the Mariners, we are excited to be back home in Twins Territory.

1st Inning: We spent our first year of marriage in Lynnwood, Washington. It was such a great experience for us. Derek worked as an intern at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood and Bobbie Jo worked right across the street at Caffe Ladro (a phenomenal coffee chain in the Seattle area). We had a great year exploring the Pacific Northwest and we were lucky enough to have visitors almost every month! We are grateful for all of our memories out in Seattle and we look forward to going back to visit soon.

2nd Inning: Before we left Seattle, we were able to go to 7 Mariners games. When the Twins were in town, we were Circled by Bert! We are hoping for an encore presentation this year at Target Field.

3rd Inning: On August 15th, (yes our anniversary!) we said goodbye to our friends in Washington and made the trip back to Fargo-Moorhead.

4th Inning: After spending a week at home with our families, we moved to our quaint little apartment in St. Paul. Address:1608 B Eustis St. Apt. 308 Lauderdale, MN 55108

5th Inning: Derek is currently working at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Mound, Minnesota. He worked at Good Shepherd before we left for Seattle. It is great to be back in this community and we truly are blessed to be apart of such a wonderful congregation.

6th Inning: Derek will graduate from Luther Seminary this spring. After graduation, Derek will meet with congregations that are looking for a Youth & Family Pastor. We will keep you updated on what happens. Currently,we are in a waiting game!

7th Inning: Bobbie Jo is currently Coaching Basketball at Osseo High School. She is a substitute teacher in the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District as well as the Osseo-Maple Grove School District.

8th Inning: Before we start saving our pennies for Twins Season Tickets, we are off to Hawaii for a family vacation. We will be with Derek’s family for a week of fun on the Hawaiian beaches!

9th Inning: We are grateful for a wonderful year but most of all we are thankful for all of you in our lives. We love hearing from you so if you are ever in Minneapolis-St. Paul look us up! derektronsgard@gmail.com or bobbiejotronsgard@gmail.com

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and GO TWINS!

Semi-Annual Update!

Here we are... a typical night at our place. Derek has found his spot on the couch on his computer, checking his fantasy football pairings. I am checking up on the latest news and attempting to sit here and write a half decent blog realizing that it has been months since we have updated. So here is our attempt to update all of you.

We just got back from Target, where we spend most of our time and money! Although this was a special Target run because we were able to buy birthday cards for a couple of very special people in our lives!
Grandma VI turns 85 on Sunday and my Mom turns umm.... (well I am not too sure how old she is turning so lets say 30!) We are excited to make a quick trip home tomorrow night for the Birthday Festivities! Bob and Beck (Derek's Godparents) have traveled from Arizona for this wonderful birthday celebration and we really look forward to spending some time with them!

My Mom and I are going out for a pre-birthday breakfast on Saturday and I look forward to learning how old she really is! :)

You may be wondering... What have Derek and Bobbie Jo been up to? Well here is a quick look at where we have been and what we have been doing...

August 15th- 17th: We spent our first anniversary traveling back to Minnesota! We wouldn't have had it any other way! We had a great last Sunday at Trinity and we truly miss everyone out in Seattle. We were showered with numerous cards and gifts and we can't thank the congregation enough for all they have done for us. We are grateful for our time out there and we look forward to sharing those memories with all of you next time we see you!

The following weekend we were lucky enough to be apart of a beautiful Baptism at Derek's families lake cabin. Our Goddaughter Freya was baptized (by Derek) and our second cousins Billie and Cassidy were baptized as well. It was a beautiful day filled with family and it was such a joy to be apart of it.

After being out at the lake a couple days we went home just in time to pack up more wedding gifts and grab Maggie and my Mom. And purchase my cousins Honda Civic (yes we got a new car). We then moved into our apartment on campus! We owe a huge thank you to my Mom and Maggie for being apart of our moving fun!

We also need to thank the Jim and Nancy- who are probably the most generous people we know. They have furnished our apartment for us. Without their extra furniture we would have had nothing and we can't thank them enough for all they have done for us over the years! Jim even helped us move all the furniture in... we owe him for life!!

So... after we moved into our small 3rd floor apartment we decided that we needed to take a trip to the State Fair! Well... we actually took 3 trips to the State Fair! It is just so much fun :)

We truly love our new apartment and if you ever need a place to stay please let us know! We are here for you... in fact, we just bought a new couch with a pull out bed! Our friends Steph and Chris are moving and were looking for someone to buy their couch... and well because we don't have any furniture (except the stuff we are borrowing) we decided this would be a good purchase! So now... when you visit we have a pull out bed for you to sleep on!

Derek is back working at Good Shepherd and loving it! He just finished finalizing trip information for their summer trips! This year they are taking a mission trip to Toronto and a Houseboat trip. We really missed the families of Good Shepherd and we are excited to be back.

I am substitute teaching in the St. Anthony-New Brighton School district. I would love to be called everyday to sub but that currently is the case. I am also coaching Basketball in Osseo so that is really taking up time in the evening for me! I am loving being apart of the program and I really am looking forward to the season!

The next question you may have is what is next for us? Well... we will find out in February what synod Derek is placed in and then we will go from there. It is an exciting time for us!

We have been blessed with a wonderful fall... we got to see our best friends get married last weekend and we also were able to make it to my Dad's induction into the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. It was a very exciting weekend last weekend and it was great to see our family and friends!

We are really looking forward to what's to come and we hope that you havn't given up on our blogging! We promise we will get better when we have more exciting news... but for now we are just Derek and Bobbie Jo. Derek sitting on his computer and me attempting to cook and not start the house on fire. Yes... I tried to make Apple Crisp today and it didn't go very well!

Until next year (hahaha just kidding! I will write before then and maybe post pictures from our trip to Hawaii... yes that's right we are going to Hawaii over Christmas with the Tronsgards!)

If you really want to check out a good blogger visit my cousins blog... cjschwantz.blogspot.com- yes it's true they have the cutest kids around too! Or if you want to see great animation check out peteisalive.blogspot.com (Peter is going to animation school in Vancouver... he is a phenomenal artist and cousin too!)

Seattle with kids... is SO MUCH FUN!

We have had many visitors this year and we are so grateful for all of you that took the time to come visit us!

My cousins, Jennifer and Craig are here along with their ADORABLE kids Katelynn and Austin. Jenn is a WAY better blogger than I will ever be so check out their blog here...

http://www.cjschwantz.blogspot.com/

Tonight we get to take the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese and the park while Craig and Jenn go on a well deserved Date Night! (We can't believe they made it out here in one day.) Derek and are I extremely excited to have some kid fun! (And let's be real, Derek still is very much a kid, I just packed up all his video games and spiderman comic books)

So it's unanimous... having kids around is a blast! We loved having Brody & Freya visit a couple weeks ago too! We are excited to be closer to Billie and Cassidy this fall... Munce if your reading this- you now have free babysitters (and Derek recently changed Freya's diaper so he is now fully trained!)!

I look forward to being home on Wednesday! I will be home until the 11th of August. I look forward to connecting with all of you and I can't wait to hear about Maggie's Houseboat trip with Trinity! She leaves tomorrow and will return on Friday! We will be praying for them and hoping for a great trip with wonderful weather.

Thanks for stopping bye. I am cleaning and Derek is working on his sermon. Great start to our Saturday and we look forward to an evening of fun!

Don't forget to check out Jennifer's blogging and don't hate me for being so bad at it! (hahah!)

http://www.cjschwantz.blogspot.com/

Love,

Bobbie Jo

P.s.

Derek has been working hard on this website this week for a conference here in October. Check it out... we are joking that his summers at computer camp have paid off!

http://www.shiftnow.org/

A little over a month to go update...

It's official... Derek and I are AWFUL at blogging! We apologize.

So here are some highlights of what has been going on in our world!

1. We have had once again, a lot of fabulous company! Krista Costin was out here for the Seattle Marathon, Anne, Mike, Josh, Jess, Julie, Stewart, Brody & Freya were here a couple weeks ago and we had a blast touring Seattle and learning what it is like to have kids around! (It was such a blast and Derek even changed & fed Freya!)

2. Derek and I are honored to be Freya's Godparents. We are looking forward to her baptism back in Minnesota in August!

3. Derek is busy preaching and learning all about what it is like to be Pastor! (He is loving it!) Check out his Sermon's here... http://www.trinitylutheranchurch.com/nurture/sermons/

4. The SUN IS OUT! It has been so cloudy and rainy here... it hasn't really felt like summer- until this week!! The sun is out and I am happy! I have really enjoyed our time here but let me tell you... I have missed the Minnesota summer! Derek and I look forward to spending some time on Little Sand when we come home :)

5. I have sent in over 40 applications and I am still waiting to hear on a few of them! I am really hoping something comes up! I will keep you posted if there is any good news!

6. Derek and I will be living on campus next year... financially it is the right decision for us! It will be a cozy one bedroom apartment... all are welcome to visit, just bring sleeping bags!

7. We are looking forward to having my cousins Jennifer and Craig out here in a couple weeks! Their kids Katelynn and Austin will be with us too and we can't wait! We love having kids and company around... it brings home out to us!

Finally, I will be coming home early, I will be home July 28th-August 11th. I am hoping to find a job while I am home as well as say hello to everyone. (A big thanks to my parents for the plane ticket!) I will then travel back to Seattle to pack up our home in Lynnwood and drive back with Derek. Derek's last Sunday here is August 15th. After worship we plan to head home... (don't worry we will first get a good tune-up on the car to make sure we will make it home!) Our goal is to make it home by Monday night... we will see how that goes!!!

So, hopefully this answers some questions! We are SO EXCITED to be back home but we are sad to say goodbye here! We will keep you posted on what's to come!

Love,
BJo

Here is a quick recap on what is going on here in Lynnwood...

1. Bobbie Jo continues to serve coffee and is constantly reminded that next year she needs to work with kids.

2. Derek continues to be the intern. He hasn't been preaching as much as he would like but has found other ways to get involved. He has really found a love for teaching the Adult Bible study that takes place on Sunday Mornings... here is what he has been working on, it is really cool!

http://coffeetablegospel.derektronsgard.com/

3. Derek and Bobbie Jo would really like a dog! The past couple of weeks we have been entertained by our friend Greta. (We spoiled her rotten, took long walks, ate countless dog treats and scared away the crazy cat lady's cats!) Greta is Becky and Tyler's beautiful golden retriever! She is by far the best dog I have ever been around. (Sorry to Gus, Bonnie, Nellie,Ruby and Tobey) But this dog has won our hearts. On a side note, we really loved having Becky and Tyler here! Becky performed at the Fifth Ave. Theatre in Seattle for three weeks! They stayed with us for about a week and a half and it was a blast! The show was amazing as always and it was great to spend time with them. Our house didn't seem so empty and it was always fun to come home to a dog that wanted to play!

Becky's tour is done in August, check out http://tour.legallyblondethemusical.com/

It is one of the best musicals I have seen... but I may be a little biased!

4. Derek has kept in contact with a couple of teachers from Oak Grove and a couple weeks ago he did a Chapel for Oak Grove via YOUTUBE. Check it out if you are missing Derek, it is a great video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Esiwy8P1A

5. I am working hard to find a job in Minneapolis! Let me know if you have any contacts or ideas!

6. We have a lot to look forward too... We are going to Vegas for my parents 25th Wedding Anniversary. We have visitors coming from all over... Korey B. will be here over Easter, Laura Morlock during the middle of Arpil, Rob Hansen at the end of April, Jackie in May, Krista Costin in June, Mom & Maggie at the end of June-July. To end the year, Craig, Jenifer and the kids will be here at the end of July! We are really looking forward to all of our upcoming visitors!

We hope things are going well back home. We wish we could be there to help. We are praying for you and hoping that the river does not exceed the dikes!

Have a great rest of your week.... we are thinking about you here and hoping things are great!

Don't forget to check out...http://coffeetablegospel.derektronsgard.com/