No Small Parts

You know the saying.

No small parts, only small actors.  Well, I have no clue where it comes from or who said it but it has come to mean something here in Drosche Land.  

If you know me or have been following us here for any amount of time you know that Braeden has always, and I mean always, shied away from any kind of public performance  or attention.  All of his Christmas performances he refused to take part in, instead opting to cry and watch from afar.  His Pre-K graduation; same thing.  Boys dance?  Yep, same thing.  No matter what Amy or I bribed him with tried worked.  Ever.  The first time he willingly, and without tears, participated in something was last year in 1st Grade.  Yes, I'm serious people.  It was the Advent/Christmas concert at school.  He technically was one of over a hundred children at the front of the church singing and he wasn't in the front.  But I'll count it.  

The other parents always pitied us.  There I sat with my camera ready, watching whatever performance it was, with no kid to take a picture of.  Nope.  Sad huh?  We eventually got used to it and stopped worrying about the lack of documentation he would have later in life.  We just learned to accept it for what it was and hoped we'd be able to coax him across the stage at his high school graduation.

That was until this year.  Our school is putting on a Spring Play and students of all ages, 2nd - 8th Grades, were invited to try out.  Well, guess who wanted to give it a shot?  Yep.  I was floored.  Seriously?  For real?  Was I being punked?  Nope, no hidden cameras around and April 1 is far off.  This kid was serious.  He seriously wanted to try out.  So we obliged him.  Encouraged him to sign up.  Talking with him and let him know that auditioning didn't mean he would get a part.  But we were proud of him for doing it.  And we were.  Very.

Then the night before auditions came.  We were Rehearsing with him to prep him. That's when his nerves set in and he started to second guess himself.  We worried that he wouldn't go through with it.  I didn't mind one way or the other, but I was looking forward to the experience for him and the confidence boost it might provide.  But we talked, calmed down, and practiced more.  He was as ready as he was going to be.

So the day of the audition dawned and he was still set on trying out.  I'll be honest.  I was nervous.  The likelihood of him getting a a part was slim, I know.  But he is my baby still, even though he is growing up all too fast.  I didn't want him to be nervous, disappointed, or embarrassed.  But I couldn't do anything about it.  Just pray, sit back, and let him live his life.  My little man.  Lo and behold he went through with it.  One of my friends was one of the judges and I was told he did well.  Now we just had to wait for the casting to be posted.  

The day arrived.  It was up.  He didn't get an actual part, but he was cast as an extra.  Nothing fancy.  Nothing tremendous.  Well, not for anyone else.  But for us this was a huge milestone.  Now we wait for his time to begin practice.  Suddenly we are parents with a kid in some kind of extra curricular.  We knew we'd be here eventually since he loves sports.  But we were thinking 5th Grade.  Not 2nd Grade and certainly not play practice.  But such is life.  Just when you think you know what's going on, you're thrown a curve ball.  HE keeps it interesting for us, I'll admit that.  One day everything is going along normally and the next day we're living in the midst of an actor.

Oh, the part?  A squire in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  Rest assured there will be subsequent posts with pictures!  Stay tuned.

What up!

All is well, inside the actor's studio, in Drosche Land.

   

Last Chance

Ok February. You have one last chance to prove yourself. 

I thought January was crazy. What with all of its Adoption classes and Ice Days. Little did I know February was gearing up to be a beast of a month. Packed full of ridiculous life lessons (read the last post if you're confused as to what I'm talking about). 

So with just one week in this short month I'm hoping for the best. A quick turnaround. A saving grace. Something. Anything. 

For starters it would be great to hear something about what's next in our adoption adventure. We finished all of our coursework and paperwork in January and have been awaiting our entry into Home Study ever since. But that's all we've been doing is waiting and if you're slightly regular here or know me at all you know waiting isn't one of my strong suits. But maybe this week will bring an update and some forward movement. Maybe. 

It would also be great to be finished with the drama that has become the aftermath of our burglary. I won't get into details here. Trust me, you don't want me so. Nobody has time for that. Suffice it to say it has been an experience. One I hope to never have again, but an experience nonetheless. If there is one thing to take away from all of this it is to know your insurance policy!  I'm not kidding here folks. No matter how well you think you know what coverage you have. Check. Double check. Have your loved one check. You can never be too sure. Trust me. I've been trying to spread this little tidbit to just about anybody that will listen.  But maybe this week will bring an end to it all and we can move on with life and focus on other things. Maybe. 

Of course there is always the possibility that this last week will just be par for the course of the whole month. But I sure hope not. There's only so much you can handle at once right?  And I think we've exceeded our crazy quota for this month. 

So. It's been a rough month. One I'm actually kind of glad to say goodbye to. I just hope February tries to redeem itself this week. As for March. I'm not even thinking about that yet. Keeping it short-term here people. 

But truth be told things are slowly settling back down here in Drosche Land. Slowly, but they are. How was your February?  Uneventful?  Crazy?  Are you sad to see it go or are you ushering it out the door as quickly as possible?  Regardless of how it was, I hope these next 5 days go well for you too. Then we can begin to worry about March. 

All is well, one week to go, in Drosche Land. 

Enough Lemons Already

You know the saying. 

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. 

Well. Sometimes life just gives you lemons. And before you can make said lemonade, there's a knock at your door. Surprise. More lemons. Suddenly you're waist-deep in lemons and it seems impossible to find the juicer, much less the sugar. 

Have I stretched that metaphor thing enough. Catch my drift?

Well, I'll back track a bit for you dear readers.  See, about 2 weeks ago I was planning on posting. What?  I can't remember, but I obviously never got around to it as you can clearly tell from the silence on this blog over the past two weeks.  Things here hit the fan, and the fan was turned up full speed. But there I go again with another metaphor. 

Long story short our house was burglarized. Yep. Luckily it was while we were all at work. I beat Amy home that day and found out when I arrived. Needless to say, life has been pretty chaotic here in Drosche Land since.

There was the immediate drama you'd expect: shock, fear, the need to clean a totally trashed house. Then things sank in a bit more: the losses, trying to regain a sense of safety in your own house, the police and insurance reports, getting an alarm system installed, changing the locks. Now we are dealing with the long term: insurance, replacement of valuables, mourning the sentimental things that are irreplaceable.  Suddenly, a bushel of lemons right in front of us. 

But it didn't stop there. Nope. More lemons were delivered. Bank issues related to a charging error when the locks were changed.  Daily phone calls to the bank and locksmith. And the lemons kept rolling in. I was in an accident on the way home. Minor damage to our car and everyone is ok, but more lemons to deal with in the form of a second insurance claim opened. 

So that's where I've been. Obviously I haven't had a device to blog from due to the burglary  I love my iPhone, but it's just not feasible. Plus by the time I would even have time, I'm mentally and physically exhausted from sorting through the lemons.  I'm here tonight because my dear wife surprised me on Valentine's Day with a new iPad Air to replace my stolen iPad.

Before I get too deep into woe here I will stop to say that we have been thoroughly blessed these past 2 weeks. Yes. It's true. Sure, there were tons of lemons, but maybe the other saying is true. Maybe He doesn't give you more than you can bear.  Even though it may seem like it, truth be told we're ok. We have been blessed with amazing family and friends who have helped to clear out some of the lemons. I have an incredible wife who is an expert lemon juggler. Oh, and there's those 3 little blessings that I get to kiss good morning and good night each and every day. They make things better too. 

So, has it been hard?  OMG, yes!  Has it seemed insurmountable?  Um, yep!  But I think we are, slowly, making sense out of everything and coming through it. Sure, we still have a good sized lemon collection to deal with, but it is getting more manageable everyday. Soon, the pile will be gone and we can look back and be relieved that we made it through.  Our faith will be stronger and we will be wiser. Oh, and there will still be a refreshing lemony scent hanging in the air.

All is well, lemons included, in Drosche Land.