Author: Ann Marie Bryant

As of late, I am a sixty-something grandmother who loves to write. Since I come from a long line of storytellers, I believe it's time to share those stories and preserve our family history. My hope is that my family will treasure these memories as much as I do!

The Sweet Joys of Autumn

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant3 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite season of year? Why?
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Every year after the heat of summer, I look forward to the cooler days of autumn. For me, it’s a magical time of the year when leaves turn gold, orange and red. I love to watch the spectacular display as trees showcase fall’s colorful brilliance. During this time, the warm scent of burning leaves or logs in the woodstove fills the air and provides a sense of coziness and well-being. At home, apple and pumpkin-scented candles remind us of the upcoming holidays. Extra layers of warm clothing and soft quilts provide warmth and the comfy sense that all is right in the world.  

The days become shorter and life less hurried. The hallmark of this season reminds rest and contentment offer the perfect time to reflect and honor the blessings in our lives. Family. Dear friends. Children. Furbabies.

During this time, sweet, creamy concoctions of pumpkin and spice provide the perfect seasonal treat for coffee lovers. I love to create my own healthy versions of this timely sweet treat. And I look forward to this fall tradition each year. (See my recipe below)

I always try to plan a mountain visit during this time, and after a relaxing getaway last fall, I will now make this an annual event. I enjoy basking in the outdoors at this time. I love to walk in the woods with my pups, listen to the crunch of leaves below my feet, and hear the wind gently rustle the aspen trees as they change to yellow and gold. I love to sit on the porch in the morning, wrapped in a blanket, drinking my fall coffee, and wait for the sun to shine through mountain pines. I love to watch my pups explore the mountain areas, always on the lookout for new scents or mountain wildlife. This time of the year delights my senses as I slow down and enjoy all life offers.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee (low carb)

  • 8 oz. brewed coffee or even 1-2 shots of espresso. I personally love to use k cups (the recyclable single servings pods). I play with the different types of roasts, and I just discovered a Pumpkin Carmel version from Crazy Cups! I just ordered some! And yes I know summer has not yet officially arrived. I need to experiment, don’t I?
  • About 1 1/2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream – 76 calories; 0.6 carbs
  • A dash of Jordan’s Skinny Girl Syrup (so many flavor options Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Caramel, Vanilla Bean Pumpkin, etc). – 0 Calories; 0 Carbs
  • 2 tablespoons of Sugar free whipped cream – 20 calories; 0 carbs
  • Jordan’s Sugar free Pumkin Spice Sauce or Jordan’s Sugar Free Salted Caramel Sauce p 0 Calories; 0 Carbs

Calories (about) 96

Carbs – 0.6

Options:

  • Lowfat milk or almond milk

Photo by David Rupert on Unsplash

Double Trouble

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant3 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Who do you spend the most time with?
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Most of my time, I spend with my two mini dachshunds, Max and Mitzi. From the moment I wake up, the pair follow me around the house and stay close by my side. They even sleep in my bed! Who knew two pint-sized pups could occupy so much space in my bed and my heart?

On my days off, we take walks or run errands together. It’s funny when I show up in places without the dogs; the first thing folks want to know is where the babies are.

We have even gone on road trips together during my breaks and vacation times. They sure have been great company and a lot of fun. They keep me active and make my days more enjoyable.

After a weekend at home, they fuss about my return to work, and this mama feels guilty when I have to leave them behind. I love my pups to no end, and I think it’s true when my daughter says, “It’s official. You have become that crazy doxie mama.

Mitzi 8 weeks
Max 9 weeks
The pups at 12 weeks
Baby Mitzi
Max at the Royal Gorge
Morning Snuggles with Moo
Moo’s winter coat
Hoosier Pass
Leslie trying to get rid of Max
all my babies
Max stealing Gideon’s bone at Christmas
How about those Broncos?
Christmas with the family
Max ready to roll
My handsome boy
lunch with a friend
Doggy specials
Tis the season
Running errands
Mitzi Moo hiding her toys.
Mitzi aka Moo
Brr Baby it’s cold!
the dynamic duo
Max looking for deer on our mountain retreat
Max ready to chase chipmu

Aimee Marie

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant2 Comments
Daily writing prompt
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
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If I were going to change my name, I would change it to Aimee Marie. My mom wanted to give me this name in honor of a dear cousin who married a man with the surname Aime. My mom adored her cousin Mildren Allen Aime. Mildred’s parents were Samuel L. Allen and Mabel Vernice Trickel Allen. I still have the baby blanket my Aunt Mabel crocheted for me. Mabel lived across the road from my grandparents, Tom and Elva Allen, and my grandmother always stated that Mabel was a dear friend.

For the history of my name, click on the link.

Ann

Teaching

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant7 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What is your career plan?
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At this stage in my life, I am viewing my retirement plan. Currently, I have 24 years into teaching. One more year, and I will make the big 25-year mark, which is quite an accomplishment since I am a late bloomer. I graduated from college the same year my daughter graduated from high school.

With all the changes in teaching, I don’t know how many more years I plan to teach. One goal was to have my house paid off before I left this profession, and I will have it paid off next year. Although I have had many changes, including three curriculum changes in three years, I still enjoy my career.

Next year, I will teach reading and writing again, and I am currently working on a unit plan for the introduction to speech. My lesson plans for this unit will be fun, and I hope to make this an easy task for my eighth graders. Unfortunately, public speaking in middle school can often traumatize some students.

I enjoy the planning stage and tweaking my lessons after instruction, especially after teaching something new and different. At times, I feel like a new teacher again since I thought I would finish my teaching career in humanities. Once I made that change, I gave away most of my writing, reading, and grammar books. However, with the teacher shortage and changes in the district building, I was told I had to go back to language arts. So in some ways, I am starting over again, but it’s okay; change is a good thing. And again, I really enjoy planning and designing my lessons.

The strange thing this year is that I am taking my last professional development class, except for those mandated through the district at the beginning of the year. I have hit the wall, and I have moved up as high as I can go. It’s somewhat bittersweet, for I enjoyed most of my classes. In the next few days, I will write my last paper for this course. The book for this class is called Because of a Teacher, and it tugged at the heartstrings. This was the perfect course for my last class.

So, will I retire in a year? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on how this gramma fares, and so far, I am still having fun working with my students. They keep me young and make me smile. Plus, I get paid to read and write! Two of my favorite things!

  1. Photo by Aedrian on Unsplash

Camping

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant6 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Have you ever been camping?
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Camping has always been an important activity in my life. I love being outdoors and getting away from it all. And over the years, I always set time aside so that I can go to the mountains and enjoy some time among the pines.

I was in fifth grade when I went on my first camping trip. My mom had signed me up for Girl Scouts, and our leader was given some old army tents and supplies. Since our leader did not drive, families volunteered to drive us, and some volunteered to spend the night too. We camped at Big Basin, and I will never forget my first experience of sleeping in the woods. Waking up in the redwoods was so much fun.

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

Remembering Columbine

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant4 Comments

I am a soon-to-be 62-year-old grandmother, mother, teacher, and friend. And I live in shocked confusion about a world I no longer recognize. Was it not that long ago when shootings prompted horror? Do we see them now through different eyes and with less depravity and torment? How can that even be possible?

In the last few days, the news has reported that young people found themselves in deadly situations for simply living their lives. One young woman died for innocently pulling into the wrong driveway. An angry, violent man shot at her vehicle as she tried to escape. 

Two teenage cheerleaders in the dark of the night made the mistake of getting into the wrong car in a grocery store parking lot; ignored apologies did little to alleviate this misunderstanding. A man shot both girls and now one young teen struggles to recover and awaits more surgery in a Texas hospital.

And one young teen who just wanted to pick up his little brothers witnessed violence. The homeowner shot the teen twice for simply going to the wrong address. And that narrative becomes even more cryptic. When he tried to find help, people turned him away. So what have we become as a nation that turns children away when they need help?

These shootings have haunted me for some time, but I have stuffed the horror down as the violence grows across our country. I turn off the news and look the other way. But yesterday was the anniversary of the Columbine shooting. The shooting happened on April 20, 1999, at around 11:00 am, and I remember it as if it happened yesterday. I recall exactly where I was when it occurred. At that time, I was student teaching at a Colorado high school full of incredible teens that made this experience a gift of a lifetime. It was early in the afternoon when the staff learned that a mass shooting had occurred in a Denver high school. Yet, in shocked silence, we continued to do our job. 

At one point, I had the school secretary come and tell me that I had a phone call in her office. Since one of her office doors opened into my classroom, she watched my students as I took the call. It was my worried mother still checking on her 37-year-old daughter.

“Have you heard the news?” My mother asked in a shaky voice.

I answered in a soft whisper, “Yes.”

“Do you still really want to be a teacher after all of this?”

“Yes, Mama,” I replied.

“Well, then, I am buying you a bulletproof vest for your birthday.”

That conversation took place twenty-four years ago. Since then, mass shootings have become common in our nation. We certainly do not outwardly view them with the same unimaginable horror as we once did. We have become numb to such inconceivable mayhem.

When the Columbine shooting occurred, it was the deadliest mass shooting in a high school and the deadliest mass shooting in the state of Colorado. Today, this state is no stranger to mass shootings; unfortunately, mass shootings across the nation have become inconceivable. According to the Washington Post, “More than 349,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine.” Let that sink in!

So how do we stop this madness? More guns? Fewer guns? This is not about politics or gun rights. Our nation demands answers. This country longs for a homeland where our greatest assets, our children, can attend school without fear of becoming a victim of gun violence.

Six and a half years after Columbine, my mom left this world. Today, I look at this nation and wonder; if she could still call me, what would she say now?

Sources:

Photo by qiwei yang on Unsplash

Music and…

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
What’s the most fun way to exercise?
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Okay, this was a difficult one because I have two…dancing and water aerobics. I love turning on the tunes and dancing…either on land or in the water…and I love water aerobics too, just add music! I just turn the music on my phone and use my waterproof earphones and I am good to go!

James and the Giant Peach

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant5 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What book could you read over and over again?
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When I was in sixth grade, I was introduced to Roald Dahl’s book, James and the Giant Peach. My sixth-grade teacher would read it to us on Fridays after lunch. There was only one problem; I could not wait until the following Friday to discover what happened next. I went to my local library and checked out the book. All was fine until one day, she caught me reading the book in class. I tried to hide it behind my textbook. In my defense, I had finished the language arts assignment and had free time, but she was not having it. She took me to the hallway and let me have it. She wasn’t angry that I tried hiding the book, but she was angry that I had checked out the book. My teacher did not want me to read the book since it was a part of our Friday afternoon activities. But she just did not understand. I loved reading! Although I finished my book before the class, I still looked forward to Fridays and hearing about James and his adventures all over again!

Later as a mom, I shared this book with my daughter, and just recently, I bought a copy for my 12-year-old grandson, Connor. Our family has loved this book. When I taught sixth-grade reading, I also shared it with my class. And no, I am not that teacher. When a student tells me they finished the book before the rest of class, I let them know that they make my heart happy!