Your Song & You and I

Your Song - Elton John. Classic. I love this song. It's a simple romantic song and has been covered many times. But again, the original is the best. I mean, it's Elton John. Having said that though, I do like the rendition from Moulin Rouge. But I like Baz Luhrmann and his movies. But I digress. This song. It's great. Makes me want to put on some oversized ostentatious glasses and relax. 

You and I - Lady Gaga. Yes. Her again. You know I love her, so she had to make this list several times. This is one of my all-time faves from her (I'm sure I've said that before) because it's tied to a special memory. A few years ago when Amy bought me tickets to go see her she played this song. But it was for her then upcoming, unreleased album and hadn't been fully tweaked and finished. She just sang it straight out at the piano.  No frills. No fuss. Just awesomeness. So, when the album came out and the finished song was present Amy and I reminisced and enjoyed it. So it makes me smile whenever I hear it. That and it's just awesome. So it was a natural for "Y". 

All is well, Y down, in Drosche Land. 

Bad Romance & Blank Space

1.  Bad Romance - Lady Gaga.  Love it.  Love her.  You should know by now that I love me some Lady Gaga and Bad Romance is one of my favorites.  Jackson also loves it and sings and dances whenever it comes on, just another reason for me to crank it up when it comes on.  She was fantastic in concert and I was in awe of her tribute to the Sound of Music at The Oscars.  Kooky?  Maybe.  Outlandish?  Probably.  Talented?  I sure thing so.  

2.  Blank Space - Taylor Swift.  I can't even believe that she has made the cut.  I can't even believe that I am blogging about Taylor Swift.  I've spent so long boycotting her and hating her.  But dang it, she and her catchy tunes bored their way into my brain and, over time, wore me down.  Wore me down, just the way Steve Urkel always promised Laura he would in Family Matters.  This song is my favorite and I love the video.  Its fun to watch her go all crazy psycho girlfriend.  So there, my secret it out.  Yes, I listen to, and enjoy Taylor Swift.  Sigh.  I bet there's a support group out there.

All is well, B down, 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.

Rah Rah Ah Ah Ah

Totally Awesome!

Fan - freakin - tastic!

A - Ma - Zing!

Just several of the terms I could use, and have used, to describe the Lady Gaga concert.  There are many more but too numerous to list.  Needless to say we had an awesome time.  Despite the way Friday morning began, the remainder of the trip was smooth sailing.  We arrived in Dallas around 3:30 and checked in at the hotel - the Westin City Center.  I have never stayed in a Westin before but Amy has for a conference.  I loved it, definitely one of the nicest places we have stayed.  Their heavenly bed is aptly named and beyond comfortable.  We just lazed around for a bit, enjoying the free cable in the hotel!  At about 5:30 we decided to head out and grab a bite to eat before the concert.  We had done research at home and had already planned to ride the DART train to the concert.  This was awesome because there was a station right outside of our hotel that led right to the American Airlines Center, how convenient right?  That was fun in itself and makes me want to ride the Metro light rail here in H-Town although it leaves from and goes nowhere I ever need to go.  We didn't want anything too heavy to eat and just happened to stumble upon a Jason's Deli which was perfect.  I highly recommend their Spinach Veggie Wrap - yum!

Then it was off to the concert!  To put it politely - there were some interesting people at the concert!  HA!  But really, can you expect any less at a Lady Gaga concert.  The people watching was great pre-show and post-show entertainment!  We had great seats.  Although Amy and I agreed that splurging for the expensive tickets was well worth it.  It would have totally blown to have been stuck in the Himalayan nose-bleed sections!  The opening act was Semi Precious Weapons and I have to admit I was not familiar with them at all.  However I am totally a fan now - they rocked!  I'll be visiting iTunes in search of them!  Onto the main event.  AWESOME!  She is a stellar entertainer and knows how to genuinely connect with the audience.  She put on an incredible 2-hour show and sang nearly every song from both of her CDs.  The choreography was something else, I am in awe at how they can dance so many routines all night long.  The costumes of course were also incredible, again would you expect any less?  She must have changed outfits at least 5-6 times and that isn't including the fact that most of the costumes involved her removing part of it to reveal something else.  All in all it was totally awesome.  I took pictures, they turned out as good as can be expected in a dark concert venue.  I also recorded videos, you can hear very well, although it was so crazy loud in there so that does affect it a bit.  But I am pleased with my pictures and videos - they totally bring us back.  I have been trying, without luck, to win tickets to her Houston shows tonight and tomorrow.  I have 2 more chances left today so my fingers are crosses, which makes it hard to type (just kidding!).

So, Amy is the BEST WIFE EVER!  I am so lucky to have her and thankful that she got me these tickets.  We had such a fun and much-needed vacation time together.  It was worth every penny.  Awesome wife.  Fun road trip.  Amazing concert.  Fantastic hotel.  Life is good!

All is well, back home after an awesome trip, in Drosche Land.

On the Road Again

Okay, so here is the post I initially set out to write this morning before I was distracted by the excitement of 100 posts!  Here goes!

Today is the big day!  LADY GAGA!  But, as with many things here in Drosche Land, the day is not without adventure!  Last night around 2:00 Jack woke up throwing up, and with a fever.  Great right!  As bummed as Amy and I were with the possible implications of this on our plans, we were too exhausted to deal with it at that hour.  So the bed was stripped, laundry started, and everyone re-tucked back in.  Well, that lasted for about 5 minutes before he was calling us again.  Luckily there was no mess involved with this, just a sickly whiny kiddo.  So both boys (and their own pillows because they hog) came to our bed.  On a side note, 4 regular-sized pillows DO NOT fit on a king-sized bed.  If you attempt this, make sure you are on the inside 2!  Well, 2:30 - 4:30 Jack tossed and turned and Braeden proceeded to attempt to sleep horizontally.  I may have dozed a bit, Amy not so much since she was closest to Jack.  So, trying to help her get some sleep, I took the boys back to their bedroom and laid in Jack's bed with him.  Where again he tossed and turned until he finally fell asleep about 5:15.

So, I tip-toed out to call my mom since she was supposed to pick the boys up from school this afternoon and watch them overnight.  Well, since she just took vacation last week while we were in Ft. Worth she, understandably, could not take more time off.  Another wrench.  So, tired and wondering what to do I decided to get a few minutes of sleep and curled up on a chair in the loft where I dozed until Jack woke up at 6:00.  Yes, that's right, even on very little sleep and sick they still wake up at the butt-crack of dawn!  Well, after being awake for a bit he was fever-free and running around playing!  Oh the joyous frustrations of kids!

Well, we were still in a pickle!  We couldn't take him to school since he hadn't been fever-free for 24 hours.  Plus, even if we could have we would have been out of town so there would not have been anyone to come and get him if he were to be sent home.  Luckily we came up with a plan.  We are going to push back our leaving time to hang out at home for a bit and monitor him.  Then, we will take him to Amy's mom's house where Adam will watch the boys until her mom comes home.  They will then spend the night there instead.  Throw in some anti-nausea medicine and Tylenol/Motrin as needed and Lady Gaga here we come!

So, all's well that ends well.  Needless to say, I am super excited about tonight!  I cannot wait to see Lady Gaga!  This is all thanks, of course, to Amy.  For the tickets, hotel, and crisis management!  I would be lost without her.  She is AWESOME!  Hopefully I will be able to get some good pics with my iPhone and post them here!  Woo hoo!  Well, time to shower, pack, and down a few extra cups of coffee to offset the lack of sleep!  Then we are on our way!  Woo hoo!
 
All is well, Lady Gaga/Dallas bound, in Drosche Land. 

WOO HOO!

WOO HOO!  My wife is the most awesome, wonderful, sweet, giving, loving wife in the world!  She is the bombdizzle!

In case you have not heard, or have not figured out the source of my joy - Amy scored us tickets to see Lady Gaga in Dallas!  WOO HOO!  Utterly amazing.  It all started last night when a friend of ours offered to help get us tickets via the pre-sale that they had access to that started this morning.  We did not have access to it so we told them what we were looking for.  Well, come to find out, although pre-sale tickets do not sell out as fast as when the tickets go on sale to the masses - they do in fact sell out!  She could not get a hold of any in our price range and could only get individual tickets at $175.  Well, that was alright, she was very gracious to try and I was greatly appreciative (THANK YOU ANNASA!) but if it wasn't mean to be, then it wasn't meant to be.  But my darling wife had other thoughts.  As soon as she got home from her accreditation meeting and began trying right away (isn't she amazing)!  But get this, she is so awesome she just didn't try to get the tickets - she busted out her resourcefulness!  She got onto the forums on Lady Gaga's website to see if she could get the passwords required to access the pre-sales (Virgin Wireless pre-sale & Citibank pre-sale).  She couldn't find the information for the Virgin Wireless pre-sale so that quick-thinking wonder realized that the password for the Citibank pre-sale was the first 6 digits on a Citibank credit card.  So, she went to the Citibank website and got the digits off of an add to sign up for a credit card, entered them, and voila!  She was able to miraculously access tickets in Houston.  These were the $175 tickets we had not intended on buying, but by now it was clear that the less expensive tickets were not going to happen.  She began to multi-task and entered the password for the pre-sale to the Dallas show and got 2 tickets there as well.  So she called me to ask my advice on what to do.  We only had one dilemma - we don't have a credit card and we didn't want to use our check card.  So I rapidly called my wonderful Mom and got her credit card number so we could charge the tickets to her card and then pay her.  In the time it took to call her and get the number (which in panic-mode I incorrectly wrote down the first time, requiring a 2nd call) we lost the Houston tickets!  Gasp!  So she began refreshing the Houston page and then the Dallas page timed out.  Now, this was not very long, the time limit to secure your Dallas tickets was only about 7 minutes and the Houston time was only 3 minutes!  Talk about being forced to act fast!  So, now she had no tickets and she frantically began to refresh both pages.  For those of you who know Amy, failure is not an option; this quite possibly is one of her best traits as it drives her to succeed in everything.  Here, it was a very valuable trait as she did indeed get 2 more Dallas tickets - which she promptly bought!

Wow, I'm stressed and tired just recounting the events of the afternoon!  So you can only imagine how Amy felt.  But, all's well that ends well.  She got us some tickets, a little bit more than we wanted to spend, but we will also get a fun date night out in Dallas while Mom babysits the boys (thanks Mom)!  I am uber-excited and cannot wait until July 23!  It is going to be AWESOME, but not as AWESOME as my wonderful wife!  Thanks Amy!
 
All is well, WITH LADY GAGA TICKETS, in Drosche Land.

Try Again - No Gaga for Us

Well, today was the day that tickets to the Lady Gaga concert at the Toyota Center on July 25 went on sale.  My wonderful wife took the time out of her day to try and score us some tickets (they went on sale at 10 a.m. so I was in class).  However, it was not meant to be.  They seemed to be sold out before they even went on sale.  Oh well.  Amy was so upset, bless her.  But it is what it is.  Would have been AWESOME, but I'm not going to pay like 5 times the ticket prices via other options.  Good news though, as I figured, they added a 2nd show on Monday, July 26!  These tickets go on sale next Friday.  So, we'll see if we were meant to go to this show.  If not, total bummer but I can handle it.  I think this whole Dave Ramsey viewpoint accompanied with the adoption have helped me to realize what is truly important.  Now, don't get me wrong, I still have my moments when things get skewed, but I'm slowly coming around.  So, the new countdown to the next sale date begins!  T-minus 6 1/2 days and counting.  Stay tuned.

Tonight though should be fun.  We are going to a party at a church/school friend's house that should be pretty cool.  It's a crawfish boil and I love some crawfish - but not in the whole peel and suck the head sort of way.  But there's gumbo which I also love!  So, that accompanied by the fact that our 931 band Antidote 7 will be playing (yes they do mainstream too) make it a shoe-in for an AWESOME time!  Mom is watching the boys overnight, which they both are excited about.  So, party, good food, good drinks, friends, and a kid-less night!  That's a way to start the weekend after a crazy busy week!  Hence the reason I'm posting now - later will not be an option and remember the post-a-day goal!  Friday, April 9 - check!
 
All is well, with fingers crossed for concert tickets, in Drosche Land.