Photos 2006

	Sometimes parties just kind of spontaneously happen at our house, especially if it is cold outside and Audrey is feeling instigacious. If neon wigs are available, so much the better.
	Throw in a package of stick-on mustaches, and a group shot becomes mandatory. Taken 1/14/06.
	On a whim, Debbie and Tom decided to fly to Philadelphia for the weekend to see a band Debbie likes. Immediately upon arriving, we hopped in our rental car and visited Delaware (state #45 for Debbie and #44 for Tom). You've got to love a state with a sign that says "It's good to be first." Taken 1/21/06.
	We returned to Pennsylvania by way of New Jersey, so Tom could get state #45, thus tying with Debbie. We headed to the historic center of Philadelphia and took our little friend Orchy to visit the Liberty Bell ...
	... and then we visited Ben Franklin's house, or at least, a modern-day metal frame of where Ben Franklin's house used to be. Snaps to Audrey for recommending that we seek it out.
	We took a great double decker bus tour of Philadelphia and got to see the famous Rocky steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
	For dinner, we had reservations at Serrano, which is mandatory to get reserved seats at the Tin Angel upstairs. It was very cramped and the food was expensive, but pity the poor folks who didn't dine there and were stuck in the back of the very long, very skinny Tin Angel for the show.
	Finally, showtime arrived. We headed up the stairs to the hallowed Tin Angel to see Grey Eye Glances in an intimate setting. For the record, "intimate setting" means "no leg room or personal space," but now we know. However, it was great to finally see GEG in concert.
	Having seen enough of Philly, we arose early and drove up to New Jersey, where we caught the first ferry to Ellis Island. Orchy joined us too.
	This display features an American flag when viewed from one angle, and the faces of immigrants when viewed from a different angle. Cool!
	At the memorial in the garden facing NYC, we found Debbie's great-great-great-grandparents listed. Read more about it here.
	We hopped another ferry from Ellis Island to Battery Park in Manhattan. If you're going to do this, you have to buy another round trip ticket in Battery Park to get back, because the New Jersey - Ellis Island - Statue of Liberty loop is one round trip, and the New York - Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island loop is a different round trip. It's worth it, and be sure to do it in the order listed here to minimize the number of ferry trips you have to take: NJ - Ellis Island - NY - Statue of Liberty - NJ.
	In Manhattan, we walked along the shore, cut over to see Ground Zero, then headed back to Battery Park, where we enjoyed a couple of hot dogs. A seagull divebombed Debbie and grabbed a bite of hers. We bade farewell to New York City because we had more sights to see before the day was over.
	Next, we took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, and a kind stranger took our photo on the ferry with New York City in the background.
	She's a majestic sight, our Lady Liberty. What a treat to finally get to see her up close. A young man was proposing to his girlfriend as we strolled around the island. Reluctantly, we wrapped up our sunny day by heading back to Philadelphia where our flight to Indy awaited us. Taken 1/22/06.
	Jill turned fifteen in February and celebrated with her friends as usual. There was Taco Bell for dinner, a slumber party, scary movies, a dip in the spa, and a tent in the basement for the festivities.
	Tom, Debbie, and Jill flew to Arizona for President's Day weekend to visit Debbie's family. On our second day, we headed out to the nearby mountains to do some sightseeing with Debbie's dad and stepmom.
	At a visit to Tortilla Flat, Jill modeled her new pink cowboy hat, procured at the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet that morning. Taken 2/19/06.
	In March, Tom and Debbie spent two weeks in New Zealand. Our adventures took us to many Lord of the Rings film sites ...
	... out with our friends Pete and Sally, ...
	... to see geysers, ...
	... and bungy jumping. Click here to read all about it.
	We love hanging out with friends in the Bundlings basement. Add colorful beverages to the evening and fun abounds. Taken 4/1/06.
	Indiana was hit by several hail storms in the spring, and here's a shot of hail pummeling our garden one evening in April.
	Tom returned to do more contract work at Sallie Mae again in 2006. Here, Theresa was nice enough to stand in for Tom in a photograph that showed Tom's first assigned cubicle was little more than a desk in a hallway.
	Our family's Maersk game continues to amuse us greatly. Here, Jill shows off a Maersk container we found parked in Greenfield, Indiana in May.
	Early in 2006, Tom formed a software services company with some of the most talented, intelligent people he knows. We hosted the first official Gale Force Software Corporation company party at our home, and got the partners together for a group shot.
	Our families had a great time spending time together as well. Here is Jill with Russ' wife Frances and twins Spencer and Landon. Taken 5/13/06.
	Flat Stanley arrived in the mail in May and embarked on a series of adventures. Click here to read about his visit.
	Debbie flew to Houston for her uncle Larry's funeral. It was great to see her mother's side of the family. Taken 5/20/06.
	Summer means lake fun at Claire and Jill's dad's cabin in southern Indiana. We took the girls and Jill's friend Monica down one weekend and just had to stop for a photo in front of the world's largest rocking chair, which is one of the landmarks along the way.
	A long wait at the doctor's office turned into a photo opportunity for Claire and Mom.
	Claire sure has a pretty smile, doesn't she? Taken 6/1/06.
	Being 15 means that Jill is ready to learn to drive. Stay off the roads in Indiana.
	Game night at Audrey and Brent's featured a round of Killer Bunnies. Thanks to Debbie's cousin David for introducing us to that game.
	We were in DeKalb, Illinois, for Sharlot and Eric's wedding on 6/24/06. Sharlot is tall and blonde, so you can safely guess that she was a Schilling just moments earlier.
	It was a lovely outdoor wedding, and we got this group shot of various Schillings just after the ceremony.
	Sharlot and Eric's wedding had a poker theme. Check out this photo of their amazing groom's cake.
	Jill and her Grandpa Schilling did their best Secret Service routine at the reception.
	Claire turned 17 in July and celebrated with a fresh crop of electronic toys, which always makes her smile.
	In late July, Debbie, Tom, and Jill joined Debbie's dad's and brother's families on an eight day rafting trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It was a fantastic adventure. Read all about it here.
	As soon as we got back, Tom headed to Chicago for the AACC trade show with his firm, Gale Force Software Corporation. Here's a shot of their booth. Taken 7/24/06.
	Tom and Debbie headed to Dayton for Tom's 20th Northmont High School reunion. A great time was had by all and the evidence is right here. In this photo, Tom is wearing the darker shirt and his twin brother Ken is in the lighter shirt. Taken 8/4/06.
	Next up: an evening in downtown Indianapolis with Debbie's coworkers in August.
	Jill attended two homecoming dances in September, since her date attended a different high school. Here she is with freshly done hair shortly before dressing for the first dance on 9/9/06.
	Special Olympics Hamilton County's annual dance-a-thon became a fun-a-thon this year, which pleased Claire quite a bit. When continuously fed with tokens, the games at Ben and Ari's arcade are just giant versions of electronic toys, as far as Claire's concerned. She had a blast pushing the buttons and enjoying the lights and sounds. Taken 10/6/06.
	It's our fifth straight year of corn mazing! Maize Maze Mayhem V took place at Boondocks Farm on 10/7/06.
	Our nephew Jack is not only adorable, he's the nicest kid around cats as well. Here he is petting Spike and Tito's mother during a visit to Tom's mother's house in October.
	For the first time ever, we posed for a formal family portrait taken by our friend Theresa on 10/12/06. Theresa also took a lovely portrait of Claire which you can see on her page.
	Our friend Gina is quite the equestrienne. Tom and Debbie spent a cold but sunny day in Brown County enjoying a horse show in which Gina was competing. Taken 10/14/06.
	Claire participated in the Motor Activities Training Program portion of the Special Olympics Fall Classic on 10/21/06.
	Tom and Debbie took the train from Indianapolis to Denver in late October for a weekend visit. The train part of the weekend was a terrific experience and is documented here.
	We arrived at Union Station in downtown Denver early Saturday morning.
	We got a rental car and headed south to the Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. The scenery is just stunning in this part of the country.
	The weather was perfect: warm and sunny with snow still on the ground from a blizzard earlier in the week.
	We spent some time in Golden, just minutes west of Denver. It's a quaint little town with a strollable city center.
	We passed on the tour of the Coors brewery and opted for ice cream instead.
	That evening, we transformed ourselves into Devo for our friends Tom and Ruth's annual Halloween party.
	Here are our charming host and hostess in their elaborately decorated living room. It's worth traveling over a thousand miles for their parties, believe us!
	Back in Indiana, the Orchard Software development department was also dressing up for Halloween. This year's theme couldn't have been broader -- anything having to do with television, music, or movies. Taken 10/31/06, of course.
	We were contacted by several Maersk employees this year, including two who included us in Maersk publications and one who just thought it would be nice to send us a tin of Maersk Danish cookies. We love Maersk -- both the game and the nice people who work there.
	Jill and her friend Jackie performed a duet in their high school choir's Holiday Spectacular concert. We don't have any good photos of the event (only video), so you'll have to settle for a shot of her bouquet of flowers consisting of roses given to her by family and friends during the four-day run. Taken 12/10/06.
	We volunteered at the Special Olympics Holiday in the Heartland fundraiser, where we helped run the silent auction. Taken 11/17/06.
	We had some of Tom's family over, including Jack and his brand new baby sister Jena, and their mom, Juliet. This is a rare shot of Juliet getting to hold her daughter, as Debbie called dibs on the baby most of the visit. Taken 12/16/06.
	Our Christmas plans took us through Wisconsin on our way to northern Minnesota. The Copa Cabana Resort in the Wisconsin Dells, normally seen only during the bi-annual Schilling Reunion in the fall, was looking especially festive.
	We finally made it all the way up to the Bemidji area where Debbie's dad and stepmother live during the summer and for one frigid week during the holidays. We had beautiful sunny weather, just perfect for snowmobiling on a frozen lake. Here, Jill and her cousin Stewart demonstrate ...
	... while Tom, Doug, and Susan patiently wait their turn.
	Debbie, too.
	The frozen lake made ominous cracking noises as we walked on it, but upon close inspection, we realized that it was extremely solid. Brrrr! Taken 12/24/06.
	Back inside where it's warm, Claire had taken a liking to lefse, and kept a close eye on it whenever she spotted it out on the counter. She's a good Scandinavian girl at heart.
	On Christmas morning, Becky made rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree, which Stewart is presenting in this photo.
	As you might expect, there were presents everywhere and we had a very nice holiday.
	Early the next day, we were on our way, but not without stopping to see Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji. Our little mascot friend, Orchy, is in this photo if you look closely.
	We zoomed back to the Twin Cities to meet Debbie's childhood friend Dave at Carbone's. He brought his wife (also named Debbie!) and his kids Brian and Jackie.
	Next, it was on to see Debbie's cousins at Melissa and Erik's, where we were joined by Laura and Shawn. We managed to pack a lot into just a few days! Taken 12/26/06. Read all about it here.
	We celebrated New Year's Eve Eve at Audrey and Brent's ...
	... and New Year's Eve at Steve and Nancy's. It was a very good year!