The Queen & Que Sera Sera

1. The Queen - Lady Gaga. She makes another appearance on this list with this track. Not released as a single, that I know of. To be honest it's not one of my faves. I love all her music but this one has fallen off of my radar. Admittedly it partially makes the list because it is the only song in my collections beginning with the letter "Q" so it was this or nothing. I'm sure there are many mor earrings beginning with this letter, just none I am too familiar with or own. Sad. But it's Lady Gaga so it's worth a listen. 

2. Que Sera Sera - Doris Day. Ok, so it's not in my collection but I do love this song. Sure you've heard of it before. Whatever will be, will be. You know it?  Right?  Used in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much. I love a good Hitchcock movie but I haven't seen this one in years. But the song became well known and Doris Day's signature song after being used in her tv show. There's son trivia for you thanks to some quick research and Wikipedia. You're welcome. So, not in my collection but came to mind and I love it. Maybe I'll add it now?  Heading to iTunes after publishing. 

All is well, Q down, in Drosche Land. 

Oh Louise & Ocean Front Property

1.  Oh Louise - Korey Dane.  Ok, I honestly cannot remember how I found out about this song.  Maybe a freebie on iTunes?  A commercial?  I have no clue.  It is likely an iTunes freebie and I love those.  Most of the time I like them, only occasionally are there ones that I think are totally crap.  This, though, is not one of them.  I love this song.  It may be one that falls to the bottom of the list and the back of my mind, but whenever it comes back on I am in love with it all over again.  Like an old friend that you haven't seen or spoken to in forever and then you meet up again and it's just like old times.  It's kind of like that.  Give it a try.  Plus it somewhat falls into the singer/songwriter genre and I am a total sucker for that kind of music.

2.  Ocean Front Property - George Strait.  The King appear again.  Love this.  I know all the words and shamelessly sing out loud the entire song whenever it comes on.  I mean, it's George Strait.  Need I say more?  This is another of my all-time faves of his and it never gets old and never ceases to please.  Timeless.

All is well, O down, in Drosche Land.  

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien & New Soul

1. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf. LOVE this. I cannot express to you how much. I don't know when I first heard it but you may know it from the commercial a few years back where the lady drops her engagement ring down the drain. Or maybe you are like me and have a thing for French pop music?  I also love Edith Piaf's other works, she is amazing. I highly recommend La Vie en Rose, the movie about her life. Marion Cotillard is phenomenal, and I just like saying her name.  Sadly, no one else in my family shares my love for this wonderful song so I rarely listen to it, mostly when I'm driving alone, which is also rare. But I do so love this song. 

2. New Soul - Yael Naïm. One, I do love this song. Two, I enjoy typing her name because I get to make that fun "i". It's the little things people. Anywho. You may have never heard this song before. I found it a few years ago when Apple used it in one of their commercials, I love the music they choose. So, I headed over to iTunes and downloaded it. I've been enjoying ever since. I suggest you give it a listen if you've never heard of it. Something new. Something different.  I'll admit though, I don't have any of her other music so I can comment on her entire library. Maybe I'll check it out?

All is well, N down, in Drosche Land. 

A-Z 2015

Well, it's March.  That time of year again when I decide to join the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  Again.

I've been thinking about it for a while now and I could have signed up long ago, but life (as it tends to do) got in the way and it got put on the back burner.  But tonight I finally decided to sign up again.  This will be my 4th year doing the challenge and it is always a lot of fun.  

I've had a theme in mind for some time, it came easily this year.  I did look back to remind myself of what the themes for the past 3 years were.  2012 - random topics that were accompanied by pictures of said topic.  2013 - Stella and having a new baby.  2014 - TV shows.  I've really enjoyed every year but I think last year's theme was the most fun.  I love TV so to talk about it for 26 days while trying to narrow down my favorites based upon their name was fun.  It kind of inspired my idea for this year's theme, as it is along the same lines.

Music.  Yes, music.  Now, I am by no means a musician by any stretch of the imagination.  But I do love music and have a pretty (for the most part) eclectic taste.  So for April 2015 I will go through my beloved iPhone and pick out my favorite songs for each letter.  It shouldn't be too hard, just taking a couple of thousand songs and choosing 26.  I'm hoping to have as much fun with this as I did with last year's TV show posts.

Also this year I am going to try and schedule all 26 posts ahead of time.  The only reason I think I will be able to do so is the fact that Amy and I have separate Spring Breaks this year.  She is off next week by herself while the kids and I are off the following week.  It's a bummer to have it broken up but we know that for Spring Break 2016 we will be back on the same schedule.  So that makes getting through this year's wonky vacation snafu a little easier.

So, there you have it.  This year's A-Z Challenge Theme.  Just a few more weeks until the blogging fun begins!

All is well, theme revealed, in Drosche Land.      

2014 Year in Review

Happy New Year!

We did something a little different this year in Drosche Land for New Years!  We'd been hoping to get out and do some camping over the Christmas break, but there were no available spots where we wanted to go. Oh well, life moves on. Then, as luck would have it, Amy found us a spot at our all-time favorite state park - Stephen F. Austin State Park. It's nearby, within 45 minutes, and is our favorite go-to spot. Lots of a great memories made and many more waiting to be made here. So we booked it and began packing and planning. New Years in our camper!  Beginning 2015 out in a relaxing way together as a family. Sounded just like what we needed.  So, yesterday we arrived and braved the cold weather to enjoy some hiking, playing outside, and a campfire where we roasted hot dogs, our usual first night out dinner. The kids went to bed early, as did Amy and I. A busy day outdoors made us tired so we skipped ringing in 2015 at midnight, opting instead for some wine to celebrate at about 9. But enough about this trip, I'll post more later. On with a review of what 2014 brought us here in Drosche Land. 

January

I joined a blog hop to review the Top 20 Photos from 2013. This was fun. I'll have to head over and see if Duncan is doing the same. Or maybe I will again anyway?  January also brought a month filled with adoption classes, twice weekly, as we continued the pre-adoption process. We learned a lot about both the adoption process and the foster care system through this.  We also were busy readying our house for the Home Study process. The weather in January 2014 was wicked, with many freezing days and even brought the city to a stop for some unprecedented Ice Days!

February

February was kicked off by the burglary of our home. Yikes. That was rough. Very emotional for us all as we dealt with the emotional and financial aftermath of such an occasion.  It was a bumpy road but we made it through. Definitely something we hope to never experience again. The adoption process halted to a crawl and we were getting quickly impatient with how slowly everything seemed to be moving.  One fun part of the month included Braeden landing his first, albeit small, part in the school Spring Musical!  We were so proud of him for even trying out and getting the part as an extra. A great accomplishment for him!  So much fun!  February also brought us through the process of having Jackson evaluated for ADHD.  We weren't vocal about the process at the time, but it was emotional and tiring.  Overall February was rough and we were all too happy to see it end. Crazy how such a short month can pack a wallop!

March

March started off ok. For about a month. Until we discovered that our beloved pet dog Lucy was diagnosed with cancer. It was untreatable and aggressive. We made the horrible decision to end her pain and suffering, but just beginning ours. She was an awesome dog. Amy and I got her when it was just the 2 of us in New Orleans. She was our first baby. We will always cherish her and the memories we have of her.  Spring Break brought us an awesome family trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. We had a blast. It also made us realize that we wanted to trade up our small popup camper for an actual travel trailer. The process was long but we ended up with our wonderful Fireside where I sit right now blogging and listening to rain. Best decision ever!  We love it!  March also is when we decided to sign the boys up for swim team with their cousins!  Something new. Something fun. Well, looking back, not so much, but it seemed like a great idea at the time!  We also received Jackson's ADHD diagnosis and began the process of finding the correct dosage of medication that would help him. More emotional rollercoaster time for us but it was beneficial. The month was brought to a close by our first Home Study visit. It had been postponed once that month, but went well once it finally happened. We felt like we were getting the ball rolling in the adoption process, finally.

April

April brought another year for me to join the Blogging A-Z Challenge where I wrote about TV shows. Good posts. Good tv shows. It was a fun month for the challenge!  The month didn't hold much else for us. We continued the process of medicating Jackson, finally finding a doctor and dosage that we were happy with. Braeden performed wonderfully in the school Spring Musical and swim practices went on, although not as smooth as we would have liked. We did fall even more in love with the Fireside as we took her out on her inaugural run, with much success!  We also were in the home stretch of planning our summer vacation to Disney World as we made reservations for rides and food!

May

Braeden turned 8. 8?!  Seriously?!  Wow.   We also ended our brief foray into the world of competitive swimming after much frustration and miscommunication with the swim team Coaches. Ugh.  Our boys love sports and we want them to be active in something. That something just isn't swimming. I finally blogged about Jackson's ADHD diagnosis on Children's Mentak Health Day.  I'll continue to blog about it as it is an ongoing syndrome that we are always dealing with. But there's no shame in it. We are proud of him and will continue to support him and advocate for him so he is successful. May also brought some shocking news as our adoption agency brought up Fostering and Amy and I, after prayerful consideration decided to become dual track as we proceeded onward with the straight adopt/foster-to-adopt process.  Another school year ended, my first (and awesome) at St. Mark. I also won an iPad mini via a contest with my favorite station 104.1 KRBE!  Holla!  The month ended on a great note as things with the adoption were looking promising and Disney World was getting closer!

June

Stella turned 2!  What?!  2?!  Wow. She was, and is, a hoot and keeps us on our toes daily. Disney was the name of the game for the month though as we spent a week there!  We did Disney World hard and were bus every minute of every day. But we had a blast and enjoyed it all. We made it to every park and ate some incredible food. While we don't have a definite date set, we are always planning, prepping, praying about, and waiting for our next trip!  I led VBS at St. Mark again and had a blast, so much fun and I always enjoy it. We spent the rest of the month relaxing and resting up from Disney while we awaited the all-important adoption phone call!

July

A busy month to say the least!  We started off the insanity by purchasing a new truck!  I love her. My beautiful blue Ford F-150. She is an awesome truck and has been such an improvement as a tow vehicle over the Sequoia (who is also a great vehicle as well, just not the same as my truck!). We took the Fireside out again, pulled by my truck, on vacation with my family. A few problems with the air conditioning occurred but we handled it and all ended up well.  After vacation we adopted not one, but two miniature schnauzer mixes. Twins. We named them Mickey and Minnie because we were, and are, still on a post-Disney World vacation high. They are adorable and we love them to pieces. I will say though, that everyone's is right when they say house training small dogs is way different than big dogs. Much harder and frustration. But it is slowly improving.  Speaking of house training, my awesome wife managed to potty train Stella in just 3 days. This is when she did with both boys and she ended the fun with a 3 for 3 success rate!  She is awesome. We started running. No seriously, we did. I know, I can still hardly believe it. But thanks to inspiration from friends and my wonderful wife, we because runners. We started off very slowly. But have gotten much better and actually, gasp!, enjoy it. The holidays and colder weather have seen fewer runs from both of us but 2015 will bring a change to that as we are excited to get back in it and put some more 5Ks under our belt!  Oh and we got Fitbits!  LOVE them!  Then it happened. At the very end of the month. It happened. We got the call. 2 girls. In need of placement. We talked and prayed (both quickly because you have to be quick) and accepted.  It also changed us. Forever. 

August

August was a blur. We had 5 kids. The foster care process was a lot. Meetings. Doctor's appointments. Meetings. Amy pulled the lion's share of it all. I will be the first to admit that. She was amazing. I saw in her the determination that made me love her. Determination to get things done. Determination to do right by these two little girls. Determination to care for her family, no matter what life threw at her. She was, and still always is, amazing. In the midst of all of this, school was starting back up.  We now had 5 kids to enroll!  Amy celebrated her birthday in the middle of everything.  School started and all 5 were at St. Mark since we'd made the decision prior to placement to move Jackson over. They all thrived. We also had our first home visit with T & L's family. The one where we found out a family member was interested in pursuing custody of them both. Mixed feelings emerged. This wasn't what we'd envisioned with our adoption process. But we continued on, praying and trying (successfully and unsuccessfully) to let Him lead us.  I ran my first 5K!  The FoamGlow Run!  Initially it was supposed to be Amy and I but the girls couldn't be left with anyone other than the two of us so I ran with Amanda instead. It was awesome and I loved it. Amy and I are currently looking into 5Ks this year to do!

September

Just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. T & L moved on from our care. They'd been with us for just over a month. About 5 1/5 weeks. It was an emotional process to say the least. We learned a lot. About the foster care world, about our biological children, about our friends and family, about each other. It drained us.  After it was all said and done we decided to halt any further movement with adoption. We don't know what lies ahead for us or where He is leading us. Our hearts are filled with love, compassion, and advocacy for adoption and the entire process. We just still aren't quite sure what the next step for us is. Other than waiting. Waiting. A word we'd come to despise throughout the adoption process but now one we turn to. Waiting. To see where He leads us, what He has in mind for us. Who knows?  We don't, but we have faith in the fact that He does. For now we just heal from the process and wait. But life moved forward and so do we. The boys were both enrolled in soccer for the fall!  Jackson through St. Mark and Braeden through a league near the house where he played on the same team as his cousin Austin!  Jackson turned 7!  7?!  Wow. Our kids are growing up too fast!  He is thriving at St. Mark and in my class!  He's also doing quite well managing his ADHD!  

October

October seemed to be pretty uneventful. I didn't blog much, life was busyish. Amy joined the Handbell Choir at St. Mark with her mom and is enjoying it!  She won't admit it, but she does and is quite good! Our Tuesday nights were overtaken with both boys' soccer practices and Saturdays and Sundays were both game days. It seemed as though we were always on the move. Halloween was fun, we had a themed- family costume with the cousins. All 4 boys were Texans football players, the 2 girls were cheerleaders (with adorable homemade tutus courtesy of my awesome wife), and Amy and I were referees (a simple costume consisting of a white tshirt, black electrical tape, and jeans!

November

I vowed to blog more. Life had gotten too much in the way and posts dwindled. 2015 will be different!  I had a birthday and Amy spoiled me with an iPhone 6 Plus and I LOVE it!  Soccer ended and the season was a success, the boys both doing quite well!  Amy and I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time at our house. With my family members far flung across the country that just wasn't happening. So Amy's mom and grandparents came and my parents and grandmother did also. It was so much fun to host rather than travel. Something I hope we get to do a lot more of!  Black Friday was a success as Amy's Mom and I continued our tradition of heading out to grab some deals!  The Christmas season began as our little elf, Englebert, reappeared!

December

I began the month posting about Santa and believing in the magic that is Santa. We lost Braeden's believe last year but this year everyone continued their belief, with Braeden helping to keep the secret!  We also announced that after Christmas Amy would be moving up to teach 4th Grade at Epiphany. Something totally new, exciting, and slightly daunting. We spent the first few days of Christmas break cleaning and prepping her new room and I know she will be incredible!  Christmas came and was a blessed day as we celebrated the birth of Jesus and spent time with family. It was so much fun to just stop and relax. The week afterward was spent doing more resting and relaxing, in addition to cleaning the house and reclaiming it from the post-Christmas clutter. That brings us to yesterday, the end of December and the end of 2014. More relaxing family time. Much needed and much enjoyed. 

So, that's 2014. A bit long but it's all there, mostly.  It was a whirlwind. A rollercoaster. One heck of a year. But we made it through and can look back to reminisce it all now, both the good times and the not so good times. What does 2015 have in store for us?  Not sure, but we can ruminate about that in another post. One dedicated to the new year!  

All is well, saying goodbye to 2014, in Drosche Land. 

iNew

So, you know that my birthday was this month. Well maybe you did and maybe you didn't. But it was. My awesome wife got my family members together and got me an iPhone 6 Plus!  Sadly though it was back ordered for a while and I just received it about a week ago. 

But I love it. Love it. It's huge and I love it. You know I love a good Apple product and my iPhone is very near and dear to me, so this gift was perfect. It does many new and awesome things and I am still enjoying the newness of it all as I learn all about the new features available. 

One is the ability to record video in slow mo. Yes, I know this was technically available on the last new one, but it's new to me now. Who doesn't love a good slow motion sequence in a movie. Often it's a high action point in the plot and has some great music to go along with it. Now, my life is far from an action movie but that doesn't mean that my daily adventures cannot be documented in slow motion. Nope, not anymore. 

A trip to the park the other day (oh how I love Thanksgiving Break) was the perfect opportunity for me to try this out. Again, nothing super action packed. Just my little girl playing. But the video itself it cool and the fact that it is in slow motion makes it more fun. It's go me thinking of what I can have the kids do so I can record them in slow motion. Playing, running, jumping, acting silly. The possibilities are endless. 

What about you?  Apple fan?  Have you recorded something in slow motion?  Below is my first attempt!  Nothing fancy, but fun. 

All is well, slow mo and all, in Drosche Land. 

Happy Day

Birthday that is.

Today was mine. I traveled further down the 30ish road. I'm still getting used to being in my 30's despite having entered a few years ago.  It still amazes me that I am that old. 

Anywho, it was a great day.  Amy busted it to make my favorite foods for dinner and dessert. The kids made beautiful cards for me. And then there was my present. Amy got my family members together to get me an iPhone 6 Plus!  Holla!  However, despite being ordered a while ago, it has yet to ship so I am eagerly awaiting it.

School was more of the same awesomeness. My Room Mom, who also happens to be a friend and coworker, got the parents all together and spoiled me with gifts, lunch, treats, and general pampering. It was great. So nice to be thanked and appreciated. Definitely made the day. 

So here I sit now. Everyone in the house is asleep and all is quiet. Tomorrow is just another regular day. Back to normal. Now is that peaceful, yet slightly melancholy, time when it is all calmly coming to an end. Sort of like Christmas night once the presents have been opened, food eaten, and kids tucked in. Everything is over and you are thankful for your blessings, but still it is all slightly sad that it is over. Do you feel that way on your birthday?  Christmas?  Just wondering. 

But all good things must come to an end and today was definitely a good thing. I was spoiled by my beautiful wife and wonderful kids, family, friends, coworkers, parents, and my dear little students. Great gifts. Great sweets. It was quite the day. I'm very blessed and lucky. 

That's it I guess.  Tomorrow begins another adventure of a year in my 30's. What lies ahead?  What does He have in store?  Who knows, but I can nearly be sure that, if history rings true, there will be many adventures along the way. 

All is well, one year older, in Drosche Land. 

Well Read

I love to read. I always have. Hey, it's a big reason why I teach and love my job. Amy and I have always been avid readers. For fun, that is. College textbooks?  Not so much.  But then life happens. Jobs happen. Kids happen. Dogs happen.  The free time in which to enjoy a good book seems to vanish into thin air. 

But I've decided recently to start reading again. Well, not that I stopped. But to make a more concerted effort to do so. To relax and unwind. Kind of like Amy and I are doing with running. Something for ourselves that we enjoy. 

Where to begin?  What to read?  I'm currently in the middle of several books. But I wanted to start fresh. Something new. So I decided to check out a book from the library. On my iPad. There's an app, Overdrive, that allows you to access libraries and their ebook database. You can then use your library card to check out. It's pretty awesome and I highly recommend it if you haven't done so already. All the fun of checking out a book without having to change out of your jammies and head to the library. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I still love an actual book. A real one you can hold and turn the pages. But I also embrace technology and the convenience of an ebook.  I think they can happily coexist. 

So the book I checked out is an Agatha Christie book, Hallowe'en Party. I love Agatha Christie and it's been ages since I read a book of hers. A good, old fashioned mystery. Ahhhhh. Sadly though my time with the book expires tomorrow and I cannot recheck it out since there is a hold on it. Thanks a lot random Houstonian for placing a hold on my book. Oh well. I plan on binge reading tonight. Who knows?  Maybe I'll finish?  

So. That's what's new here. What about you?  Reader?  Hard copy or ebook?  What are you reading right now?  Any good recommendations?

All is well, curled up with a good book, in Drosche Land.  

Lucky Day

Wednesday was a good day.  However, it was also the last full day of school and super busy so you are just now hearing about it on Friday. 

1. We received an email late Tuesday night, after we'd already gone to bed, from our Home Study worker. Our Foster-to-Adopt Home Study was approved!  So that started our day off on a good note. But it also means more work for us. Since we have now expanded to the fostering world, we will need a fire inspection of the house. But before that we have to have our gas lines inspected. S the past few days have involved phone calls between myself and the fire marshal's office and plumbers.  A plumber is coming to the house on Sunday and we will see about the gas line inspection then. Friday brings the fire inspection so hopefully by this time next week those things will be taken care of and we will be ready for the next step. What's that you ask?  Well, I was just going to tell you. Within 2 weeks we I will be contacted by someone from Matching and that process will begin. Yet another step closer. Hopefully an easy and quick step???  Fingers crossed!

2. So, Wednesday was good. Bittersweet as another year came to an end. I had a great class and I'll miss them terribly. This past year of changes was amazing and I was I truly blessed with awesome coworkers, friends, students, and families.  The changes were refreshing and reminded me of why I LOVE my job and what ministry is all about!  But the end of the year came and went. On the way home Amy and I met at the doctor to get our TB skin tests (another step since we'd received our approvals). Upon leaving, luck once again visited us. Via a texting contest with my favorite radio station (104.1 KRBE) I won an iPad Mini!  I know right?!?!  I've rarely won anything in life so I was quite excited about this. Plus I got to be on the radio for a few brief seconds. What fun!  You know I love me some Apple products so an iPad Mini is something right up my alley. I have to go pick it up next week so stay tuned about that. 

So, this past week has been a good one for us here in Drosche Land. Amy's and Jackson's last day was today and they also had a good one to end a good year. Next week brings meetings and cleaning before summer fully begins and then we will be in full whirlwind status as we prep for Disney!  But it seems as though things are settling down and calming a bit for us which is good for a change, especially since we are about to (hopefully) enter into the fine stretch of the adoption process! For now though things are good. We've got approvals, an iPad, and summer is here!

All is well, lucky, 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. 

Top Photos of 2013: 13

Okey dokey. 

So my recap by month plan has ended and thus began the search for 8 more photos that I love from 2013.   I'm away from home at a conference, I think I mentioned that yesterday, so I don't have access to all of my photos from 2013. However, thanks to the wonder that is my iPhone and Photostream, I have a good 1,000 pictures to root through so I'm not at a loss. 

But where to start?  How to begin?  I've basically looked through the majority of the photos as I did the monthly posts and some others jumped out at me then. But there are still tons of pictures that I didn't review.  So these next 7 days will involve a lot of visual retrospective action on my part. So here goes. 

This one was obviously taken on the 4th of July. This was a momentous occasion for Braeden because the boys have always both shied away from fireworks. However, I guess the pressure of two older cousins doing it was too much. I was surprised when he asked to hold the Roman candle, but excited as well. This picture makes me laugh though because as brave and grown up as he was being, he's turned his head away from it. Safety first I guess.  Kind of sums up his personality in a nutshell though. Wanting to be older but also still cautious and careful. 

Now, what will #14 be?

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land. 

Top 20 Photos of 2013: 1-5

Hey!
So, before January even arrived, one of the bloggers I follow (Duncan at The Kuantan Blog) posted about a photo-themed blog hop he was planning for January.  I love me a good blog hop and this one was all about pictures.  For the first 20 days of January I would post my 20 favorite photos from 2013.  Sounded great!  I signed right up.  Sadly, I forgot!  YIKES!

But, better late (only 5 days) than never here I am (thanks to a friendly reminder via Facebook!).  I'll do one big catchup post here for the first 5 and then continue with one a day from there.  

I take so many pictures with both my camera and iPhone all the time.  I make great use of Instagram and Facebook but many still never get posted.  To help with organization and time I have decided to make use of Apples Photostream and go through my pictures month by month.  I'll pick my favorite from each month and then 8 more others that I find along the way.  Sounds like a plan right?  Right!  So, here goes.  Hope you enjoy the visual walk back through 2013 with me.  

#1: January

I love this picture of Stella looking at Lucy.  The expression on her face is priceless.  It is what we call her "stink eye".  No one, human or animal, is impervious to it.  It cracks her and all of us up!

#2: February

Amy says I take way too many selfies.  This is one of my favorite pictures I took of myself.  My sister-in-law gave the boys this Stormtrooper helmet that makes a ton of noise.  I have to admit, it was fun to wear!

#3: March

I also take tons of pictures of my kids.  2013 being the year of firsts for Stella I took many of her, but also of all 3 since it was the boys' first time being a big brother to a little sister.  This picture is from Easter and melted my heart immediately.

#4: April

Another thing I take a lot of pictures of is food.  I love to eat.  2013 was the year Amy and I fell in love with food trucks.  We don't visit them nearly as much as we'd like, waistlines and wallets object, but we do like to get to them when we can.  One of our favorites is Bernie's Burger Bus.  This delicious burger was a splurge that Amy and I split.  It's called The Detention.  Instead of buns it has 2 bacon grilled cheeses.  Then there are two patties, more bacon, more cheese, and other delicious toppings.  YUM!  We loved it but definitely something to split, it was huge!  

#5: May

I knew that May's picture would have to be for Jackson.  True, Braeden's birthday is in this month, but with his graduation from Pre-Kindergarten it was a momentous month for Jackson as well.  He looked so grown up and was so proud of himself, as were we.

There you have it.  The first 5 of my 20 favorite pictures of 2013.  So far, so good!  Let's see what the next 15 have to bring!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

  

Better Late Than Never

Or so the saying goes.  If that's the case, then I don't feel as bad about my absence or the fact that I am just now getting around to posting about Jackson's 6th birthday which, for the record, happened on September 25!  Yikes!

Yeah, so life got busy again.  It seems to have a way of doing that huh?

So Jackson turned 6.  6?!  Seriously?  I mean I can hardly believe it.  Whenever I look at him I still see the little baby that I would wake up and feed several times a night, every night.  That little guy that would cuddle up with me in the recliner and drink his bottle, then we'd both pass out together.  Memories.  

Luckily he is still that little guy.  Still goofy.  Still full of energy.  Still just as cuddly as always.  Only now time has come and gone and suddenly he is 6.  Braeden has always been the mature kid.  Always the one who wanted to be older, never satisfied with being his own age.  I mean, he still jumps at the opportunity to hangout and play with older kids.  But not our Jack-Jack.  Nope, he was the baby for 4 1/2 years.  Now he is a big brother, the middle child.  And, if birth-order studies are credible, he is definitely a middle child!

6.  He started, as he does every year, counting down to his birthday right after Amy's in August.  He knows his is next and he is quick to remind anyone and everyone.  6 is our birthday year.  The year we let the kids have their "big" party and invite all of their friends.  Given the broken arm we didn't know how this would play out.  He originally wanted to have it at Monkey Joe's, one of those indoor playplace/jumpy places that are all the rage now.  But he changed his mind to Chuck E. Cheese, his favorite, his standby.  

We celebrated his actual birthday at home, just the 5 of us.  It was fun, nice, and easy.  Just the way we like it.  Then that weekend (yikes 2 weeks ago already?!) we had the big party.  He had a blast.  Friends came, there was pizza, presents, cookie cake, and tickets.  What more could a new 6-year-old want?  Not much since he, as he always does, claimed it to be the best birthday ever when he went to bed that night.  Melts my heart every time he says it, because it is genuine and honest.

So, wild hare that he may be, my little guy is growing up.  But he has managed to keep his kid-ness and love of childhood and fun ever present.  6.  Wow.  I haven't uploaded all of the pictures I took at his party (I know!  Shame, thy name is Dusty) but I will share them once I do.  But I got some great shots with my iPhone (since it is always handy) so I will share those here.

All is well, one year older, in Drosche Lane.

He loves boardgames and this one looked right up his alley!  He loves it and it is tons of fun!

Love his face!  

Goofball! 

In the Ticket Blaster at Chuck E. Cheese!  He was so cute and I'll admit I think it looks like so much fun too!

We love us some Duck Dynasty around here and Jackson loves his new Si shirt!

He is always so genuinely excited about every gift, this is his reaction to everything he receives!

Finally!  He's been waiting for it!

  

Quack

So, I know that I am late getting on this bandwagon.  I know.  But I have become totally addicted to Duck Dynasty.

Now, you know I love me some reality television.  However, with our decision a while ago (maybe a year now?) to get rid of cable I don't get to see as much of it as possible.  I mean the good trashy stuff that's on cable.  Sure I love Big Brother and we sort of follow the craziness of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and I am stoked about the upcoming season of Survivor.  But I miss the Housewives.  OC, Atlanta, New York, New Jersey.  See, cable reality shows aren't really on Hulu or Netflix and those are our primary ways of watching TV now.  Being busy we don't always get to watch it live.  So Hulu and Netflix team up to be our DVR.

So, I've gotten off on a tangent.  Big surprise right?  But I'm back now.  I have been hearing all about Duck Dynasty.  Seeing it on Facebook.  It seemed awesome.  It seemed like something I'd love.  However, patiently as I might wait, it just never is going to make it to Hulu or Netflix.  Come on cable channels, unclench!

This past holiday weekend we were at my sister-in-law Amanda's house and she has cable.  So I was bound and determined to watch some.  Lo and behold it was everything I could ever hope for.  Ahhhhhh.  Thus began a love affair with yet another TV show.  This time though, Amy fell for it with me.  We are full-fledged addicts now.

But we can't stay at Amanda's.  Nor can we trek the 8 miles over there to watch TV.  What ever is a TV addict to do?  Enter my wonderful wife.  Turns out Duck Dynasty is available on iTunes and you know we are Apple people, having already bought our second Apple TV.  So she surprised me and bought Season 1.  We spent the remainder of the weekend relaxing on the couch and marathoning our way halfway through the season.  

What joy!  What bliss!  What fun redneck comedy!  Sure, maybe some of it is staged.  What reality show isn't.  But I still think the core of the show is true and awesome.  The best part about it is that it is something we can all watch.  The boys love it as well.  I can't say the same thing about all of my other reality TV shows (sorry housewives).

Do you watch Duck Dynasty?  What do you think?  Do you love it?  Which is your favorite? Phil?  Miss Kay?  Willie?  Jase?  Jep?  Uncle Si?  I can't choose, although Uncle Si gets Amy and I laughing all the time!  If you, like I was, are one of the last remaining people to see this, I highly suggest you watch!  Trust me.

Oh, and just to give you an extra laugh, there's an app too.  It's called Beard Booth.  I love it.  See the picture of the boys I made below!  AWESOME!

All is well, happy happy happy, in Drosche Land.

HA!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day!

I know, it was yesterday.  But I was too busy relaxing and stuffing my face to wish you dear readers a Happy Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for and I often forget that.  I hope you enjoyed or are enjoying your break and focusing on your blessings!  I'll try to touch on the Thanksgiving Break thus far before Stella wakes from her nap.  Hopefully that's a while longer.  Little Miss needs her some nap!  :)

The week began with Amy and I heading to a teacher's conference in Austin.  We left the boys with Amy's Mom, the dogs with my Mom, and took Stella with us.  The original plan was to leave all 3 kids but after Stella's ridiculously long sickness, it was easier to keep her with us so we could stay on top of it.  As it turned out, Amy was able to get a room to herself and I joined her.  Overall the conference was great.  Until I sprained my ankle!  See, I don't get injured often.  I don't know what happened and I wish it were a great story.  However, truth be told, I was getting up and stepped funny.  I nearly fell into a coworker and a chair.  Classy.  Even better was the fact that I nearly passed out and, according to Amy and coworkers, probably went into shock.  Judging by the color of my face, I'd have to agree.  My ankle swelled up nice and big.  Since I couldn't walk, I spent the rest of the day in a wheelchair.  Nice, just my luck.  However, by that night and the next day I was able to hobble around quite nicely.  It's better now, still pretty swollen and very tender.  But I can walk normally for the most part, stairs are still slow-going!  Want to see a picture?  Because you know I took one!

OUCH!

I must say though how grateful I am to Amy.  We were going to split Stella duty at the conference, but my little stumbling block (literally) changed that.  She really stepped up to take care of both of us and I owe her majorly!

Once we were back home we began to clean and launder from the trip while prepping for Thanksgiving.  Amy made the most amazing homemade cornbread & chorizo dressing!  I mean, seriously!  Ridiculously delicious!  We started the day off at the Thanksgiving Day parade here, a tradition Amy, Amanda, and her Mom started last year while Adam and I were in Vegas.  The kids had a blast!  Their favorite part: the horses.  More precisely the horses, ahem, using the restroom in front of us!  This was the highlight of last year's parade and this year the horses didn't fail them!  Ahhhh, the joys of kids.  Stella did great and enjoyed herself as the other kids did as well.  Still too young to try food, she napped (thankfully) during the meal and drank her first Thanksgiving dinner!  

I then went out with Amy's Mom for some early Black Friday deals while Amy took the kids home to sleep.  I love this, so much fun.  Next year we'll have to figure out a plan for the kids so Amy can join us!  I love a good deal, plus all the excitement!  Today we shopped some more and she is out right now with the kids, the cousins, Amanda, and her Mom at the movies.  I stayed with Stella this time and am currently speed-blogging my way through her nap time.

Tomorrow we head out to East Texas for Thanksgiving with my family.  Another, longer, car trip with the kids and we will test out the effectiveness of loading movies onto the iPad!  Thanks Apple , iTunes, and iCloud for making life so much easier!  Sunday we come home and begin to prep for heading back to school.  Not much "resting" this break, but it has still been a lot of fun.  Hopefully next week brings us back to normal and our usual routine now that everyone finally is healthy again.  I think we've had enough illness and excitement for a while!

So, that was our Thanksgiving break thus far in a nutshell.  I could go on for longer about the food, but just thinking about it makes me hungry.  Maybe I'll grab some leftovers before Stella wakes?  How was yours?  Full of family, fun, great food, good deals?  I hope it was a blessed time for you, regardless of your plans.  Below are some more Thanksgiving pictures!  Enjoy the rest of your break!

Amy, her Mom, the kids, and their cousins at the parade!

Stella at her first Thanksgiving Day parade!

Amy and I at the parade.  Love this picture!  Love me some Instagram!

All is well, thankful and blessed, in Drosche Land.  

Connectivity

Well, wouldn't you know it?  I make a vow to not be gone so long and bam, our Internet goes o n the fritz.  And I totally had a Sunday Snapshot too!  Oh well, I guess it'll have to wait until this coming Sunday. Bummer. 

I mean I could have blogged from my iPhone is 4G but that's an ordeal in itself and leads to numerous grammatical and spelling errors. Both of which drive me bananas when I find them elsewhere, so I truly loath making them myself. But here I am. 

Having the Internet down got me thinking about how much we rely on it, that and technology in general. I mean, I wasn't totally disconnected (Yikes!  I cringe just thinking about it) as I could still use 4G for everything but still. We've taken a break from cable again, a topic for another post, so no Internet connection meant no way to access Netflix of Hulu.  Gasp!  Only network TV?!  

Now you know how addicted I am to technology and media in general, too much I know. So maybe I was affected more than the average person?  Maybe not?  It made me wonder what life will be like for the kids in the future, or in a few years for that matter?  How will minor interruptions in connections affect them?

Speaking of technology, in my already random and rambling post, today the new iPhone 5 was announced at Apple's big event. Woo hoo!  Now I'm not getting one, I don't need one as my 4S is only a year old. But it is still so much fun to see all of the new features and offerings Apple has for us all.  I can dream right? :)

Well, I think that about wraps up my random, stream-of-consciousness post.  Maybe I'm sleep-deprived or suffering the effects of limited connectivity an technology?  Maybe I'm just in a random mood?  Hmmmm?

All is well, connected again, in Drosche Land. 

N is for Nook & Nook App

I love to read.  I always have.  It's a topic I've mentioned here before.  I've even mulled over the options of reviewing books here on this blog.  However, I am not blessed with a reviewer's voice, nor am I blessed with the time to review books on a regular basis.  It was one of my New Year's resolutions to read more and, thanks to The Hunger Games trilogy, it is one I am on my way to keeping.

I'm split on the recent debate between eReaders and traditional books.  Sure, nothing beats a good book.  The feel of the paper.  Using a book mark or folding down the corner to mark your place.  Reading the back covers in a book store to see if it sounds good.  However, there is something to say for technology.  Having hundreds of books at your fingertips whenever and wherever you need them.  The ability to pick up a book no matter what else you're doing and read.  The portability.  You see my dilemma, one I'm sure many people have.

Now, I'm a huge Apple and iPad fan, that's no secret.  But apparently the Nook is huge.  Amy wanted, and got, one this past Christmas and has been in love with it.  She loves reading as much as, if not more than, I do.  It wasn't long until we realized to make the most of the Nook app for iPad.  Our tastes aren't always in line when it comes to reading, but occasionally we see eye-to-eye, or page-to-page for that matter.  Well, thanks to the Nook app we can both read the same book at the same time and only purchase it once!  Now, I know we are not the only or first people to realize this (at least I highly doubt it) but we still enjoy the feeling that we're beating the system a bit!  Taking advantage of them somewhat.  Ha!  We live on the wild side here in Drosche Land huh?!  Aside from our joy in dabbling with corporate trickery, the Nook and its iPad app allow us to have a common eReader ground here in Drosche Land.  Compromise is always a good thing right?  Plus, the Nook app gives me access to many books that aren't available via iBooks (The Hunger Games trilogy to name just 3).  So it's a win-win situation all around.

Paper or eReader?  iPad or Nook?  What's your choice?  Or are you like me and like you keep your options open?  Ahhh the new choices we readers have!

Nook meets iPad - a match made in heaven!  

All is well, well-read, in Drosche Land.

H is for Hunger Games

Yes, I know that The Hunger Games are everywhere and bloggers and news outlets have been covering it for some time, but I'm going to go ahead and join the ranks.  After having read about the book a while back when the hype was beginning about the movie's filming, sometime over the summer, I began to think about reading it.  Time passed, the movie's release was imminent and the frenzy was building.  I decided to go ahead and start the series, to read it prior to seeing the movie.  Boy am I glad I did!

I'll admit to jumping on the Hunger Games bandwagon, and I'm not ashamed in the slightest bit.  I was intrigued by all of the hype and press that was everywhere.  If you have not read it yet I HIGHLY (another "H" word) recommend it.  It's addictive and a fun and easy read.  I was quickly enthralled by the storyline and am now fully addicted.  I'm not going to give a full-on book review here, I'm not terribly gifted at writing those.  Plus, odds are you have some clue as to what it's all about.  I'm simply here to be one more person to join in the craze.  One more person for you to relate to if you love it or one more person to persuade you to read it if you haven't.  I've finished the first book and am one night of reading away from finishing the second!  I've yet to see the movie, but I always enjoy reading the books before watching any movie adaptation.  With Stella's arrival getting nearer I see myself enjoying the movie in the comfort of my own home (thanks Redbox!).  I'll post again about that once I see it.  A good old compare/contrast.  So, the moral of this "H" post - read The Hunger Games.  :)

READ IT!  Whether it's via iPad, Nook, or the old fashioned way!

All is well, curled up with a good book, in Drosche Land.

Lost

So yesterday I learned several very valuable lessons. 1 - back up all of your pictures, frequently. 2- don't keep personal pictures on your work computer. 3 - if you don't follow #2, at least back them up on something personal like an extranal hard drive, the Internet, or DVDs. 4 - if for some reason you don't follow the first 3 rules, have an awesome IT guy who will do everything he possibly can to help, even if none of it works.

Yep, your deductive reasoning skills are sharp and by now I'm sure you've guessed what this is about. Yesterday my computer crashed and I lost a lot. First off though I'll preface this by saying everything could have been avoided if I'd followed the aforementioned steps from above!

See I'd been meaning to back up all of my 4,600ish pictures from my work computer and clean them off of there. At the insistence and advice of my lovely wife. At the insistence and advice of my awesome IT Guru. But laziness proved to be my Achilles heel! See Amy and I don't have a home computer anymore, we have our iPad and her Nook. We have our work computers from Trinity that began our love affair with everything Apple. Since we didn't have personal computers I've always uploaded our pictures to mine and then backed them up on an external hard drive. But I'd gotten lazy with that. I'd been meaning to do so again since it's been a long time since I last did so, and was actually going to do it over Spring Break. Once that was done I was going to take them off the computer altogether. Obviously this did not happen.

Wich brings us to yesterday's tragedy. My computer suddenly said it was running low on space. I have no clue why, it was fine just the other day. It kept going down and down and I panicked! I shut it down thinking that would help but then it wouldn't turn back on. More panicking ensued, along with frantic texts to said IT Guru. Turns out, try as he might, he couldn't get into it and had to wipe it clean. Panic overload. All of my documents were on the school's server so they were safe. I have all of my music on my iPhone and iPad so (hopefully) they'll synch back when I reconnect, at least the purchased music will, I may have to import others from CDs. But the pictures were the greatest loss. Over 4,600. Gone. Well, maybe not exactly that much, I'm not sure when I last backed it all up. Suffice it to say, though, that a lot are gone. I was flabbergasted (isn't that a fun word?). I was depressed and mad but had no one to blame but myself so I couldn't be too depressed and mad. The more I thought of it though, I found a silver lining to the dark cloud, albeit a thin one. Thanks to social media I have a lot of the pictures unintentionally backed up via Facebook and this blog, then there's ones I've uploaded to Snapfish to print (have you tried Snapfish? It's pretty awesome!), I also havetype of my camera's cards full, and Amanda texted me about the DVDs I burned for her so there's a ton there. So, not all is lost, but a good chunk of the last 3 years are.

I know what you're thinking. How can a techno-savvy genius like me NOT back things up? I'll shamefully admit again that it comes down to laziness! Yikes, that's a tough pill to swallow. I just never made the time to get around to doing it. Trust me though when I say that I'll never make that mistake again. Ever.

I'm truly grateful to the two people who could have given me a load of "told you so", Amy and my IT Guru. But they didn't, at least not too much! :) Amy just reminded me of our backup plan, which I hadn't followed, and let it go. My IT Guru busted it to get my computer up and running again in less than a day and I owe him big (if you're reading this, trust me, I'll pay up!)!

So, in conclusion dear readers, learn from my mistake and back up your stuff! Do it now! Hopefully though, you already do and are shaking your head at me in disbelief! I know I am. This weekend I undergo the task of finding, organizing, and backing up everything we do have and getting a system in place so this never happens again! Hopefully it'll be done in time for the Sunday Snapshot. That or I'll just have to use my iPhone and Dropbox to upload via the iPad. Wish me luck!

All is well, lesson learned (the hard way), in Drosche Land.

iHere, iAwesome!

IT CAME!

ON SATURDAY!

Can you tell I am happy?  I wanted to post this blog for a few days but it has been busy here.  This was also originally going to be a Sunday Snapshot but it didn't happen.  2 weeks without a Sunday Snapshot, wow!  This week had better be good right?!  It's killing me that I've missed 2 weeks, but oh well.  On with this post.

So I called UPS again on Saturday morning, inquiring where my iPhone was and why it wasn't with me.  I was nice, the UPS lady was nice, but we didn't get anywhere.  I was told that due to the stipulations that Apple placed on their shipping (any package not delivered Friday 10/14 could only be delivered on Monday 10/17) I was not able to move the delivery to Saturday.  Bummer.  The worst part was the fact that Saturday morning it was here in Houston.  So, another strike-out and no iPhone.  I was frustrated but did my best (Amy might remember it differently) to deal with it.  I had moved on, mostly, when just a hour later the doorbell rang!  Who could it be?  We weren't expecting anyone .  Lo and behold it was the UPS man!  WOO HOO!  I laughed when I opened the door and told him he was my hero.  Amy said I needed to thank him and then call UPS to apologize for harassing them for the past 2 days.  I was just happy.  Very happy.

I quickly got to work setting it up and just a few minutes later I was ready to roll.  I have already grown to love my new iPhone and my addiction has been revived and strengthened.  Not only is it a totally AWESOME phone, but it is so nice to have one that won't die after 5 minutes of use!  Ahhhh, life is good.

The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing.  Braeden had a T-Ball game that his cousins came to, then they came and played at the house so that was a lot of fun.  Sunday was typical - church and Costco, with some quality couch time sprinkled in for good measure.  Sunday night I had to go to the opening of the TX District LCMS Church Workers Conference.  We had no school yesterday and today due to the conference as well so I have been busy with that.  Amy and the boys have gone to school as usual, regular school for Jack and holiday childcare for Braeden.  Tomorrow we will all get back into out usual routine which is good because the remainder of this month is packed and busy!  

Oh, there was also other good news from Saturday that I hinted at last week!  That was originally going to be Saturday's post but with the iPhone delivery and conference it has been pushed back.  I'll mention it here but let it have its own post for another time, maybe tomorrow.  Drum-roll please!  We got cable! WOO HOO!  I know, it was a big weekend for technology in Drosche Land!  Yes, I know Dave Ramsey wouldn't approve, but we decided to treat ourselves.  Amy has worked it out and all is well.  It has been wonderful to have it back, plus having a DVR!  How did we go a year and a half without it?  Crazy!  Yes, I know, I am spoiled.  I have an extremely loving and generous wife who takes good care of me!  I'm lucky.  Very luck! 

All is well, iWell in fact, in Drosche Land.

 Even the box is beautiful!

 

 iAwesome!

  iLove!