Jon, Wesley, & Megan Coming Home!

I just wanted to get things started again on our family blog. Gosh, I got us started on this cool family activity and then I dropped the ball. Well, I'm picking the ball back up and shooting for a 3-pointer. (SWISHHHHH!!!) That's right, this post is 3-point slam dunk. You know why?! Because Wesley, Megan and I are all coming home this week. I'll be home tomorrow and Wesley and Megan will be home Friday mid-day. OH MY GOODNESS I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE. I miss and love you all so much. I have to bounce because I'm getting some much needed last minute ice cream with my friends Jamie and Danny from church before my early morning departure tomorrow. That and uhhh, I still gotta pack.

Love you all. See you soon. Really, see you, like, tomorrow. WAHOOOOOOO!!!!

Jon's 2009 Track Season Begins!

Hi Family!

I'm getting ready to leave for Kingston, Jamaica early tomorrow morning. I'll be racing my first 1500 meter race of the season in Jamaica this Saturday. I'm in really good shape and I'm very excited to begin my 2009 season. After this race I'll be heading straight from Jamaica to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the USA 1-mile Road Championships. That race will be Thursday, May 7th. The race in Jamaica is more of a tune-up race for this race, but I'm taking both races very seriously. Ultimately, I would like to win both races and make a strong showing for all of the sponsors that we are hoping to sign with later this year.

That's all the updates I have for now. I'll try to take a few photos with my iphone during my travels over the next 8 or 9 days. I love you all and will talk to you soon I'm sure.

Funny Dance Video Of Diontae

Hi Family, here's a funny video of Diontae dancing last week.I thought you guys might enjoy it, he's so crazy, and funny,just watch him go.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday Sis! I hope you have a great day.

THE ORLANDO TRIP

HI FAMILY,
HERE IS A VIDEO OF THE ORLANDO TRIP WITH ME,MOM, WESLEY, AND KIMIKO.
WE HAD A GREAT TIME.

An Evening at the Beach

Last Sunday Aunt Lynn, Uncle Mckenzie and I all walked over to cemetery beach for a stroll. It was a very nice evening with a beautiful sunset. 

While we were walking and talking I decided to take a few photos with my iphone. They turned out pretty nice. I hope you all enjoy them. 

A Spring Valley Notable Resident

My good high school and college friend, Lisa Simms, sent me a message on facebook just to tell me that I was mentioned in Wikipedia as a notable resident in Spring Valley, California! How funny is this? Here is the link for anyone that wants to see this very quirky bit of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Valley,_CA

Well, I guess it's official. I'm famous . . . . just kidding.

Cool Like That Video

This is a video of Diontae and his best friend Anthony just being COOL!

Darrius 12th Birthday Video

Hi family,
here is DDs birthday video, he is now 12 years old.

Mom and Dad 29th Anniversary Video

Hi everyone,
Here is a little video I made for our 29th Anniversary,looking back thru pictures of the past 29 years together, hope you enjoy.

Rankin Highway

Hey guys, I thought this would be great to put on the family blog. Danny and Tyler found this while driving through Texas on their way to Washington. Danny recently sent this to me and I wanted to share it with everyone. This is pretty cool. Danny said he thinks the street was named after us. I won't disagree.

Videos of Darrius and Diontae in the pool

Hi everyone here are some videos of the boys having fun in the pool last year,they can really swim and dive; check them out.

A Song For Kelly

The other day I was listening to one of my favorite bands in the whole world, The Dave Matthews Band. One of the songs that I've come to love the most and actually heard them play live with Wesley in Washington is called "Sister." This is a beautiful song that Dave Matthews wrote for his sister. He may have written this song for his sister, but I would like to dedicate to my sister.

I haven't said it as often as I know I should , but I have thought this often: She is a great mother and a great woman. She tries so hard to be the best she can be at everything she does and I want her to know that I see this; and that we all see this. As her 29th birthday (on April 12th) nears I want to let her know that I'm very proud of her. And I just want her to know that we all believe in her and we know she will get to where she wants to be in life someday.

Sister - Dave Matthews

Below are the lyrics to the song "Sister" by Dave Matthews:

Pass the time with you in mind
It's a rather quiet night
Feel the ground against my back
Counting stars against the black
Thinking bout another day
Wishing I was far away
Whether they were dreams or worries
You were there with me

Sister, I hear you laugh
My heart fills full up
Keep me please
Sister, when you cry
I feel your tears running down my face
Sister, Sister keep me

I hope you always know its true
I would never make it through
We could make the sun go down
Just by walking away
Playing like we used to play
Our kingdom will never go away
Feel you beating in my chest
I'll be dead without

Sister, I hear you laugh
My heart fills full up
Keep me please
Sister, when you cry
I feel your tears running down my face
Sister, Sister will you keep me?

I would never make it through
Hope you always know its true
You could make the heaven's fall
Just by walking away

Sister, I hear you laugh
My heart fills full up
Keep me please
Sister, when you cry
I feel your tears running down my face
Sister, Sister keep me

Kelly you're a beautiful person. We love you very much. Happy early birthday my beaufitul, wonderful, sweet sister.

Twitter & Facebook?

ATTENTION: Mom and dad, I think this post may be directed more towards you to since neither one of you have a Twitter or Facebook account, YET!

Ok, so Wesley and I have accounts with these two new ways of communication called Facebook and Twitter. Wesley and I just started "twittering" today as a matter of fact. What is Facebook? It is and it isn't what it sounds like. It is like a book with your face on it except it's not that at all. It's this website where people create profile page that basically provides a brief summary of who they are, where they are from, and who they're friends with. You put your "face" or picture on your profile page so that others can see your pretty mug. Or you can put a picture of anything you feel reflects your personality and who you are. Here is a link to my profile pace if you (mom or dad) would like to see what I'm describing to you.

Jon Rankin's Profile | Create Your Badge


Wesley has a profile with Facebook too. We are even friends on Facebook! Everyone in the Oakes family has a profile on Facebook. It's really pretty neat. It's a great way to check in and see what everyone is doing and a great way to let all of your friends know how you are doing and what you're up to. I think it's also a great way for families to connect and talk whenever they want for free!! Oh, I almost forgot. It's also a great way to share your most recent photos with all of your friends at one time. That way you don't have to e-mail everyone you know your vacation photos or holiday photos. All you have to do is post them on your Facebook page and Facebook does the rest.

Now Twitter is a different type of beast. Is a little more advanced than Facebook because it's so new. Like I mentioned before Wesley and I just joined Twitter. Basically, Twitter is a type of, ahh, dare I say it, text messaging update thingy you can do on the Internet or on your phone. What you do when you Twitter is send status updates to all of your friends on Twitter telling them what you are doing in that very moment. That's it. Everyone that is following your Twitter profile will get the update as soon as you post it. It's actually quite ridiculous, but also quite fun. I don't think you would like this one as much, but then again, I think mom and dads might like to know what their kids are doing at every second of the day. I think this might be a great way to check on your kids any where in the world just by following them on Twitter (haha).

All of these new ways of communicating is so crazy and way out there, but this is the new world we live in. We might as well give all of the new toys a try, especially if they are free.

Wesley and I have already Twittered and Facebooked a couple of times today. So, I only have one question for you: Do you want to Twitter or Facebook with us?

Pictures of Me

Hi Family! I Have been wanting to make a post for a while, but have just been too tired to do so. Being here in the Cayman Islands has been nice, but it hasn't been a vacation by any means. I'm running more than 80 miles a week. This past week I ran nearly 100 miles. Things are going well for me out here. A lot hasn't been set in stone and I have a feeling that is going to be the case for quite a while. Lets all keep our fingers crossed for now. I know things will eventually work out on their own time.

For now here is a picture of my beautiful face here in Cayman. I just took this picture with my iphone. I hope it turned out ok.

Grandma Verdell Video

GRANDMA VERDELL

Grandma Verdell was more then my grandma she was also like a mother to me,after my mother died when i was three years old grandma took care of me she was always there for me ,she protected me and comforted me she was always someone i could talk to, we laughed and talked and she told me stories,she was more than my grandma she was my friend.

Grandma I will miss you and I will always love you.

Grandma you have earned your wings so spread them and fly home to your new home in heaven,when you get there give my mom and dad hugs for me and take care of each other, they are waiting for you it is there time to have you with them now,so until I see you all again keep each others company.

Grandma you are God's angel now no more pain or suffering you are home now.

Thank you grandma for loving me.

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU

P

MOM AND DAD UPDATE

Darrius just got his fourth principal honor roll we are so very proud of him and he has his 12th birthday on feb 22nd ,we can't believe he is 12 years old.
our baby Diontae turned 5 years old on dec 18th 2008.they are both growing upso fast.
Johnny and are very happy they are living close to us again so maybe we will get to see them more often.
we miss having Jon and Wes living close to us but we are glad to talk to them often by phone and tex messgeing ( John and I don't like the texting too much ) we perfer the phone or e-mail.
Jon this blog was a good idea.

love u all more
mom and dad

Baby Pictures, Mom & Dad

Lately I've been rummaging through boxes and boxes of all my belongings because I just recently moved out of the ARCO Olympic Training Center here in Chula Vista, California. While going through the boxes to find things I can throw away, things I can donate and things that I want to keep I've come across all of these great photos of my nephews, of my parents and of my siblings. It's been a blast looking at these pictures and having the memories of when they were taken take me back to those moments. As hard as times might be right now for all of us the memories of our past experiences together seem to make this life here on earth worth all the trouble. As Louis Armstrong would sing, "What a Wonderful World" it is because we have each other.

Now I think I have the best looking mom and dad. They look great together. This picture was taken when we lived off of Sweetwater Springs Boulevard in Spring Valley, California. We lived in an apartment complex directly across the street from our high school, Monte Vista. It's a funny thing having your high school as your next door neighbor. At least we would never be late for school, right? I think this picture was taken on their anniversary, but I could be wrong. It definitely looks like they were dressed to impress. I'm sure they were going out to have a nice dinner somewhere fancy.

Darrius is looking pretty sharp in this picture. This picture was taken in our backyard at our home off of Charing Cross. I remember all of the pasta parties, the bar-b-ques and graduation parties we had in the very same back yard where little Darrius poses for his photo. I like his little vest and tie. He's already looking like a business man and he can't be more than five years old in this picture. Man, I think I have a lot to live up to if my first nephew is dressing sharp at such a young age. I'm proud of you Darrius, keep up the good work in school and sports.

This is a cool picture because baby Deontaye has on a jersey with some one's favorite number...hmmm, I forget whose favorite number that is. I think Wesley might like this number a little, but I don't think it's his favorite number. If it is I know baby Deontaye scored some major points with his uncle Wesley. Deontaye is much older now, but this is a nice picture of the days when he would just laugh and cry and occasionally say goo goo and gah gah. Now, well, lets just say Deontaye isn't afraid to talk to anyone. I think he's going to definitely find himself in a career where he can talk for a living because by the time he's old enough to have a job he'll have had plenty of years of experience behind him.

The Rankin's

Welcome to The Rankin Family blog!

For this first entry I would like to share a few family photos from the last few years.

This first photo (from left to right) is of my younger brother, Wesley, my father, John, my mother, Penelope, and me, Jon. Of our immediate family my older sister, Kelly, is missing from this photo. I'm bummed she wasn't in this photo. I don't know why she wasn't in this picture . . . she must have been the person taking the picture.


This next photo is one of my favorite photos of my sister. In this photo is my sister and her oldest son, Darrius (a.k.a. Buddha). They both have the biggest smiles on their face. I think it's because they love each other so much.


In the second photo is my sister with her youngest son, Deontaye. Now this is a really cute picture. I love how little Deontaye has his arms wrapped around his mama. He's holding on so tight to her as if he's trying to hold tightly to the moment so that it won't ever escape his tiny hands.