I'm Moving...

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Penny for Your Thoughts

For a country that prides itself as being "all about freedom", America sure can be fickle.  Controversy over a breastfeeding doll?  Please.

Here's the argument that really cracks me up: "this doll teaches little girls to be mothers and we need children to just be children".  People.  A doll is a doll is a doll.  When you also stop buying your little 'uns Barbie, Baby Alive, Cabbage Patch, American Girl (and so on), then maybe you'll sound a little more credible.

Maybe.  But probably not.

We Made It!

Well, friends, Cass turned one year old last Friday.  Dan and I took the day off work and drove over to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, where Cass giggled at the tigers and watched the silver-back gorillas with wide, saucer eyes.  It was chilly and overcast when we arrived, but the sun came out soon after and it turned out to be a classic spring day.  I hope that we can do something like this every year on our little guy's special day.  We ended with dinner at Upstream Brewery, whose asiago & artichoke dip and yummy house-brewed seasonal stout are certainly worthy of mention.

We hosted the actual birthday party on Sunday and about 30 friends, family members and neighbors joined us for a potluck bbq, cake and lots of outdoor activities.  It was another beautiful day, perfect for basketball, sidewalk-chalking and tandem/mini-motorcycle rides up and down the block.  Thanks to all who came and we wish that those of you who live far, far away could have been there.

Shout Out

I live in the kind of 'hood where neighbors shovel each others' sidewalks in winter and mow each others' lawns in summer. It's Pleasantville, in technicolor.

Last week, for instance, we were invited to a Groundhog Day party.  Last year, the jennies on the block threw me an incredible baby shower.  And for major holidays like Christmas and Independence Day, elves bedeck the street lamps with holly and line the street with mini flags.  True to form, neighbors have literally stopped by to borrow a cup of sugar or to drop off a plate of freshly-baked cookies, and we really do have a neighborhood newsletter.  There is an annual block-wide garage sale each fall and, without fail, a Happy Birthday sign will show up on your porch for your special day.

If home is where the heart is, then the neighborhood must be like some other major organ - one that you might technically be able to live without but that makes life so, so much more pleasant!

Free As A Bird

Saw this hungry fellow near East Campus a few weeks back. He was fearless and inspires me to be. So much uncertainty these days. There are universal issues like the economy, the job market, and environmental sustainability and then there are the hundred-and-one uncertainties specific to each of us. Will the gas bill break the bank this month? Will we be able to find a sitter for Wednesday? Will I pass this week's CNA skills?

In times like these, it would be easy to lose focus, to feel defeated or to simply put yourself on autopilot and sink into a comfort zone. But then the cosmos sends you a sign, a sign that says be strong, fly straight and show no fear. You're free as a bird.

Plans

Here's the lowdown, the rundown, yeah, the skinny and the scoop. I'm back in school working on the prereqs for a sonography program. I'm excited and nervous and a little sad that it's taken me so long to find a "path", but here's hoping that 2011 will be a catalyst for positive change. The program is pretty small (translation: selective), so most of our plans for the future are on hiatus until we find out if I get accepted. My ninth-grade English teacher always said "patience is a virtue". As it turns out, I find it is infinitely easier to be patient with others than it is to be patient with myself. I want what I want and I want it now.

So, here's hoping for that nice big welcome packet in the mail come spring!