O = Old

Old.

Yes I know I'm only just dipping my toes in the waters of the 30's, but there's nothing like having a baby to make you realize that you aren't as young as you used to be.  See, we had the boys early.  I was 25 and Amy was 24 when Braeden was born and just a year older when Jackson came along.  So we were young parents.  We would often get asked why we didn't wait longer, why we chose to have kids so young.  Well, we both wanted them.  It's not like we had tons of money to travel or spend on ourselves anyway.  Plus, there will be plenty of time for that when the nest is empty.  Right?  Hope so.  At least if we continue on Dave Ramsey's plan there will be.

So we had kids young.  I remember going to parties/school functions/whatnot where the boys' classmates' parents were also present.  I felt so out of place at times.  Here I was in my 20's, basically just winging it and having fun along the way, while there were all of these "older" parents with established careers, 401Ks, and family-friendly transportation (not a tiny Cabrio).  Awkward.  We are still younger than many of the parents in either Braeden's or Jackson's class, so that keeps me feeling younger than I am (sorry other parents!).

Flash forward 6 years and Stella comes along.  Sure, we're "experienced" now.  Yes we have a house in the suburbs and a minivan.  We're the parents that used to intimidate me.  Yikes!  How did that happen?  I thought I was young?  Crap, the 30's came along and wrote me a reality check.  

Getting up with a newborn is harder when you're in your 30's.  Running around and chasing after a crawler who is into everything seems to be a bit more exhausting now than I remember.  Of course, having the other 2 running around doesn't help much in the busy department, but I think some of it has to do with being older.

I don't feel older, well not most of the time.  I don't think I look that much older, no gray hairs yet!  But then here comes this adorable, chunky little girl to make me realize otherwise!  Oddly enough though, she also makes me feel young sometimes.  Having a baby is fun, even though it's a ton of work.  She keeps me on my toes, literally.  So I guess it's not so bad being an "older" parent in the long run.  At least I won't be having these same worried in a decade!

All is well, 15/26 down, in Drosche Land.     

Seriously?!

Disclaimer: No Drosches were harmed in the events of the story I am about to relay.  We are all safe and sound.  So many prayers of thanks to Him for that!

Dude!  So you know how it is when you feel like you can't catch a break?  You know what I mean.  Well, as you can tell from the photo above, I'm having one of those times right now.  You remember the blowout from last Friday.  Well, we're just getting over that.  It seems like a distant memory after the events of last night.

So I'm on my way home with the kids.  I'm totally 30 seconds from turning in to the neighborhood.  Then bam!  Literally, bam.  You know how they (whoever they are) say that most accidents occur near the home?  Well they aren't kidding.  Trust me, it's true.  There I am sitting at a red light, the last light until I turn in to the subdivision.  The light changes to green.  The cars in front of me go.  I go.  The car next to me slams into my car whilst (don't you love that word, makes me feel better to use it) trying to get in front of me.  Seriously?!  Well, after the initial few seconds of shock I floor it after them to get their plate numbers in case they're running.  I mean, I'm all for a good chase, but I've got the kids with me this time.  Luckily they pull in to a parking lot.  I'm already on the phone with Amy, who's at home cooking dinner (by the way she was making phenomenal homemade mac & cheese).  She stops and heads our way.  

I get out of the car, after warning the boys to stay inside the car (you never know).  I walk around and see the damage.  Seriously?!  Ok, so I may have said something a little stronger than that but hey, this is a family friendly blog.  The front panel from the passenger door to the front of the car is dented and scraped and the bumper is cracked in the front.  Crap!  I go back to get my iPhone to start taking pictures.  I took a lot, I want full documentation.

Meanwhile the girl, literally a 19 year-old, is getting her information ready and has mumbled, "Sorry.".  I nod.  I'm still to upset to speak and don't want to get all crazy on some poor stranger, even if they did just open up a whole can of financial drama and craziness in my life.  I decide I'd better get my information out and ready.  I go to open the passenger door and it won't open.  Seriously?!  This time I actually did say that.  The door itself is fine so it must be something jammed or out of line on the inside.  Crap.

Amy shows up and Jackson immediately hangs out the window and yells, "Hey Mom!  We've been in a major accident!"  Leave it to him for some comedic relief!  Then he jumps out of the car to assess the damage in wide-eyed disbelief.  Amy exchanges our info with the other driver as I call 911.

Long story short the sheriff comes and gets it all handled.  She's ticketed for changing lanes at an "improper and unsafe time".  Sad for her, relief for me.  I mean, I knew it wasn't my fault, but now there's proof.  We part ways, this time I answer her "Sorry." with, "It's ok.  Have a good night."  I've calmed.

Later at home, after dinner, I call and make claims on our insurance and hers.  Thus begins the fun of repairs and dealing with the aftermath of an accident.  Fun.  Note:  You were supposed to read the last "Fun" in a sarcastic voice.  Feel free to do so now if you didn't the first time.

This is not my first accident, I was in one in high school.  But that was light years ago and I'm all grown now.  So technically, I've never done all of this.  Fun (yes sarcastic again).  Up first on the agenda is a rental, if possible, and if her insurance will cover our deductible.  Contact with both Adjusters will be able to answer those.  In the meantime we wait.  And pray that our run of bad luck has come to an end.  Especially where it involves drama of the automotive nature.

We shall see.  But again, everyone is safe so it's only material items and money that we need to worry about now.  Not that those things aren't more than enough, but at least we don't have to place and injury cherry on the top of our towering accident sundae!

All is well, seriously, in Drosche Land.   

Blow Out

Clearly I'm not talking about a visit to the salon here people.

So, the above incident happened to me on the way home from work yesterday.  But, before I get into it all I have to give you some background information.  Just listen.  Trust me, it will come in handy later.  Oh, and this may be a long story.  Hopefully it's interesting, but long.  You might want to grab a snack.

Over Spring Break we had a little incident with the Trail Blazer's liftgate.  See, we were getting ready to head out to the drive-in.  I was getting our chairs and putting them in the trunk.  The trunk was open.  The chairs are at the front of the garage so Amy decided to back the Trail Blazer out a bit to help me get to them.  Yep, you guessed it.  The liftgate got caught on the garage door.  Luckily no major damage was caused to either the car or the door.  However, the handle to the liftgate was damaged and we cannot get it open.  I made the decision to wait on getting it fixed.  I thought, "Eh, we can just open the glass top and get in that way.  It can wait.  We'll save up the money and do it later."  Famous last words.

Ok, so you're filled in now.  On with the original story.

So, I'm driving home.  I'd just finished a phone call when I heard a funny noise from the rear of the car.  Also, it wouldn't accelerate as well.  No smoke.  No flashing lights.  The only thing was the tire pressure light had come on.  Crap.  I pulled over onto the shoulder.  Now, keep in mind I'm on the HOV of a major freeway here.  On the far right side, where the shoulder is.  With all 3 kids.  I glance out my window at the cars flying by me.  I'll be honest dear readers, it took me a minute to get the courage up to open the door and step out.  I immediately saw the driver's rear tire.  Crap.  Back into the car I go.  The boys know something is up.  I try calling Amy but she's not answering.  We're supposed to eat dinner at some friends' house and we're meeting there.  Crap.  Not going to make that.  Amy answers as a huge Toll Road Authority tow truck pulls up.  Awesome.  I get the kids out of the car and into this giant truck.  The boys are clearly excited.  Stella doesn't mind too much either.  Into the tow truck we go.

Stella and I riding in the front of the tow truck.

The boys enjoying their ride!

Now things get funny from here.  The air conditioning in the tow truck just went out and he was on the way to the shop when he stopped to help us.  Shortly into our ride the "Check Engine" light comes on.  I can't make this stuff up folks.  Since we have a full-size spare we decide to have the guy take us to the park & ride to change it.  Now, think back  to the incident from Spring Break.  Remember?  Good, here we go.

So we get to the park & ride only to find out that the access point to lower the spare down from underneath can only be reached when the liftgate is opened.  Ahhhh, now you see the purpose for the story within a story?!  Crap. 

Unloading

 

Now what.  Well, as it turns out, it is against his policy to take me to a second location so I'm stuck here.  Crap.  Troubleshooting via the phone with Amy begins.  Meanwhile the boys are collecting acorns from trees and running around while I hold Stella on my hip.  Amy has the brilliant plan to just remove the tire, take it to get replaced, and bring it back to put it on.  Great!  Saves us the wait time on another tow truck and the cost of one too!  

We begin the process when who should drive up?  Mr. Toll Road Authority Tow Truck Driver Man (note: not his real name).  He came back to check up on us.  Yes dear readers, there are still people like that out there.  Turns out though, he informs us that our jack (the one that came with the car) is crap.  And he's seen people lose a leg using one.  Crap.  So he uses his giant fancy one to get the car up and his drill-like tool to get the nuts off quickly.  We put it on my crappy jack and he leaves.  

The kids get loaded into Amy's van.  The destroyed tire gets loaded into Amy's van.  A tired me gets loaded into Amy's van.  Off to Sam's (literally across the street) we head.  I'll speed up the story here.  They get the new tire mounted and balanced.  We head back to the Trail Blazer and luckily it's still there and our crappy jack hasn't collapsed.  The tire is put on and we make a quick stop back at Sam's to get the nuts tightened before heading home.  Finally.  

Keep in mind that it is now 7:00 pm.  The tire blew at about 4:45.  We had one extra diaper.  No bottles.  No snacks, save for a few graham crackers that Stella ate.  However, God's grace was shining down on us as all 3, yes all 3, kids were very patient and well-behaved throughout this whole ordeal.  Sure there were moments here and there, but overall it was amazing.  The boys ask to eat out at La Finca, one of their favorite restaurants just across the street from our neighborhood.  Amy and I figure that it is a good reward for their cooperation but Stella is well past her bedtime and we didn't want to stretch our luck with her so Amy stayed home with her to give her a bottle and put her to bed while the boys and I went out to dinner.  It was nice to have some boy time, but the 3 of us were so exhausted that we didn't talk much.  We quickly ate and got Amy's order to-go.

Dinner.  Finally.

So, there you have it.  Just another little adventure here in Drosche Land.  Never a dull moment.  Lucky for us, we have once again begun to follow Dave Ramsey's plan.  Thanks to an emergency fund, we can handle this little mishap and it is no longer a burden for us.  Yes dear readers, we are back on track to financial freedom, but that's a topic for another post.  The events of yesterday have just cemented in us the need for financial freedom and have motivated us more to keep it up!  So keep it up we will!

All is well, re-inflated, in Drosche Land.   

            

When It Rains . . .

You know the adage.  When it rains, it pours.  Well, that has held true here in Drosche Land this past week.  Both literally and figuratively.

Last week we had crazy thunderstorms and rain every day.  I love me some rain and stormy weather, but I did have plans to take the boys out of town this past weekend, to East Texas, to celebrate my Mom's birthday with family.  However, given the meteorological circumstances that ended up not happening.  I just didn't want to chance a 3-hour drive in the pouring rain, in the dark, to some place I'd never been.  As it turns out though, I wouldn't have been able to attend even if the weather had cooperated.

So you know that Amy went to a conference each day last week and she was super excited about it as it was great prep for her re-entering the classroom this year.  Well, Friday was the last day of the conference, and also the day I was to leave town.  I'd already canceled my plans when I got a phone call from her.  The van broke down.  Luckily it was in the parking lot of the building she'd been at so she was safe.  She'd called a tow truck but it would be over an hour.  So I finished feeding Stella and rallied the troops so we could go get her.  When we arrived I, like any good man, tried the van for myself.  Yep, she was right!  So we waited for the tow truck.  As it turns out he was able to give us a temporary fix, reconnect a loose cable, and we headed to the repair shop to drop it off.  The whole time we were hoping it wasn't the transmission, again.

The good news, it wasn't.  It was a relatively easy fix.  The bad news, more work (unrelated to the break down) was needed in order to get the van to pass inspection.  When is inspection due you ask?  By the end of this month of course!  Luckily, thanks to Amy and Dave Ramsey for having our finances back on the right track, this little downpour didn't hurt us terribly.  But we are still working out our plan to get everything back in working order without breaking the bank!

Sunday morning Braeden woke up crying and holding his neck.  He couldn't move it.  Amy and I both thought it was just a crick, he'd slept funny.  However, she stayed in pain all day long, crying off and on.  We began a Tylenol regimen for pain relief and he slept for 3 hours on the couch.  That night he had a rough time again and yesterday the pain was still there.  Lessened somewhat, but not gone.  We'd begun to get worried that something was wrong, but by bedtime he seemed in a better place.  As I write this now he is up and about, much better having regained a lot of movement.  Amy's still asleep so that will be a welcome finding for her when she awakes.  It must have been some wicked neck cramp though poor guy!  No fun.

So, as you can see, it's been pouring here for a while.  This craziness, accompanied by general life busyness, is why I have no Sunday Snapshot post this week.  I'll have to make next week's killer!  :)  But, the sun is beginning to shine again and we're drying out.  Again, literally and figuratively.  Life happens though, and when it does it's handy to have an umbrella near by!

All is well, another storm weathered, 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!

Sunday Snapshot - School Supplies

Nerd though I may be, but I LOVE school supplies.  I love shopping for them just as much!  Yesterday the day came to head out and gather the items on both boys' lists and I was seriously beside myself with excitement.  I know, I may have a bit of a problem/addiction here but hey, it could be worse.  How can you not love brand-new crayons?  Fresh, unsharpened pencils?  A full bottle of glue?  Everything is unused and new, just ready for the fun and excitement of the new school year!  Oh, so my inner nerd/teacher is showing but again, I'm okay with that.  This was a big year for us though as we entered into uncharted waters.  With Braeden entering Kindergarten we now have one kid in the "grade-level" school and one kid in the Early Childhood program.  The lists shared similar items, you know the usual staples, but were still very different.  

Probably the biggest difference is the fact that Braeden will be wearing uniforms this year so we had to purchase those.  Gone are the days where he had full reign of his closet every day when decided what to wear.  The choice is now whittled down to khaki or navy shorts paired with a white, red, navy, or green polo shirt.  Braeden has always been difficult to dress because he goes through, as I'm sure many kids do, phases.  There was the time he would only wear sleeveless shirts, now we won't touch them.  Then there was the time you couldn't force him into jeans without a meltdown, he loves jeans now.  Currently we are smack in the middle of an athletic shorts phase.  However, he seems super excited about wearing uniforms, as odd as that is, so we could be in for an easy transition.  

Otherwise it was a fun, for me at least, day out shopping.  Target, Academy, and JC Penney all played a valuable role in the day's festivities.  Probably the best part was the fact that my wonderful and financially gifted wife did an awesome job planning and budgeting.  We paid cash for everything and got great deals, spending a ridiculously low amount of money for the multiple bags of goodies!  Dave would be so proud.

So, everything is now packaged, organized, labeled, and ready.  Now I just have to impatiently wait the 2 1/2 weeks until school starts!  

All is well, fully supplied and picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

 Goodies!

 We gave in and let the boys get new lunch kits.  Of course they both picked the same one!

 It's not a complete school supply list without crayons and markers!

 A variety of glue products!

 Fun, miscellaneous supplies and of course fresh pencils!

 Organization and storage options!

 Standard items with multiple classroom uses!

 A new addition to Drosche Land school supply lists!

 A label maker!  No, this wasn't a school supply but is crucial for labeling supplies.  I LOVE this and have one in my classroom also!  One of the best inventions ever, I highly recommend you get one, now!  You'll wonder what you did before it!

 All ready to go!  XL Ziploc bags make an awesome way to bring everything in.  I can't take full credit, it was on the lists.  But I will be adding it to my 1st Grade list next year (sadly I forgot to do it for this year!)

   

RE-Connected!

I've been meaning to write this post for a week or so but just haven't.  I'm not sure what is going on, it's summer so I have nothing but time on my hands.  However, the blog isn't seeing as much action lately.  Writer's block?  Blogger's block?  Lack of topics?  I'm not sure.  Hopefully this will get me back on the blogging horse and resume my regular postings.

So, you may remember my post, here, where I mentioned that our beloved TiVo box had suddenly stopped working.  Well, after reading said post by lovely wife decided to put in her 2 techno-savvy cents.  Lo and behold, our digital converter had suffered an untimely death.  Well, now we had a decision to make.  The TiVo box, beloved as it ma have been, was antiquated technology.  All of our TVs are HD and digital but our little TiVo box was still of the analog generation.  It seemed silly to purchase another converter for a piece of equipment that was already quite outdated.  So a new converter was off the table.  But then what?  You know we have long since given up cable at the advice of Dave Ramsey as we pursue financial freedom and continue to push our debt snowball downhill.  Recommitting to that outrageous monthly cost wasn't really an option either.  A new TiVo box?  Talk about expensive.  Any other DVR?  Same case.  

With our options dwindling we (mainly Amy) began to research.  Apple TV?  We'd heard of it and you know we (I) are huge Apple fans (the new iPhone comes out in September!!!)!  The more we read about it, the more we were convinced that this was the option for us.  Inexpensive, no monthly cost, an Apple product, untapped future potential.  Ding!  We had a winner.  We headed straight out to the Apple store and got one!

I'll pause here to talk a bit about Apple TV if you are not familiar with it, I already had to school my mom on it (sorry mom!).  It basically connects to our wireless network and allows us access to Netflix, iTunes, and all of the content already on our computers and iPad.  There's more to it but that is a good brief rundown. You can read more about it and all it's glory here.  No, it doesn't have a DVR feature, although who knows about a later inclusion of that feature?  But that was one thing we were willing to sacrifice.  Since Amy is a few weeks out of finishing her M.Ed. (yea Amy!) we will have far more time on our hands.  Plus with Amy's better schedule we will also get home at a more decent hour, also giving us more time.  So this means we may be able to watch more live TV without the need for recording.  If we do miss something we can rent/purchase via iTunes.  All still being less than cable or TiVo service!  Voila - our solution!  

Once we got our Apple TV home we set it up.  True to Apple fashion we were able to do so immediately within a few minutes!  However, here is where we ran into our first roadblock.  We decided to rent our first movie in iTunes, Transformers.  The estimated time was several hours!  WHAT?!?!  Turns out our Internet connection was ridiculously slow.  We figured this since we hadn't upgraded in a while, but we didn't realize it was the same connection cavemen used a millennia ago!  Once again my wonderful wife stepped in and upped our connection.  This solved our problems for the most part, although I will be awaiting an AT&T technician between the hours of 8-12 tomorrow because our service has, for seemingly forever, been intermittent and randomly stops and starts with no rhyme or reason (can you tell we are frustrated with this issue?).  Hopefully said technician will bring me a new router box or something and solve our problems once and for all!  But I digress.

Apple TV is awesome!  I am totally in love with it and am extremely pleased!  As for our dear pal TiVo, we just finished the Grey's Anatomy episodes we had stored on it.  When we clean everything else off (several Glee episodes) we will put it to rest.  So, the moral of this story is Apple TV is awesome.  Oh, that and Amy is a techno-genius!  I was so enamored with our purchase I took pictures!  See below!  :)

All is well, iConnected, in Drosche Land.

 This little box houses a lot of awesomeness!

  iLove!  Small, cute, powerful!  Plus the remote controls every other Apple device!

Connectivity

Ok, so you know I love me some TV. However, life doesn't revolve around my TV schedule, as much as I'd like it to (stop rolling your eyes Amy!). That is why I have broadened my TV love to include the technological wonder that is DVR! I mean seriously, what did we do without it? How did we get everything done AND see every must-see show on every network at the exact same time? I have no clue. Luckily I don't have to ponder this too often because of the aforementioned DVR. Since we have long since dropped cable service to knock out our debt snowball my DVR of choice is our trusty TiVo box that Amy got me as a gift many moons ago when we were still living in the apartment and had just one itty bitty baby. Luckily she had the incredible foresight (as often is the case with her) to purchase the box outright rather than rent it. Flash forward a couple of years and that investment has more than paid off!

Said TiVo box is housed in our bedroom so we can relax and watch everything we didn't originally have time for at our own convenience. Due to the lack of cable and the age of our TiVo box a digital converter was needed when we connected it. This resulted in problem-free recording and hours of blissful, commercial-free programming on demand! However, things have taken a sudden turn for the worse. Sometime Tuesday something went wrong. Very wrong. It appears as though the connection between our converter and television has been lost. Now, I consider myself a pretty techno-savvy person. My kryptonite though, is connecting televisions, DVD players, Blu-ray players, the Wii, etc. For some reason I have extreme difficulty in this area. Enter Amy, she's a wiz with the cables, cords, and connections. I did give it my best shot though, to no avail. The connection is still lost and I am clueless. Luckily it has nothing to do with our network so I can still access Netflix via the Blu-ray (I'm totally addicted to the original Melrose Place right now but that's a post for a different time) so not all is lost. Also luckily it didn't affect any of our previously recorded programs so we can watch those, we currently have 5 episodes left in this past season of Grey's Anatomy so that was a blessing. Oh and one last luckily - it's summer so there aren't any new shows to record and our schedules are slightly easier and more accommodating.

So, tomorrow I will once again try to reestablish the connection of the two once inseparable companions an save the day. I have a while until the fall season begins so I have pretty high hopes still of figuring it out. Worst case scenario - we learn to live (gasp!) without a DVR! But I'm not even going to give that horrific thought another moment. Who knows? There's still time for a miracle right?

All is well, attempting to reconnect, in Drosche Land.

Give A Little Bit

Giving.  Doesn't sound too hard.  Maybe it depends on what you're giving.  To whom you're giving.  How hard or easy it is to give.  Deep questions I know, but what am I talking about?  Well, it all goes back to a 931 sermon series in November, November 7 to be exact (listen to it here).  We weren't actually in church that Sunday because that was my birthday weekend and Amy had planned a spectacular 30th birthday trip to San Antonio for us.  We had an awesome time.  But I digress.  Luckily we were able to listen to the podcast of the sermon because that's how Trinity rolls, 931 at least.  In the sermon our Pastor issued a challenge to the congregation.  A pretty powerful one.  Begin tithing, 10%, and if in 3 months if you could prove that God hadn't blessed you immensely (remember it won't necessarily be monetarily) then he would refund your 3 months worth of tithing back, guaranteed.  Sweet huh?  Yeah, 931 is pretty awesome.  If you can't join our awesomeness every Sunday you can follow along live here.  Anyway, we seriously debated it, but I'll be honest, we didn't do it.  I'm not sure why, but I think it boils down to the fact that we weren't ready.  Not ready to give up so much, not ready to fully trust in Him.  So why a post about giving?  Just wait, it's coming.  

Flash forward to this spring.  Trinity's new building is completed and we have a huge celebration service 2 Sundays ago to dedicate it and celebrate all the ways God has blessed Trinity and how he will continue to.  It also coincided with the kick-off of a new campaign, titled Hug2, where we are determined to finish raising money to pay off the new building.  Very Dave Ramsey-esque huh?  Well, Amy and I had been putting off discussing our commitment to the campaign.  Finally it was zero hour and commitments were due (the celebration service).  We had a serious discussion about what was right for our family.  See, Amy and I have been each getting much closer to God separately, but also together as a couple. We've felt our marriage and faiths strengthen.  We have seen numerous blessings bestowed upon us.  So, we decided it was time.  Time to give back to Him.  It's really all his anyway right?  Well, the point of the giving was sacrificial giving.  Something that should be hard, difficult, and uncomfortable.  None of those words are ones you want to use when you are discussing financial matters, but in this instance, it was the core point.  So, we did it, we took a giant leap of faith and gave.  Oh, it was sacrificial alright.  It made us uncomfortable and worried.  But, that's also how we knew it was right.  We also decided to begin giving regularly, and set an amount for that too.  I won't get into amounts and specifications because that's personal, but suffice it to say we made some pretty big decisions when it came down to what we would give.

So, we've been following our plan for 3 weeks now.  Sure of it and excited to give back.  After all, like I mentioned before it is all His already.  We are just a bank in which he invests it all, we have to choose where to place his money for the greatest return.  But our giving didn't stop there.  We also gave to another cause that is very close to our hearts.  Adoption.  From China to be specific.  To a very special family to be even more specific.  You might have noticed the "So Loved" button at the top right of our blog.  Click on it for more info or you can go here to find out more.  See, this is basically our adoption guru.  This woman and her family are our mentors so to speak.  We have been following her blog (here) for quite a while, since we began our adoption process.  She has inspired us in many ways through her adventures, her posts, her advice, and her faith.  So we decided to give back a little to help her and her family bring home their two beautiful daughters.  It is an amazing story that we are so excited to be a part of, in a very small way.

So, giving.  It's not easy.  But just like our pastor, and of course He, has promised us we have already seen a huge return on our investment.  Just this last week we have been blessed in a massive way.  A way that is in so many ways linked directly to our recent giving.  Not only has it all put us in awe of Him and everything He can do, but it also also excited us and inspired us further.  I just wanted to share with y'all because we are so blessed and so happy.  Maybe give a little to you in the form of advice, a personal story, a thought?  Maybe you'll give a little.  To something?  Someone?  Him?  You'll be amazed.  I promise.

All is well, giving and giving, in Drosche Land. 

Year In Review

Well, 2010 is rapidly coming to a close.  A little over 8 hours left, depending upon your time zone of course.  With it ends another decade as well.  So, I thought what better way to end the year via blog than to revisit, review, and update some of the information covered in the posts of our blog's inaugural year.  There were 181 (182 counting this one) posts this past year.  Not too shabby for my first year if I do say so myself.  So, on with the review (yes, I have anally put it in alphabetical order of events).

Adoption - This was the big reason that we started this blog really.  We wanted to keep everyone informed with all the happenings of our lives, but it was also our intention to document our journey to our daughter.  We have extensively discussed this and we know that this is how we are going to expand our family.  We have looked through the lists of special needs and have noted the ones we are capable of  accommodating.  We are still fully into the adoption, but with our current lives it has gotten pushed a bit further back.  Right now we plan on fully entering into the process no later than next January 2012.  With the possible move in the future and the financial aspects of the adoption, we feel this is the best choice for our family.  We are super excited about the process, especially the trip to China, but we have to be realistic about it all and do what is best for us all.

Amy - Of course there is the big news about Amy's gastric bypass surgery this past summer.  It was a big decision she made for herself, her health, and our family.  Honestly I could not be more proud of her.  She has done remarkably well and has lost 80 lbs thus far.  She looks amazing and we are both super excited to see how well she continues to progress over the next 6 months until she hits her 1 year anniversary.

Dave Ramsey/Debt Snowball - This was a big year for us financially as well.  Thanks to Amy (and Dave's program) we are happily on the road to financial freedom and being debt free!  It has not been without some bumps and setback here and there, but we trudge forward knowing the pay off is going to be totally worth it!  The biggest victory possibly came this Christmas as it was a totally "Cash Christmas" here in Drosche Land.  No credit was used for anything and we are super proud of ourselves.  2011 will undoubtedly bring further success in this adventure!

Lady Gaga - Of course I had to include this event!  Amy scored me tickets to the concert and this summer traveled to Dallas for an amazingly fun concert.  A mini road trip and kid-less fun was just what the doctor ordered for the adults in Drosche Land.  She comes to Houston again in the spring of 2011, we will see if I have any luck with the radio contests that are sure to happen!


Masters - We are almost done, the end is near, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  I have just 2 courses left, Amy has 4 (sorry Am!).  While it hasn't been hard work we are definitely done with being students.  Let's just say that I will not be pursuing another Masters, or Doctorate for that matter, any time soon.  I cannot wait until we graduate and one thing is removed from our over-crowded plates!  On a positive note we did get some postcards from GCU in the mail the other day stating that graduation was near and we should log on for more information about getting ready for the big event.  I think I'll do that once this is posted.

Moving - The latest adventure here in Drosche Land.  We made it 3 years into our planned 5-year stint here in beautiful Cypress.  The house has only been listed for about 2 months but we have had no interest whatsoever.  You may recall the showing that never was or the Open House where no one came.  What's next?  Well, after much debate Amy and I have decided to keep the house on the market until Spring Break.  If it sells before then, we will obviously make the choice to move.  However, if March rolls around and we are still here in Cypress struggling to maintain a clutter-free home we will have to make a decision to stay or go.  Right now we are combining the wait & see and prayer stances on the move.  Amy thinks that we will have no offers or interest in the house at all, I am working to remain positive that something will happen.  We will see what God has in store for us concerning this adventure though!

Scentsy - Amy started her own adventure this year as she became a (quite successful) Scentsy consultant!  This started quite innocently when she was introduced to this awesome product by some friends (Thanks Taryn & Dedrick!) and quickly turned into something super fun and super rewarding.  Amy has already enjoyed success as she moves up the ladder and builds her team.  2011 should be very exciting as she is going to be traveling to shows and conferences to run a Scentsy booth and spread the scentsational joy that we have come to love.  *Shameless Plug Alert* Remember you can always visit her website here.  I personally am proud of Amy for doing so well and I cannot wait to see how she continues to amaze me this coming year!


30

Does that cover it?  I think so.  Those seem to be the biggest adventures from the past year here in Drosche

All is well, bidding 2010 adieu, in Drosche Land.

Gobble Gobble Shop

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Turkey, pie, dressing, green bean casserole, we had it all!  We had a lot to be thankful for this year.  In addition to the usual things: family, friends, jobs, etc. we also were thankful for the fact that this was the first full year of our freedom from debt!  It has been an amazing year and we have come so far.  We also were thankful for this because we are so close to starting the adoption!  Next Thanksgiving we will (hopefully) be fully into it and possibly thankful for some great news!

In addition to the great food, we also got to experience Black Friday for the first time.  We headed out into the cold and rainy night to wait in line for deals at Toys R Us and WalMart.  We then headed back out at the crack of dawn for more fun at Target and Costco.  We ended up saving tons of money and had a blast doing so!  Definitely started a new yearly tradition.  I am also happy to say that, in reference to the above portion about Dave Ramsey, everything we bought was paid for with cash!  Woo hoo!

Lastly, what Thanksgiving would be complete without Christmas decorating?  We actually began last week but really got into it today as we put the tree up in the loft.  The kids had a ton of fun decorating it and then decorating the mini one in their bedroom.  Tomorrow we plan to head out to cut down the tree for downstairs and that will conclude our decorating!  I'm smelling a Sunday Snapshot!  Speaking of pictures, I took loads of all the cousins playing together on Thanksgiving.  Below are two of my favorites of the boys!  All in all it has been an excellent vacation, one everyone here in Drosche Land definitely needed!  I'm excited about tomorrow!  I am totally in the Christmas spirit now thanks to the shopping, decorating, and Christmas music playing on the radio!  Just 29 short days!

All is well, will a lot to be thankful for, here in Drosche Land.

Braeden always knows how to stop and pose for me!

 

  Jack was also willing to oblige!

Making A Listing and Checking It Twice

Well, it's been 3 days since the house was officially listed and no sale yet.  Did I really expect it to happen this quickly though?  No (yes?).  I know it's silly, but there is a small part of me that thought we would have this magical, world's fastest sold house experience.  Crazy, I know, but then again looks who's blogging!  :)  But that's ok, we are not ready to move yet, financially at least.  Mentally, we might be getting there, but financially we are nowhere near. So the thought of being homeless after having the title of world's fastest sold house bestowed upon us is less exciting.  So I'll deal with the house being on the market for a while longer.  In my researching of the recent home sales in the area is seems as though 1-3 months is a good guesstimate so I am sure his 6-9 month estimation is very conservative.  Again, no worries all in His time not mine right (Jeremiah 29:11)?  

But Amy is bustin' it (no pun intended) to get us financially ready to move and purchase a new house.  I must say, she is quite impressive.  I'd be lost in debt and eating Ramen noodles (Yum!) without her.  Speaking of bustin' it, she is doing much better.  Still some pain and slow moving, but she is showing progress each day!  Back to the post topic at hand, sorry if I'm a bit scatterbrained but it's late and I just finished this week's homework.  Anyway, the listing.  It is great.  Our realtor managed to get some great shots that highlighted the house's good features.  He also put together some great flyers for the info box on our sign out front!  I know what you're waiting for - the listing.  Well, wait no more, you can find it here.  Go ahead, I'll wait while you check it out. . . . . . . Great huh?  So I have great confidence that this process will continue to move along as smoothly as it has thus far!  I am so glad we used Dave Ramsey's ELP program to find a realtor, we have been very pleased.  

So, spread the word about our house.  Tell your family, your friends, a neighbor you don't like and wish would move, heck - tell a stranger!  I'm super excited and eager to get the ball rolling!  I have a feeling I will soon be blogging about an Open House and/or showing!  Well, at least I hope so.  Until then we wait!

All is well, happily listed, in Drosche Land. 

Cleaning Out the Closet

The title of this post is both literal and metaphorical.  Deep huh?  So, We are officially one week away from listing the house and have done nothing else to prepare.  Not our fault (totally) because the week was busy and this weekend was beyond busy.  I'm tired just remembering it.  Friday night - birthday party for my nephew Jared and the boys spent the night with Amanda and the cousins.  Saturday afternoon/night - waitstaff/kitchen staff for an auction dinner and we worked our tails off!  Let's just say I won't be quitting my job anytime soon to work in the restaurant industry!  But I digress.  

So, after another busy day - church, lunch, and grocery shopping, it was time to get something ready to prep for our next meeting with the realtor.  Up first - cleaning out the closets, namely the boys'.  Sounds easy right?  Well, sort of.  See, we've been holding onto quite a bit of the baby clothes.  Why?  Who knows?  We have gone through them before actually, every time we cycle out the boys' clothes.  In doing so several times we have managed to work our way down to 6 large tubs.  Yes, I know it sounds like a lot, and it is.  But considering the fact that we have gone through it all at least 3 times prior to this, that's pretty good.  Well, anyway, We decided to finally get rid of it all.  Realistically we probably won't ever need them again.  We are not planning on having any more biological children and when we adopt, it will be a girl.  If we ever do change our mind and have another boy, or adopt one, we will be in the financial place to buy new (thanks to Dave Ramsey & Amy).  So, rather than move it all we decided that the move was the perfect catalyst to finally say goodbye.  We are giving it all to a friend who works at TLCC and just had a little boy, so that made it way easier.  But it was still hard.  Little onesies, outfits, socks, bibs, rompers, blankets.  It brought back a lot of memories, and I'll admit I teared up a bit (ok a lot).  We did save 1 tub of stuff, the most special items that were made especially for the boys or our favorite outfits, the rest we parted with.  When all was said and done we had 8, yes 8, bags of clothes to give away.

This was something we had been planning on doing, and something I was somewhat dreading.  It meant admitting that the boys were just that, boys.  No longer our little babies.  It also meant finally admitting that we were not going to (at least plan to) have any more children.  We are fully committed to the adoption, and I look forward to it each and every day, but this was saying goodbye to a chapter of our lives.  Then again, it was all about starting a new one.  Namely moving and the adoption.  So in that aspect it was also kind of exciting.  But, all is said and done now.  Tomorrow we give the clothes away to a friend with best wishes that they might bring special memories to someone else the way they did for us.  

All is well, packing up and moving on, in Drosche Land. 

Who Knew?

Well, it has been an incredibly busy day here in Drosche Land as we prepare for the meeting with the realtor tomorrow afternoon.  We have been bustin' it to get the house ready, or as ready as it can be.  Who knew that selling a house was going to be so tiresome and crazy?  A lot of people I'm sure.  It is still bewildering to me that in order to sell a house, it has to look like no one lives there, like it's a model home.  When everyone knows full well that people live there!  Crazy!  It is what it is I guess though.  Amy and I do find it comical that our house looks so different with so much of our stuff removed.  Every time we leave and come back we walk in and are a little taken aback by it! 


We continued with the cleaning, organizing, packing, and general de-personalization of our house today.  The laundry room/pantry, kitchen, dining room, living room, and both the front and back yards are done.  I guess I could have just said the entire first floor, oh well.  Cut me some slack, we've been busy.  After much debate I finally admitted defeat to Amy and acknowledged the fact that she was correct (stop grinning Amy) and took down the cross wall and all of the family pictures in the stairway.  Yeah yeah yeah, nobody buying a house actually wants to recognize that someone actually lives there.  I know, but still it is hard to start packing everything up while not knowing when we will even be moving.  But Amy keeps me going by reminding me that everyday is one day less until we move, regardless of when it will be.  However, taking down all of those things just led to more drama.  No pictures/crosses means nails must come out of the wall.  Nails out of the wall means spackling and touch up painting.  That requires the special paint that KB used (KB White by Sherwin Williams).  So we travel out to get that along with mulch for the front beds and sod for the back yard flower bed we are tearing out.  An unpleasant surprise greets us at Sherwin Williams - they don't have/make/sell KB White anymore.  Say what?!  Yeah so now what?  Grrrr argh!  So after consulting some Behr paint samples we find two we think are close so we bought little sample jars to test - something else we didn't make it to.  So, we will continue that adventure tomorrow.  

On the bright side we mulched the front beds and they look great, tore out the bed in the back yard and sodded it over and it looks great, treated weeds in the patio and it is all set!  Tomorrow after church we will kick it into warp speed and finish random tidying/hiding/cleaning and hopefully we will be ready for the realtor at 2:00 p.m.  I'm excited and nervous.  Excited because it is the next step in this adventure and we badly want to get the process rolling and get the house sold.  Nervous because who knows what could happen?  We know how much we owe on the house and we are not looking to make a profit, just get out without having to pay much, if anything to do so.  Hopefully the realtor can help us do that.  I'm happy because he is one of Dave Ramsey's ELPs so that is promising.  But we will have to see what tomorrow brings.  In the mean time we pray, prepare, and wait.  Tomorrow will likely bring 2 posts, the Sunday Snapshot and of course an update on the realtor's visit.  Until then!

All is well, realtor-ready?, in Drosche Land. 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, But Not in Drosche Land

So, the first step in our moving adventure was to contact the bank.  Check.  The next step was to contact a realtor and begin the process of listing the house.  Check.  Sort of.  Last night Amy and I decided to go the route of using Dave Ramsey's ELP program in order to find one.  We figured since we have had such great success with his program and the fact that we are able to even consider moving right now is largely due to his program (and Amy's super gazelle intensity) we would throw him some props and business.  So I visited his website and 10 minutes later we received our first phone call!  Flash forward to today, a couple of calls and emails later and we have our first meeting with a realtor this Sunday!

That excitement was short-lived however once we realized everything we would have to do to get the house ready for the real estate agent, not to mention what he would recommend we do to ready it for listing!  So the list-making began!  I love me a good list, but this is one that (although exciting) is quite daunting!  Tonight the work began with the back yard.  Namely mowing and cleaning up.  I am sad to report though, our beloved nectarine tree, first mentioned here, is gone.  It was doing so well this past spring, but didn't survive throughout the summer.  I'm not sure what happened, heat, a bad wind storm that resulted in its slanting, or just bad luck, but it is now no longer part of our yard.  I mean, who wants to buy a house with a huge nectarine stick "growing" in the back yard?  Yeah, that's what we thought too.  Oh well.  We will revisit the fruit tree experience in the new house.  I have to give credit where credit is due on this one though.  Amy was the one who removed said tree from the yard and she is also the one who knew it was dead long before I was willing to admit that sad fact.  I just kept hoping it would spring leaves and blossoms again.  Today I was proved wrong.  Nope, just a giant dead stick.  On a side note the lemon tree is doing quite well and we have 3 big, although still green, lemons on it!  Sadly though my little lemon tree will most likely stay with the house to provide its future owners with citrus as I'm nearly positive that trying to transplant it again will bring it to a fate similar to that of the nectarine tree.

Thus begins our work.  Although tonight we were able to cross one thing off of our list.  So that's something positive.  This week, and especially Saturday, will be filled with frantic cleaning, rearranging, de-cluttering, and otherwise fixing up.  Hopefully our work will pay off and Mr. Realtor will give us positive feedback!

All is well, with one less tree, in Drosche Land.

Done

So, it's official.  The Drosches are tired of living out in Egypt and making the 65 mile round trip every day to work and home again.  So, as if our plates weren't full enough with our Masters courses, Amy's new Scentsy business (which is soaring off!), planning and working toward our adoption, and everything else, we have decided to add moving into the mix.  You know Amy and I, when we decide to do something we jump, head first, into it without looking back (think building this house, buying a van, and countless other decisions!).

We have been mulling over the idea for a few weeks now.  As the area we live in grows the traffic getting home is growing as well.  It now takes us at least an hour to get home, regardless of when we leave (up from about 50 minutes at most) and at least 50 minutes to get to work (up from 40-45 minutes).  With the boys getting older, and getting closer to nightly homework, we realize there is no way our family can continue to make the drive in.  There is too much strain on our schedule.  We love us some Cypress, but it has just gotten about 15 miles too far away from everything. 

So, yesterday Amy was at home with a sick Jack (think back to the last post found here).  We took him to the doctor yesterday and found out he had strep.  So we have him on medicine and I stayed home with him today.  Luckily the fever is gone and he will be returning to school tomorrow.  But i digress.  Anyway, Amy was at home with Jack and called Bank of America, who has our home loan now, to ask about what we could qualify for.  We got great news!  While we can't get a loan right now, due to no down payment, we could get a great loan, for the amount we were hoping for, at an incredible interest rate, far better than what we have now!  Long story short, we can afford a more expensive house (a must since we are moving in) and will actually pay less than we do for our house now!  Hold your applause, really!  We owe it all to Dave Ramsey and his Financial Freedom program!  Well, and Amy too for kicking into high gear with our debt snowball and knocking so much debt out!  So, we will divert debt snowball money into a down payment savings and should have our amount saved up by the end of this year!  Then we will be able to fully proceed with looking for a house!  

So, until we have that money we are cutting back on all extras, what little ones we have since we have been so strict with our program.  I will forgo my Starbucks and iTunes allowances (let me get a tissue) and we will begin to tighten the purse strings even more.  But we can do it!  The next step is to get our house listed and put up for sale.  We pray that we will be able to just break even, we have no high hopes for making money off of the house.  I also hope we don't have to do too much to get the house ready.  The biggest thing I'm worried about is the boys' bathroom.  But I mean who doesn't want a bright yellow bathroom with orange and blue dots?  All you naysayers grab a brush and head on over!  But if paint we must to I'll roll up my sleeves and do it.  I also know some work will need to be put into the back yard to get it more presentable.  But it is all worth it if we can squeeze every penny we can out of this house!

Since we  are moving before we originally planned we can't afford the neighborhood we really love, but that is ok.  We have been doing quite a bit of research and have found several ones that have great houses, needing minimal updating, in our price range!  It is exciting to begin the process even knowing that we may not be moving anytime in the near future.  Best/worst case scenario is our house sells before we can buy a new one and we have to either rent an apartment or move in with parents.  But that would be a minor inconvenience that would allow us to save more money.  So, time will tell.  For now we are excitedly beginning another adventure here.  Busy busy busy as ever, but that's how we roll!  Buckle up and get ready for the next ride!  Here we go!

All is well, movin' on up, er in, in Drosche Land.

 

Diagnosis

Well, we finally had a repairman out today to look at the dryer.  We went with ARS because our families have used them many times before and they were able to meet our main need of evening appointments.  We left work a little early to meet him at the house at 4 and he called just as we were getting home, convenient huh?   

He set to work on the dryer while Amy and I unpacked from the day and I began working on dishes.  The boys, Jack in particular, would wander in and out of the laundry room, curious about this man we let in to our house.  After about 10 minutes the verdict was in.  It was not what we had wanted to hear.  We had wishes and prayers for a blown fuse or something else that would be inexpensive and easy.  But such was not in the cards for us at this time.  The diagnosis?  The heating element was kaput.  The cost?  $307.  The part?  On order, to be delivered and installed in a few days.  Oh well.  Although far more than we wanted to pay it was still cheaper than a new dryer.  Especially since Amy and I have grandiose dreams/plans to get a top-of-the-line washer/dryer set with an accoutrement of bells and whistles.  But that is long into the future.  If this $307 part will get us another 5 years out of our basic (and I mean newly-wed, no money basic) dryer all is well.  

Once again I will preach the glories of Dave Ramsey and his Financial Freedom Plan.  Thanks to Mr. Ramsey and his genius we do have some money built up in our Emergency Fund for an instance such as this.  While not convenient, it is also not the end of the world.  Because we are smart.  We are dumping debt.  We are working toward (thanks to Amy's financial genius) Financial Freedom!

So, still without a dryer for a bit, hopefully it will be fully repaired by the time the weekend comes so I won't have to rely again (for a 3rd weekend) on good weather to dry my laundry.  Hmmmmm.  That reminds me, I have a load of kitchen towels in the washer I need to go hang up.  Then I need to check this weekend's forecast, just in case!

All is well, on the road to Financial Freedom and dryer repair, in Drosche Land.

Wishateria

As you may have surmised, and correctly so, by this post's title our dryer is still not working.  I have to admit though that I was hoping and praying it was a fluke.  That the dryer needed a staycation, a time to rest and rejuvenate itself.  As I began a load of laundry today I started the dryer too, just to see if it would work.  Fingers crossed, prayers and wishes said I waited, a whole 10 minutes or so.  However, the above was not the case, it was still not working.  Needless to say I proceeded with the laundry by hanging it up to dry outside.  On a positive note though we are being very green and saving energy, even if by force.  Oh, and I have become quite adept at maximizing the surface area of the drying rack and camp chairs to fit as much wet laundry on them as possible.  So I guess this adventure it not without its silver linings.

Right now we are in a laundry quandary (how awesome and appropriate is that rhyme!).  To repair or not to repair.  Not as dramatic as Shakespeare, but relevant nonetheless.  Thanks to Dave we have an Emergency Fund ready to assist us in fixing this problem, but if we choose that option we have no guarantee or warranty that the dryer will not quite again in the near future, or (GASP!) that the washing machine would follow suit!  However, our Emergency Fund is not padded enough to afford a new dryer.  Plus, when we do have to by new we want a top-of-the-line set that does everything but fold the laundry for you (however by the time our Debt Snowball is paid off and we've saved up enough it might do that also!).

So, until then we are stuck in our laundry quandary (HA!  Love it!), hanging our clothes out to dry.  But I'm not letting the dryer off that easy.  Once the clothes are dry I bring them in a put them on the "Air Fluff" cycle with a dryer sheet to perk and freshen them up a bit.  Take that dryer!  We continue to weigh our options and pray that the rain keeps to the weekdays and not the weekends!  HA!  But again I must say, that with our new outlook on money and our quest for Financial Freedom, we have remained quite easy going about the whole situation.  We are slaves to no lenders!  Take that Home Depot and Conn's, yeah we don't need your credit!  

All is well, green and conserving energy (yeah that's a positive spin (HA  get it?  Spin?!) on the situation), in Drosche Land.    

Old School

So it's the Labor Day weekend.  Time for rest, relaxation, and fun.  Right?  Well yeah.  And that's how ours was going until this morning when the dryer decided to celebrate Labor Day by not working.

Flashback to yesterday.  The cousins came over.  We grilled brats and hot dogs.  All the kids ran around, splashed, and played in the back yard.  All was right with the world, and with the holiday.

Snap back to today when the only thing happening in the back yard is me drying clothes.  The old fashioned way.  Well, not completely.  I don't have a clothesline or anything fancy like that.  Just a drying rack, a couple of camp chairs, and two loads of wet laundry.  I must say though that God can dry clothing a lot faster than Frigidaire can.  Who knew?  

This morning I stayed at home with the boys rather than trying to wrangle the boys through 3 church services since Amy had to give the Children's Sermon at the 8:15 and 11:00 services.  No big deal.  I'd get all the laundry done that I didn't do yesterday because of the party.  Right.  2 loads in and 2 left to go and the dryer throws in the towel.  Or rather just tosses it around, sans heat.  It was quite uneventful too.  I filled the dryer and set it to go.  An hour later I came back to check and the clothes were still wet.  Uh oh!  I had no clue it was going to happen.  There was no warning, no sound, smell, or explosion.  I guess I'm grateful for the lack of any major dryer catastrophe though now that I think about it.

Now we wait.  The next step is to call a repairman to come and check it out.  Hopefully it is something simple that can be easily (and dare I say inexpensively) replaced or repaired!  Lucky for us, we have Emergency Fund set up for incidents like this (thanks Dave Ramsey).  It's times like this when we are reminded why we are working so hard to become debt free!  It's true what Dave says though, instead of being a major event that we are totally unprepared for, this is now just a small frustration we must deal with.  It was amazing how stress-free the dryer going out was.  Let's hope the process of fixing it remains that way!   Amy gets major props too for being the Drosche Financial Wizard.  I think she'll like that title, maybe I'll get her a plaque.

So, until the repairman comes and diagnoses the dryer I'm kickin' it old school.  Luckily I didn't have sheets in the washer, or towels.  I'm also thankful that today was not sweltering with 150% humidity.  Ahhhhh, the joys of life.  Well, excuse me but I've got to go check the laundry.  No buzzer.  Just a peek out the back door!

All is well, hung out to dry, in Drosche Land.