One Word

One Word.

So I've already posted about my resolutions/goals for 2015.  But this is different.

This past week, the first week back after Christmas Break, was my week to lead our daily Faculty Devotions.  Nothing too stressful.  I knew it was coming.  But I still wanted to pick a meaningful devotion for the week.  Not just something random and thrown together.  Something that would be enjoyable and applicable both for myself and my coworkers.  So before we returned I began to search You Version for a New Years themed reading plan.  Something short, so it could be covered in the week.  Something relating to the new year, starting fresh, etc.  You get the idea.  But I just couldn't find anything that struck me as "perfect".  Ugh.  I really didn't want to just randomly pick a daily reading from a book.  

So, Monday morning comes and I try one last time to find something.  I'm stopped at a red light, one of the last turns before I make it to school.  I find it.  I read the description and it sounded just like what I was looking for.  Score!  I started the plan.

I never intended for it to be groundbreaking or super enlightening.  Just something to fit the theme and get us through the week.  Simple.  But as each day came and I shared the readings with our faculty I really began to enjoy it.  It began to resonate with me.  He began to work in me.

The basic premise of the One Word (which BTW you can visit their website for more information: GetOneWord) is that you think and pray about the upcoming year and the goals and plans  you have for it.  Then you begin to ponder one word that will guide you throughout your year.  As you think about it, you open yourself up to guidance from Him as the word is made known to you.  I won't go into it too much here, I suggest you read it for yourself.  It's a simple, 4-day plan that you could even read in one day.  Try it.  Head over to YouVersion and look for it.

So, by the end of the week I had my word.  I also think (hope) that a few of my coworkers have been inspired to find a word of their own for 2015.  Something that will impact their lives and faith.  Maybe.  

So, my word.  It came to me pretty suddenly.  I thought about it, what it could mean and how I could go with it.  It made sense  I could see ways in which it could benefit me for 2015 and ways I could grow with it.  So I went with it.  Listen.  That's my word.  Listen.

See, I talk a lot.  I know, it's not much of a surprise, but it's a fact.  Sometimes this leads to problems.  Listening is definitely something that I could use.  But it also could help in other ways.

Listen.  To others.  It will help me understand what they mean.  How they feel.  What they are truly saying.  This, in turn, can help me to communicate more effectively with them.  Improved communication is a plus in any relationship.

Listen.  To Him.  I tend to gravitate toward instant gratification.  I have a short attention span and want results.  Now.  I want my plans to work out.  Now.  But that is not always what is best.  I guess, rarely it is.  My timeline isn't the one that's most important.  So, by listening to Him I will be able to slow down and see the path He is leading me down.  His plans for me.  It will also teach me patience and contentment.  Hopefully.

Listen.  To myself.  Also to better communication I need to know and understand how I am feeling so I can properly relay that to others.  

So, there you have it.  One word for 2015.  Listen.  It doesn't lessen the other resolutions I have.  In fact it may help me to keep them.  Listen.  My plan is to continue to post about this throughout the year.  A sort of accountability.  

Again, I highly suggest you head over to YouVersion and the GetOneWord website.  Give it a try.  Find your word.  Good luck.

All is well, one word, in Drosche Land.

What Lies Ahead?

So. 2015. We are almost a full week into the new year and so far it's going well. I had originally intended to write this post last week but it didn't happen. Our New Years camping trip was busy and fun-filled so that took precedence. I'm sure you'll understand. I'll post more about that trip next time, hopefully, but for now let's talk 2015. 

How has the first week of your new year been?  Good?  Exciting?  The same ole song and dance?  Whatever the case, I hope you're happy and enjoying life this year. So far at least.  I checked back to last January and I didn't post anything about resolutions, so I'm thinking that means I didn't make any last year. Did I?  If I did, it's doubtful I kept them since I can't remember!  Yikes!  But here I am thinking about them. Should I?  Do you?  I think it's good to have goals. Goals for improvement. Goals give you something to work toward. So I guess I'll make some resolutions/goals. But I'll keep it simple. 

Blogging. This is one I've made before in the past. Last year was busy and rough and the posting here suffered and dwindled some months. It began with the burlgarly and loss of a laptop. Blogging from an iPad isn't horrible, but not the same. Especially if I want to post pictures. So hopefully 2015 will bring a more regular posting schedule for us here in Drosche Land. Not that I'm expecting anything too exciting or groundbreaking, but you never know what will happen. Or maybe you just enjoy my ramblings. 

Running. I can't even believe I am mentioning this. But when Amy and I got into running last year I was probably more surprised than anyone. I mean seriously. Me?  Running?  But here we are, about 6 months later, and I enjoy it. It keeps us healthy. It's a great way to de-stress and clear your mind. And fitness and a healthy lifestyle is something we would like to model for the kids. So hopefully Amy will keep me accountable and I will do likewise for her. Maybe 2015 will even bring a 5K or two?

Eating. We already eat pretty healthily here. With Stella's allergies and Jackson's ADHD, we are limited on the places we can eat out and nearly all junk food has been eliminated from our diet. Now, don't get me wrong. We still enjoy some guilty pleasures and splurges. But overall, we eat well. This is in no way my doing though. I give Amy total credit. She makes everything fresh and/or from scratch. Bread, tortillas, all meals, etc. We rarely eat anything that comes from a box or can. It's nice. We've noticed. The health benefits so that is more than enough motivation to keep it up. This yesr we are hoping to add in more organics into our diet. Cutting out as many chemicals and additives and unhealthy whatnot.

Faith.  Strengthening my faith is always a positive. We've gotten quite good at doing devotions as a family lately and I'd like to keep that up. We have the times when busyness and life gets in the way, but as a whole we do a decent job. It's important to model this for the kids as well so they can be firm in their faith and get a good foundation. Amy is also a great example for me in this sense also as she supports and models it daily. So I've got that to look to. A more regular return to reading the Bible. Better prayers habits. Just strengthening that relationship with Him. 

So. I think that wraps it up. 4 basic and typical things. But easy. Let's see what 2015 brings to support and challenge these. I'm sure it'll be an adventure. Good luck to you with your goals and resolutions as well!  

All is well, goals set, in Drosche Land. 

Resolutions for 2013

Let's take a minute to look back a year ago.  Well, a year and 2 days ago to be exact.  What profound resolutions did I make?  What grandiose plans did I have for 2012?  What promises and improvements did I have in store for myself?

1 - Drink more water.  Eh.  I'm going to call it a draw since I didn't actually calculate or record this in any fashion.  I know I drank some.  Should I drink more?  Sure, I'm sure everyone should.  1 point for me!

2 - Take pictures.  Well let's see.  I took tons of pictures.  Just check my iPhone.  Or my Shutterfly account.  Tons I tell you.  I love it!  Especially with Stella here and taking her monthly pictures!  Which reminds me, she's due for a 7 month photo shoot, I'll have to get that done this weekend.  As for the details of this resolution.  Well I didn't finish the Project 365.  In fact, I just tried to check my account and I think it's been disabled for being inactive.  I can't even remember the last time I did this.  Oh well.  It was a lot to do.  Maybe another time.  As for taking a picture of Stella everyday, well I made it a few months.  Again, that was hard.  Of course I took tons of pictures of her, but it just dwindled.  Instead I have focused on her monthly pictures and have been super pleased.  I have done several photoaday challenges on Instagram!  Follow me and check them out.  Overall I think I get a point for this even though the two details fell by the wayside!  I still took a helluva lot of pictures in 2012!  2 points for me!

3 - Read more.  I read.  Lots.  I still want to read more often and, truth be told, it's been awhile since I read.  But this seems to be a great ongoing long-term goal.  3 points for me!

4 - Finish tiling.  1 point for the Resolutions, enough said.  Did you read about the chalkboard wall in yesterday's post?  :)

5 - Eat Healthier.  I ate.  Lots.  I ate healthy.  Lots.  But without significant qualifiers, who can be sure if it was healthier?  I'm sure it was.  I'm still working on getting my holiday 5 off from this past Christmas but who isn't right?  4 points for me!

So there you have it.  A 4/5.  80%.  A "C".  Ok, so it's not an "A" and it's not a "B".  But, it's also not a "D" or an "F"!  4/5 looks a lot better than 80% though doesn't it?  I think I'll stick with that.  4/5 for me!  Woo hoo!  

As for 2013, I'm not sure.  I don't know if I am going to make resolutions.  I always end up confused and unsure of what to say.  Then I always end up making general ones that are similar to the ones from the previous year.  So, I think I'm just going to skip it (gasp!) for this year.  Instead, I think I'll focus on God and my family.  In that order too so the priorities are right.  I think if I can even do moderately well with this, 2013 will be just fine and everything else will fall in line.  

So, what about you?  Did you make resolutions?  Did you not?  Are you tired of resolutions?  They're a lot of pressure.  And for what?  So, God and my family.  That's for me.  Hope you are gearing up for a great 2013!

All is well, resolved once more, in Drosche Land.  

2012 Year In Review

Well, here we are again.  New Year's Eve.  I'm so totally not ready with any sort of resolutions post so that's not what this is about.  Maybe tomorrow, or the day after that.  We'll see.

So, 2012.  There's only about an hour left as I'm typing this.  Oh wait, there goes the ball in Times Square.  Ok, it dropped.  Back to the post.  2012.  What a year.  I don't know about you, but it was full of big events here in Drosche Land.  Ups and downs, ins and outs.  I thought it would be fun for a change to quickly revisit the year.  Maybe you'll remember some of these things, maybe you won't.  Maybe some of them you'd like to forget?  We'll see.

January 2012 - We knew we were pregnant but had decided to not find out the gender of Baby #3.  Well, we caved and boy am I glad we did.  A girl!  What a pleasant shock!  We knew right then that things would never be the same!

February 2012 - We, you dear readers and I, celebrated the 2nd anniversary of this blog!  Wow, how time flies.  February also brought a "surprise" baby shower for us as we officially began preparing for Stella's arrival!  We also celebrated Leap year!  Just 3 more years until the next one!

March 2012 - Amy and I took the boys to a Sibling Class at the hospital where we had the first glimpse of them as big brothers.  It was great fun and they learned a lot.  As it turns out they are fantastic big brothers and Stella is enamored with them both as they dote on her all the time!

April 2012 - I participated in, and completed, the A-Z Blogging Challenge.  It was tons of fun and I found several new blogs to love and follow.  It also brought new, maybe you, readers here to Drosche Land.  I really want to do it again this year and am already starting to think of a theme or topics.  It is still a long way away, so I'll probably procrastinate a bit longer!  I'll keep you posted.

May 2012 - 2 big events in May.  1 - Braeden turned 6!  Wow, 6.  He's now over halfway to 7 and I still am in amazement that he's that old!  2 - Amy was put on bed rest with Stella and we knew we were nearing the end.  Another school year wrapped up and summer began.  

June 2012 - Obviously the biggest event of the year - Stella.  She came and we have not been the same since.  She has been a blessing and joy each and every day.  It was a long and hard journey to get her, but we are thankful each and every day for her!  June was also the month when Amy accepted her new job as a 1st Grade teacher!

July 2012 - We were smack in the middle of our first summer together.  We were a family of 5 and things were going great.  I took all 3 kids to the doctor and locked my keys in the car, in the rain.  I got new glasses.  Stella was baptized!

August 2012 - A new school year began!  Braeden started 1st Grade with me!  Amy started her new job teaching 1st Grade and she has been loving it!  It has been awesome to share so many things with each other.  August was also Amy's birthday!

September 2012 - Jackson's birthday!  He turned 5!  Yep, another one of our babies was no longer a baby, but an actual kid!  Braeden got glasses and turned out to be super cute in them!

October 2012 -  The boys both joined soccer teams.  This was Braeden's second time playing soccer and Jackson's first.  They had a blast and are already looking forward to the next time they can play sports!

November 2012 - My birthday!  Election Day!  I voted, did you?  I hope so!  I also blogged about paying it forward after we had the fun experience at Starbucks.  I keep forgetting to catch up with y'all about it but I have done this (paid for the person behind me at Starbucks) twice since then and it has been so much fun!  The boys have been with me both times and we always talk about doing kind things for others.  They enjoy it too.  I think it's time for another one, maybe the next time I hit up Starbucks!

December 2012 - Stella's first Christmas!  Road trip to Kansas!  This post!  December flew by for us as I am sure it did for many of you.  But it was a great month and we have been enjoying a wonderful holiday break together as a family!

Well, that is 2012 in a nutshell.  It was fun to look back at the posts and relive and remember what happened.  I think this may have to be a yearly tradition on New Year's Eve here in Drosche Land!  I hope you have enjoyed our brief jaunt back in time.  I also hope that 2012 was great for you.  Maybe it was awesome.  Maybe it was rough.  Probably, like it was for us, it was both.  Regardless.  I hope you are able to look back at it and smile at the great memories and blessings of the year gone by!  I know I am.  HE was certainly good to the Drosches in 2012.  I can't wait to see what HE has in store for us in 2013!  Happy New Year and I hope you have an awesome one!

All is well, remembering and starting new, in Drosche Land.      

105

Well, as June winds down (can you believe tomorrow is the last day?) I thought I'd finally get around to a post I've been meaning to write.  See, June has always been special to me, long before Stella came along and made it even more so.  June is the anniversary of my weight loss.  This year marks 10 years.  A decade.

You've probably already put 2 and 2 together to realize that the title of this post tells of the amount of weight I lost.  Yes 105 pounds.  40.3% of my entire weight.  I'm not one to toot my own horn, but (toot toot!) I'm still pretty impressed.

Flash back to June 2001.  Amy and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary of being together and I was getting ready to transfer colleges in the fall and move to Austin.  I finally tired of being fat.  Well, I guess I'd been tired of it for a while, but I finally did something about it.  So, I began Weight Watchers.  Not the meetings and all that jazz, that's not for me at all.  No, I did it at home.  Counting points, eating less, eating better.  As it turns out counting points to lose weight was right up my alley.  Pair that with my OCD tendencies and voila!  It was destiny.  By the time the end of summer rolled around I had already lost about 40ish pounds!  Ahhhh, but that's when it got harder.  Moving away to college means dorm life.  Dorm life means meal plan.  Meal plan means lack of control over every morsel of food that went into my mouth.  However, my perseverance and OCD habits won over and I continued losing weight.  By the time summer rolled around again, I was down 105 pounds!  I'd made it to my target size and weight!  It had been a long journey, but it had been more than worth it.

So, here I sit, 10 years later and so much has happened in life.  I've graduated college, gotten married, went through Hurricane Katrina, changed jobs, had 3 kids, built a house, received my Masters.  Yikes, that's a lot.  Through all of that though those 105 pounds have stayed away.  I'll be honest, it hasn't always been a piece of cake, mmmmm cake.  I love food and, as you know, have a massive sweet tooth.  The hardest part was when Amy was pregnant with Jack, I put on 20 pounds!  Apparently having a one-year old, one on the way, building a house, and moving is stressful.  I thought I would die.  But I reached deep down in and channeled everything I'd done before.  It wasn't so hard really, it's always there and probably always will be.

I still count points every day, all day.  It's just that I don't need a book, I know a lot and can guesstimate everything else.  The OCD tendencies still come in very handy when maintaining.  I have a 5-pound window that I allow myself, to maintain sanity.

I know what you're thinking, "Where's a picture of fat Dusty?", and I can't blame you.  I'd be thinking the same thing if I were you.  Honestly though I don't have one, at least not with me.  I keep a picture at school though.  Partially to remind myself and partially to show others because they find it hard to believe.  It was taken on our 1 year anniversary and was the last photo taken of me before I began losing weight.  It is always funny to see people's reactions to the picture though, even I find it shocking.  I basically look like myself, only overinflated.  Imagine me as a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.  You'll get a good image that way.  I'll have to remember to grab the picture the next time I'm at school and post it here.  That'll keep you checking back!

I'm obviously proud of myself for having done it.  I'm glad I'm not the same size.  I'm healthier, happier, and I get to share my story with others.  Maybe inspire them?  Am I even that influential?  I'll also get to share it with my children so hopefully they will not travel down the same path I did, hopefully they will have healthier eating habits early.  Yeah, I'm proud for all of those reasons!

All is well, lighter for a decade and counting, 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.

Challenge

Ok, so you may remember way back when I was still on the topic of New Year's Resolutions I wanted to blog more.  Remember?  Well, then I stumbled upon the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and that seemed right up my resolution alley!  Well, a post each day in April seemed like a fun and simple idea, way back in January.  However, we are staring down April and it's downright daunting.  Especially since I have yet to think about/plan/schedule anything.  Freak out!  I follow their blog and have been reading it since then, but April seemed so far away.  Until now.  So I've spent the last week thinking about it and wondering what I will do.  Clearly every veteran of the challenge is right, scheduling the posts ahead of time is the way to go, but even that seems too much without a theme.  A theme?  Do I really need one of those.  Again, those veteran challenge bloggers proved right.  A theme will help get my mind ready!  So, this past week I've been thinking/worrying/anxiously putting off everything challenge related.  I still want to do it very much, but wow, what an undertaking. 


Until today.  So, I'm sitting here at school (yes I know I should be grading or planning but I've got blogging on the brain!) and it hits me!  I'm reading  their blog and looking through other people's suggestions/tips when I realize I should do some sort of photo-a-day post!  Right?  I mean I already do it on Instagram (LOVE it and that's a post for another time, see my link under the "About Me" page) and that would meet another New Year's resolution and give me more reason to have fun taking pictures.  So i think I have my theme.  A photo a day, going through the alphabet.   A little blogging about the photo and its subject matter and bam!  I'm set!  So, the challenge starts this Sunday and now rather than being anxious, I'm pretty stoked once again about it.  I still need to start scheduling posts though, but now that I have a theme that doesn't seem too troublesome.  


So, just wait a few days and join me on this challenge!  I'm looking forward to having a lot of new people stop by and visit Drosche Land in the next month and who knows?  Maybe a couple will start following the adventures!  Awesome!  Here's to the challenge!


All is well, with a challenge plan, in Drosche Land.

Challenge

Ok, so you know that two of my resolutions for 2012 were to blog more and take more pictures.  Well, I think I may have found a way to help me accomplish both.  As if I have any more time to devote to various social media/blogging addictions I have begun a few challenges.  All designed first and foremost to be fun, secondly to accomplish resolutions, and thirdly why not?

You know I began my 365 project about taking a picture a day all year long, follow me here, and I am proud to say that I have maintained it for 32 straight days!  1 month down, 11 more to go!  I have really been enjoying it.  Just posting pictures of whatever and/or looking for interesting shots throughout the day.  Well, I have 2 other photo challenges that I am beginning, on just popping up today!  I am totally into the Instagram app on my iPhone and noticed through a friend about a January photo-a-day challenge about mid-way through the month.  Well, then a February one popped up so I was all on that!  Plus I was able to find another great blog, this one, to follow.  She's the source of the aforementioned photo-a-day challenges!  Each day has a topic/theme, today's was "your view today".  I tried to get a shot all day long but was so busy that it didn't happen until tonight.  But I think it turned out great.  Always wanting a sweet/snack, here was my first entry:

So, as I'm going into Instagram to post, I see (from the same friend, thebirdandtheb) another photo-a-day challenge.  Seriously?  Could/should I take something else on?  I mean, it's nothing life-threatening or incredibly time-consuming but still.  This challenge was totally different though, focusing on a different photography skill a day, see here, today's being line.  Well, this sounded fun.  It would also be a way to not only take pictures, but maybe find/create some fun artsy photos.  Plus, as with my 365 project, all can easily be done with my iPhone which is never more than an arm's length away!  Here's my entry for the skill one:

Again, I really like the way it turned out.

So, those challenges are relatively small and easy to accomplish.  Plus with 3 photo challenges I am bound to take tons of great pictures!  Who knows, I may even improve my photo-snapping skills too!  Plus, I figure I can double up on some between the 3 if I need to, although 3 separate ones will be fun!  If I can do it I will most likely take part in the monthly challenge so it's also a bit of a long-term project.

The last challenge is a bit, ok a lot, more daunting.  I stumbled upon it one day while perusing Bloggers "Blogs of Note".  It was called the Blogging A to Z Challenge.  In a nutshell you blog every day, except for Sundays, throughout the month of April.  Each post's title follows in alphabetical order.  Start on the 1st, finish on the 30th.  Part of the deal is also to visit the other participating blogs and hobnob with others out there.  Since reading and writing blogs are one of my social media addictions I thought this would be fun.  Plus It would be a great way to accomplish my "blog more often" resolution.  I have grabbed the button (find it on the right column, maybe scroll down a bit) and I've signed up, so I'm all set.  Now all I have to do is mentally prepare.  They've suggested pre-writing blogs and scheduling them so you don't get overwhelmed, that and begin thinking about post titles and topics so as not to suddenly hit a wall.  Those two things make it seem a bit more challenging, but I still think it will be tons of fun.  Who knows, maybe I'll gain some followers here in Drosche Land, or at least get a few more visits!

So, there you have it.  Apparently I wasn't busy enough with our two wacky boys, Stella on the way, 2 dogs, and a job.  I needed a little spice!  Plus social media/blogging and photography are my hobbies (addictions) and everyone needs a hobby right?  So, check back in April once the challenge begins and/or follow me on Instagram or Twitter for all of the challenge fun!  I'm excited!

All is well, challenged, in Drosche Land.

Sunday Snapshot: 365 Project

A day late and a dollar short, but better late than never. January is almost over so I promise that in February I'll be more timely with posting. I mean I still have 11 months to make good on the New Year's resolution about blogging, right? It's all good.


On with the post, ironically relating to another one of my resolutions. You may, or may not, recall that one off resolutions for 2012 was to take more pictures. I order to help me accomplish this, and just to do something fun, I started taking daily pictures and joined the site www.365project.org. I decided to do the challenge only using my iPhone since it is always with me and I love it. So far so good, 23 days in and going strong. Since this project has been taking up the photography area of my brain for a while, and January hasn't been too eventful, I haven't (gasp!) taken many pictures with my actual camera. This saddens me some, but looking back January is historically a slow month to photograph here in Drosche Land. So, since I am still keeping up with the resolution and still taking gobs of pictures, I thought I'd devote a Sunday Snapshot post to this project. It's been a lot of fun so far and I find myself taking pictures of just everyday things to document life as well as looking for interesting shots too! Plus not only has joining this site encouraged my own picture-taking, but I love seeing all of the other great pictures people from around the world take! I do love photography. So, here are some of my favorite shots I've taken so far. Feel free to see them all here.


All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

A shot of a basket in our closet that I thought would be interesting, I love the texture.

The kids' ride-on horse, one of my favorites I've taken!

I love my Chucks!  Took this one and played around with it a bit.

Another B&W shot, this time a close-up of a big fan, I like the way it turned out.



It wouldn't be a true project of mine without including sweets of some kind (and this isn't the only picture of food and/or sweets I've done!)


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Sunday Snapshot - Cousin Time

So, I know I just posted about Resolutions but it is Sunday and that calls for a Sunday Snapshot.  Perhaps I should have included a 6th resolution (per Amy's suggestion): to blog more!  I do love it so but this past year was crazy and I didn't get around to it nearly as much as I'd like.  But 2012 will be different, so maybe I'll add this as a 6th resolution.  But I digress.  In order to keep up with this 6th resolution I need to also post a Sunday Snapshot.  Getting back into routine this past week did not lend itself to taking pictures so I and dipping back into my vaults for this post.

Over the Christmas break we had the cousins over for a much-needed, much asked for, and much-anticipated sleepover.  The kids all had a ton of fun and said sleepover included trips to 2 different parts.  I brought my camera along and got some fantastic shots of the fun times they had.  Looking back at them makes me realize we need to do this more often!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

 Braeden and his all-time favorite sport, pastime, activity - football!

 Love this shot of Braeden!

 And I love this one of Jackson!

 This is Jack's typical slide face/reaction!



I was very lucky to get them all sitting, looking at me, and smiling at the same time!  Even better, it turned out to be a great shot!

 I like this shot of Amy I snagged and I played around with it a bit!

Thanks to the timer feature I got a great shot of my beautiful wife and I!

Resolutions - Finally!

Ok, so I promise I haven't forgotten about my 2012 resolutions and I'm not avoiding commitment to them. I've just been mentally finalizing them. I have been trying to start this post for several days now and it has been sitting lonely in my Drafts.  Since we are officially over a week into 2012 I guess I'd better get it finished and posted.  Only 2 posts for 2012 so far?  I'd better get it together!  So here goes, some may seem the same and/or related to some from last year and I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. If it ain't broke! I went with just 5 this year mainly because I had a terribly hard time trying to think of things.  Hopefully a lower number will ensure a good success rate!  I'm just hoping for better than a 78%!

1. Drink more water. Since I failed at this one last year I thought I should give it another go. I will however once again stress that it is not in place of, but rather in addition to, caffeine. I mean I don't want to set unrealistic goals or anything!

2. Take pictures, lots of them! I made this one last year and I think it's a good one. I love photography and many moons ago I dreamed of pursuing a career in the field. With my awesome camera last Christmas my love was renewed. This year I hope to not only photograph my family, especially #3, but also some fun and creative photography. To help out with this I've started a 365 project! You know, where you take and post a picture a day for a year! I thought this sounded awesome so I jumped on it! To make it easier and more fun I'm only going to use m iPhone since I ALWAYS have that! Follow my project (even thought I'll be mentioning it occasionally) here.  I also have a fantastic idea for the baby that's sort of related.  I plan on taking a picture of the baby every day for the first year and then creating a slide show!  I'm stoked about it.  So between all of these pictures I'll be spending 2012 clicking away!

3. Read more! Yes again, this was on my list last year but I truly enjoy it and it is a great way to relax and have some downtime.  I'm still about half-way through with The Help, maybe I'll read some tonight!

4.  Finish tiling (stop smirking Amy).  See after our Spring Break project from last year we had a ton of tile and mortar left over, due to some slight miscalculations on our part.  No worries though, we would just use the remaining tile to tile the laundry room/pantry.  Easier said than done though as I never got around made time to finish.  So I am giving myself this year to get it finished once and for all, hopefully the sooner the better!  Plus Amy has been gently reminding me that it needs to be done!  Making her happy will also be motivation!

5.  Eat healthier.  Maybe healthier isn't the best choice of words, maybe wiser is better.  See I have a huge sweet-tooth and I love to snack.  As I write this I am eating gummy Lifesavers, probably not the best thing to eat at 8:30 pm.  So, my new goal is to not have seconds of anything, just one healthy and normal portion of a meal is fine.  Also, no eating after 7:30 pm.  Amy has already made resolutions that are geared toward healthy eating for our family so I'll piggyback on that and do my part.

So, there you have it.  Nothing fancy and a few repeats.  I think all 5 are totally doable and I plan on getting a 100% this December, you can congratulate me then!

All is well, finally resolved, in Drosche Land.

Sunday Snapshot - 2011 in Review

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So last night we rang in 2012 in low-key style at home.  Jack made it to 8:00, Amy to 9:00, and Braeden to 9:30!  After the kids were all tucked in I spent the time half watching New Year's TV and reading.  The ridiculously large and spectacular fireworks show put on by various neighbors woke Amy up right at 12:00 so we did get to have our kiss and ring it in together.  I don't know how much combined was spent by the neighbors we watched but I'm glad it was funded by their wallet and not mine!  I totally plan on getting a "Resolutions" post out but I'm not sure if it will be today or not.  2012 has already kicked off busily as we finish tidying the house and knocking out the last of the laundry.  We have been dog-sitting one of Amy's Mom's dogs so we have to return her and then pick her Mom up from the airport (Adam has gone off to Nebraska for college and she's on her way back from there).  After dinner with her it will be time to rush home for baths, bedtime, and lunch prep so we can be as fresh and prepared for tomorrow as possible.  Both Amy and Jack resume tomorrow and I have a half-day in-service so Braeden is coming along and will wind up somewhere while I'm in meetings, we go back on Tuesday.  So we will see if there is time tonight before bed for another post but I wanted to get out this Sunday Snapshot because I have been looking forward to it for about a week as I reviewed 2011 in pictures!  I originally planned on doing 12 shots (like I could stay at a limit that small!), one for each month.  However that quickly proved impossible as I couldn't sum up every month and its activities in just one photo.  So I'm hitting each month and including a picture for each of the major events in that month, some have a few more than others.  But I'm pleased with the selections and will post them now before I add more!  Looking back 2011 was a busy and fantastic year!  I hope 2012 will be more of the same!  Enjoy!
 
All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

January 2011

 We began readying Margaux's room in mid-January.  Yes I know the adoption has been called off, but it was a big part of the first half of 2011.

January also brought Braeden's first 100 Day homework!  100 thumbprints!

February 2011

 Valentine's Day!  The kids had been dying for Pillow Pets!  They are still in love with them!

Ok, no big event here but I LOVE this picture of Jack from one of our trips to see our nephew Jared's basketball games!

March 2011

 March saw the addition of Rex to our family!  I can't believe how little he was or how much he's grown!

During Spring Break we did our annual home improvement project, the floors!  It was hard but totally worth it and I am still in love with tile floors (especially now after getting a Dyson).  I wonder what Spring Break 2012 will bring?

 April 2011

 In April sports came to Drosche Land as Braeden began playing soccer!  Turns out he loved it and was pretty good!

Easter!  I love Jack's face, he gets so much pleasure simply from hunting for eggs!

May 2011

 Braeden turned 5!  Wow!

May proved to be quite Braeden-centric as he also graduated from Pre-Kindergarten!

June 2011

 June began with our trip with Amy's family to Beaver Lake, Arkansas!  It was an excellent time and the kids still ask when we are going to Arkansas again!

I also put my mad deck-building skills to use in June!  Granted a storm as since taken the canopy from us, but I am mentally working on a solution to do this spring/summer thanks to some clever spying on a neighbor whose canopy suffered the same fate as ours!

July 2011

 Another vacation?  Don't mind if we do!  This time it was with my family to Galveston!  

 July also saw Amy start her own blog (find it here) about her love of cooking and the adventures of a busy mom feeding her family great food.  I'm highly recommend checking it out!

August 2011

 

Amy turned 30!  We took another fun trip to our favorite stop - San Antonio's Riverwalk to celebrate!

 

Another school year began!  Braeden in Kindergarten (what?!) and Jack in Pre-School 3!

September 2011

 More sports as Braeden started T-Ball and again not only loved it but was good!

 Jack turned 4!  Wow, 2 old kids in the house!

Braeden lost his first tooth!  He lost another in November so they're just falling out now!

October 2011

 The annual trip to Dewberry Farm to pick the perfect pumpkins!

I got my new iPhone 4S!

 Between having a superhero and a Storm Trooper present on Halloween we were definitely safe from danger!

 #3 is on their way!

November 2011

 I turned 29 31!  Happy Birthday to me!

Adam and I had an awesome trip to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday over Thanksgiving Break!

December 2011

 Our annual Christmas Eve family photo!  Love it!

Another blessed Christmas.  Between Braeden's DS from his birthday and Jack's Christmas gift of a Leapster we rarely see them anymore!  :)  Gaming has entered Drosche Land full force!

Holidaze / Resolutions Revisited

Seriously?! It's that time again?! This post is a blend of 2 separate posts I've been mentally working on over the past couple of days but have yet to get out so I've combined them here into one entry. I have a good excuse though for not getting the post done. We've been busy doing absolutely NOTHING these past few days. Nothing other than enjoying our vacation that is. This past holiday season was ridiculously busy and blew past us (hence the clever "Holidaze" portion of the title!). It seems as though I was just finishing Halloween candy and suddenly I'm baking cookies for the big man in red to enjoy after he brings us the spoils of our good behavior this past year. Where did November and December go exactly? The holidays were so busy I didn't even get Christmas cards out! That just killed me because it is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Luckily Amy helped me to come to the conclusion that I can send out New Years cards! So improvise I did and they are ready, anxiously awaiting me to address and deliver/mail them! I'd post a I true of them but I don't want to ruin it for all of the friends and family (you know who you are!) that are daily visiting their mailboxes, hoping to find the treasure of said card inside! Worry not, they are almost on their way! So, 2011 is quickly coming to an end and I cannot believe it. Professionally speaking I can't either, 1/2 of the school year is over?! Only 5 months left to fill the minds of my little Firsties with tons of phonetic and mathematical knowledge?! Anyway, back to the topic at hand. The past week was spent enjoying quality time with the family, our couch, and our DVR. We had the cousins over for a sleepover and that was tons of fun but other than that we have been working hard on relaxing, basking in just being. We definitely all need it here after the crazy past few months we've had in Drosche Land. Maybe 2012 will be slower? More even-paced and calm? HA! I'm sure it will prove to be crazy and fun as always though!

On to the second part of my post. This past week I suddenly remembered that my first post of 2011 was about resolutions. Really, I made them? What were they? I'll admit, like millions of others life got in the way and I quickly forgot about them. So, I hesitantly re-read that post, found here, hoping I hadn't failed my past self too much. The only thing I remembered was that I had made 10 (that's an awful lot past Dusty, nice going) resolutions because it would be easy to come up with an easy success/failure percentage. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I'll revisit and update them here so let's see how I did!

1: "Lose the 4 (or 5 depending on the day) pounds I have put on this holiday season.". Success! I got back to my normal weight and I'm happy to say that this season I've managed not to put on only like 1-2 (again depending upon the day) pounds! Not to bad, granted I began the Christmas break with a wicked stomach bug which allowed me plenty of flexibility but hey, it's all good!

2: "Be a more active member in the financial freedom of our family (Amy stop rolling your eyes).". Um, fail I think. I don't think I did all that much better and I'm sure that Amy would agree!

3: "Be more patient with the kids, not everything has to be done my way (Amy, didn't I just ask you to stop rolling your eyes ;)!).". Um, success? I think so yeah, I mean we all have our days but overall? I think I'll count it as yes (we'll see if Amy agrees!).

4: "Finish the Bible reading plan I began last year (only about 2 months left) AND start a new one!". Success! I not only finished that one but 2 others! I love it and highly recommend it! I'm going to begin a new plan tomorrow, I need to peruse them and find one that I like!

5: "Begin praying for the adoption process and our daughter.". Hmmm. I did this, lots. Bt as you know we had to stop the process so I think this one no longer makes the list. Although 2011 taught me that everything is on HIS plan, not mine! We are eagerly awaiting #3 so it is a twist of things from this time last year, but all is well!

6: "Finish my Masters!  (Yes I know this will obviously be done, but it'll give me something to check off and provide motivation!).". Success! Yes I know it was a given, but I still think Amy and I finishing our Masters is a big deal!

7: "Take more pictures of the boys and document everything (should be a cinch with my new camera!).". Success! Thanks to Sunday Snapshot and my fabulous camera from Amy last year I think I've done a great job!

8: "Stop worrying/thinking about the move.  What is meant to happen will happen.". Success? Technically speaking I did stop, yes we took the house off the market and decided not to move but it was a big decision, I'm counting it!

9: "Start reading for pleasure more (I still haven't finished Breaking Dawn!).". Success! I have done this! I just finished The Winshaw Legacy but Jonathan Coe and am currently about halfway through The Help (I highly recommend both!). Funnily enough I still haven't finished Breaking Dawn so I need to get that done. I also have the Steve Jobs biography burning a hole in my iPad!

10: "Drink more water!  (Not instead of caffeine, I'm not cutting down on that, but in addition to!). Hmmmm. Ok, I'll concede with this and claim fail! I have gotten slightly better, maybe, but still a far cry where I should be. Oh well, I have enjoyed coffee and caffeine in all it's other forms though!

So, there you have it. Not too shabby huh? Take off the adoption resolution to bring me to 9. 7 successes and 2 failures gives me a 78% success rate. Could be better but it's not failing! Well, how did you do on your 2011 resolutions? Success? Fail? Mixture? I haven't decided about ones for 2012 yet, I'll be thinking and posting about that tomorrow. I'm thinking less than 10 though, mainly because I can't think of 10 things right now, we will see if divine inspiration occurs. Until then I'll be content with my 78%.

2011. Overall it was a good year I think. We had our share of ups and downs here in Drosche Land, but who didn't? We were, are, and remain extremely blessed. 2012 is already poised to be a big year for us and I am so excited! I'm entering the new year with positive thinking and anticipation. I hope that you enjoyed 2011 and are ready for a blessed 2012. We will see if I post more in 2012 (I hope so!), I think my overall post number was lower this past year than in 2010. So, I hope you are ready to join me for the ride! See you next year!

All is well, for auld lang syne, in Drosche Land.