Thanksgiving Hikes

Here's a little video of some of the Schulzes checking out the attractions near Hartley, Iowa:

One Year Ago

Ella turned one week old. We had already made one trip to the Apple store.
Grandma was in love.
And sleep came often.

Coldplay for $0.99

Fan of Coldplay? Click on the graphic below and grab their latest project from Amazon's mp3 store for less than $1 (for the entire album). Several great songs on the album (Lost, Lovers in Japan, more). This one's a no-brainer.

Living History Farms Race

I ran in the Living History Farms Cross Country Race (7 miles) on Saturday. First time. Here's some video from The Register. I'll post photos of our group soon.

Photos taken by The Register:

See more Register photos here.

Let Detroit Go Bankrupt

That's the name of a NY Times editorial article penned by Mitt Romney. I'm not sure what to think about the issue yet, but I found that Romney makes some very salient points. Here's an excerpt,

"If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check."

You can read the entire article here (short registration required - use guerilla mail). One of the points he makes is that the price of labor in the Big 3 is disproportionately high due to unreasonable union contracts. Check out this graphic (data supported/cited in this article):

Ella's First Year

Here's a video of some memorable moments from Ella's first year.
Enjoy.

Baby #2 ...

More Birthday Photos

Ella's First Cake

Ella's Birthday Breakfast

Ella enjoyed a blueberry muffin for breakfast on her first birthday.

Hitler on the Housing Crisis

This is a very clever use of parody:

(HT: Tim)

Zack Returns to Zambia

Our good friend, Zack, has returned to Zambia to begin work on the Hope Children's Center. To learn more about this orphan ministry, check out this video:

Turnip Baby Update

I received this email today from Melissa:

The baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he/she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom.

5 days until we find out the sex of our little turnip.

Boy names:

??a??

?i??

???e?

Buchwheat

Girl names:

?i???

??i????
??n??

The Pauling "Loft" Listing

I just published a post about G&G's old apartment. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if a similar apartment were offered on CraigsList in a larger city, like Sarah's hometown (Austin, TX) . Here's the listing:

Lovely 3BR/2BA loft, restored to great condition, located above prior whole foods store and butchery; lots of character; hardwood floors, brick, open plan, lots of light, great views over delightful downtown district; short drive to Mill Creek, golf links, and sustainable organic farms; rare walking access to bakery/barista, apparel, furnishings, and community center; unbelievable views of the local mill and green space; just seconds from restored, turn-of-the-century bed & breakfast; bird's eye view of annual summer festival featuring local artists and indie bands; very short commutes; one minute from the airport.

By the way, I did a quick check on CraigsList ... a similarly described loft in Austin would run around $2700/month. At that rate, one could own the Pauling "Loft" in about 5 months.

The Old Apartment

I enjoyed a trip down memory lane this week when Sarah posted some photos of G&G Pauling's old apartment. Their previous residence was above their grocery store in Paullina. I have fond memories of staying overnight there. I remember playing their toy drum set, eating li'l smokies, going out for breakfast at the bakery, and much more.

The owners have renovated the place so that visitors can rent out rooms. It looks like they did a great job. And their decision to keep G&G's old green couch was commendable.

You can view Sarah's slideshow here.

A Radical Change in Reading Habits

Zack (from Vitamin Z) makes a point that I think is worth considering:

I have pondered for awhile now the concept of less books and more mastery. What I mean is, why not pick 10 of the best books for spiritual enrichment and read those 10 once a year. Books like Desiring God, Knowing God, and The Cross of Christ. Instead of an ever increasing bookshelf of unproven, unread books, why not saturate our minds with those books that we know have stood the test of time and have been a significant blessing to us personally on the first read through?

Read his entire post here.

Grandma & Ella

Extreme Wheelchairing

Favorite quote,

"When other kids in wheelchairs see me doin' what I do, I'd just like to inspire them to, either just go off a curb or jump a stair set. 'Cuz those video games are death."

(HT: Stephen)

Ella's New Chair

Grandma Schulz gave Ella the rocking chair that was given to me by my Grandma as a child. Ella is having lots of fun with it.

Sick

The girls are sick this week. Thankfully, the master of caretakers was already scheduled to help babysit this week. We're in good hands.

Free Coffee For Voting

I can't verify this, but it's on the web, so it has to be true.

Starbucks is giving a free coffee to anyone who votes today. There are also some other freebies offered to voters. Check them out here.

(HT: WORLDmag)

Another Funny Conversation

Melissa has been very busy this week finishing her report cards, writing lesson plans, taking care of Ella (and me), and keeping the house clean. Today we had the following short conversation:

Melissa: "With a hectic job, dishes piling up, and kids to take care of, I can understand why working mothers sometimes start taking morphine to keep up."

Me: "Morphine?! You mean methamphetamines?"

Melissa: "Whatever."

Dinner @ Bravo

We enjoyed dinner at Bravo Cucina with the Hauglands and Prendergasts last night.