Interpreting Fall 2009

Last week, we loaded the car late Wednesday night and headed to Lake Donagal, an hour's drive from the city of Pittsburgh. We spent a little more than 24 hours retreating as a family. It was a pretty great time. We got to pray and worship together, hike together, eat together, interpret our own versions of an amazing tree that was bursting in color from the view outside our front window.

Stomp

Our car turned into a percussion instrument this weekend. After seeing the Broadway performance of Stomp at Pittsburgh's Benedum Center. We couldn't help ourselves. If you haven't had a chance to experience Stomp, check them out here.

Places

Emma and I just finished a project for school highlighting the places she has lived.

SanDestin Family Vacation August 2009

Lydia is Eight!

Summer in the Burgh 2009

Hilton Head Island SC Vacation Summer 2009

Soap Box Round Two

Lydia wore the wheels off her soapbox after four days so we went back to the "drawing board" and came up with the super radio flyer soapbox. it has a king size bed frame front end, trek mountain bike grips, assorted razor scooter wheels (and to keep it old school) Oak axles. Oh, and Lydia pimped it out by choosing the pink and red colors and the chrome bathroom accessories we used for fender and a "tow hitch" lol. The brake was a requirement because this little guy goes FAAAAST!

 

Radio Flyer Soap Box

Lydia has been non stop for the past year about two things- building a fort and building a car. Saturday, she dragged a radio flyer tiny trike, a vehicle suited for one year olds, out of storage and attached a cardboard box to it. "This is my car" said Lydia. "I finally have a car." On Sunday, I realized that the "car thing" was not a phase. So, we put our thinking caps on, pulled out the white board, and Emma, Lydia and I came up with a plan. The plan was to convert the Radio Flyer Model #310 Tiny Trike into a real life soap box. Using only stuff that we found around the house, we were done in an hour and a half and today, we tested out the soap box on the hills of Frick Park. This thing is serious fun and if it didn't have a 60 pound or so weight limit, I would have taken it for a ride.

It's Not a Big Recession It's a Great Depression

Have no idea what they are talking about on the news when it comes to the financial collapse of our nation? Here are a couple of great takes on the problem:

HELP #1

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

HELP # 2
This American Life: Bad Bank

HELP # 3
SNL offers a revolutionary debt and money-management program. Chris Parnell teaches Steve Martin and Amy Poehler the secret to financial success. It's all detailed in a new book called, "Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford." Every debtor in America should read it.

HELP #4

Daily Show Tears Up CNBC Mad Money Host and provides much needed perspective in the present economic crisis.