Hot & Not

Seems like the weeks are flying here...or maybe it's just an illusion because there is so much happening. To get you up to speed, a structured stream of consciousness update. Theme: what's hot and what's not. Here you be.

What's hot...

• the people of Wisconsin, who have relentlessly, faithfully, peacefully been protesting for 2 1/2 weeks now; I am so impressed by the citizens in this state and their engagement in this democratic process
• moving - Miss Adah is quite the mover these days; she is crawling like a madwoman, pulling up (with much pride) and climbing steps like it's her job - next up, learning to scooch down steps before we have a tumble on our hands!
• spring's impending arrival...hallelujah
• dancing - I made a commitment to myself this semester that I'd take a dance class a week for myself and it's been absolutely delicious; I am also creating a piece for our artist's showcase concert at church this weekend, and realizing that it's been one year exactly since I performed (nearly 7 months pregnant!) - it feels real good to be back at it
• sewing - true to my resolution for 2011, I am learning how to sew, and I love it; there is something so refreshing at looking at a finished project that you've created from scratch (to be fair, so far I've only made cloth napkins and done some alterations, but the curtains are next!)
• thinking about birthdays...I'm on the brink of the last year of my 20s, and before we know it we'll be celebrating a certain little person's first birthday (some tears have been shed over this); seriously where does the time go?
• watching Paul make Adah laugh. enough said.

What's not... (and honestly really bumming me out)

• Scott Walker, who continues to refuse to even dialogue with anyone about adjusting his budget proposal, and continues to ignore the thousands upon thousands of protesters at the Capitol daily
• the release of details about the above bill, including $900 million in cuts to public education; seriously keeping me up at night
• teething. ugh.
• the new skill of pulling up combined with teething, which is causing Adah to wake up multiple times per night, pull up in her crib and then scream at the top of her lungs loudly until she is rescued (admittedly, she is sooo dramatic that it's actually quite funny, but not so much at 3 a.m.)
• a flood last week at the therapy center where I work, which will cause us to be unable to use the facility for upwards of one month, and the resulting scramble to rent out spaces for our sessions (but as a sidenote - grateful beyond grateful for good insurance!)
• back to that bill - the proposed cuts at the university, which almost guarantee a cut of non-essential (i.e. part-time) employees; this would, of course, impact us greatly

So that's the update. Paul and I have had pretty heavy hearts about everything happening in our city, and we're grateful to our Adah cakes and the many many blessings in our lives for stepping in to give us perspective. We're just hopeful that March really does come in like and lion and out like a lamb...