A is for Anticipation

Well, here it is!  My first post for the Blogging A to Z Challenge this April!  I've posted about it before so I'm not going to waste valuable blogging space on it again.  Just a quick review of my theme.  I've decided to take a picture each day of something beginning with the day's letter and blog about that.  I love blogging and taking pictures so it's right up my alley!  I'm stoked about this challenge, blogging and finding new friends so let's go!


Anticipation about Stella obviously.  The house is a mess whirlwind of baby prep, much of it pink!  It's unusual for us to have so much pink, purple, lace, and frill around but we are slowly getting used to it.  The most recent preparation we've undertaken has been installing the gate at the top of the stairs.  The boys and I had fun working on that together yesterday.  Any excuse for us to use our tools and feel manly!  As the photo shows: bedding, clothes, diapers, bows, and so much more are accumulating as we get ready for Little Miss to join us here.  Just 8 more weeks until Amy hits 36 Weeks (the longest she went with either of the boys) and 11 weeks until our 30 Week scheduled c-section.  We'll see which comes first.  Until then though we continue to prepare, physically and mentally, for our newest blessing!

So much done, but so much left to do!

All is well, beginning the challenge, in Drosche Land.

1/4

Are we seriously almost 1/4 of the way through 2012? Did I miss March? I mean, obviously not, there are 10, now 11, posts to prove that it was here at some point. I feel like time is in fast-forward and I can't keep up. Before I know it the school year will be over nd Stella will be here! Now, don't get me wrong, I am totally psyched about Little Miss finally joining us, but I don't like it when time flies by, it makes me anxious. Nervous that I'm missing something. Nervous that I haven't done everything I'd like to. It's about this time in the school year when I begin lamenting the fact that many great ideas never materialized, finished, or just didn't turn out the way I wanted them to. Well, maybe next year. I'm always having sudden and random ideas of things to do, I just obviously can't do them all. Maybe I should start writing them down. But I digress.

March is almost over and that means that it's almost April. Yes, I know I jus posted about the Blogging A to Z challenge on Monday, but I am still pretty excited. That and I've got to drum up some interest about the challenge here! I've even taken several pictures already for my posts! I've got "B", "L", "M", and "P" done. All I have to do now is begin to write and schedule the posts. Well, that and take lots more pictures. 22 to be exact. Over the week I've second guessed my theme for next month. Will it turn out the way I want it to? Will people enjoy it? I guess only time will tell.

So, I guess that's about it. I'm exhausted and don't think I can stay up much longer. I've been fighting sleep since 8:00 but I hate going to sleep before 10, I don't know why. But there is no way I am making it to that minimum tonight. It's been a busy week and tomorrow night is our bi-annual Gala! It's a Mardi Gras theme so I can't wait to get my laissez les bon temps rouler on! So I guess it's time I wrapped this random, stream of consciousness post up. I had so many thoughts in my head beginning the post but I think it's clear I'm more tired than I thought, it's turned out to be somewhat rambling and disjointed! My apologies! So it's off to bed to think and dream about alphabet pictures and postings! Maybe I'll get some good shots tomorrow at the Gala?!

All is well, rambling along, 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.

Sunday Snapshot - Clothing Optional

Now, I realize that the title of this post may seem a bit TMI, but trust me, it's not what it seems!  So, safely read on.  


The weather this weekend was so beautiful, finally something spring-like and cool rather than unseasonable hot and humid.  To enjoy this weather, after Amy finally started feeling better (that's a post for another time, trust me!) we had lunch and dinner out on the deck today!  It was nice and breezy and the boys really enjoyed it.  However, in between the meals al fresco, the boys played outside.  Somehow though, Amy and I noticed that their basketball game required no uniform.  In fact, it required no clothing at all!  For some reason unbeknownst to us, they decided to play sans pants, and sans shirt for Jack as well!  Ahhh, the joys of having two young boys in the house.  Jack is, and has been nearly his entire life, in a perpetual phase of only wanting to wear underwear.  So, I snuck out with my iPhone (since I have yet to get everything organized and squared away with pictures since the computer disaster of last week) to get some pictures for this post.  They hammed it up for me and played their game.  Sadly though, the photoshoot, and game, was cut short as Jack fell and scraped his knee.  Thus a hard lesson about wearing clothes when playing sports (apparently that is a lesson some of us need) was learned.  Still though, I caught a few pictures of these silly boys and their odd habits!  Ahhhh, boys will be boys!


All is well, fully clothed or not, in Drosche Land.

Braeden ready to play some basketball!

I love this shot of them!  Notice Jack's choice of undies and tennis shoes!

The game!

Traveling!  Yes, I know you're impressed I knew that!

Countdown

I don't know why, but I gave up sweets again this year for Lent. Maybe I've already mentioned this but I can't remember. It's probably the lack of sugar having a detrimental impact on my memory. I know the purpose of giving up things for Lent and I totally get it. But man is it hard. I know what you're thinking, "Um, it's supposed to be a struggle!". I know, you're right. Believe me, it is a struggle. But that doesn't mean I can't miss my sweets. And miss them I do. Do you know that Lent encompasses several events that focus on sweets?

For one, it's Girl Scout cookie time! We ordered 8 boxes this year! That was way back when Lent seemed forever away and I hadn't given any thought to what I'd give up this year. Oh how innocent and naive I was. Needless to say, I haven't had a single one of those cookies. Amy and the boys have though. And I've watched them. Thin Mints, Caramel Delights, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, etc. I'm salivating. Luckily my lovely wife has been saving a few of each kind, as they polish off box after box, for me. I'll be gorging, I mean eating, them on Easter!

Secondly, Rodeo season! We jusT finished this glorious time of year and again I did not get to partake in any fried sweet indulgences! Fried cheesecake on a stick. Fried Twinkies. Fried cookie dough (on a stick). Fried Snickers bars (on a stick). Fried ice cream. Again with the salivating. Ahhhhh carnival food! You name it, they can fry it. I just can't eat it. On a side note though I did indulge, twice, on some of my favorite fried (savory) treats: catfish, hush puppies, french fries, and fried green tomatoes!

Thirdly! Although it's not technically an occasion, I feel it still bears mentioning. I'll refer to it as Pre-Easter candy. You know what I'm talking about. It's the Easter candy you buy early because you want to be sure to get some before they run out at the last minute. You tell yourself it's for Easter but as the holiday get nearer the supply is rapidly dwindling. Or maybe you buy it early so you can eat it throughout the entire season? The same can be said for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day candy. I know I can't be the only one who does this, you know you do too! Reese's peanut butter eggs, jellybeans, Cadbury creme eggs (my fave!), chocolate bunnies. Yes, you guessed it, salivating.

Again, I totally get the reason behind the act of giving something up for Lent and I totally support it. I don't regret it, mostly, because of what it stands for. However I do also take things on. Namely reading the Bible. I always take on a new reading plan for the Lenten season and did so again this year. It's to help with the giving up and remembering why I did so in the first place.

Ironically posting about my sweets withdrawal, which is not getting any easier over this 40-day period, has actually helped a little. I feel a little stronger. My resolve it not as weak. I'm inspired again as to why I did it. But I am also hungry. Next year I don't think I'll be givng up sweets again. Maybe I'll try something new. Some other addiction to deprive my self of in order to strengthen my faith and bring me closer to Him. Remember the true reason for the Lenten and Easter season. But I have a year to think about that. In the mean time, I'm busy planning, and looking forward to, my Easter binge!

Did you give up anything for Lent? Take anything on? If so, how's it going? Tough? Rough? Easy? Regardless, stay strong dear readers, we're over halfway there! We'll celebrate together in 16 days. Not that I'm counting.

All is well, drooling, in Drosche Land.

Lost

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Snapshot - Reclaiming the Jungle

Our backyard has been in a sad state lately.  See, it hadn't been mowed for a while, a long while.  Rain and laziness worked against me and eventually it looked as though nature would take over.  After a long discussion, Amy and I decided to hire a lawn service.  It was a hard decision for me, I had to admit to failure since the yard-work was technically my chore.  But it just wasn't getting done.  It's definitely not my favorite thing to do and I have very little desire to ever get it done.  But it was time.  The boys couldn't play in the backyard and the dogs were wading through shoulder length (their shoulders not mine!) grass.  It was a sad state.  So, over a two-day period last weekend I went at it so when the lawn workers came we wouldn't get charged an "overgrowth fee".  It was hard work and the mower threatened (and succeeded) several times to give up on me.  But, the knowledge that it was my last time to do it kept me going.  Monday the workers came and they did an excellent job and we were very pleased.  Now my only outdoor work left to do it attempt to kill all the weeds and get grass growing once more.  

This afternoon since the weather was finally nice (i.e. not sweltering or pouring) we all went into the back yard for a while.  Amy and I sat on the deck and relaxed while the boys played.  I'm glad they still remembered how to enjoy the backyard, after having not been out there for so long!  Luckily that is all behind us.  The weeds are fast-growing, the only thing that I seem to be able to grow, but luckily it will all be mowed on a regular basis now!  

So, I'm past any shame and guilt that I originally get for hiring a lawn service to do what I could/would not.  Now it's just time to sit back and enjoy having a backyard again!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

Soccer was the game of choice this afternoon!

Jack is always willing to stop and pose for me!

Braeden still would rather play than pose!

Jack decided to join the game!

Uh oh, he caught me taking pictures!

Post-score victory!

Practicing our kick

Scooter time!

Racing!

Someone had a little too much fun!