Ah yes, there was THAT game of Twister 
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I’d like to say how grateful I am for all the kind comments even from people I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting in person.
I am genuinely honoured to be included in such a constellation of stars and supernovae and shall twinkle dimly there until I collapse into a Twll Du. 
Diolch yn fawr iawn, cyfeillion - diolch o galon.
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Thank you so much @hewrop for all the work behind the scenes, all the help and humour on the forum, and for your great company before and during the party this year. It’s all been an absolute pleasure.
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Now that all is quiet and the party is long over, I came here to sit and ponder my thoughts … there’s so much to thank for and I surely am not able to remember everything, but … my diolch to one more shiny star of the week is (again) from my heart and soul. So, here I am, to say my Diolch and appriciation to this weeks Seren y wythnos …
@hewrop
One of those who tried to encourage and cheer me at the very beginning of my learning (moaning) path. You always have kind word, not just for me but for everyone else here on the forum. Althogh I don’t know you that well as some other members here do, I know you’re warmhearted and kind and always willing to help and I’m extreamly glad you’re still on here and I hope you’ll be for as long as SSi exists and beyond …
I had the priviledge to meet Huw at the Eisteddfod last year and it was my delight and pleasure to stroll around the maes with him. We talked, entirely in Welsh from my part too (umm, all of a sudden I’m not sure was all entirely in Welsh, but I think it was though) and I enjoyed it very much.
Thank you for the chance to meet you and walk around the Eisteddfod with you. And thank you for mentioning meeting me as one of the highlights of that day in your lovely and kind Eisteddfod report.
Here are all the stars of the past and those yet to come but the brightest this week is Huw!
Diolch o galon am y popeth. Hope to meet you again at some point of (SSi) time.
Tatjana 
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@tatjana, cariad. I am deeply moved by your exceptionally kind words. Like so many of your admirers on the forum, I was privileged and delighted to meet you in person in Y Fenni. I really do hope that we meet again before too long and, specifically, that you find time to visit me and Maureen in Ystrad Meurig next time you are in Wales.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, fy ffrind.
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Ahem - you may have noticed that we flew under the radar last week! My mother was staying with us in the new chalet for the first time, and it was all a bit hectic…
And then every time I got close to catching up at the start of this week, something came flying out of nowhere… but now, time to get saddled up again, and introduce:
Seren yr Wythnos #13
Diane Owen
Or, as you might recognise her more easily, @tahl…
Diane (who I find it very hard not to call Tahl even in ‘real’ life!) was one of our earliest learners - and one of the first learners from the USA to make real, serious headway, at a time when it still seemed incredibly difficult to imagine people using the course outside of Wales.
She’s been a hugely generous supporter of SSiW - both financially and in terms of time. She was one of the guiding voices on the first forum, and became a valuable and reliable Angel (which is what we call our moderators).
I can still remember the surprise (I’m not sure if it was after her first Bootcamp, or her second?) when she visited us in Mynytho, and we ended up having a fairly serious conversation about economics and theories of growth - back then, it still seemed pretty startling when we met SSiW learners who were already capable of that kind of conversation!
It got less startling, though, as we got used to Diane becoming a go-to ‘Welsh-speaking voice from America’ for Radio Cymru - I remember her saying once that she was looking forward to getting a call that didn’t involve a ‘how amazing that you’ve learnt’ angle - but I’m not sure if Welsh media are ever going to be quite as used to USA speakers as we’ve become…
She has also been a tireless promoter of SSiW in the US, most particularly with her extremely generous work with NAFOW (the North American Festival of Wales) where she has run an SSiW stall (very kindly provided for free by NAFOW) and worked her fingers off following up with people who expressed an interest in the course.
And I’m fairly sure (unless my memory is failing me) that she’s even badgered Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, about SSiW when he was on a trip to the States - which is a rather lovely thought…
And, of course, she continues to arrange the Welsh conversation group in Washington D.C. - because even 8 years down the line, there really is no stopping her…
Diane, diolch o galon am bopeth ti wedi gwneud…
Even if Diane’s contributions haven’t directly affected you, now would still be a lovely time to thank her for all her huge support for SSiW…
Iestyn ap Dafydd
Catrin Lliar Jones
Cat Dafydd
Dee McCarney
Spenny
Jeff Lewis
Ifan Baines
Kev Smith
James Mahoney
Louis van Ekert
Rob Bruce
Huw Jones
Diane Owen
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Loongyfarchiadau mawrion mawr i ti, Diane! You were there hen I first started learning Welsh with SSiW, and you were always very willing to help anyone, particularly if anyone needed to know if something had been discussed before - I concluded then that your are a genius, even before I knew about all the other things you do. 
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Da iawn Diane , it gives me peace of mind knowing that there are people such as yourself doing so much for the Welsh language with such enthusiasm . And diolch for doing so much for SSIW
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Diolch yn Fawr Tahl. Like Louis, I remember you as one of the voices when I was starting out - calm, kind, knowledgeable. The community wouldn’t be the same without you.
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Dw i’n falch iawn dy weld ti yma, Diane / I’m so glad to see you get your richly deserved recognition.
Having got to know you at an early bootcamp and spent some time with you later in the Talbot Hotel (*) Tregaron I know what an accomplished Welsh Speaker and honorary ambassador you have become. I also know a little of your other work and achievements. Despite your not appreciating “jocs bach Huw,” I recognise you as a real woman of substance and like to think of you as a good SSiW friend.
(*) Another almost equally eminent visitor to the Talbot from USA was President Jimmy Carter on his regular fishing trips.
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There was a little backroom forum where in the early days, the style of SSiW forums was formed. Diane was one of those who brought her experience of forums and how to moderate, and was the super-calm head that allow us to resolve small problems before they became bigger problems.
There are a wider group of us who have kept in touch via Facebook - and I have the joy of Diane’s company most days with her observations on Washington life. Some of my best friends seem to be people I have rarely met yet know very well and I’m grateful to SSiW for that.
Learning Welsh isn’t just about learning a language for the sake of it, but also for the gaining the community spirit that comes with it. I know my life is richer because of that community, even if my Welsh is a bit of a parked project at the moment.
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Well done Diane, very well deserved. Like some others have already said, you were one of the group here before me and were always one of the first to jump to the aid of this struggling learner. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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Diolch @tahl! You were one of the first people I noticed on the old forum, and the first SSIWer I heard on Radio Cymru. I was really impressed, and hardly understood anything! Then you made some comment on the forum about enjoying novels in Welsh, and I remember thinking how incredibly nice it would be to be able to get to that level!
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Diolch @tahl , a Massive thank you for everything, I believe you were the first person to Welcome me on the original forum, you have been there from the start providing encouragement and help. Diolch yn Fawr iawn i ti!
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Diolch yn fawr iawn i ti, Tahl (For a long time, I didn’t know your name Diane). When I first came to the old forum, you were the person to help everyone, especially to find old threads, questions and discussions. When I read and heard that you were interviewed by BBC or S4C I really admired you. And I always loved to read your posts on the forum.
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I’ve known you through SSiW pretty much since I started learning Welsh. I remember you telling me that you only started learning a little Welsh as you wanted to be able to pronounce the place names correctly when visiting, but the language hooked you in and now you’re perfectly at home chatting in Welsh on live radio! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you in person as well as on the forum - the time we spent sharing an SSiW house during a National Eisteddfod, and that incredible day we got soaked to the skin in Parc Dinefwr but still had a great time and did it all in Welsh. You’re a wonderful ambassador for Welsh language and culture in the US, and I look forward to your next visit to your Welsh homeland.
Llongyfarchiadau @tahl
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Goodnes, Aran and all, diolch yn fawr iawn! I am hugely flattered to be included in the “galaxy” of Ser yr Wythnos.
@Deborah-SSi has my story exactly right: Back in 2009, I had no intention of learning to speak Welsh, only of learning enough to pronounce place names correctly. I stumbled on this then-new site, and the forum, and well, here we are. I couldn’t have imagined how much SSIW would change my life. It’s given me so many great new friends – @Deborah-SSi, @hewrop, @Kinetic, @robbruce among those I’ve spent the most time with, in body and in Skype, but many others whom I know only from cyberspace, like @louis (whom I can hardly believe I’ve never met). I’ve learned from every single one and benefited from every kindness.
Because of SSIW, I return to Wales as often as I can. Because of SSIW, I’m VP of my local Welsh Society here in Washington DC (which I hadn’t even joined pre-SSIW) and run a monthly language meetup. Because of SSIW, I have chatted in Welsh in a sauna in Helsinki with @tygerc .
I don’t spend as much time on the Forum as I used to, for sure. That’s because, well, I’m no longer a Welsh learner. I’m a Welsh speaker. (Say it loud and proud!)
It’s a funny thing about learning outside of Wales: I think it can be an advantage to have few obvious opportunities to practice, because any Welsh speakers or learners you find are likely to be desperate to speak with you. There was no group here when I started in 2009, but I found two other speakers (one native, one learner), we met over a beer, and we just went from there.
Community – there it is again. For me, SSIW has and always will be about community and mutual support. Diolch yn fawr iawn iawn to ALL of you for making that community.
By the way . . . I too tend to think of myself as @tahl in the SSIW context. 
So when we meet, I promise to answer to either name!
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I’m a bit late, but diolch, @tahl! You started out like me - I’m in the US, too (wish I was closer to DC so I could come to the meetups!) and I started out just wanting to know how to pronounce names and place names in a book I was reading. And then I found SSiW, and two years later I am a fledgling Welsh speaker and I’m still learning I’ve done a bunch of reading over on the old forum, and I always enjoyed and learned from your posts there. Diolch am bopeth!
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Since I’ve read quite often how you were the one helping people to find things and giving members “how to” help, I feel a bit guilty, as if I’d violently take this “job” from you.
I’ve read some of your posts but we never really interacted would it be on the forum or otherwise, so this time I don’t have much more to say, than just humble
@tahl for everything you’ve done and you’re still doing for SSi.
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