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!
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