Trip to Indy

We took an after Thanksgiving family trip to Indianapolis. We spent Friday and Saturday night there and had a great time. My dad, who is traveling on business, was able to meet us for supper Friday night and go to the 2A state championship football game. He also took us to the Children's Museum on Saturday. We were so glad he was able to drive us there because the line for a valet to get our van out of the garage looked to be at least an hour long.

Here's most of what we did.

• ate at Qdoba in Kokomo
  
• walked around the Indiana State Capital
• went to Circle Center Mall
• tried to eat the the Old Spaghetti Factory
• ate at Jillian's (where my dad and I watched the end of the Purdue basketball game and the kids played games upstairs.)
• went to the 2A state championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium
• swam
• got bagels from Einsteins for breakfast
  
• went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum
• ate at Currito
• saw The Polar Express in 3D at the IMAX theater
• got groceries on the way home
• ate at Qdoba in Kokomo again

We like the make-it-fresh burrito places.

Polar Express is not one of my favorite movies, but it was pretty cool in IMAX 3D. I would recommend it. Landen especially liked the movie (although he would NOT leave the 3D glasses on.) When it ended he asked if we could watch it again, then refused to leave until the last of the credits were rolled.

We stayed at the Westin and we very pleased with out stay. We stayed there for $55 a night - which was the bid I placed on Priceline when I made the reservations a few months ago. It was a great trip. The kids were very appreciative and well behaved, which makes the trip for me. Here are pictures from the trip.

Nappanee Missionary Goes High Tech

as described in this article from the Nappanee Advance News in 1983. It's actually not all that low tech, as VCRs are still used in churches today. . . it just doesn't usually make the newspaper anymore.

My Father-In-Law Signed My High School Diploma

He was the school board president of Wa-Nee Community Schools when I graduated from NorthWood High School in 1990. The Nappanee Advance News was all over the story when he joined the board in 1983.

Fred's Flowers

Fred Flower's was my grandpa's flower shop. I spent a lot of time there in 1983, the year this picture appeared in the Nappanee Advance News. The scene in this photo of my mom, Aunt Kathy, Marian and Fran working at the counter was such a common site to me when I was growing up. Around the time this picture was taken, Rocki and I would frequently walk to the shop after school. We would usually stop at Schultz's Dime Store on the way from Central School to the shop. I remember one time Rocki bought a pack of Dubble Bubble gum balls - like the ones in this picture, except I think there were 12 in the pack. She asked me if I thought she could put all 12 in her mouth at the same time. I thought that would be pretty cool and encouraged her to give it a try. She did it. It was cool.

1983 Nappanee Advance News

I am starting a series of posts involving content from 1983 editions of the Nappanee Advance News, my hometown newspaper.

5 Minutes to SportsCenter

For anyone who loves SportsCenter, this video is hilarious.

Indiana's Man

I Steve, I Steve
do promise, do promise
not to post, not to post
about politics, about politics
after this post, after this post
for at least, for at least
two weeks, two weeks.
Forbes.com has an interesting article entitled, "Obama's Perfect Foil." The man? Indiana's man, Mitch Daniels. Here are two excerpts:

The right man for the job is Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana. After telling the Indianapolis Star that throwing taxpayer money at the Big Three won't work, Daniels underlined the central unfairness of bailouts: "I didn't notice anyone throwing money at the RV industry, and that cost Indiana a lot of jobs."

Stephen Goldsmith, possibly the best mayor the country has ever seen, built on the Lugar legacy by introducing competition in public services. Daniels, a Lugar protégé, has taken the Indianapolis model statewide. Every state agency has been pushed to offer a higher quality of service to the public at lower cost. Faced with the real possibility of outsourcing, once-slothful bureaucracies like the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles have become as customer-friendly as the best top-performing companies.

Great Posts

• Becky offers encouragement to those, like me, who are not perfect parents.
• Don takes readers on a tour of his journey from being a Reagan Republican to giving a closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention.
• Rocki recollects a sad event that is still vivid after 26 years.
• Not a review, but an analysis of Super Mario Galaxy can be read here. (Maybe not a great post if you've never played the game, however.)
  

Electoral College Prediction Update

The other night I was trying to talk Landen into letting me pick out a book instead of him. In order to convince him, I explained to him that I am an expert at picking out books. "I do it as part of my job." I explained. He said, "At Bremen?" I was surprised that he came up with the fact that I work at Bremen. I decided see how much he actually understood about my job, so I asked him, "Who do I read books to at Bremen?" His answer? "Barack Obama?"

Speaking of Barack Obama, the night before the election I predicted that Obama would secure 354 electoral votes. Intrade.com's final state by state markets projected Obama to have 364 votes. The final total will actually put Obama at 365 electoral votes, because Nebraska's votes will be split, with one going to Obama, something the Intrade markets do not consider. I did get Nebraska right in my prediction, but I put Indiana's 11 electoral votes in McCain's collumn. I was within my home state of getting the prediction exactly right. The Intrade markets did lean toward the actual winner in ALL 50 states.

My Team Loses

I needed a good laugh after NorthWood's disappointing loss in the semi-state football game. The tonic? Rob's "Funny Picture Friday."


Thanks Rob!

Ready for the Game

I'm ready to watch the NorthWood - Bellmont game. Go panthers!

I Switched to Firefox

I've been a loyal Internet Explorer user for over ten years. I've tried out other browsers at times, but always came back to IE. But Internet Explorer hasn't been running right on our main computer recently. It just keeps freezing up. So yesterday I switched to Firefox. Officially. Internet Explorer is not even on the desktop anymore. So far, so good. Besides actually running correctly, I think Firefox is all-around a slightly better browser.

Found in the Attic

We cleaned out our attic a few weeks ago. I found a bunch of my old cassette tapes. I decided it was really time to get rid of them. I did take a picture of them first though.

At the Fashion Farm in 2002 & 2008

Kylee

2002..........................2008

Makenna
2002..........................2008

The Stand

It's not my favorite blog, but I do enjoy reading Stuff Christians Like. And back in July when I read #2 on Jon's list of "Hand Raising Worship - The 10 Styles," it kind of made me mad. Then I read #10 on the list and I sort of got it.

Which was cool, because not too long after reading that post we started singing The Stand at church, and for this song, at least, I've become a YMCAer.

The Stand

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I’ll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

10 Things I Like, 5 Things I Don't Like

10 Things I Like:

• maps
• knowing stuff
• our furnace
• good deals
• the Internet
• gadgets
• reminiscing
• Tivo
• our driveway
• the heated floor in my bathroom

5 Things I Don't Like:

• when mildew grows in my shower
• debt
• when Internet Explorer freezes
• not being able to figure something out
• when leaves get on our porch in the winter

Book Review - Blue Like Jazz

It's amazing how much reading I can get done when there is no TV to watch or Internet to surf. Kristi and I spent the weekend at a couples getaway at Life Action. There was no TV or Internet to be had.

It took me a few months to get to page 102, which is where I was when we got to Life Action on Friday evening. By Sunday morning I was on page 232. I finished up the final chapter of the book last night.

I loved this book. It shouldn't have taken me so long to read it, because I really enjoyed the time I spent reading it. It is one of my very favorite books I have ever read. The author, Donald Miller, describes the events and happenings in his Christian spirituality journey. He's a GREAT story teller. Very few books make me laugh out loud, but Blue Like Jazz did a number of times.

Mostly I think I liked the book because I could just understand where Donald was coming from. I think that I think like him. (I wish I could write like him.)

Sometimes, if I read something I think is really good, I take it to my Sunday School class and just start reading it to them. It probably drives them crazy, but they're a polite bunch and they oblige me. Blue Like Jazz has a part that I think I will read to my Sunday School class. It's in chapter 11 and is a story about a confession booth. It's a great story, but I won't tell you more about it because I don't want to ruin it for you if you read the book.

Here is one excerpt though:

Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care. I don't believe I will ever walk away from God for intellectual reasons. Who knows anything anyway? If I walk away from Him, and please pray that I never do, I will walk away for social reasons, identity reasons, deep emotional reasons, the same reasons that any of us do anything.

I think Blue Like Jazz is a fantastic book full of thoughtfulness, humor and points to ponder. I highly recommend it to anyone. But here are some people in particular that I think would love this book:

• Stephanie
• Rocki
• Jamie
• Chris
• Hope

Family Camp - Couples Getaway Weekend

It's a "Couples Getaway" weekend for Kristi and I at Life Action's Family Camp.

Pumpkin Stew

My mom has an annual fall tradition of making Pumpkin Stew for the whole family. This year we enjoyed this special treat on Election Day. Awesome stuff! Thanks mom!

An Amazing Final 2008 Miles Biked Update

We haven't ridden our bikes very much recently due to the onset of cooler temperatures and darker evenings. So this will be my last 2008 update.

Steve 557.1
Kristi 449.3
Kylee 360.0
Kenna 360.0

After all those miles, Kylee and Makenna ended up riding the exact same distance this year.

Makenna's

Kylee's

The President-Elect

Here is a picture of Kylee and Makenna "with" Barack Obama. President-elect Obama is on the stage wearing the white shirt. The picture was taken at McCuen Gym in Elkhart, Indiana on August 6, 2008.

Mr. Gall's Class Votes

My 2008 Electoral College Prediction

Intrade.com's state-by-state presidential election markets currently project the electoral college totals to be:

Obama 364
McCain 174

My electoral college prediction:
Obama 354
McCain 184

NCAA Fantasy Football Challenge - Week 10

My dad is demolishing me in our NCAA fantasy football league.

Brent Gall: 58,138 points
Steve Gall: 53,623 points

Searches for October Day - Most Interesting

Here are some of the more interesting searches that led people to this blog in October.

• love letter to my wife
  
  
• what is a good love letter to my wife
  (I hope my letter was helpful.)
  
  
• is edward tulane okay to read to second graders
  (Yes)
  
  
• amish bus accident michigan nuts
  
  
• mrs galls class read alouds
  (The kindergartners at school call me Mrs. sometimes, maybe it was one of them searching.)
  
  
• kristy and landen north carolina
  
  
• rocki stillson's cousin
  
  
• if you are 15 are you to old to read the charlie and the chocolate factory book?
  (No. It took me until I was 15 or 16 to read ANY chapter book in its entirety -The Call of the Wild.)

Searches for October Day - Chapter Books

In September, I posted about the chapter book read aloud rankings Kylee, Makenna and I did. That post has resulted in bunches of searches for chapter book information leading to this blog.

• age 7 kids favourite chapter books
• good favorite chapter books
• chapter book read alouds
• books to read aloud 6 year olds
• starter version the secret garden frances hodgson burnett ages 7 and up
• 5 year old chapter books
• chapter books to read to four year old children
• read chapters 3 and four of charlotte s web
• read alouds for the book secret garden
• list of good teacher read aloud chapter books
• beverly cleary socks chapter two
• a summary of 3 paragraph for ramona quimby age 8
• strang happenings read aloud
• read alouds 5 to 7 years old
• paragraph chapter 8 shiloh
• ramona chapter books
• 7 year old chapter books
• chapter 3 of poppy by avi
• edward tulane and coda (The coda really chokes me up.)
• read the story the lion the witch and the wardrobe chapters 7 and 8
• the book socks by beverly cleary information on chapter 3
• nine year old read aloud
• chapter books for read alouds
• best beverly cleary read alouds
• where the red fern grows chapter 13 page from the book
• read aloud chapter books for three
• winn dixie chapters book
• chapter books for 7 year olds
• practice quiz on line ramona the pest
• chapter three of socks by beverly cleary
• chapter 9-17 of holes by louis sachar
• first grade chapterbook read alouds
• read aloud to seven year old
• ramona and her father comprehension questions
• poppy avi chapter 16 read
• chapter books for 3 year old
• the book thank you squanto
• chapter books three to four years old

College Football Overtimes (& Bill Curry)

I used to hate it when there were ties in college football games. And I love the overtime rules the NCAA initiated in the 1996 season.

Today's Notre Dame - Pittsburgh game started out as a two-field-goals-in-the-first-quarter yawner and turned into a seven-field-goals-in-quadruple-overtime thriller.

Last year I was watching Boise State and Nevada play on ESPN. The game went into quadruple overtime. One of the announcers, Bill Curry, bemoaned the overtime rules reasoning that, "Some one's gonna get hurt out there." He said it over and over. How lame. He would be a lot of fun to watch a marathon with, "That Kenyan better take a break or he's gonna pull a hammy!" I'm glad Bill didn't get the opportunity to spoil today's exciting overtime game with his lame-o commentary.

Election Returns Site

CNN has an excellent election returns site. Users can easily track national, state and regional races. As the national map is moused-over, election totals for each state appear. The national map is also clickable, bringing up state maps, which are mouse-overable by county. Tabs across the top of the page provide easy navigation for various race categories. In past election years, these maps have been updated as returns come in.