Delia : Year One

I originally intended to write some "clever" post about Delia's first year of life, and as I wrote it I realized it all felt a little flat.

There is absolutely no way I could express how deeply Maria and I love and cherish our daughter.  Or how happy we are that we have been able to keep her alive for a full year!  We have got to witness her first smile, which quickly turned into laughs.  He first steps, which rapidly became walking and getting into trouble.  Her first words; mama, dada, hi, bye bye, peas (please), all done (which she uses to try to get out of car rides now), and many more to come.  

We got to take her swimming for the first time, and see first hand what pure joy looked like (not to mention it swelled my heart because I too love swimming).  We took her to Colorado on her first big trip, and despite some interesting events (wild fires and throw up), we made memories we will always cherish.  Not to mention the time spent with Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Pep peps and Zias, enjoying the simple pleasure of spending time with those we love, and seeing Delia love those people too.

She is an amazing person.  It is marvelous to watch her learn, it is one of our favorite things when we find something that makes her laugh, and it is unbelievable to think it has only been one year.

It hasn't all been perfect; sleepless nights, temper tantrums, rejected food, and just plain getting into trouble.  But, all that seems to drop from our minds when Delia looks at us with that precious smile and says, "hi!"

What year two brings, I don't know.  Personally, I am just kind of picking this stuff up as we go.  But, regardless of that it is going to be exciting.  Delia changes so much day to day, I can't begin to know what she will be like when she turns two.  Maria probably does know, but I have asked her not to tell me, as to not ruin the surprise. 

No more words.  Pictures and videos, that's what people really want to see.

First, a video Maria put together of Delia demolishing her birthday cake, shot during Delia's first birthday party.

 

Now, a few pictures.

A Song for Mommy

Delia's first steps!

Very Little Self Worth(ington)

Disclaimer

All of the information contained in this blog, other than my opinion, was lifted from Wikipedia . . . so who the hell knows if it is correct or not.  But, really, in the context of this entry, it shouldn't matter.

JUST THE FACTS

Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.
The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway, later the Chicago and North Western Railway (now part of the Union Pacific Railroad) where steam engines would take on water from adjacent Lake Okabena. More people entered along with one A.P. Miller of Toledo, Ohio, under a firm called the National Colony Organization. Miller named the new city after his wife's maiden name.

A BRIEF HISTORY

This colony – the National Colony – was to be a village of temperance with a capital “T”, a place where evangelical Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Baptists could live free of the sins of alcohol. A town was plotted, and the name was changed from the Okabena Railway Station to Worthington, Worthington being the maiden name of Dr. Miller’s mother-in-law.

Settlers poured into the region. It was the age of the Homestead Act when 160 acres (0.65 km²) of government land could be claimed for free. All one had to do was live on the land and “improve” it, a vague phrase if ever there was one. In such an atmosphere, settlers without connection to the National Colony also arrived in great number, and few of those were temperance activists. Scandinavian, German, and Irish immigrants were among those who came. American-born settlers invariably included many hardened – and hard-drinking – Civil War veterans hungry for free land. A curious event took place on Worthington’s very first Fourth of July celebration. Hearing that there was a keg of beer in the Worthington House Hotel, Professor Humiston entered the hotel, seized the keg, dragged it outside, and destroyed it with an axe. A witness described what happened next:

''Upon seeing this, the young men of the town thought it to be rather an imposition, and collected together, procured the services of the band, and under the direction of a military officer marched to the rear of the hotel, and with a wheelbarrow and shovel took the empty keg that had been broken open, and playing the dead march with flag at half staff marched to the flagpole in front of Humiston’s office where they dug a grave and gave the empty keg a burial with all the honors attending a soldier’s funeral.



They then, with flag at full mast and with lively air, marched back to the ice house, procured a full keg of beer, returning to the grave, resting the keg thereon. Then a general invitation was given to all who desired to partake, which many did until the keg was emptied… In the evening they reassembled, burning Prof. Humiston in effigy about 10 p.m. Thus ended the glorious Fourth at Worthington, Minn. —Sibley Gazette July 5, 1872

WHY WORTHINGTON:

or How I Saw A Billboard And Worried About Worthington

On Friday, April 20th my wife, her friend Natalie, and I were driving on I-90 to Wells, MN to celebrate a friend's wedding.  As we took the exit towards Alden, MN (which we needed to take to get to Wells (I am just trying to give people an accurate portrayal of our actions and why they were taken)) I noticed the billboard that you see above.  It struck me as odd.  It took me a few moments to register what I saw.  I had to mull it over a couple times.

"Worthington - You'll come to love us."

This does not sound like a positive town slogan.  Worthington has apparently thrown in the towel.  They feel that they don't have much to offer initially, but know that if people stick around they will like it there, at the very least.  They see themselves as an acquired taste, like coffee or dipping fried onions in chocolate.  I imagine that when Worthington decided o this slogan this was the statement released by the city council:

"We all had the same experience.  We didn't want to move here, but we ended up here, and at first it was pretty damn awful.  But, we all came around, didn't we?"

End of statement.

Not only does it cast the dark shadow of low expectations over anyone thinking of living there, it also sounds like the rantings of a stalker trying to convince the woman he has been following that she will love him, someday.  Let's say Worthington was trying to get you to move there, and gave you a call. 

After a few moments of heavy breathing into the phone.

"Hello, who is this?" you ask.

More heavy breathing.

"Answer me or I am hanging up."

"No!  Don't hang up!  It's me, Worthington."

"I told you to stop calling me, Worthington.  I could call the police and have you arrested."

"You wouldn't do that . . . you like it when I call." More heavy breathing and a grunt caused by a possible pelvic thrust.

"What do you want, Worthington?  I'll give you two minutes, then I am hanging up."

"Okay, okay.  Just . . . I just need you to move here."

"No!"

"We have a lake?"

"So does every town in Minnesota."

"Our lake is for skinny dipping."  If you could see Worthington through the phone, you would see it's eyes close as it imagines you skinny dipping in it's lake.

"I'm hanging up," you say angrily.

"No!  Just one more minute!  What's the name of the town you live in now?"

"None of your business."

"It's New Ulm, isn't it?"

"Maybe" As you think of New Ulm you twirl your hair.  You have a big crush on New Ulm.

"You'll leave New Ulm for me . . . I know you will.  New Ulm wouldn't treat you as good as I would treat you."

"Whatever, Worthington, goodbye!" As you begin to hang up the phone you here Worthington gasp,

"You'll come to love me!"

*Click.

Honestly, I don't recall ever having been to Worthington.  And maybe that is because the slogan is right on.  Maybe I have been there, but I wasn't there long enough to enjoy the acquired taste.  But, I think it was a poor PR move on there part.  Why not play up King Turkey Day?  A day in which they host the Great Gobbler Gallop?  Why not celebrate the fact that Tim O'Brien, author of the best selling book "The Things They Carried", grew up there?

This town, during it's first ever Fourth of July held a military burial for a damn keg of beer.  Worthington knows how to throw a party, it knows how to get down.  Who wouldn't want to live in a town like that?

In a time when everybody is trying to raise their self esteem, I think we should hold an intervention with Worthington and try to bring out some positive opinions of itself.  Worthington needs to develop some self worth (mmmm, delicious puns).

Here's a slogan off the top of my head, Worthington, take it or leave it.

"Worthington - At least we're not Albert Lea"

Sure, you may not be the best city in the state of Minnesota, but I am sure you're still better than some.  Why don't you start acting like it?

A Public Display of Affection

March 11th, 2006 - Maria and I had spent the day wandering around Como Zoo admiring their collection of suicidal animals, then went to Annie's Parlour for burgers and malts, and finished the evening sitting on swings in an empty park on the University of MN campus. It was then that we decided that we wanted to pursue a serious relationship. Our future together was set in motion that evening. I would have to say it was one of the best and most significant evenings of my life.

And since that evening I have been so thankful that we made that decision together, because I have married the woman that I love so deeply.

She is someone I look up to and learn from, but also someone I can laugh with and pick on. When Maria, Delia, and I are just in the living room playing I am the happiest I have ever been in the most simple of situations. Maria is so supportive of me in my goals and dreams that it gives me confidence to pursue them. When we disagree I am never too worried because I know that we both want to work it out together. We are a team, we are a family.

When Delia was born, not only did she bring joy but stress and change. Maria was so brave during labor and that bravery helped us to work through our fears together once Delia came into the world. Not only is there a strong bond between parent and child, but the bond between husband and wife was fortified in that moment as well.

I am so excited for our family's future, because I will be able to experience it with the love of my life.

I also love Maria because she is a HUGE fan of AMC's "the Walking Dead". But, if you ask her about it she won't admit to it.

The song that is in the video below would be considered one of "our songs". If we had heard it before we got married, it would have been in our wedding. I think this video makes it perfectly clear why I love this woman with all of my heart.

I love you, Maria!

Baby Talk with Adeline Plantage

The Ghost of Christmas Present

In trying to decide how to write the first Schultz family Christmas letter I went through a couple of different themes. First, I entertained the thought of trying to write the letter from the perspective of Delia Arlette Schultz, Maria and I's first child that was born on July 17th. It would be very short (which was the plus) but would have included very limited information. Here is a sample.

"It was dark. Muffled noise. Forced out into the cold. Bright lights. Screaming. Pain. Warmth. Sleep. Many happy faces staring at me all the time. Kind of creepy. More bright lights. More sleeping. More happy faces. Some frustrated faces. Crying. Sleep. Looking around. Crying. Faces. Crying faces. Smiling faces. Toys. I smiling. Rolling over. Scooting. Oh, what's that? I want it. Scoot to it. It gets taken away. Toys. Goofy faces. giggling."

And so on. That is not something I would want to read for an entire letter. Delia is growing in leaps and bounds. It has been amazing to watch her grow and Maria and I can't imagine life without her. We love her very much and can not wait to see what her future holds. I can not put into words how much Delia has added to and changed our lives, so I won't try. I will just move on.

Another theme I thought about was writing in the perspective of Maria's thesis paper, which she has been diligently working on and will soon have completed! Here is a sample of that letter.

"I'm a pain in the butt."

That would be the entire letter. Not much of an update. Maria is very close to being done with that paper, which the entire family is looking forward to. Maria also started a new job this fall, teaching special education at Hayes Elementary in Fridley, MN. She loves her job, even though day to day it can be very challenging. But she is doing great, and she is an amazing teacher.

The last theme I thought about using would be to write in the perspective of my beard. But, that would have just been creepy I think. And really, what could my beard say that would be of any worth? it would just talk about what I have been eating (which would be a long list) and that it probably always has crumbs in it. So, I will spare you those details and just tell you what I have been up to.

I am still working for U.S. Bancorp in their licensing division. That sentence said all there is to say about it. Who knows what this next year will bring for me, career wise. I have some ideas, but none that I am going to share. Mostly because it will probably take many years for it to come to fruition, if it ever does, but hopefully this year will mark the beginning of the process, and I am excited about it. Otherwise, I am learning the role of father and just making a point to take time out to enjoy my new family.

Maria and I are so thankful for all of our family and friends that have supported us and been there for all of these exciting but stressful changes in our lives. And we know all of those same people will be with us as things change even more, as they are apt to do in this life. Just know that Maria, Delia, and I love you all very much and know that our lives are exponentially better with you all involved in it.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Adam, Maria, and Delia Schultz