After Campaign 2012, we settled into family, work and community life in Bluffton, Ohio (pop. 3,875) for year 2013.  Liz started a couple neighborhood magazines with the nation-wide organization N2 Publishing.  I continued to do our pro-life apostolate, speaking in churches throughout Northwest Ohio.  And I started painting more houses (Joe the Painter) during the week.  I also started writing a column for the local newspaper called:  "The Bluffton Beat."  In the evenings, I spent a considerable amount of time at the Bluffton University Library doing yet more research for our rather extensive set of position papers.  That is, when I wasn't attending one of the many sporting events our kids were involved in (including covering them, anonymously, for the local paper).  *I also took over homeschooling our son Jonathan this year (our other kids were now in public school). The homeschooling was quite an education -- not only for Jonathan, but for me.  In fact, looking at issues we were studying through Jonathan's young, innocent eyes, actually influenced my political stance on some things.  The whole year was, indeed, a slice of:  "Life in the Middle."