My Life

OK, I'm going to give this blogging stuff a try. I've been encouraged by my dad and Aunt Donice, so here goes... For those of you who don't know me, let me just say that what you see is what you get! I'm pretty straight forward and don't like to beat around the bush about anything. I'm married to a wonderful man named William. Here 'a a picture of him...

As you can see from this picture, he is a real clown! He has a great sense of humor and never meets a stranger. He is currently working at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office as a communications officer. He has been there for 6 years and is really good at what he does! (Of course, I could be a little biased!). He also has a degree in computer information technology. He does a lot of computer repairs on the side. His biggest accomplishment by far though, is the company that he recently started called Digital Memories. He creates personalized DVD presentations for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, graduations, etc. This is his company logo...

His website is http://www.digitalmemoriesdvd.net/. It's still under construction right now, but you should check it out every now and then. Hopefully it will be up and running fully by the end of the month. He has been so blessed with different opportunities for his business. One of the girls that I work with won a wedding on our local TV station. Bill offered to a wedding DVD for her for free. She was so impressed with his work that she encouraged the station to interview him for one of their local business slots! He is now working on a 10 year class reunion DVD for Sulphur High School. Please be praying that God will bless his business. He has opened so many doors for him already. We are so thankful to God for His goodness!

This year has really been flying by so fast! It's been a real roller coaster year for me and Bill. We decided after 8 years of marriage that it was time to add a baby to our crew. After several months of trying with no success, we decided that we better go to the doctor and get ourselves checked out. Now, we were both pretty sure that the problem was with Bill due to his accident in 1996. The doctor even told us back then that it was a strong possibility that he wouldn't be able to have kids. However, after all the tests came back, we discovered that all of his swimmers are in excellent condition! Praise the Lord! So this was great news, right? Well, yes, but I wasn't expecting there to be something wrong with me! Unfortunately, the doctor found that I had endometreosis and several cysts. After the initial shock sunk in, we scheduled a surgery for Thursday, August 2 to remove the endometreosis and drain the cysts.

Now, my doctor told me that this would be a simple laproscopic procedure that could be performed as a day surgery. I was supposed to be back to work on that following Monday, so no big deal right? WRONG! When I awoke from the anesthesia, I was informed that the endometreosis was much more extensive than was originally thought. It was attached to my uterus, bladder, and colon! So...this meant that they had to cut me open instead of using laproscopy. What was supposed to be a simple day surgery ended up putting out of work for 3 weeks!!! The good news is that the doctor feels like she was able to remove it all and that it was caught fairly early. They also removed a fibroid and drained the cysts. All of the tissue biopsies came back benign. Praise the Lord!

Our second big coaster ride came just 3 days after my surgery. We had known about a tumor that Bill had on his adrenal gland for about 4 years. It was biopsied back in 2003 and we knew that it was benign, so we really were just waiting until the doctor said it was time to remove it. Well, wouldn't you know it, the doctor called to tell Bill that his latest MRI showed that the tumor had started growing rapidly and needed to be removed. His surgery was scheduled for August 22. Here I was in my third week of recovery and I'm walking all over Houston's Medical Center! But you know, God always has a plan. That week really prepared me to have the strength to start back to work. Bill's surgery went even better that expected and is still recuperating now. The doctor said that his tumor was 7 inches!!! That's pretty huge for a tumor.

Now, I'm sure that most people would be really worried about losing 3 weeks of pay. I know that under normal circumstances I certainly would! But, I've just got to testify a little bit. Just 3 weeks prior to my surgery, the Lord blessed us with a large financial blessing! It was above and beyond anything we had expected. I couldn't imagine what we would need to use it for, but of course after 2 surgeries it became pretty clear. I just want to thank the Lord for providing us with the means to be able to pay for our part of both surgeries IN FULL!! Isn't God good? Even before we know what we need, He provides it!
Well, anyone that knows me and my family has probably already noticed that I tend to ramble on and on. I get that from my dad (affectionately known as Diddy). So instead of boring you with more details, I'd like to post a few pictures of me and my family for you to see..

This is a picture of me and Bill when we went to Cancun, Mexico last year. That was a great vacation!

For all of you who wonder why I haven't moved to Tennesse yet, this is it!!! Good ol' Louisiana crawfish. It just doesn't get any better than that!

This is a picture from our vaction in Las Vegas. This place is way overrated! Lots to do and see, but too many gamblers!!! (It's Vegas, what else should I expect?).

Well, due to the lack of good candidates to choose from, I'd like to announce that I'll be running for President! Ha,Ha! Wouldn't it be great to have a Brannen in the White House?

This is a picture of one of my dogs, Daisy. She is the best dog in the world!!!

Well, I guess I have to save a few pictures for my next post. Until then.....