New Year - New Post!

Welcome to 2012!

This post brings many updates on our crazy lives! Christmas 2011 brought news of Jeremy's engagement to Grace and their upcoming wedding in January of 2013. We also received news that Laurence (my step-son) and his girlfriend Brittany are expecting a baby in June of 2012. Such exciting news for our family! Since Christmas we have learned our grandchild will be a little girl named Emmalise Rose Brannon. Troy and I are excited about being grandparents this summer.

Over Christmas break all of our boys were home. Christopher came home for two weeks and his girlfriend Renee visited from New York for part of the time. We really enjoyed getting to know her. I loved the girl-time with Grace and Renee. One day I took the girls to breakfast and them for pedicures. I'm enjoying this new time in my life with the boys and the wonderful ladies they have in their lives.

I am sad that Christopher is headed to Afghanistan in the next few months, but that's part of the Army life. I just hope he's home in time for Jeremy's wedding. We'll have to wait and see how that plays out.

Harris (our adopted Army kids) has moved to Houston since he returned from Iraq but he also came home for a few days over the Christmas holiday. He will be coming home to visit each month for drill so I'll still get to see him once in a while.

Jeremy and Grace moved out on their own this month. It's been strange the house with just Troy and me puttering around. Jeremy took his and Harris' dogs with him when he moved. Since my last post (what seems like a million years ago) a lot has happened with our pets. We still have our two cats. Bat, who is about 16 years old and almost decrepit, is still hanging around and Christopher's cat Ceyboo (say-boo) is still here and shredding my furniture. Late July we had to put our Lab-mix Robin to sleep because she'd become very ill and the vet wasn't able to help her get well. It was a very tough time for us here in the Brannon house after losing Robin. We still had Quimmy and Tater, but they were Jeremy and Harris' dogs. Troy and I were at a loss but pretty sure we weren't going to be having any more dogs for a very long time.

As is often said, "Never say never!" Early August our neighbors came home with a beautiful chocolate lab puppy and showed her to us. We were impressed with how cute she was and they told us she was an AKC registered puppy that they got from their niece and nephew who raised and sold them. They also mentioned the puppies had sold for $500 but the last few had sold for $200. The niece and nephew had given them their puppy for free because Molly was already four months old and she was one of the last two puppies they couldn't get rid of. Troy looked at me and I knew what he was thinking before he could say it! Our neighbors said there was only one puppy left and it was a female (and the runt of the litter.) Troy expressed interest and so they called the niece and nephew and we went to see the puppy within the hour. It was LOVE at first sight for me! I haven't felt that way about a dog in many years. Troy wasn't so sure because the puppy was uninterested and very shy. I named her Izzy on the spot and had to do some convincing for her to come home with us. We got her for free! Troy looked up an "official" name for her because he names all of the animals that come into the house. He came up with Esidor which means 'gift of god' but we still call her Izzy! Her paperwork name is Esidor, Princess of Troy. I came up with that, too.

Izzy is the love of our lives! She even goes camping and hiking with us. She is incredibly smart and Troy has been training her since she arrived at the house that first day. She knows lots of commands and is an avid watchdog. When we were camping a hiker came so close to our campsite we could hear him moving through the brush. Izzy moved between me and the hiker, her hackles were raised and she began barking in a very defensive manner. I was shocked and proud of her. During one of the nights a pack of coyotes came into our campsite: she jumped up, hackles raised and she positioned herself defensively. She didn't bark because she was listening to their baying and barking but she did growl. She loves water and is definitely a lab! Troy bought me a new car in September but I think he bought it for her because the back seats stay down so she can ride with us so much of the time. My 2012 VW Tiguan is wonderful and I love it too! I'm not sure which of us is more spoiled; Izzy or me!

I know I'm a little late but my goal is to keep up my blog this year. Hang in there with me and I'll do my best to share our family adventures as our family grows and changes in 2012.

So long spring and hello summer!

Wow! I've actually missed sharing almost five months of fascinating Brannon gossip... Whatever.

To those of you who actually read my rantings; here's the update on our family circus.

February: Jeremy and Harris made it safely over to Iraq and settled into the F.O.B. they would call home for the next 9 months. Jeremy didn't make the entire deployment, but that is a story for "next month." The school year was still moving along and my nerves were on edge due to our 7th graders' writing test coming up fast and hard the first week of March. Stress was the word of every day it seems. Troy was still gainfully unemployed and working diligently to find a new job. He had applied with the TSA (airport public enemy service) and we will wait and see how that goes.

March: Spring Break! You would think this is a good thing. March SUCKED! I got a Facebook message from Jeremy from an Air Force Hospital in Iraq that he was in quarantine and the doctors were considering sending him to the military hospital in Germany due to a nasty and highly contagious intestinal infection called "c-diff." At this point all of my mother senses went on high alert (Troy says overdrive, but what's the difference really??) and it was hard to wait each day for information. Finally, after a the 14 hour flight from Iraq via Afghanistan (to pick up more "wounded soldiers"), Jeremy arrived in Germany and remained there for a short time. The doctors decided to send him home for further tests and "stuff." He was then transferred to Fort Hood, Texas where he stayed until early May. The poor boy had to stay at Fort Hood for his 21st birthday! Eventually he could come home on the weekends since it was only a two hour drive each way. His deployed status was actually terminated at the end of May. He has been working at the unit here for his AT (annual training) and begins attending monthly drills at the June battle assembly.

I have to say that all of this comes with mixed feelings for this Army wife and mom. I was excited that he was home early, but I then saw how disappointed he was being home and not able to work with his buddies at a job he loves and I was sad for him all the more. I also am disheartened that my "Other Son" - Harris is still over there without his best buddy. I'm glad they still keep in touch on a regular basis.

April - Troy was promoted to Staff Sergeant finally!! He put in his paperwork for this promotion while he was deployed with the Virginia unit LAST SUMMER! It is a blessing for him to finally get it, especially since he is still searching for a full-time job. He needed the validation and something positive right now in his life. His employment dry spell is driving him (and me) nuts.

Glad to say I have a job for next year, but no annual raise. I am also gaining a huge task for next year and we are moving to a block schedule. The blocks schedule means we will have 90 minute classes all day but the same classes every other day (A day and B day). It will be interesting as I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade Honors Language Arts on A days and become the campus testing coordinator on the B days. Since the person who does it now does that job full time and I will only have every other day to do it I will have to stay organized and develop a strong plan because it will be a lot to take in with the brand new state test coming out next year. I'm up for a new challenge.

Jeremy celebrated his 21st Birthday at Fort Hood. It was sad he couldn't be home, but he was home soon after that for good.

May - I can't believe how fast this school year flew by! My principal met with me and asked which tasks I could give up next year. Her list was exactly like mine: department chair, NJHS sponsor, UIL campus coordinator, Literacy focus team leader, sometimes GT Team Leader and of course the new task of campus testing coordinator. I was grateful she realized how much I actually do on our campus for our kiddos and she was thinking of me when she reassigned the tasks to others competent leaders at our school. Next year I'm keeping NJHS sponsor because I told her it was like working on a team and not a true "job" and of course I'm keeping the testing coordinator job, too. My load may not be as lightened as I expect, but the challenges will be new!

June - The school year is officially over, but I've been suckered into summer school by the money. Midway through I'm attending a summer Pre-AP English training at TCU for four days, assisting with our Baker Co. Major's going away party, a three day drill weekend and three weeks of summer school (with TAKS testing). I'm exhausted and can't wait for slower times in July! I'll catch you up when I catch my breath next month!

The End of a Year

Since my last post, so much has passed! Both boys (and Harris) were home for the holidays; Jeremy and Harris are now on "lock-down" at Fort Hood and unable to have visitors; Christopher is headed back to New York and preparing for his big transfer to Fort Lewis in Washington state in April and Troy and I are still trudging along.

School has been a challenge in the last months and FRG has been a pain in the a@#! I was the district co-coordinator for our UIL academic meet this year. Our group consisted of four districts and eight schools uniting for academic competitions over two half days. Without Mr. LeBeau as my partner (in crime) it would not have been such a roaring success. It went off without any major hitches and we were commended for our efforts. Very proud of the work we did!

I have also gained a few new students who challenge on many new levels. Why must children be so rude and disrespectful? All I am trying to do is help them!

FRG is a mess. Drama, drama, drama... I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that I am about done with the whole mess. I guess I actually am in one sense because Jeremy is officially out of the unit while he is attached to the Fort Knox unit for deployment and Troy has not been "returned" officially to Baker and the 90th from the Virginia unit he deployed with. We'll see what the new year brings. I love helping the soldiers and their families, but some people just make it impossible to do that.

Looking forward to a new year with lots of new possibilities and exciting new adventures

Catching Up

For those of you who actually read my blog, I owe you a big apology. I actually have not posted in a very long time because I forgot my password. Funny on some level I'm sure, but very frustrating for me. I think it might have been due to the tons of excitement over the past months. Since my last entry Christopher came home from Iraq and came home to visit, Troy came home from Iraq (oh the stories there!!), I started a new school year in a new school with a new principal and Jeremy and Harris have deployed. It has been an emotional roller coaster the past months.

Where to begin? I guess at the beginning of the adventures. While I was in Alaska, Christopher returned to Fort Drum, New York from Iraq. He was stuck there for 30 days before returning home to Texas for 30 days of leave. While I was waiting for him to come home, Jeremy and Harris were in Fort Knox, Kentucky from late July to late September and I started a new school year.

I am having an amazing school year this year! We have a brand new beautiful school (pictures on my FaceBook), a new principal and my class schedule is awesome. I am teaching 3 classes of honors 8th grade English, 2 classes of honors 7th grade English and one remedial reading class. I am also department lead for ELA (English/Language Arts). Our new building is two stories and I have a window! I my view is a green pasture with grazing cows. It is relaxing and gorgeous! My room is actually very chilly which is a wonderful change from the previous sweatshops I have been in over the past three years (three different classrooms in the same building!). My kiddos are pretty awesome, too. I love being able to teach something and they get it the first (or sometimes second) time I present it. My remedial class is a huge challenge, but some days the only way to get through that class is to remember that my conference period is right after it and I get a small break.

My principal is amazingly positive and supportive this year. I was on the verge of quitting education all together after the past two years I had at the junior high with our previous principal. I was always getting "in trouble" with her for things I didn't do or for something she heard from someone else that I had said. Some of my friends who had worked with our new pirncipal at another campus asked me to hang on for one more year so that I could experience her leadership abilities. It was a hard choice, but I also decided that after six years and three classrooms in the old (at least 30 year-old) building, I deserved at least one year in the new building. Our principal has been nothing short of incredible so far this year. During inservice she made everyone feel welcome and we actually were looking forward to all of the changes she was planning for our campus.

My favorite story so far is happened the second or third Friday of school. Every morning our principal comes on the intercom after the first bell of the day and presents the pledges and the moment of silence after which she completes the daily announcements. This particular morning she goes through the process with her usual cheery cadence, but at the end she pauses and changes her tone. She then proceeds with the following:

"I have heard through MySpace and texting that today is 7th grade jump day (where 8th graders terrorize and harrass the 7th graders). I just want you to know that nothing will be happening to any one today because if any one is going to jump any one on my campus, it will be me."

My class of 8th graders were stunned into silence. A grand task for that class! I had to turn my back to them due to the wave of laughter that came over me. My co-workers expressed later they had the same reaction. We love our principal! She stands her ground and the kids and the staff respect her.

Alaska 2010

Alaska, oh beautiful Alaska! It was my favorite trip of the summer so far (sorry family!). The weather was a balmy 65-70 degrees the entire trip and despite the many showers, it was incredible! The green mountains and beautiful summer flowers were picturesque (I actually did not take many pictures at all this time).

I truly enjoyed spending time with a dear friend who understands the depths of "sucky-ness" of the military life. Here in Texas people don't have a true grasp of the challenges of daily military life, especially when a spouse is deployed long-term (like Troy's 400 days). All of us who are experiencing this deployment are scattered and do not have a strong support system. I am currently working on that through our FRG since we have a large number of soldiers deploying in a few months, but I have not had that during Troy's deployment.

April and I have known each other for more than 7 years now and she has survived 3 deployments and Clayton is gone a lot for his Air Force job. She understands the daily grind of single parenting and managing a home on her own. It was good to just be with someone you could relax with and discuss the problems without having to worry about someone not understanding or trying to one-up you on the problem scale. I love my friends here more than I can express, but it really is a different lifestyle with the military and a deployment that most will not understand unless they live it for more than a few months at a time.

While in Alaska, I went to the anual Elmendorf/Fort Richardson air show and saw a variety of military and civilian airplanes and helicopters. We saw F-22's, the Blue Angels, a Harrier jet, lots of small planes and even some Blackhawks and Chinooks! It was a fun day with the Johnson kids while their parents worked the airshow.

April and I got to do a lot of girly stuff too while I was there. We spent time shopping, going to the movies (with the kiddos) and just hanging out and talking. I think I needed that the most. I really miss our girl-time!

Surprisingly I made it through a 9 mile bike ride around the inlet. April and the kids had bikes and so I rented one downtown and we rode for a couple of hours along trails around Cook Inlet. We had to stop at one point because a mommy moose and her calf were on the trail. The calf was on one side of the path and mommy moose was on the other. All Alaskans know that you NEVER get between a mommy moose and her baby because she gets very defensive and often attacks. We waited and watched as the calf moved back to mommy moose's side of the trail and then went off into the woods. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't come out very well on my phone.

I did get to enjoy fresh-caught salmon and halibut on many occasions. The flavor is unmistakable and I have never had any as good here in the lower 48! Next year it would be worth going back to fish and bring it home. I think I'm already planning our next trip to Alaska! April and I talked about renting an RV next year and going down to Seward and Homer for a few days to take boat trips and maybe fish. Sounds like fun to me!

The trip was way too short, but I was rested and ready to face the world again! It was wonderful to catch up with April, Clayton, Kara and Clay-Clay for the week. I can't wait to start planning our trip back next year. Love you all and thanks for the wonderful hospitality! Also hope you have a great time in Arizona with the family!

A mini-trip to Austin

Since my last blog about my "Wicked" Weekend, I have done a bit more traveling. Upon returning from Houston, I went with my son Jeremy and his friend Harris to Austin. Since both boys are about to deploy, Harris needed to go to Austin to finish up some things there before he left, so we made a mini-road-trip out of it!

We started out late Monday evening because we were waiting for a fourth person to join our party, but they decided last minute to not attend. This was a bit frustrating and caused us to leave much later than anticipated, but we headed out late any way. Not too far down the road we became inundated by a rain downpour. Not a problem if we had been in the Jetta, but we were cruising in the Jeep with the top down. We had to make an emergency stop to put on the top (and get gas). Harris and I were laughing the whole time, but Jeremy was a bit irritated and very grumpy about the whole ordeal!

We arrived in Austin late, around 9 pm, and checked into a hotel. We then went to play pool and drink beer with some of Harris' friends as a good-bye. I met new people and had fun playing pool for the first time in many years. The next day we ran some errands and spent some time playing "Super Mario" on the Wii at his friend's house. We headed home late Tuesday evening. The boys had to report to NAS/JRB on Wednesday for classes and stuff before they headed out to Fort McCoy.

They boys and I had a great time hanging out and just relaxing before we all went our separate ways. I was to be heading to Alaska at the end of the week and they were about to leave for Wisconsin and Kentucky for two months. I'm going to really miss them and the fun we have had together these past several months they have been at the house!

"Wicked" Weekend

If you haven't had the opportunity to see the musical "Wicked," GO AND SEE IT! I went to Houston this weekend with a good friend to see it and I was smitten with the theater bug! I already have the sound track and want to see it again! The story is about the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz story. It tells her life story and how she became "Wicked." There are some definite plot twists one would never expect.

My friend Leslie has friends in Houston and we stayed with them while there. We drove down Friday; had dinner and played games. Saturday we played more games, went out to lunch and watched movies at Shannon's house. That night, the group of six of us went to see the play. For Leslie it was her third time to see it and Shannon's fourth time. I think it was the first time for the rest of us. It was awesome. I can't say enough about it!

We slept in on Sunday and after lunch with Shannon, Trey and his daughters; we drove home. It was an amazing weekend spending time with a good friend and making new ones.