snaps: in no particular order!

our girls...



future PGA stars...



three little harrisons...



a kitten?



the JI-NORMOUS waterslide I went down with the kids-yes Ben went too-which prompted the yikes photo to be scanned in



Getting ready to leave SeaWorld...fabulous day!

Spring Break: "Take your broke A** home!"

We're back!

Road trip to Florida started at 9pm last Saturday night...never let it be said that we are exactly TIMELY in our endevors as a family. As Team Leader SOO politely pointed out to me

"I had all my stuff packed in 5 minutes."

FOR REAL?!!!
Last time I checked there were FIVE of us going to Orlando, not ONE?!!
(Clearly, it must be me!)

Anyhoo...we got in the truck and started driving.
We drove to SC.
We drove to GA.
We started looking for a hotel around Savannah.
We drove to FL.
We FOUND a hotel 20 minutes outside of Orlando, at 5:17 in the morning!
We checked in and slept until 1pm.
NICE!
Looking like ass when we got up, we drove into Orlando, and got lost.
We drove down the main strip of Orlando.

We caught up with Team Leader's family around 2:30ish and got the best gift ever:
our sister in law has lost the better part of 100 pounds!! Now, she will probably KILL me for posting this, but what Julie has done is nothing short of amazing.

Seriously.

What we all take for granted, is life, and by taking hers into control she has given us years and years to enjoy with her. I for one can't thank her enough. She's always been such an important link to Florida for me; I could NEVER imagine being there without her...maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but I really can't begin to tell her how inspiring she is, and how thankful I am for her determination!!

So now I've used [thank] in way too many sentences, and Julie is busy cursing me under her breath, but I can live with that! Short version:
WE ARE PROUD OF YOU JULES!!! and now everyone on the internet knows it! :)

The nephew-let and niece-let were fabboless!, The brother was hysterical, the sister was a hoot in the pool, and mother in law looked great, and all were fun fun fun to hang with! The kids got along so well; we all commented on how easily our children melt into one happy group of silly no matter HOW much time goes by...very lucky folks are we!



*sigh*

We spent 2 days just hanging out and playing crazy putt putt before they had to leave.



Tuesday got blown due to a stoopid stoopid timeshare pitch that we had to attend because we exchanged points to go to this yucky place in Orlando where EVERYONE is as grumpy and rude as can be!

SO we ended up at the poorman's theme park in Old Town for the day, before we finished up our family putt putt tournament "COMMANDO IN ORLANDO!" Which I won!!
Yay me!
We went to the Arabian Nights dinner show, true experience let me tell ya, that night and fell into bed.

Wednesday was a different story!


We hit SeaWorld!
Which totally rocked, even though we walked at least 8 zillion miles!

We saw Shamu, up close and personal, in the second row where we got totally soaked.





The kids all want to sponsor a Manatee,

which we will somehow figure out and do, and we all have at least one great memory. We left, exhausted, after 8+ hours at the park to begin the long drive home. THIS time, we called ahead and reserved a room in St. Augustine! Never let it be said that I don't learn from a mistake!!

We got back, to happy but wickedly spazzing kittens and a very relieved Foxy Momma, and seriously cold weather...in APRIL! Is this reality, who knows, but we're back and Team Leader leaves for Germany tomorrow. Fingers crossed there will be no available quarters on post and we'll be "forced" to live on the economy in Heidelberg (my secret wish)!

I've promised photos for days and days and that will be the next post.
really.

Hugs and Love as you celebrate the joys of Spring!
essie

blomit

this is what I've decided to call totally random blogging-it's a hybrid:
blog + vomit=blomit

I'm sure that someone far more witty than myself has already coined the phrase, but as of right now, I'm using it...it works for me...

we've spent the night debating on whether we really really need a day at Disney OR if we are ready to graduate up into the world of Universal.
It's a Ben-thing actually-Mr. Ben has bever been to Disney old enough to know that he was at Disney.

any thoughts?

I just can't wait to take them-I feel like a little girl in a shoe shop-so much to choose from! This should be excellent!!

I know I owe snaps of the kittens; we had a huge YIKES food scare with Foxy Momma on Thursday convincing me that organic food IS the only way to go-we had her on Nutro and she started crashing that morning.

VERY SCARY and not nice...thankfully, she's okay. We got her to the vet in the nick of time. SO that said, snaps will be up by tomorrow!

hugs and love!
essie

Skincare says it all-totally random blog from essie

The simple fact that I can still break out like a champ when facing uphill stress is plainly unfair-but-life happens and fortunately there is Sephora and Bliss to make my days a teeny bit easier!

Just for fun, I thought I'd post the wrap around from my skincare. Believe me it's worth it!
**********************************************************************************
skyn
ICELAND

"Party Planned for 150. Only 20 RSVPS."
"How deeper are these frown lines going to get?...Three way conference call with new boss while driving home."
"Hello Officer. I'm sure my license and registration are around here somewhere."
"I think I'm getting a rash...Trying to finish the annual sales report at midnight when the last toner cartridge gives out."
"My skin looks as worn out as I feel...
WHEN DID LIFE START SHOWING UP ON MY FACE?!"

Question: am I REALLY going to be 39 in a month?
Anaswer: why yes I am-holy crap!

Not quite a weekly top ten

But I'm trying! How about a top 5+

1. Made Team Leader tell the kids and parents about our move...very tough family meeting.

2. Decided that Europe is definately better for the kids than the 'Ville!

3. Ended up in TJMaxx and bought a fabulous skirt for Spring-tomato red crinkle crinkle crinkle!! Nothing like retail therapy to make a girl feel better about a 3000 mile move

4. Bought fab. fab, fab wine for the candle party: go Pink Truck and Mommy's Time Out!!

5. Didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this class-ended up in a sad IEP meeting for a really messed up kid instead...boo hiss

6. played with the kittens and Foxy Momma-always a gracious working Mommy, with 5 wild and rowdy feline Harrisons! :)

7. Planted a Japanese Cherry Tree in the front yard with Mom, prompting this conversation:

e: "Why do we always plant a tree in a yard that we are leaving?"
Mom: "Because it's our way of giving back to a neighborhood for all time."
(I think she is amazing and I love her very much.)

Okay, so I made it to 5+, fingers crossed next week will be significantly better.
Happy St. Patrick's Day all-
xo
essie

Question...

How do I tell our children and my parents that we have just received orders for Germany?

And, we leave the US on August 20th...

Yofi

January 1997-February 2007

"She made the world a better place by simply being in it...how many people can you say that about?"
~Gaia

HOLY KITTENS!!!

For real!

Foxy Momma had 6 itty bitty Harrisons last night...the coldest night of the week...on top of Team Leader's EXTENSION CORDS instead of in the nice cozy bed we had for her!!

WTF an I going to do with 5 kittens...(we lost one, and are burying him later today)
They can't be taken from her for 10-12 WEEKS?!! Let's remember that I'm SOOOOO not the Animal Planet Mom, and HOLY KITTENS!!! IN THE GARAGE!!!!

HOLY KITTENS people!!!
HOLY KITTENS!!!

hugs and love,
e

Momma's Freak Flags

so...this weekend I had a staff development (mandatory-natch!)and no one to watch the kiddos (as Team Leader is currently overseas, protecting the world from devestation). Mom and Dad got here at 9pm that night (missing the staff dev. entirely, but what the hay, the house was still standing when I got home!) stayed for a yummo bisghetti dinner and then took my bean-ahs and LEFT.

Yup. They left.

And called me at 3am to let me know they were back in VA safe and sound. Mom and Dad gave me 48 hours of total alone time-something I am SO not accustom too-and something I probably wasted, as I had no clue what to do with myself! Given that I am convinced "Early Stages" are setting in I make lists for everything due in my life and made a list for how this time should ideally be spent. (It was good in theory-really it was!)

This list was a doozey!

I realized when I was only 2 items down my list, that I neeeded a backup plan...(Plan B so to speak, since my obsessive listing is Plan A.) That's when everything clicked and I grabbed my camera.

For 2o minutes I walked around our entire house taking snaps of EVERYTHING that freaks me out-all the little things that turn me into a total screaming banshee. I took photos of them all.

Whatever in the world for, you ask...simple. The most amazing "here it is, flying in your face" scrapbook that only a tired mother could appreciate. I'm calling this soon to be masterpiece:
"Momma's Freak Flags"

The idea being that if this family of mine could see all that makes me crazy, they might, just might do something to help me out...wash a dish, fold a shirt, walk a dog, make a bed, hang up a wet towel. You name it. Then, in my parallel universe I would take snaps of beautifully finished products, so my Harrison peeps could see how lovely life could be.

How grand!

Mom and Dad left today, after doing one thing that had been plaguing me for days-they did the impossible and cleaned Preston's room.

It is glorious. You can actually see his bed, the window and amazingly, his floor! I had forgotten what it looked like! It's the first perfect freak flag snap I'm taking for this album, it commands center stage I believe.

Leave it to Gaia and GrandpaDad to give me the most heartfelt gift ever...
*sigh*

hugs and love folks,
e

The Year of the Golden Pig

So it turns out that 2007, in the Chinese Calendar is the most amazing year we will know for another 600 years.

How fabulous-but-
what does that mean?!

Ask Gaia;
the knower of all-knowing,
the keeper of totally random facts,
THE Gaia.

A few weeks ago, she mentioned that a local restaurant in Warrenton had FINALLY begun to continue their renovations after months and months of inactivity. She said that it was the Year of the Golden Pig and it was so monumental that HAD to explain why things had started moving.

The Year of the Golden Pig defined(according to Gaia) meant any babies born, businesses begun, marriages-anything would be more prosperous, more blessed, more! more! more! than any other year...period. Now she did elaborate, and, for bloggers sake this is a short version. But, coming from her, it did sound golden.

When she came to spend the weekend with us 2 weeks ago I knew we had to commemorate the day accordingly and we went to Just Claying Around. Gaia had never painted pottery before, this was a REALLY big deal and at first she was very unsure about what she could do-the only rule I had for everyone was that a pig had to be somewhere on their pottery!
Mom and I picked piggy banks (couldn't hurt!)
Preston picked a trivet.
Dollie picked a tile with a piggy and kitten add-on, and, a shoe shaped phone holder.
Ben picked a pirate and VW Bug bank that he painted with black stripes.
What you see next...we had a Golden Pig kind of day.

Mom said she had the time of her life!
Which convinced me, more than Yeng Chen rebuilding, that the Year of the Golden Pig had indeed begun.

hugs and love all!
essie

ps-if anyone can help me pull up the sidebar stuff-it's making me loco!

The only time I've EVER agreed with Dr. Phil...

"I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me.."

This is how a fantastic email from my friend Michele began, and the rest, well that is what followed!

ENJOY-I'm off to finish my pinktruck!
xox
essie
*********************************
By following the simple advice I heard on the Dr. Phil show, I have finally found inner peace.

Dr. Phil proclaimed, "the way to achieve inner Peace is to finish all the things you've started and never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off
a bottle of Merlot,
a bottle of White Zinfandel,
a bottle of Kahlua,
a package of Oreos,
the remainder of my old Prozac prescription,
the rest of the cheesecake,
and
a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel now. :-)

Foxy Momma

Here she is...in all her splendor! My future 40th birthday present, in her early stage!! For more info on the WHAT?! and the WHY?!! go to http://www.pinktruckwine.com and click on the "Share your Story" link-we are there-and (the coolest part) the VP of Marketing for the company emailed me to let me know how much she enjoyed the story, and that she was sending me some PINK TRUCK BEANINES to keep me warm this winter!!

Let's talk about the fact that it's 70 degrees, and it's JANUARY!

Quick catch up, work still BLEECH, Fayetteville still BLEECH, but I'm figuring out how to deal, and deal I must.

2007 should be everything that 2006 wasn't....

hugs and love to everyone~
essie

a teacher's wish list

so my buddy Alex asked me once to make a "hmm...what do they REALLY want" blog and after today, I think I might have the answer to every teacher's dream gift-

alcohol.

Yup, that's what we really want.
We want to cut loose-get our groove on-let down our hair-party like it's 1999.
If you think we don't, you're wrong.
We do.
Even when we think we don't.
We do.

The perfect gift-a bottle of fabulous wine (yet to be drunk by me)
"Praxis"
Yes.
That is the real label...
PRAXIS!!!

Can you believe it?!!
Neither could I?
But receive it, I did, with a fabulous corker in the shape of a silver bell
(a la The Polar Express)
from a colleague who is helping me find my
CREATIVELY INSUBORDINATE self.

(that's a post for another day!)

We also like the chachkies, like ornaments and whatever we collect (for me, that is wine labels-ask Avery, she started this mess!)

We love personalized things, and coffee mugs (if we don;t drink coffee, a mug will make a great pen holder).

We love chocolate, and baked goodies, and dinners we don't have to cook much less plan!

Most of all, (and most days but not all,) what we love most are your kids.

We don't get paid to do this, we choose to do this.
You share your greatest gifts with us, and trust us to do no harm but instill good-
every day.

Big job.
Whoa big job.

Keep gifts light, happy, full of genuine hugs and love, and if at a total loss-give the booze!
We may not remember what we do as we drink it, but we will ALWAYS remember who the gift giver was!

Always!

one of the hundreds of reasons why I love Rae...

This was the email I got yesterday...don't be surprised if you all get bells from me this year!!
enjoy-
xoxoxo
essie
*********************************************************************************
The Bell

Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse.
But if you stop your car or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to her halter is a small bell.
It lets her blindfriend know where she is, so he can follow her.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray.

When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.
God watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this.

You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

"Sahwee"

That was Dulce-her most famous one liner, which I must borrow as it seems to fit for this post...

Friday was a REALLY
REALLY
REALLY bad night.
The weekend wasn't so hot either, but Friday, well I think I hit rock bottom.
I told Hannah that talking to people has made me miss them SO much more it actually hurts and Friday night I got to speak to Alex AND Eadie...by the time I got home I was done.

I was done with work (which still really sucks, but I guess, oh well)
I was done with dishes
I was done with laundry
I was so done with our two dogs-
I was done with gift wrap and glitter everywhere
(and you all know how much I love glitter!!)
I was done staring at my living room and feeling like nothing in it was home for me, nothing was real.

What I "got" over the weekend is, living here in NC is real.
For now, I can't change that.

What is also very real, is how much I care for and miss all of you-
so much
so, so much.

Everyday, each of you did something that made my day real (-even if "we were in a fight!")
Everyday I knew you'd pop in or out somehow, maybe a phone call, maybe an email, a funny pair of socks, a song on the radio that my kids shouldn't hear (much less sing), a morning radio show, breakfast a la Safeway, or surprise me with Starbucks, a beautiful child who smiled their daily greeting-or shouted it for that matter...every way you shared your lives with me.
I didn't say it out loud enough, my heart must have taken it all in.
It all mattered.

You were all my clique...and click, we did.
I think my heart broke a little on Friday, and I'm so sorry if I freaked anyone out, but I just couldn't keep it all in and was so sad! Blogger got the best of me, and the end result was my post.

SO, I am taking Avery's advice and not listening to Michael Buble' ANYMORE! Tony has promised to take at least one Friday off a month just for us/our family, and isn't football season over soon?! We'll see more of him then too, I hope!

Rae reaches out through storm clouds for me and Hannah said that I can get to the end of the year; she's right, I can. Alex and Eadie helped me recognize that hard decisions are hard decisions, but always happen for a reason. Rahn knows what to say, even when it makes her feel uncomfortable...Tali, we'll talk soon! I have an "effing" conference to go to, tomorrow, overnight. La reminded me that this IS my season, so the tree goes up this weekend! Gab and e, with what you have been through this year, I have no right to be silly-thank you for you and understanding me.

With all your hugs and love, I'll get back to me. I'm under all these curls-well frizz actually-the winter here is just rain, which really sucks for curly headed people!
thank you guys-I love you all so so much-

essie

now, b/c I am clearly a spazz, I can't get my song to play...it's a good one
"You Get What You Give" by New Radicals and definately worth the listen.
xoxo
e

what to say?

don't quite know.
I am officially miserable here.
I miss my friends and family-well family/friends-whatever, they're all a big blurry group of love anyway-
I miss
I miss
I miss and it makes me very sad.

Has anyone else ever felt this empty after all the boxes are finally put away, and you can't clean your garage even ONE more time? What is WRONG with me???
It certainly can't get any worse, I just keep hearing the Michael Buble' song in my head, and I just don't know what to do.

Breathing again...

Okay.

So I unloaded my UMPH onto cyber space, for which I am hopeful that cyper-karma gods don't zap me with lightning bolts, but will take the punishment if it means I don't have to put up with the CONSTANT stream of unneccessary crap-ola that is daily life in the ridiculous state of mind otherwise known as NORTH CAROLINA!

I got my class Monday afternoon.

See munchkins below.















THEY, are sweet, and I like them VERY much.

WE stay in our room and dance, paint, and sing our way through the school day...and stupid Cumberland County's lame ass curriculum.

THAT makes me happy.

Next week we'll begin my lame ass attempt at dealing with my job description and what it requires of me...even though my newly issued NC license says that I only have a Bachelor's Degree.
Yup.
You read right-apparently I only have a bachelor's degree...I guess the two years I spent busting MY ass immediately after Dollie was born-that was a figment of my imagination.

OMG

I'm officially over it. And I most likely burnedthe last bridge I had remaining, when I called the Licensure Lady I've been forced to deal with since August (remember that call Ave...) and left a message on her machine (in a clipped esther is pissed tone) that said:

"This is unacceptable. After everything I've been through with this county, this must be resolved immediately."

I'm thinking it will be 2007 before that happens.

For now, I'm replaying this song, SO frequently that all 3 Harrison children are over it too...they just don't know the power Eadie, do they?! Quick question, do you think I can get away with playing this song at school...hmmm...bwa ha ha!

FYI, North Carolina isn't an Inclusion State. According to the info I got today, when I asked why a new child with 30 hours didn;t have a PDA...there ARE NO PDA's here...
"[they] just aren't there yet. It's happening now, but it will be a while before those children are in our schools." (Yes, there is a school 30 miles away and another school actually in Fayetteville where all the fantastic kiddos are shipped and housed. FOR REAL)

So next quick question-when Public Law was passed North Carolina wasn't a state yet, RIGHT?!!

Rahn, Eadie, Wahoo, Tie-lee: help. help. help.
It can't just be me, can it?

And before I go- a shout out to my peeps who pulled off the election of the century, and perhaps will put the debacle of No Child Left Behind, BEHIND us!

xoxoxox
essie

bad mood

NC sucks.

Don't EVER move here-no matter how good the song makes it sound.

November

a new month
a new job
a new life-YIKES!

I think it's time for new music

The Wash

a funny little title, I know, but alot of things come and go courtesy of the wash.

For example, socks-what in the WORLD is up with the sock Bermuda Triangle mysteriously hidden inside my washing machine?! And the phrase: "It will all come out in the wash..." certainly didn't apply to the load of laundry I woke up to on Monday morning that had gone through with a blue ink pen!

yup. scratch one entire load of Preston and Team Leader's clothing...it wasn't the best way to begin the week. In fact, it set the tone for my week, which has been VERY messy to say the least!

Before I begin, a disclaimer of sorts, I am very tired. I am missing Virginia. I am aware that one should always be careful of what they wish for-I just wish sometimes that somethings weren't so messy...and that the wash was simply, just the wash.

This week I "hung out" with my new 1st grade team mates. Fun, you would think, cautiously optimistic is more like it. I do have the most teaching experience on the team, but little if any of it, is helping me here. WHAT?! How can that be?! I've been doing this for 15 years-I may not have taught in Connecticut, but shouldn't I know everything by now?!
But you're never too old to stop learning, and,
I've learned this week that North Carolina is CWAZY!!!

After spending 3 days completing the reading assessments of the two 1st year teachers on the team, I did get the downlow from a teammate with 6 years of experience, who goes on Maternity leave in 5 days:
WHOLE GROUP BASAL READING instruction
say it again-
WHOLE GROUP BASAL READING instruction is MANDATORY and I'm not allowed to do author studies.

WHAT-HOLY CRAP-WHAT!!!

It's taken me all week to actually process this.
I actually think I might have made a mess of things by questioning the greater wisdom of Cumberland County when I asked my new boss:

e: "Um, whole group reading instruction...for real?!"
boss: "Yup." (with a bitten lip)
e: "no author studies?!"
boss: "not during literacy block." (with a bitten lip)
e: stupid look is coming across face
boss: "I want you to try this and then we will dialogue."
e: still stupid, and got nothing at this point

HOLY CRAP!

Taking my mind off of everything I am finding impossible to believe has been the amazing story of how Sam Angel came from Korea to Reston. (Kevin, you are a fantastic writer!)

I have cried everyday reading this beautiful story of thanksgiving, and love. I have thanked G-d at least 100 times for his life because I know how much the simple idea of him meant to his parents and now, how much his actual being has already changed them forever.

What a miracle!

I hoped when I called Hannah that she had made it to the airport to welcome him on behalf of K-1 (hee hee) but never expected to hear from her, my Rahnie, and Miz Candy about the heartfelt hugs and love that he received "Team Tang" style! I am SOOO proud of you guys for your Kindergarten crafty-ness!
Yay You!!

What you did was a perfect example of what can go RIGHT in the wash...all those unbelievable tang shirts, my $700 near death experience, neighbors who were stressing over a sea of orange, and breaking Jheri's washing machines when we let the bleach pens get the better of us...good times ladies, good times!
This is what those wonderfully ridiculous shirts now mean:
They mean welcome-
They mean unity-
They mean love-
They mean friendship-
They mean that babies DO come from the airport, and that, means everything!

Yay La! Yay Kevin! Yay, Yay, Yay SAM! G-d bless you three-and Sam, be the best little bumblebee you can be!

In the land of Oz, your dreams can come true

Day One as a WFTP...for those of you just tuning in, that means Working Full Time Princess...
and DRA is a developmental reading assessment-in Virginia...In NC, it just means that you can read.

I got to school with wet hair, and a scrunchy (thank G-d!) wearing my uber cute outfit from my days as a Yankee Candle Hottie-with the crazy shoes which I will never wear for an entire day again!
I also managed to have Ben and Dollie with me-ha
and we three all had lunches.
Nice.
We pulled in as Mrs. Mims pulled in-Ben greeted her with:
"MY MOMMA IS A TEACHER NOW MRS. MIMS!"
Very sweet!
Mrs. Mims took me around and I got to meet a few "need to know" folks.
It was very nice and quite humbling to FINALLY get to Rockfish, and hear how happy folks were that I was joining "The Rock!"
I got to meet the new OT teacher, who laughed when I told her that I thought a good OT teacher was like a personal McGuyver, but then I realized no one could EVER fill the shoes of the original McGuyver...I miss you SOOOO much my psycho sista, aka Yoda...
And Rahn, I think I'm actually going to be YOU at this school...holy moly- now I'm Robin!

After whipping around First Grade, I spent the day with a First Year Teacher, who was having the day from hell:
Crazy behavior problem child left during lunch,
cutie patootie that I had DRA'ed (Louise tell Ann Gray I NEED HER!!!) throws up all over herself and the classroom carpet during Social Studies, newbiw teacher stands there, calls for help as I clean CP up, poor little disaster...
sweet Military Boy who is going to a new school and has to have all his records complete by 1:30 sits down with her to have his NC DRA done, she levels him at a 15 then at 1:15 REALIZES that he ended Kindergarten on a level 32.

Holy C-rap!

Okay, I did try to tell her that I really didn't think the day had been that bad, particularly when she was getting their afternoon folders ready for home and she saw that one of her cherubs had signed his own behavior letter as if he was his mother!
In purple crayon!!!!
That, I told her, was excellent!
I also told her she needed to make a smile file and put that in there.
I also told her to get the heck out of Dodge and GO HOME, before she hated Rockfish (her assistant was nodding her head in agreement, so I felt like it was fairly decent advice.)
So much for being a positive mentor!

In the land of Oz, your dreams can come true...

I wish my friend's husband would find a job here. I dont want her to move to KY...even with the jelly joke.
I wish I had written more letters to my cousin who passed away last summer. Random, I know, but I miss her.
I wish that I can be the person all these new people are expecting me to be. Um, yah, so I'm thinking that I should have taken EVERYTHING from HWES that wasn't bolted down.
I wish Samson would quit dumping his nasty ass bone chew on my lap. Yuck.
I wish I had thought to buy TiVo before today! I LOVE the new show The Nine, but can't stay up to watch.
I wish for my teacher pal and her husband and new son to have the safest, bestest, most fantastic trip back to the states from Korea EVER, and that life is happily ever after for them.
It just should be-they deserve a little slice of happy!
I wish, I wish, I wish...

I wish hugs and love for every single person I know who loves me, because I love them back!
xoxox
essie

'Round the Way girls unite!

Erika- you aren't leaving NC.
Lori "Savage-Buzz" next time the mail is late, you get boxes of candy for not telling!
LC-HAPPY BIRTHDY BUZZ (sorry I'm late!)
Bec-Where is that white fur rug anyway?!
Louise-this was my hip hop in college! hee hee
Rae-can you believe I found this song?!!
Fly Mama Rose-you are 100% around the way!!

There are so many of you; listen to the song and laugh at the hair, and know that I love you all!

xoxox
essie

FINALLY!!

I have a JOB!

No classroom, but a job!
Here's the skinny:
Rockfish is exploding at the seams, so 2 "learning cottages" have been requested.
That means that 2 teachers are moving into them...leaving room for me, and I'm assuming the Art teacher (who up until now, had been "Art on a Cart!")
I start on Thursday-yes folks, that's 2 days away!!

Can I get a "Holy Crap!" from somewhere out in cyber space!
The SAHP (stay at home PRINCESS as I have called myself) is freaking-but feeling very blessed!

For the time being I will act as Instructional Support for the 1st grade team, as I learn the routine at Rockfish and get to know the kids. VERY exciting change for me!

All the SPED experience is already being put to use on paper, as I believe I've got one or two very special friends that I will be working with and who will eventually be part of my classroom-when I get one!

Finally, finally, finally!
Woohoo!
Good things always happen right before the money runs out!
xoxoxo

essie

How do you know who your friends are?

We took Sierra from school and kept her for a wonderful weekend-Cooper arrived late Saturday afternoon for a sleepover with Ben, his "brother from another mother" as Angus was so informed!

The girls were fab-they are just fab-as the pictures will show:

I love these 2 children, and I love my girl
"Tie-Lee!" (Tell your momma that I'm saying it RIGHT, just don't let her know I'm not spelling it right!)

In the car going to dinner, this was the conversation between Ben and Cooper

Ben: Cooper, do you miss me?

Cooper: Oh yes!

Ben: Is 1st grade fun without me?

Cooper: NO. I don't like it without you.

Ben: Why?

Cooper: Because you not being there, makes me Bensick...

Ben: I miss you too...

OMG-OMS-OML-MM (that's "oh my stars", "oh my lands", and "mercy me") did Cooper just say he was BENSICK and am I driving the car CRYING now?!

Why yes.

I am.

The friendship these 2 little munchkins have makes my heart SING and cry because I wish we were closer...

But, we aren't, and my entire point is my kids have friends who have gone from Virginia to North Carolina back to Virginia and that is how they know who their friends are-distance changes nothing! Real friends travel with you-they are in your heart, your head, and shape who you become...HUGS and LOVE to you all! essie

new music-

this was for Ben, who came in while I was blogging, crying his eyes out thanks to his sister and a flair for the dramatic! He wanted Chingy "One Call Away" but the video...um no Mr. Ben, not for you! And for those of you who need an Esther Fun Fact: it is RUDY from the Huxtable Family who plays the "female lead" in Chingy's video...

This music is ALSO for all my Momma Pals, whose children have taken "inappropriate cd's" to preschool for show and share!

xoxox

Today there will be record blog-madness!

Preston had NO CLUE about the surprise pizza dinner and seeing Laura and Kellen, who brought Erica, ex girlfriend of his best friend Luke! It was excellent! I'll let the snaps speak for themselves...

Preston and Laura have known each other since they were 3-it's an awesome friendship, and I'm very appreciative of Laura's mother Catherine who has also supported hours of travel in order for them to see one another!
Kellen came to us through Laura-another cutie patootie, whose mother also gets mad props for allowing a friendship to grow!

("Rock on" is Ben's contribution to Preston taking a photo with 2 girls!)











And, could we love Pres and Luke ANY MORE?!!!
no. nope. no way, no how.

As we left, Pres said to me:
"Mom, that was sneaky and underhanded and I will get you back one day, but it was cool, very , very cool."
And my heart exploded

WOOHOO

I just found out that I passed the PRAXIS test!!
YAY!!!

"Holy Friendship, Batman!!" said Robin

Okay- that was for you Rahn, b/c we didn't get to see each other!

Our "Surprise, you are THIRTEEN" trip to VA was a hands down fantastic success! We arrived late Thursday night, in time to celebrate the cakeness of Preston's bday with Gaia, GrandpaDad, and Dunc. GrandpaDad got the quote for the day: "Didn't we just clean all this up?!" after the kids ransacked their newly put away toys...
Oh so love that snap! So, we had cake, Preston got some new skater clothes and we all fell into bed, very tired Goldberg-Harrisons!

The next day Dollie and I woke up a "o-dark-thirty" and drove into Reston to visit friends-family actually-at HWES. It was tremendous-all the hugs and love-neither of us could have expected that much affection, but we got it and gave some back!

*side bar note: I owe my "fly mama rose" more than love, an apology actually, b/c I didn't get to see HER, which still makes me very sad and I am very sorry! Next time I come to you FIRST!!*

From the office, to Science, to Second Grade: MaryLou Flowers and DULCE, to Music, to the cafeteria, back upstairs to 5th grade and Molly Downs who had NO CLUE we were coming (as my honey Tylea keeps such a good secret and smashing fantastic Sierra who came RUNNING up to her best friend Dollie screaming her head off during a reading test...NICE!), around to GT and MY OLD CLASSROOM-holy smoke JUST doesn't seem to cover it. Tremendous, fabulous, wonderful, precious friendship and LOVE!

Wow.



Icing on the cake was seeing my Louise

- (no comments about the FACE photo-we were happy!)

and watching a certain 4th grade teacher reinact her heart exploding...

Wow.
And that was all before 2pm.

The face of thirteen:

is this boy!

And when I get some time-real momma time-to share all the little minutes of his precious life, I will.

For today, I want to cuddle him like I did, recall our days at Pooh Corner, and simply remember the beautiful Fall day that changed my life forever.

ILY Pres

xoxox

momma

ps-honey, this was our song, and it always makes me cry! Crazy long hair, grumpy "whatever's" smelly socks-you ARE my little boy and I'm always here for you. Always.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

It's Fall...It's Fall...It's Fall-YAY!

Still unemployed, but the VA retirement dollars got here YESTERDAY, so we're good for a few more months. Needless to say, I've started my holiday shopping-just in case! :) I think this might be a problem-a real shopping issue-any thoughts on how to stop the madness out there?
Or should I just accept the fact that perhaps this is a gift...
:)
I'm working that angle!

It's October 1-birthday shout out to my girl Karen who is officially THIRTY EIGHT! Woohoo-welcome to the club!

before I forget-Alex wants a "teachers really want THIS" list**
I'm on it!

How random is this post becoming?! What I intended on doing when I logged on, was honoring the "non pet" that has adopted our family...so what I'll do for now is let you know that it has 4 legs, and is living on my front porch thanks to the efforts of Dollie and Ben. A proper post will follow later!

I realized that after much gush about my pumpkin topiaries, I posted the wreath!
Nice one-
Here is the porch....and I'll get a real snap of the topiaries up because they are the "it" factor if I do say so myself! :) And now blogger is being stinky and it won't let me add new pics!
For now friends, this is it!

hugs and love!

essie