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Birth
I was born to John and Kreslyn Ruckman on September 4th, 1996. Kreslyn was 20 years old, and John was 24. I was a surprise wakeup call that forced them to mature more rapidly than they had planned. -
Bonding Time With Mother
I do not know exactly when this happened, but I remember when I was about four, before I started Kindergarten, mom and I made a jungle in the living room. I know that my imagination makes it seem much more fascinating than it really was, but as a child I loved it. We cut out leaves and a long snake, laid out a blue blanket for the river, cut out fish for the river to go fishing, and just played. At one point mom pretended to have a snake bite so we had to clean it with rubbing alcohol. -
9/11
This is a day I will never forget. I was in kindergarten when it happened. I remember that night sitting in front of the TV with mom watching the news. I had just taken a bath and I was wrapped in a towel while they played a video of the buildings being hit. At five years old, I did not realize how tense the country became after that until I look back on it. -
Kindergarten Graduation
This seems fairly insignificant, but it was one of the best days I have ever had. That morning, I lost my first tooth, so that meant that the tooth fairy would give me money later. I went and graduated from Kindergarten. I was top in my class, and my whole family showed up. I got roses and the restaurant we went to afterwards gave me a free mini chocolate cake. Moments like this created security in my childhood. -
John Andrew's Birth
I was seven years old when John Andrew was born. He was my first sibling. When mom and dad told me, I was extremely excited. Normally, children get jealous of new additions to the family because it takes attention away from them, but my parents were very loving towards me and encouraging. They made sure I was seen when John Andrew was born. -
Family Move
We moved from Sweetwater, East Tennessee, to Westmoreland, Middle Tennessee right before my fourth grade year. Mom was pregnant with my first sister, Emma, and we moved into my grandparents house until our house in Sweetwater sold. This was a difficult transition on everyone. We did not have friends, mom was pregnant and going back to school, dad had a new job, John Andrew was two years old, and we were living in very cramped quarters. It was a tense time in life. -
A Difficult Experience
This is a moment that is traumatic, but a unforgettable experinece in my life. We were at my great granparents' house, and I was playing with John Andrew. I heard screaming so I went to the hall and Nana had her hands around mom's neck. Nana had pushed mom down so mom kicked her away, then nana lost it. Mom was screaming for me to help her. Mom got away, and I locked John
Andrew and I in the bathroom and called my dad. Ever since that, I have not been able to see Nana the same. -
My thirteenth birthday
I turned thirteen in New York City. My dad was about to be deployed to Iraq, so we went to visit him in New Jersey before he shipped out. On September 3rd, we spent the entire day exploring New York. We saw Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and we still had fun despite our hectic day. This is one of the only times where my mom's family and my dad's family spent an extended amount of time together without palpable tension. -
High School Graduation!
Needless to say, this was a very exciting day. At thid point in my life, I was struggling with severe anxiety and depression, but I did not yet realize it. However, on this one day, I felt accomplished. It was sad because of the change, but I felt that it was time to move on from high school. -
Papa's death
My grandpa, Frank Ruckman, died at age 70. It was a tragic accident where he fell off the roof and busted his skull. It was and still is difficult for my whole family because of how much papa was in our lives. He was constanly helping and doing odd jobs to make everyone's lives easier. The family did not see many signs of negative ageing in him when he passed. The picture is of my grandma, papa, and I at graduation.
