on a plane

Dad should be on a plane right now on his way to us. :)

Yay. Things always feel so much better when we're all together.

when things seemed right

i know it sounds whiney...

but there are times, when i just can't help but wish that i could go back to 10 years ago...5 years ago...or even just 1 year ago to the day, when things seemed right...and i shouldn't have wished for anything else because at the time life was perfect.

choked up

had another rather cute reaction today from one of my kids who i just told i was leaving. i told him that i wouldn't be here next year, and his eyes got really big, he pulled his shirt half way up over his face and yells, "WHAT?!!! Who's gonna help me calm down when I get ANGRY?!! I'm gonna end up ripping 'em all to SHREDS!!" So we talk about the teachers that he works well with, told him there'd be a new counselor, we talk about how it makes us feel sad, and in the middle of me talking he goes, "Awee MAN, this SUCKS!!!" and although he and I both laughed at his outburst (he never uses bad words and i think it caught him by surprise) after he left and even now my eyes filled with tears. he's a student i've worked with since kindergarten, and who in the first grade gave me this beat up used Christmas ornament filled with candy, but something he made just for me and i remember clearly how proud he was and how touched i was...and oh god, i'm so going to miss these kids.

...and so i sit here writing this in my office because at this moment, we're in the middle of an evening school event, and i had to take a break because standing in the hall, talking to a couple of parents about my leaving and talking about their daughter and how much i've enjoyed having her at Muir, he starts to say how grateful they've been to have me here too, and as he's thanking me this dad gets teary eyed, and so i get all choked up and had to come into my office and collect myself, cause i can just feel i'm about to completely break down...it's so so so hard leaving these families and kids.

click - bam - bye

click
- there are some people that regardless of how often you get together or stay in touch, when you see each other and start talking you just click and fall in sinc...whether it's similar social awareness, political views, job history...you could talk the whole night and it feels good...and i realized tonight on the way home from dinner how precious that is.

bam
- and then i hit a possum. well, all i saw was a flash of white, but i hit the brakes and slowed and yelled out loud UH OH..and then TH-THUNK...praying it wasn't a cute cat or dog i slowed to a stop in the middle of the road watching my rear view to see if i should pull over, but there making a 180 turn and returning from where it came was a BIG - UGLY - FAT - YUCKY-TAILED POSSUM. BLECH. but at least it was alive

bye
- the good-bye continues. tomorrow i'll be telling two counseling groups i work with that i won't be returning next year...and today again a little boy came down to ask me if i really had to go, he's come to my office every day since he found out i'd be leaving. and when i smiled sadly at him and said, "i'm sorry, yes." he frowned and said, "oh, that's right. your family. how are they doing?" which was so adult of him it brought tears to my eyes.

BLEACH!!!

A RAT JUST RAN OVER MY FOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(not in our house, outside when we got home tonight)

PCT - Pacific Crest Trail

There are times when some people, their goals, their journeys and aspriations just astound you.

Kim and Brent at this VERY moment are treking along the Pacific Crest Trail probably just a few hundred steps into their 5 month journey.

Umm...did you get that? 5 month journey!!! (and just 2 backpacks!!! oh, and a violin)

Here's wishing them a wonderful time, safe journey and bounds of good weather!!

play therapy

you never know what comes out during play therapy...

today's quote from a 5 yr old Kindergartner, "Not now son, I'm pooping!"

mother's day

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. We miss you.

more books

since we're on books, let me throw in a couple pictures of my 2nd favorite book store. (i'm creating a mental list in my head)

#1 - Powell's Books, Portland
#2 - Tattered Page, Denver
#3 - Elliot Books, Seattle

Here's the Tattered Page...shoot, or was it Tattered cover?
An old fashioned, what I believe to be apartment building with just a huge spacious interior, floor to ceiling shelves of books and SO many cozy places to read!!

how to end a hard week

Good glass of wine with a good book.

Sare is right, I'm addicted. I'm not a vampire fan, but i can't get enough of these teeny-bopper books. Start with Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. You won't be able to put them down.

quote of the week

One 5th grade student to another 5th grader:
"Hey, wanna trade brothers?! I'll even throw in a tomato slicer! ...nah, it might not be worth it, maybe I'll try eBay."

"everyone knows your name"

I had a rough night last night, and had a rough morning this morning...and after crying on the way to work, decided to stop for a coffee...

this tiny little painted hole in the wall, between the train tracks, the sculpture park and on the water of puget sound...had 5 people in line in front of me (unimaginably long for Seattle standards)...but as I stood there I realized the barista new every person's name, their coffee, and a little bit about them...he was happy, kind, sincere...and it was strangely comforting. (even if he didn't know my name)

the beginning of difficult

here's a sign that the beginning of the end is near...and that things are starting to get difficult...

in our interviewing candidates for the counselor position next year, one of the applicants asks me as a school counselor what do i like about this school? and as i put together and describe my school my eyes start to well with tears and i get choked up.

and now sitting here late Friday afternoon, on her way out the door a teacher stops by to say, "i just want you to know, that you are the heart of this school." and proceeds to tell me about how it's not just the children and families who love me, but the staff, and how they look to me and come to me when they have problems...and continues...and as she does i start to cry. they're things i don't think about simply because i love this job, it's what i do and what i enjoy.

this is going to be really really hard. god i love this school.

Things I'll miss about Seattle:

• John Muir Elementary