MOVING

So, we are supposed to be moving into our apartment this weekend. It's a 2 bdrm duplex, but we will make it home. I'm working now also, barely pays, but at least it does pay. I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know I'm going to try to.

Update on Giovanni: He is measuring 30.75 inches tall and 19.8 pounds. He has 4 teeth and #5 and #6 are coming in now. He talks a little, but cusses more. He can't quite make the "F" sound, but gets the rest of the word just fine! lol.. (Ooops. Bad Da-Da!) He loves to say Bad Da-Da and Bad Ma-ma. Makes us feel special. He still isn't walking, but I know he could if he'd quit being so stubborn and lazy. Oh well, he is a man (little man that is).

I miss you all (those of you I don't see daily that is....)

Just a quick update:

Congrats to Karen and Chad on their announcement!

Now it seems the pregnancy bug is back to Donnie and I... I'm not sure if we're ready for that. Hopefully it will hold off on hitting us until we are moved and settled into our new place!!! I'm not sure if I really want to find out I'm pregnant with number two then have to move. My sister keeps picking on me that I'm already pregnant and just don't know it yet because I've had an increase in bathroom runs, heightened sense of smell and nausea a few mornings the last week or so.

I love you all. Congrats again to Karen & Chad! (Keep the bug in Michigan!!!)

New place to see pics/videos

Okay, since I am still having problems with this photo/video uploader (I think it just doesn't like my file sizes!) you can view some pics and videos taken with my cell phone (meaning they are SHORT videos, like, 10 seconds each) at http://www.axcessmypics.com/MelissaFrush/jsps/blog

There are some cute ones on there already of G-man. Hope you like.

Having Issues with Video Uploads.

Okay all; I am having problems getting videos to upload to this site, so for now you can visit my YouTube site to see videos of Giovanni. The Web Address is http://www.youtube.com/LissaLuvsYa Hopefully you can all view it okay. I figure this is the easiest way for everyone to see the new videos of Goo, some of which are larger than the Blogger site allows. Again, the videos are very basic, just little looks into his everyday life. There are vides of him crawling around and drinking a bottle, and a video of him watching Madagascar and talking back to the TV. LoL Right now little man is trying to cut some more teeth, so his gums are all swelled up and he is cranky.

We are hoping this house will sell soon so we can come up there to be with Family. We are definitely looking forward to spending time with all of you and to G having some playmates his age (well, close to it. Jordan and Aubrey being not far behind him in age).

The Life and Times of Lissa

Born in 1982, Lissa has seen a lot in her relatively short life. She has dealt with more than most her age; yet she has persevered to become the strong, intelligent, driven woman she is today. There are many facets to this woman you see before you today. She is a mother, a daughter, a friend, a lover, a fighter, a Bitch, a mentor, an inspiration; the list could go on for eternity. One thing Lissa is not, however, is someone that will easily turn her back on those she cares about. She may put up a tough front, but underneath the rough and tumble exterior is a fragile little girl, uncertain where things in her life went so terribly wrong.

You may not realize this, but Lissa isn't really as strong as she likes to put off to be. A lot of things she plays off as not affecting her have left deep emotional scars on her that she battles with on a daily basis. From the abandonment issues surrounding her early childhood to the fear of being loved as an adult, there are years and years of issues she has held just under the surface; afraid to show her vulnerability to others for fear of being judged as less than her peers, she has kept everything bottled up inside.

I am planning to start a new blog, entitled The Life and Times of Lissa to tell more about me and my past. This will be my form of "therapy" about my past. I will probably jump around depending on what issues and demons I am battling that day, but it is certain to be quite insightful to who I am and why I am the way I am. Some of this may even prove to be a revelation to me, so please bear with me as I jump back in time to explore who I am and where I came from.

I honestly believe that blogging can cure the soul. That being said, I feel blogging can be quite dangerous when it explores parts of ourselves that we have chosen to hide for months, years and even decades.

Get ready to go on a bumpy ride to into the Life and Times of Lissa. It is sure to be a tantalizing experience.

 

This blog was originally posted to Lissa's World at 12:25 am on 08/08/08 to announce this blog and give a slight glimpse as to what it may contain.

Still Waiting on Change

Here I sit, still waiting on change to come knocking on my door. Forget opportunity. I am waiting for someone to buy my house so I can move out and move on. I want to buy my new home so G and I can start getting ready for the holidays. We can get our life in order. We can be a little family. There is a possibility of getting an English Mastiff puppy and Pitt Puppy for G. I'm sure he would love those. Poor buddy is teething and not feeling his best. I feel so bad for him. He needs to be somewhere we can be ourselves. Right now he is trying to poop his pants. His little face makes the funniest expressions as he does this.

I have learned so much about being a Mom in the last year. I would never change that for anything. It is a much harder job than I expected, but I'm loving most every minute of it.

More Pics of the Gio

Giovanni looking way too cute.



Below is Me, after being up all night cleaning. I was REALLY tired!

This blog

This blog will be kept open, for now at least, just so that everyone (and I do mean everyone) can get updates on G.

I still have my own personal blog, which I am using the heck out of and the site for that is ItsLissasWorld.Blogspot.com so feel free to check that out if ya want to.

Thanks.

Giovanni's Mom.

Giovanni

Well, Giovanni is officially a year old now. Amazing the changes that have taken place. Our family is... well.... anyhow. Here are a couple pics of Gio from today, 7-13-08, just before he talked to Daddy on the phone.


















I hope everyone enjoys these.

Giovanni's Mom.

Giovanni's 1st Bday Professional Pics

Pics Of Giovanni's first swim (not in utero) 06 20 2008

The House Situation

Wow. I am not sure whether to be ecstatic or mildly annoyed. We are having yet another showing today (good thing), but we just got called at 11:30 am to advise us there is a showing at 1:00 pm today (very short notice=bad thing). We were supposed to be given 24 hours notice minimum for showings so we could pick up the house and arrange to have all eight of us living here up and ready to leave before the potential buyers get here. Also, only persons who are pre-qualified or pre-approved for a loan are supposed to be getting showings for the house, and yet the one that was here yesterday was not pre-anything!

I guess Donnie. Giovanni and I are going to walk up to Staffmark so he can update his drug screening to see if they have any temp jobs he can work while we are waiting for the house to sell. This house had better sell quickly, because I am most definitely ready to move on.

Oh, and we are still in the midst of packing and sorting everything in the house. I never realized how much stuff we have. It amazes me when I go through things and realize how much I had bought while working 16 hour shifts at the police department, and never used them, or even took them out of the box. I found that I have 2 or 3 of some items, none of which have ever been opened. Once I'm done sorting and packing, I may never need to buy deodorant, shampoo, razors, razor blades or batteries again! Well, at least not for the next year or two.

Anyhow, I am off of here for now so that I can get dressed, get Giovanni dressed, pick up in both bedrooms, find shoes, get the stroller out, prepare the diaper bag, make bottles for Giovanni and get a ice cold bottled water ready for me, put Gio in the stroller, and head out the door, all within the next hour.

I love you all and just keep your fingers crossed this house sells quickly! I am, in my opinion anyway, going slowly insane with each passing day!
**POSTED BY LISSA AT 11:37 AM ON ITSLISSASWORLD.BLOGSPOT.COM**

Hey everyone! Our house is on the market, as you all know, but HERE is your first chance to see an official listing of it! We are going to add many more pics, and much better ones, as we get them taken. Our Realtor, Chris Reed, of Victor Casasanta Realty Inc, is going to list us on Realtor.com as well as his own personal site. As soon as those listings are up, we will let everyone know!

We are very excited about this, and are looking forward to our move to Michigan. For those who don't know, we are looking at the Battle Creek area, or Calhoun County in general. We have found a couple of houses that we really love, but cannot make any offers until we have this house in contract.

If anyone knows ANYONE who wants to live near Columbus, OH, please have them check us out. We are less than 15 minutes from Columbus here in Grove City. It is a great little ranch home in a nice, quiet area. Very low crime rate here. In fact, in the 22.5 years I've lived here, there has NEVER been a crime here, and only maybe 2-3 on our street, and that was a DV and the people moved away about 5 years ago.

Our house is Officially on the Market!!!

So, we listed our house with Chris Reed of Victor Casasanta Realty today, and he is very optimistic that it is going to sell quickly. We have an asking price of $134,900. It's a great little house, it's just too small for us, and seeing as how I've lived in Ohio my entire life, I am looking to move on.

We are most likely moving to the Battle Creek area of Michigan (Go Bucks!!!) Anyhow... our house will be listed on Realtor.com in the next couple of days, and I will let everyone know when it is up and running on there!


I am soooo excited!!

Getting Ready to Welcome a New Addition

Well, here we are again. Time for a new baby to enter the family. This time it is Donnie's cousin, Grant, and his girlfriend, Ashley, that are expecting. Their little bundle of joy was due on May 1st, but has still yet to make her appearance. Yes, that is right. I said HER. Aubrey should be here on or before Friday. As of the last update I received, if Aubrey hasn't been born by Friday, her Mommy will be induced into labor.

We are so excited to welcome yet another little one into the family, and so glad it isn't ours!

We will update when we hear more on the subject!



Here is a picture of Grant, taken by Donnie, when we met with both him and Ashley at the Plaza in Jackson, Michigan, to give them their baby shower gifts. Isn't he just so adorable with the little baby girl hat on his head, proudly showing off some undies? Way to be a proud Papa-to-be Grant!

Video Of Giovanni Walking to Daddy

This is the first Video of Giovanni walking to Daddy. This is at the Fairfield Inn Marriott in Marion, OH on 3-28-2008.

He is now throwing a fit, but that's because he is tired. We tried to email this to a few people, but the file was too big. Hope you all enjoy it!

The future

So, Donnie and I are hoping to get an apartment by June. We are looking into Columbus and Delaware, Ohio areas (and some of the surrounding if they are close and reasonably priced). We want a 2bdrm minimum. Dishwasher is a must and so is A/C. We have a few prospects, but we both need jobs first!

Keep your fingers crossed!



I LOVE YOU DONNIE!

Donnie is Gone now...

My heart and soul is gone now. He is out on the river now, and won't be home for 28 days. I hope these next 4 weeks go by really fast. I am so broken hearted that he is gone, but I know right now this is necessary, and he talked about how much he used to love the barge, so this is probably the best place for him to work.

We will be getting him a laptop to take out on the river with him for his next trip, so that hopefully he can keep in touch, and I can send him lots and lots of pics of me and Lil G.

I miss him so much already.

Donnie leaving in the morning

Well, Donnie got his job on the barges. Tomorrow, around noon, we will be leaving to drive down to KY. We will stay overnight in Florence, then he ships out from Hebron around 6am on Tuesday. He will be gone for 28 days, and I'm going to miss him like crazy!!!


He will be calling me atleast once a day to let me know he hasn't done anything too klutzy, and to tell me how much he misses me and Lil G, and so me and Gio can talk to him.

It's going to be really tuff, but we can make it!! I know we can. We got love for each other :)



Anyhow, I'll talk to ya'll again later.

Giovanni in his Chair

Our New Online Store is Almost Up!!!

We are currently in the process of uploading products to our store, and waiting for our official domain name to be fully registered. Once it is, we will be sending out e-mails and bulletins to everyone!

Our site will still most likely have a few kinks that need worked out, but if anyone comes across one, please let us know! There will be links on there you can click to get that info to us.

This is really happening! I can't believe it. We are going to be an official business. Donnie and I are going to try to find out how to file all of our business licenses and appropriate paperwork this coming week, and file (if we need to) with the Federal Gov't and IRS for our EIN.

YAY!

Donnie has a Job

Pending the outcome of the physical examination he had today, Donnie Harmon has a standing offer of employment with Inland Marine Services. The benefits are good, and the pay is decent to start. He will be gone from home for 28 days, then home for 28 days.

He and I will have to make our relationship official before I can get insurance coverage, but that was expected.

We will find out next week, most likely on Wednesday, whether he passed the physical and if so, when he starts.

For the Praying Kind....

Please send your prayers and thoughts to one of my best friends, Megan, and her husband, Joe. They were so happy to find out they were pregnant, only to have their happiness torn to shreds today when they found out they had lost the baby.

:(

Our Business

Exciting News! Donnie and I have our own Business! It's called Elle and Deez, Inc. and for a limited time, you have the chance to become a part of it! We are currently looking for 25 Associates for our Midwest Sales Division (Encompassing Ohio, Michigan and Indiana). There is unlimited earning potential, and you set your own hours! Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it's true! If you would like a free, no obligation information packet, just e-mail us and let us know!

We aren't going to use this post as a sales pitch, so if you want more info, please e-mail us.

We are looking for this to really take off over the next year or so, and hope that one day we can expand our business into many different fields. We would eventually like to add a CPA firm, Bar & Restaurant, and quite possibly a Tattoo Shop. Of course, we know all of this won't happen over night. Running a business is a lot of hard work.

We appreciate all the support we are getting from family and friends as we take on this endeavour. You wouldn't believe how many people have told us there is no way it can happen for us.

Donnie's Blog Page (And Lissa's Too)

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let you know I posted my first blog on my blog site. Check it out if you want to.

Lissa, on the other hand, has many MANY blogs on her site, and you can check it out if you want to.

Hope all is going well for everyone. Nite!

Say Hi Giovanni-Video

Giovanni saying Hi to Everyone... Isn't he just the cutest little thing?? I hope this uploads correctly because this is the first video we have gotten that actually loaded to the computer!!! If it works, there will be many more to come!

Oh How I've Missed the Net!

Well, for the last week or so we had no internet service! I can't believe how much I miss the net when it isn't hooked up!!!! Drives me kinda crazy! I am so glad it is back up. We also have our home phone reconnected and have Dish Network now.

With any luck Donnie will hear back from one of the barge companies soon. So far, nothing. I'm even going to go out soon and put in applications at our local department stores since all of my job apps I've put in have fallen through.

Well, I've got to grab a bite to eat and get back to working on Donnie's and my business, "Elle and Deez, Inc."

I'll post about that later in case anyone is interested in being a part of it.

Death of J.D. Flanagan July 20, 1963-January 7, 2008 R.I.P.

Well, as I'm sure you all know by now, my life sucks. Well, my life doesn't really suck, my luck sucks. I've had to deal with a lot in the last several years, and I thought 2008 would finally be a good year, but I was wrong.

I just got a call from my Grandma Betty letting me know my biological father, JD, passed away yesterday. He died in his sleep, cause unknown at this time. They will be doing an autopsy to find out for sure, but most likely the cause was a heart attack. I guess he had been having severe back pain for several days, and he layed down on the couch Sunday night to sleep. Sometime between 1am and 4am on Monday morning, he passed away, leaving behind my step-mom Cindy. He was 44 years old.

They live down in Georgia, and that is where the funeral and his burial site will be. Unfortunately, right now I'm not financially able to make the trip down. He never got to meet Giovanni. He just saw the pictures of Giovanni about a week ago, and thought he was a beautiful little boy, from what I was told. They were going to stop in to visit on their next trip up, probably this spring, as soon as the weather was a little better.

I'm not sure how much more I can take. I honestly feel like I've hit rock bottom, and now they are just throwing the dirt on top of me and burying me alive. I'm battered and beaten. I'm broken and bleeding. I'm suffocating in pain that seems to encompass my life.

He is now just like his favorite song, a Free bird.

Free Bird

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now,
There's too many places I haven't seen
And if I stayed here with you, now
Things just wouldn't be the same
Well I'm as free as a bird now,
And a bird you can not change.
And a bird you can not change.
And a bird you can not change.
Lord knows I can't change

Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.
And though this feeling I can't change.
Please don't take it badly,
The Lord knows I'm to blame.
And, if I stayed here with you now
Things just wouldn't be the same.
For I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you'll never change.
And the bird you can not change.
And the bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.





In loving Memory of John Davis Flanagan.
July 20, 1963 - January 7, 2008
May you rest in peace.

Our Other Weblogs

Hi Everyone! This is Lissa, and I'm just wanting to let you know that on top of this page, Donnie and I each have our own Weblogs.

My Weblog is called Lissa's World, and focuses on my life and opinions. They are things that don't necessarily belong on our family page. There are a lot of blogs about things I have strong opinions about, and some of them can be explicit. It is the unedited, uninhibited side of me showing through. Feel free to check it out and bookmark it if you want.

Donnie's Weblog is called Donnie's World, and focuses on things he wants to talk about that don't necessarily belong on our family page. While he hasn't posted any blogs on it yet, I'm sure he will soon. It will most likely focus on whatever is bothering him at that point in time, and things he needs to vent about. Feel free to check it out and bookmark it if you want.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

(Donnie is at work, and I've gotten all of about 25 minutes of sleep since 1am this morning. I'm sure I'll tucker out soon, I hope!)

Later Ya'll!

Okay, day one of blogging is done... We are going to bed.

Hello Everyone!!! We are pretty much done blogging for the first day... We are going to *try* to get some sleep... It's 10:12 in the morning.... I want to sleep.... Giovanni is napping, and Fergie's "Clumsy" is playing on VH1. That song annoys me so much, but yet I catch myself singing along in the car....


Anywho.. Goodnight everyone. Our next mission will be to figure out how the heck to upload videos from our camcorder to the computer. We tried it once before, but it didn't work.

Donnie Has a Job Interview!!

We are hoping this will be a good start to the new year. Donnie has a phone interview with Ingram Barge Lines at 8am this morning. We hope he will get the job, even though it will mean being without him for 28 days at a time. We know it will be rough if he gets the job, but it wouldn't have to be forever, and we would be able to save up to get our place.

Everyone wish him well!!! We will update after the phone interview to let everyone know how it went...

If it tells you anything, it's like, 5:45am, and we are both still awake!!! Ugh.


Keeping our fingers crossed!!!


******Update: Well, the phone interview didn't go the best, but they said we should hear something within the next 2-3 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed.******

**turns out, where the interviewer is in KY is in the central time zone, so apparently they will be calling at 9am, instead of 8am... It's 9:09am now, and we are still waiting for the call!**

How to Contact Us

Well, for those of you who are trying to figure out how to contact us... here is how..


If you have Myspace, that is the best place to contact us, other than on here..

Giovanni's myspace site is: http://www.myspace.com/giovannixavierharmon0926

Donnie's Myspace site is: http://www.myspace.com/DonnieHarmon

Melissa's Myspace site is: http://www.myspace.com/bambihunny1026


We will do our best to answer e-mails sent to those accounts, and add friends (if we know who you are), and answer comments.

We love you all! Happy 2008!

Our First Blog!

Well Hello Everyone! This is our first blog on here.

We are here to introduce ourselves.

First, there's Donnie Harmon, also known as "Daddy"
I am the proud father of Giovanni Xavier Harmon, my little buddy. I'm 24, and engaged to my beautiful baby momma, my dream woman, Melissa Frush. I enjoy playing pool, ps2, and spending time with my son. My goals are to marry Melissa, and be the best father I can be to Giovanni, and any other children we may have in the future.


Then there's Melissa Frush, also known as "Mommy"







I am the proud mother of Giovanni Xavier Harmon, my "Lil G". I'm 25, and engaged to my baby daddy, Donnie. He has made me the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. I enjoy spending time with friends and family, playing ps2, billiards (even though I'm best at sinking the cue ball), and updating my online profiles. My goals are to be the best wife and mother I can be, and to make my son proud of me.



And then we have Giovanni Xavier Harmon, also known as "Lil G" or "My Buddy" or any one of a million other nick names his family has given him!





I am the too cute for words Giovanni Xavier Harmon, also lovingly known as Lil G, My Buddy, Joe, Bob, Jimmy, Gio, GX, and many other names. I'm 6 months old, and I enjoy sleeping, eating, pooping, peeing, watching tv, and driving everyone insane. My goals are to grow up big and strong, and make my Mommy and Daddy, and the rest of my family, proud of me.



Now you've met our immediate family. We will update often. :)