We've had this noise around here that sort of resembles the engine room of an oil tanker. It's this floor-vibrating rumble. Started about two or three months ago, occasionally at first. Then, when we came in this morning, it was constant. For Kristen and Seth, it was like being part of the crew of the Titanic. We decided we needed to do something about it-a prospect that inevitably involves our friend and general contractor, Koko Korver. Koko came by, poked around the back of our offices, and suggested that it might be upstairs. So we went up to visit our…

This is principle #18 of the 21 principles. And we really try to follow it. After all, no one of us can possibly be as smart as all of us. But to illustrate this principle, Anne discovered still another benefit of teaching a Sunday school class of teenage girls. Of course, the coolest part is watching these little girls struggle through this awkward time and come out the other side beautiful, unique, spiritually curious young women. But there are other things too. Jules, it seems, is ga-ga over a singer songwriter named Jason Mraz. Now, we had never heard of…

At about 6:00 this morning, I was dropping my little brother off at GSP, for his return flight to New York. He was here for a lightning fast three-day visit, to talk to somebody (I could tell you who, but, well, I just can't) about something (I can't even begin to tell you what). My little brother, sometimes known among friends as my "egghead" little brother, works for the conference board. You know them as the people who bring us the Index of Leading Economic Indicators (quantifying that the economy is going to heck in a hand basket) and the…