Yoda

After I came home from playing with Lucas and Cooper, I put Lucas to bed, and then walked into my room and found this....



I stood there, at the bedroom door, just staring. I can't even tell you what was going through my mind. First I thought, 'Is Yoda really in my room?' then I thought 'Should I touch it?' 'Am I really that tired?' Finally I went over to it, and touched it. It is a card board cut out of Yoda. So I called my friends the ones who are brave enough to come into my apartment since I forgot to lock the door. I don't really know what else to say, except thanks Cyndi, that made my day. :) Turns out Cyndi was waiting for me to leave so she could surprise me. She had been planning this for days. It worked, I think everyone would be surprised to see a giant Yoda above their bed. Tonight I get to sleep under Yoda's watchful eye.

What a cute boy!

So I just have to show everyone how cute my boy is! I came out of the shower one day, and had a towel wrapped around me, so Lucas wanted to wrap his blanket around himself. So, I helped him with it. Then I dried my hair with another towel, and he wanted one on his head. And that is how Lucas ended up like this. Isn't he cute?!




Also...due to the rain, we have been inside quite a bit. And poor Lucas has been bored out of his mind (and me too). He was sick and tired of all of his toys, and didn't want to play, so I turned on one of his favorite movies (which, due to the rain, he is really starting to enjoy), and he just sat with me and cuddled the whole time! I don't think many of you grasp the miracle in this...Lucas is NOT a cuddler, and it makes me so sad! He refuses to hug me, and won't let me hug him for more than 1 second, max. But he sat with me for almost 45 minutes, it was a miracle! So, I made Matt take a picture. I know I am bias, but Lucas is so cute. He is talking so much now. He tries to say almost everything (except Amen, and Love you - those two he refuses to try, I am not sure why). But his favorite thing to say is "Hi Daddy!" And he says it to everyone! He knows that I am mommy, and dad is daddy, and he knows other peoples names. But most of the time whenever he says hi to people he says "Hi Daddy!". He is so cute, sorry everyone, but I had to brag today. He has been so cute lately!

Guilty Pleasures part 2

I wanted to start this out by explaining one of Matthew's comments. My music is not inappropriate. When put on the spot to come up with music I am embarrassed to like, I could only think of songs that I liked in high school. And while I was in high school, I was dating someone who was really into rap, and as you can imagine, not the best lyrics. I do want to apologize for my list of songs, they still are inappropriate, but that is not because I like "bad" music. I like every one of the songs that Matt listed (aside from "The Thong Song") and I am not embarrassed to like them. I like most music, and am not embarrassed to like them because they are 'cheesy' or 'old'. I am embarrassed to like songs that have inappropriate lyrics; hence this list. Well, after lots of thought, I have come to a conclusion, so let's begin.

#5 - "The Joker" (The Steve Miller Band) - This song has a story, as most of them do. I am not really embarrassed about liking this song, I am more embarrassed of why. This song brings back a lot of memories for me, it was one of my old high school boyfriends favorites. We listened to it all the time. So, yes I like this song purely for that reason.

#4 - "Ghetto Gospel" - (Tupac) - Again, I am not embarrassed by this song, I like this song, but did you notice who it is by? That's right, Tupac. That is why I am embarrassed for enjoying this song. But in my defense, John Elton sings part of the song, so that makes up for it right?

#3 - "Straight Up" - (Paula Abdul) - Well...This one has no "bad" lyrics, and no curse words. Honestly it just has really lame lyrics. For as long as I have known Matt, he has made fun of this song, and I have always loved it. When I was younger, my sister and her friend and I would make up dances to it. We had the tape of this song, and if I still had it, I would still listen to it all the time. Oh wait...I have the CD, and I do listen to it quite often.

#2 - {I am leaving the title blank} - (Alanis Morissette) - So, I stole this from my sister, Emily. I guess Matt's post sparked some interesting conversations between my sister and her husband. So, I guess we can all look forward to a similar post of her blog. ;) When She mentioned this song, I just laughed. It is not something I put together with my sister, but...I am ashamed to admit it, I like it too. It is just fun.

#1 - "Notorious Thugs" - (Notorious BIG) - Well...I am totally mortified to admit this one. But back in the day, I actually had some of this song memorized, and was somewhat good at rapping along with it; of course it was the edited version. I really hate the lyrics (please do not look up the lyrics, just take my word for it, they are totally unacceptable) but I have some fun memories with this song as well.

Of course, all of these songs the edited versions, and well, I don't listen to them ever (except Straight Up). But, I am humiliated to admit that I do like them. I hope you have enjoyed learning a part of me that I don't normally openly admit.

Guilty pleasures

Recently, Brooke and I had one of those wondrous nights of relaxation. The TV was off, Luke was in bed, a steady stream of rain was softly pelting against the windows. It was a perfect night for....all right, to combat those with the dirty minds, it was a perfect night for music.

We played a variation of our favorite songs all night and as the night progressed we ended up compiling a list of our top-5 favorite songs that we're too embarrassed to admit to others. As you can imagine there were some dandies shared with one another and we both agreed to share them with the blogging world as a joint, cathartic effort. Unfortunately, Brooke's list is too inappropriate to release to the masses at this time (that's putting it mildly), so I'm left alone to share a list of guilty-pleasure music. Without further ado, you'll find my list below (in descending order) and I encourage any of you to share your own favorite embarrassing songs.

5. "Una Noche" (98 Degrees) - This song came out my junior or senior year of high school. Besides its lively beat, it had a special meaning to me. You see, the lyrics offer a ultimatum of sort to a special someone, which is exactly what I wanted to offer to my own special someone, whom I'd had a crush on since 9th grade (friends and family, you know who she was). Not only did it apply directly to my life at the time, but how can a 17-year old resist a foreign woman speaking provocatively in Spanish? The song wasn't inspirational enough as I never offered that ultimatum, but it still remains one I heartily enjoy.

4. "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" (Backstreet Boys) - I used to sing this one with a friend (McKay Probert was his name). We even tried our best to emulate "the Boys" music video efforts. Forget the fact that this particular song ashamedly played the role of male unifier, it actually has a decent sound to it. Haunting/depressing is a fitting description of its tune, which is quite compatible with the song's main content: The sting of loneliness.

3. "The Thong Song" (Sisco) - I have absolutely no defense for this song and I deserve any condemning remarks that come my way. All I will say is that I've always been a sucker for the dramatic violin mixed with a compelling hip-hop beat (which this song had). In no way am I promoting the use of skimpy underwear. Well, except on you, Brooke :).

2. "I Will Always Love You" (Whitney Houston) - I admit as a youngster I'd wait until the house was empty to play this song so as not to disappoint my testosterone-driven brothers. Years older and hopefully more confident, I can fully admit Whitney has one amazing voice. Her last rendition of the chorus is powerful even for a guy trained well in the arts of emotional containment.

1. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler) - This one took me the longest to confess. For as long as Brooke and I have been married, I've sought out deceptive ways for her to play this song. I'd pretend that I wanted to hear it to make fun of its cheesy lyrics, or I'd tell her I heard it played mockingly on a sports-radio show and I wanted to make sure it was the right one. I honestly can't figure out why I like it so much. Maybe it's the overly dramatic tone, or maybe it's the way Bonnie gives it a masculine edge with her crackling voice near the end. In any event, it sure has a way of stirring up some unwanted emotion in this guy. I pray everyday my affinity for this song is in no way subconsciously tied to the lyrics.

One more thing...

Lately, I've noticed Luke partaking in the following activities: putting on chap stick, trying to walk around in Brooke's high heels, prancing rather than walking, carrying around purses, rocking pictures of babies in his chest...need I say more? Gentlemen, any suggestions on how to curb the trend? I'm thinking a father-son retreat (now that I have time), any other suggestions?

You can call me, done

For the first time I've decided to take the reins from my wife and make a post on the Andreason-Clan Blog. I'd first like to say how I appreciative I am of the many well wishes and congratulatory responses to my graduation efforts. Relatively speaking, it was only a Bachelor's degree, but it was still a grand accomplishment for me. One of my friends noted that he never envisioned me gaining a high-school degree let alone a college degree, and I have to admit I shared the same sentiment for many years. For those who don't understand why I would feel that way, pay heed to the photo below:



Long gone is the scowl, the flowing locks and the endless stream of profantities in front of my gym teacher after losing a meaningless basketball game. Luckily, I had a top-notch support system to help me realize what I considered an impossible achievement. More so than my personal efforts, the efforts of my wife, son, parents, siblings, friends, etc., should be lauded (now give each of them an imaginary round of applause).

Post-graduation life is in full swing. Brooke and I spent a wonderful night at the Little America (wonderful solely because of the view I assure you all). Brooke also bought me some new clothes (first time in three years) and for the first time in months I've been able to sit down and guiltlessly enjoy a book ("The Four Feathers," I highly recommend it). The job search is underway as well and so far we have some promising leads; however, in this job market we do not want to put all of our eggs in a few baskets, so if any of you know of some job openings, we'd be more than willing to look into them. Once again thanks for everyone's support and we hope life is being as kind to you all as it has been to us during these trying, yet rewarding past three years.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

It is official, I am married to a college graduate!! Matt has been working so hard for years, and now he has graduated! He looked so good in his cap and gown! Matt didn't want to walk, but I made him. I told him I needed proof that he is done, so he did it for me. I will say, the graduation was very boring, and they focused on the faculty. But, since I was so excited, it was worth it. Matt's parents and his sister Kaitlyn came to support him. And my dad came to support too, my mom tried, but couldn't get work off. That's OK, we are going to go to dinner with both our parents sometime. Afterwards Kaitlyn slept over and watched Lucas for us. We went to Skybox for dinner (where we sat by a NBA interm coach - Matt said most people wouldn't know who he is, and I already forgot his name. But he was a BIG man). Then we went shopping, Matt got some new clothes, and then we went to see Star Trek. Now, I am not a treky, but I liked it. I wasn't too excited to go, but it was good, I would actually like to see it again. Then after that we went and stayed at the Little America! It was beautiful! And it was so nice to be able to sleep in (to not be woken up by Lucas - since he is such an early riser). The hotel was supposed to be a surprise for Matt for his Birthday (which was last Sunday) and for his graduation, and for Mother's Day. But...somehow Matt guessed it. That's OK, it was still fun. Anyway, here are some pictures of Matt looking so smart and handsome after graduation!

Matt & his wonderful mother Sandi, & Lucas (trying to figure out what is going on)

Matt and Kaitlyn (Luke's favorite babysitter. We saw Kaitlyn again yesterday, and Lucas wouldn't even come to me or Matt. He had to sit by Kaitlyn, he had to play with her. If she walked away, he would cry. Lucas totally ignored Matt and I, he LOVES Kaitlyn)

My dad and Matt. My dad was Mr. Jokester that day, as you can tell by his smile. :)

Matt and his parents, Bruce and Sandi - what a wonderful support group for Matt!

I love my man!!