A month ago, after 23 long hours labor, we welcomed our baby girl into the world -- it was a very joyous day, and she is a darling baby.  We are very lucky.

But today I  am doing a happy dance for a much less important  reason.  My wonderful husband took me out for sushi tonight, and in light of the occasion I decided to try to put on my pre-pregnancy jeans.  I haven't eaten real (raw fish) sushi since Labor Day and I haven't worn jeans since well before Christmas,  So, you will understand that I had to shake it a little when my jeans fit no problem.  I ate sushi in my blue jeans and it felt great! 

Part of me cannot believe it is April and we are due to have a baby this month!  And the other part of me (the one that woke up too many times last night and feels the little aches and pains) knows that the time is coming near.  It seems like the last eight months just flew by, which I guess is a good thing.  I think we are getting pretty close to being as ready as we can be.  Of course as soon as I finished typing that last sentence I thought of about a dozen things we still need to get done before this baby arrives.  I am both excited and scared, but that has been true since we found out we were pregnant.  Now that I have a big tummy and we have to go to the doctor every week this pregnancy definitely feels real.  Parenthood here we come!  Our hospital has wireless internet, so I am sure DrSpiff will post the news once it happens.

I am pleased to be able to post that John and I now collectively have only one mortgage.  Although we discovered that there was had a slight issue with the furnace when we were doing the final move out on Sunday, it got resolved pretty easily by Ryan's Plumbing & Heating this morning and the closing went smoothly.  So the condo is sold!  

It was nice to see some of you while we were in the Twin Cities.  Thanks again to Milligan and Elena for inviting us over for dinner.

We moved to Springfield about 2 1/2 years ago, and my condo in St. Paul has been on the market most of that time.  Finally, on Monday, I got an offer, and we negotiated to the point that today I have a signed Purchase Agreement.  The sale will be at a loss (as you may have heard, the market sucks for sellers), but still it will be good to be done with it.   I loved the place and its underground heated parking (still miss that) and its location in Cathedral Hill, (yeah, miss that, too) but it is time to be out from under those carrying costs.  The prospective buyer has a couple possible ways out over the next two weeks: inspection and review of the condo documents.  But hopefully everything will go smoothly and we will close the deal on February 23!  Until then, please keep your fingers crossed for me. 

I have not been very good at posting regularly, but we have also had a really busy couple months, so I decided to do an update post. Here are my highlights from December and January (so far).

I got a new car, complete with the appropriate equipment for properly installing a car seat for baby. So, goodbye 1996 Buick Regal and hello 2009 Toyota Corolla. I expect much better gas mileage, but kind of miss the cushy feeling of driving what was basically a rolling barcalounger.

My brother (middle one) got married in early December to a really nice and beautiful young woman. The wedding was in Playa del Carmen Mexico and it was lovely. We had some trouble getting there (a hex on United) and missed the rehearsal dinner, but we were there for the wedding and that's what matters. The wedding made me feel a little like an older person. The whole thing was very hip and young -- on the beach, signature blue cocktails, lots of their young, svelte high school/college friends, etc. DrSpiff and I mostly hung out with my folks and the older crowd. We also liked the same dance music as that group and sat at a table "further away from the noise" when the music my brother and his friends wanted to dance to came on. My brother is only 6 years younger than me. Since when am I this old?

Christmas this year was with my family in Minnesota. We drove up and stayed with DrSpiff's aunt and uncle in Iowa on the way, which was really nice, especially since the weather was not great (poor DrSpiff did all the driving). They were incredibly welcoming and we got to see some of the cousins and their kids, too. We also got to see a few Twin Cities friends before we headed up farther North. Sorry if we missed you -- it was a pretty quick stop. It was really wonderful to have my whole family (my folks, all the siblings and all our living grandparents) together for Christmas Eve. But our visit was pretty short, as we left for Chile the day after Christmas.

DrSpiff and I enjoyed our trip to Chile very much! He was working some of the time, but I was on vacation. The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, the city of La Serena was very beautiful and walkable and the people were welcoming and helpful (despite our limited Spanish skills). We meandered all over town and just took it in. Also, DrSpiff rented a car for the weekend I was there and took me up to a public observatory tour at Cerra Tololo, which was cool (but a very scary road up there in my opinion) and then into the Elqui Valley, were we admired the vineyards, went on a pisco distillery tour and watched windsurfers. It was such a relaxing experience and really nice to have such a extended period of time to spend with DrSpiff. And kudos to American Airlines and its partner LAN -- the travel was long and tiring, but every flight was ontime or early.

When I came back from Chile it was very cold here. Ok, I admit it was not as cold as MN, but cold nonetheless. It was a difficult transition. And our house heater wasn't working when I got home (batteries on the controller died), so it was about 45 degrees in our house when I got back. I fixed that quickly and now all is well. I did miss DrSpiff very much, as he stayed in Chile for another 11 days after I had to leave. But now he is back, we have heat and I didn't kill any of the plants, so everything is good. Even the weather has improved.

Last weekend I was up in MN (just a quick weekend trip) to help run a college mock trial tournament at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. This was the Hatting Invitational, named for two of the nicest people in the world: Steve and Maurine Hatting. Steve started the mock trial team at UST about 23 years ago and has devoted countless hours to the students involved. He is one of those smart, calm people who just make you want to do your best -- a great mentor. I was on the team from 1992-1996 and it was one of the highlights of my undergraduate life. Maurine used to come to every tournament to support us and she would make us treats and send them to practices with Steve. She is the team's biggest cheerleader and a really thoughtful, caring person. When I came back to MN after law school I coached the UST team. Mock trial has been a source of some wonderful friendships. I feel really lucky to have the Hattings in my life. Even though I am not in MN anymore, I want to do something to keep those mock trial connections and give back. So, for the last three years I have helped arrange the tournament from a distance and flown up there for MLK weekend. It is a rewarding experience and I get to see lots of people who I miss. The Invitational went well this year, but perhaps because of being pregnant and having it come after all the other travel, it was quite exhausting.

Speaking of mock trial, I met my good friend Kerry when she joined the team my Sophomore year. Now she is married with four kids (two of them are my god children). This weekend, she threw a baby shower for me, opening up her beautiful home to about ten of my closest family and friends. The men in my group admitted they weren't very excited about the idea of a baby shower, so it was ladies only. It was a great party, good food, fun people and way too many gifts! We now have an amazing pile of baby stuff in our living room. It is pushing me to get the baby room organized so that we can start putting everything away. Maybe this weekend. . . .

On the pregnancy front, we had a bit of a worry when I failed the initial glucose screening test (for gestational diabetes), but I went back for the 3 hour test (fast starting the night before and no breakfast, get blood taken, drink really sugary fruit punch concoction, then get blood taken every hour for the next three hours). Not the most fun I've ever had, but not as bad as I thought it might be. The good news is that I passed the second-level test with no trouble, so no more worrying about gestational diabetes. Hello, chocolate, you are back in my life.

On the political front: Yeah Obama! Yippee! Here we go!

I know a lot of other things have happened in the last couple months, but this is what comes to mind as I sit here writing this update. It has been a great two months, but now I am tired and need to sleep a lot this weekend. In the future I will attempt to do a few smaller posts instead of one big information dump. Happy New Year!

This Saturday, Nov. 15, all across the country people will be joining together to protest CA's Proposition 8 and the other anti-marriage, anti-love, anti-equality laws passed in the last election.  Please join us!  In Springfield, IL the meeting place is in front of the Supreme Court Library at E. Capital Ave. and 2nd St. at 12:30pm.

For those of you in MN, here is the info from OutFront Minnesota regarding events there:

"OutFront Minnesota has had many inquiries about Minnesota events for the national day of protest. Here is the information we have:

                     All protests are scheduled for Saturday, November 15th, 12:30 pm UPDATE:  except St. Paul, which is at 3pm that day

Minneapolis
Hennepin County Government Center
350 S. 5th St, Minneapolis
12:30 pm

St. Paul
Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd
UPDATE: 3 pm

Duluth/Superior
MN Power Plaza at Lake Ave. and Superior Street
12:30 pm

Fargo/Moorhead
Fargo (west) side of the Veterans Memorial Bridge on Main Ave.
12:30pm

For more information go to JointheImpact

OutFront Minnesota supports peaceful, legal protests. They are an important component of civil rights movements. They have the capacity to keep the equality message alive and active. Media may show up to cover the protests - if you're interviewed, keep it positive (All we want is equality under the law!). If you engage with counter-protesters, we encourage you to keep it peaceful.  And remember -  the defeat in California won't defeat our movement!"

HRC also sent an email asking us to be "extremists for love" and providing a link to the website that will help you find an event near you:  http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

If you believe in this cause, please make your voices heard.

If you read DrSPiff's LJ, then you already know that he and I are expecting a baby at the end of April.  We are thrilled and intimidated by the prospect of becoming parents!   And now that we are past the first trimester (week 15!) and have gone public with this news (i.e. our employers know), we are starting to work on making some of the many decisions, including where to have the baby (we have two hospitals in Springfield), how to select a doula and whether to use cloth or disposable diapers (we are leaning toward the new-fangled cloth ones, but I have heard arguments that they are not actually more environmentally friendly than "green" disposables).  So, since we are new to all of this, I thought in addition to the research and reading we are doing, I might seek advice here.  If you have any input regarding what to ask in a meeting with a doula or during a hospital tour (we are scheduled to do these before Thanksgiving) or if you have a brand of diaper or other baby product that you swear by, we would really appreciate the input. 

Thanks!

I know from the LJ postings I read that many of us are upset and disheartened by the passage of various anti-LGBT laws and amendments this week. As happy as I am about the election of Barak Obama to the US Presidency, I am saddened that so many voters in CA, FL, AZ and AR would vote against love and equal rights. I simply don't understand the mentality of these voters. But, even with these defeats, I do not want us to forget that the fight for equality has made great strides and with our support it will continue to do so. I believe LGBT equality is the civil rights issue of my generation. With that in mind, I thought some of you might appreciate reading the email I received from Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign:

"On Tuesday night, our community felt the emotions of electing a pro-equality President and expanding our numbers in Congress and state houses across the country, but the next morning our hearts were broken as the dust settled and it was clear we lost the marriage ballot measures in California, Florida and Arizona. I will certainly provide you with further insight in the coming days to how we effectively organized and motivated LGBT voters in elections throughout the country, but today, as we find ourselves in this agonizing intersection of victory and defeat, I felt it was important to try and give some perspective about our losses.

I've drafted the following op-ed that I wanted to share with you. I know that mere words aren't enough to provide the salve for our wounds that we desperately need but perhaps they will begin to shape a path for how we move forward. And for those of you who gave your time and resources, your sacrifices were not in vain. You've helped lay the foundation for the victory that will one day be ours. And I thank you.

You can't take this away from me: Proposition 8 broke our hearts, but it did not end our fight.
Like many in our movement, I found myself in Southern California last weekend. There, I had the opportunity to speak with a man who said that Proposition 8 completely changed the way he saw his own neighborhood. Every "Yes on 8" sign was a slap. For this man, for me, for the 18,000 couples who married in California, to LGBT people and the people who love us, its passage was worse than a slap in the face. It was nothing short of heartbreaking.

But it is not the end. Fifty-two percent of the voters of California voted to deny us our equality on Tuesday, but they did not vote our families or the power of our love out of existence; they did not vote us away.

As free and equal human beings, we were born with the right to equal families. The courts did not give us this right—they simply recognized it. And although California has ceased to grant us marriage licenses, our rights are not subject to anyone's approval. We will keep fighting for them. They are as real and as enduring as the love that moves us to form families in the first place. There are many roads to marriage equality, and no single roadblock will prevent us from ultimately getting there.

And yet there is no denying, as we pick ourselves up after losing this most recent, hard-fought battle, that we've been injured, many of us by neighbors who claim to respect us.

By the same token, we know that we are moving in the right direction. In 2000, California voters passed Proposition 22 by a margin of 61.4% to 38.6%. On Tuesday, fully 48% of Californians rejected Proposition 8. It wasn't enough, but it was a massive shift. Nationally, although two other anti-marriage ballot measures won, Connecticut defeated an effort to hold a constitutional convention ending marriage, New York's state legislature gained the seats necessary to consider a marriage law, and FMA architect Marilyn Musgrave lost her seat in Congress. We also elected a president who supports protecting the entire community from discrimination and who opposes discriminatory amendments.

Yet on Proposition 8 we lost at the ballot box, and I think that says something about this middle place where we find ourselves at this moment. In 2003, twelve states still had sodomy laws on the books, and only one state had civil unions. Four years ago, marriage was used to rile up a right-wing base, and we were branded as a bigger threat than terrorism. In 2008, most people know that we are not a threat. Proposition 8 did not result from a popular groundswell of opposition to our rights, but was the work of a small core of people who fought to get it on the ballot. The anti-LGBT message didn't rally people to the polls, but unfortunately when people got to the polls, too many of them had no problem with hurting us. Faced with an economy in turmoil and two wars, most Californians didn't choose the culture war. But faced with the question—brought to them by a small cadre of anti-LGBT hardliners – of whether our families should be treated differently from theirs, too many said yes.

But even before we do the hard work of deconstructing this campaign and readying for the future, it's clear to me that our continuing mandate is to show our neighbors who we are.

Justice Lewis Powell was the swing vote in Bowers, the case that upheld Georgia's sodomy law and that was reversed by Lawrence v. Texas five years ago. When Bowers was pending, Powell told one of his clerks "I don't believe I've ever met a homosexual." Ironically, that clerk was gay, and had never come out to the Justice. A decade later, Powell admitted his vote to uphold Georgia's sodomy law was a mistake.

Everything we've learned points to one simple fact: people who know us are more likely to support our equality.
In recent years, I've been delivering this positive message: tell your story. Share who you are. And in fact, as our families become more familiar, support for us increases. But make no mistake: I do not think we have to audition for equality. Rather, I believe that each and every one of us who has been hurt by this hateful ballot measure, and each and every one of us who is still fighting to be equal, has to confront the neighbors who hurt us. We have to say to the man with the Yes on 8 sign—you disrespected my humanity, and I am not giving you a pass. I am not giving you a pass for explaining that you tolerate me, while at the same time denying that my family has a right to exist. I do not give you permission to say you have me as a "gay friend" when you cast a vote against my family, and my rights.

Wherever you are, tell a neighbor what the California Supreme Court so wisely affirmed: that you are equal, you are human, and that being denied equality harms you materially. Although I, like our whole community, am shaken by Prop 8's passage, I am not yet ready to believe that anyone who knows us as human beings and understands what is at stake would consciously vote to harm us.

This is not over. In California, our legal rights have been lost, but our human rights endure, and we will continue to fight for them.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign"

Judge Terri J. Stoneburner is being opposed in her re-election bid for Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge.  This is a statewide seat so all Minnesotans who vote will be faced with the option of her or her opponent Daniel Griffith.  I am strongly in support of Judge Stoneburner and I encourage you all to vote for her. 

I clerked for Terri when she was first appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2000, so I have first-hand knowledge of her work.  She is smart, thoughtful and cares about the people who appear before her.  Justice is important to her, as is access to the courts.  She treats her staff well and has a good sense of humor.  She contributes to the community -- the legal community and the community at large.  I respect her very much and she respects the law and the people involved in each case.  I asked her to officiate over the legalization/solemnization of our marriage, so some of you may have met her at our wedding in May.  When I asked her what we could do to thank her, she suggested making a donation to a children and law non-profit organization or a legal aid office. 

I am including Terri's official court profile below, so you can all see the neat things she did prior to becoming a judge (things I think are cool include the Peace Corp, Vista, attorney for a Human Rights Commission, adjunct professor of political science and women's studies) and all of the community service and committees for which she has volunteered.  Please, please vote for her.  Terri is doing a good job and deserves to keep her place on the Court of Appeals.

I don't I know her opponent, but I have read in the Minnesota Independent that Mr. Griffith attends Evangelical Covenant Church in International Falls, and the Independent characterizes him as a "right-wing evangelical Christian who would make rulings based on his faith."  This quote is from Mr. Griffith's campaign website's Question page, so in his own words: 

"How does your faith in God affect the way you live?  
I believe in God.  I think every judge should.  Then they will not think they have become God once they get
into office.  I believe that God is real and that ultimately we will be accountable to Him when we die and that
should affect how we treat others on earth.  That may be why John Jay, our First Chief Justice of the US
Supreme Court said, “We should elect of all people Christians.” "

Maybe it is just me, but I find that quote a bit scary.  Please, please vote for Terri Stoneburner!  Thanks!

Here is the Profile of Terri J. Stoneburner, Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge from the Court's website:

Education

J.D. 1975, University of Washington School of Law

• University of Washington School of Law
• Director, Legal Aid to State Prisoners
• Research Assistant to Professor Ralph Johnson
• Law Women’s Caucus

B.A. 1967, Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana

• Graduated cum laude
• Major: French
• Junior year at University of Geneva, Switzerland

Employment

Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals, April 28, 2000 - present

• Appointed by Governor Jesse Ventura March 8, 2000
• Elected to six-year term in 2002
  

Judge of District Court, April 1990 – April 28, 2000

• Fifth Judicial District, chambered in New Ulm
• Assistant Chief Judge of the Fifth Judicial District, July 1, 1997 – April 28, 2000

Farrish, Johnson, Maschka Attorneys at Law, Mankato, 1980 – 1990

• Partner from 1984
• Certified Civil Trial Specialist by National Board of Trial Advocacy and MSBA
  

Adjunct Faculty, Mankato State University

• Political Science and Women Studies
  
  • Taught four-credit classes in Legal Research/Legal Materials in alternate years 1981 – 1986; Legal Rights of Women, two credits, 1980 – 1984
    

Staff Attorney, State of Alaska Commission for Human Rights, November 1977 – March 1979

Volunteer Attorney, VISTA, October 1976 – October 1977

• Assigned to Alaska Commission for Human Rights as staff attorney

Volunteer, United States Peace Corps, October 1968 – December 1970

• Burkina Faso, West Africa
• Infant health program, well-digging program and school building Projects

Community Service

• United Way Budget Committee, Mankato, 1987 – 1990
• YWCA Board of Trustees, Mankato, 1988 – 1990
• League of Women Voters, New Ulm, 1991 – April 2000
  • Board of Directors 1996 – 1999
• American Association of University Women, New Ulm, 1992 – April 2000
• Brown County Judicial Advisory Council on Families, 1995 – April 2000
• Brown County Teen Court Advisory Board, 1997 – April 2000
• MSBA Habitat for Humanity House worker, 2001, 2002

Organizations

• Minnesota Bar Association, 1980 – present
• Minnesota Women Lawyers, 1980 – present
• Minnesota District Judges Association, 1990 - present
• Judicial Standards Board, appointed by Governor Pawlenty, July 2005. 

Professional Development

• MSBA Judicial Merit Selection Committee and Professionalism Committee, 1987 - 1988
• President, Sixth District Bar Association, 1989 - 1990
• Minnesota State Bar Foundation Board of Directors, 1988 - 1993
• Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, 1988 - 1994
• Supreme Court Uniform Local Rules Task Force, 1991
• Chair, Supreme Court Conciliation Court Advisory Committee, 1992 - 1993
• Supreme Court TCIS Development Board, 1992 - 1996
• Technology Planning Committee, 1997
• Supreme Court Alternate Dispute Resolution Board, 1995 - 1999
• Chair, MDJA Judicial Evaluation Committee, 1995 - 1998
• Chair, Joint Committee on Judicial Evaluation, 1995 - 1998
• Sentence to Service Advisory Council, 1995 - 1998
• Supreme Court Open Hearings in Juvenile Protection Matters Advisory Board, 1998 - 2001
• Conference of Chief Judges, 1997 - 2000
• CCJ Committee for Peer Support/Stress Reduction, 1999- present
• Children’s Justice Initiative, 2001- present
• Co-Chair Minnesota Legal Services Planning Commission (Co-recipient of SMRLS 21^st Century Leadership Award, 2004)

Interests

Reading, travel (have back-packed around the world twice); hiking; canoeing; cross-country skiing; quilting; biking; "do-it-yourself" projects at home and at the cabin.

This seems to be the week to post videos about Sarah Palin.  DrSPiff and I are members of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and I got this email today with a request to share it with others, so I figured I could do that by posting it here.  I watched the video and found it interesting: yet another reason that I oppose the McCain/Palin ticket. 

"...I think she's worse than Dick Cheney – and a better shot."  – Jaime Rodriguez, resident of Wasilla Last night in an interview with Katie Couric, Sarah Palin trotted out the old right-wing code word: she said being gay is a "choice". We know Palin's got a laundry list of anti-LGBT positions. But we wondered: what do LGBT people in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska think of her? So last week, we went up there to find out. What they told us speaks volumes. Find out why they fear a Palin Vice Presidency. Our staff met dozens of LGBT people in Wasilla. And while many were afraid to talk on camera, we learned a lot about how life changed for the LGBT Wasillans after Sarah Palin became mayor.   Watch the video and get their first hand accounts. Then share it with your friends! With so much attention focused on tomorrow night's Vice Presidential debate, this is a real opportunity to educate the public about Palin's anti-LGBT record. Please help make that possible by sharing this video as widely as possible right now. Warmly, Joe Solmonese President

This Saturday was a newsworthy day here in our little corner of world.  After going back and forth about it, we decided to go downtown to see Obama/Biden.  When I write that we saw them, I must admit that from where we were, the best view we got had Biden's head looking like a white dot in the distance.  But it was still fun to go and hear them speak and now we can say we were there.  We took kind of a back route into the Old Capital square, so instead of waiting for an hour in a five-block-long line (in the heat of the day), we just kind of stumbled on the security line and walked in less than 10 minutes later.  This was a lucky thing, because I do not think I would have had the patience for a long line.

The other thing we did on Saturday was go with some friends to see a local production of "Tick, Tick . . . Boom!"  This is a semi-autobiographical musical written by Jonathan Larson before he wrote "Rent."  It is built around his struggle with turning 30 in 1990 without yet having any tangible success.  He is torn between wanting to pursue his dream of writing and composing a new rock musical good enough to make it on Broadway and the lure of traditional family-life and corporate/financial success.  It was one of the best local shows we've seen in Springfield.  Also, it was interesting and bitter-sweet to watch it knowing that Larson would go on to write an iconic Broadway show, but that he would die before ever knowing his own success.  Hopefully, in preparing the workshop for it, he had some idea of what "Rent" could be. 

Listening to Obama and watching this show on the same day has me thinking about what it was that caused these men to believe that they could, respectively, become the Democratic candidate for president and write a hit musical.  What is it that makes some people set that sort of path for themselves and push on despite all obstacles?  Obama is certainly not the traditional candidate for president and Larson was not interested in writing a traditional musical.   Even though he did not live to see it, Larson's "Rent" was one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history and has a legion of devoted fans.  I hope Obama lives a long life and achieves much success, and if he becomes president, I hope that he will be faithful to his original dreams and won't give in to the seduction of power and forget about  the loyal "fans" who helped him get there.

For those of us with slightly smaller dreams, it is a good reminder not to give up, even when success seems far away and unlikely.

P.S.  For anyone here in the Springfield area who might be reading, I have to note that I was impressed with the acting and vocal talents of the cast of "Tick, Tick . . . Boom!: Jason Goodreau, Kellen Fant, and especially Mary Kate Gallina.  I will be on the lookout for them in future shows.

After a couple years of reading my sweetheart DrSPiff's LJ, I finally ventured in and created my own account.  Mostly, I have done this so that I can read friends-only posts to keep up with people back in Minnesota and all their exciting happenings (babies, weddings, new jobs, etc.), but I will also try to post now and then about our adventures here in the Land of Lincoln and beyond.

Here we go!