I'm very bad at this...

I think about blogging more often than I actually do... most days the things I want to blog about would probably get me in trouble with family. :) Like political issues, etc. So I just keep quiet. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind soon when election season really, really starts to pick up. There will be so many things to talk about then!

In the latest news of our lives - we're good. It's been a really busy summer and as we near closer to football season (Go Gators!) I find myself looking forward college football Saturday get-togethers and hopefully cooler weather soon. Seriously, what is up with this heat wave? Or could I get started on whether it's just a wave or an actual long term trend called Global Warming? Oh wait, I said I wasn't ready to open the political can of worms yet, right? Hmmm... I may have to reconsider. There is MUCH to discuss on this subject.

My pregnancy is going well, the baby is kicking me all the time now. This is something I actually love, despite the feeling of being bruised on the insides some days. It lets me know everything is ok in there. The only bad thing with this pregnancy so far has been the lower back pain. Back in July there were days I could hardly walk for fear of the pain. I'd get up out of my chair at work and take a step and gasp from the shooting pain through my hips, back and legs. I was a wreck. And I'd try not to gasp because I knew my poor co-workers thought I was crazy, but sometimes I just couldn't stop it. I started physical therapy about three weeks ago and have seen a marked improvement so I am happy about that. It doesn't hurt to pick Brandon up anymore because my hips are back in better alignment. Thank goodness for people out there who know how to fix these problems. It's funny though, I'm very, very sore the day after physical therapy. But two days after I'm feeling much better. It's worth it!

Our trip in late June to Baltimore was a lot of fun. Brandon was an extreme angel. We pushed his limits for napping, bedtime and many activities and he was fantastic. Nothing phased him and our happy little boy was nothing other than happy, happy, happy. Only one night did he wake up crying in the middle of the night but even then, he was back asleep in about 20 minutes. Given the unfamiliar surroundings and the schedule he was keeping it was no big deal. And in a sleepy sort of way, I enjoy those quiet moments of snuggle time when I'm reminded of how much he still needs his Mommy. Those moments are so few and far between anymore. He's such a big boy now and I cherish every smile, snuggle and "Hi Mommy" I get.

Joby is also doing well. He got an unexpected mid-year promotion this summer and has been working his butt off training three new people on his team in recent weeks. He has been told that if all goes well, he'll have another three new people as soon as they can find qualified .NET programmers too. It seems he's up to his ears in interviews, meetings and training all the time now. He's amazingly good at what he does though and despite the stress he enjoys the challenge... at least on some level. :)

We've finally picked out a room theme for our new baby too. It's called Spelling Bee Baby by Lambs & Ivy. I love it. My mom will do some more cut outs and paintings for the walls and today I picked the wall colors so Joby's mom can come up and help me paint. I'll be excited to see it all together. I'll be sure to post photos of the sweet new room on the baby's blog when we finally pick a name and I start that going too.

This summer has also been hard on me emotionally with some of my friends. We were excited to move here because we thought we had a built in network of friends already through our activities. It turned out that some of the people I respected the most didn't hold us in the same regard though. Some things were said by both sides that probably shouldn't have been said, I do regret that, although I still maintain that the original source of the misunderstanding was nothing that Joby nor I did at all. I believe to this day that we were set up for a really hard fall. And the things we were accused of doing and saying were not, in fact, done by us at all. Someone wanted things to change but wasn't brave enough to step up and say so. Obviously now I understand why because we were ostracized instead. But when people make up their minds to believe others, what can you do? It hurts is all I have to say. It hurts a lot. I'm a very, very loyal person. If you are my friend - I have your back. I'll even take a few knives for you in mine. But once the thread of trust is broken it's hard for me to see the point anymore. I don't think I can remember a time when I've been so deeply hurt by people I held in such regard.

I guess the good that comes out of situations like this is that you learn things about yourself that you didn't already know. You discover parts of your soul and mind that never surfaced before. And you learn who your real friends are too. For them I am grateful for the support, patience and understanding that has come with it all.

On a happier note, I am about to get my real estate license. I took a seven day long pre-licensing course in July and passed that exam. Soon I will sit for my state exam. I am very excited about this opportunity. I have a fantastic job now doing marketing and IT work for a real estate company. So I'll park my license there and continue what I am doing. I'll just pick up some deals from co-workers who don't have time to handle them, or from family and friends. I know the market is suffering right now, but there are still some amazing opportunities out there. And I love it. I love this industry. It's interesting to me. Land is a limited resource, highly sought after and an emotional, financial, professional and sometimes political investment as well. How can you not be intrigued?

I guess that's a small nutshell of our recent activities. I will do my best to post more often. If you don't like what I have to say about things, well, that's ok. If we all liked and did the same things, life would be very, very boring for us, wouldn't it? Embrace diversity! Tolerate and learn from differences of opinions! Learn from others not like you and open your minds to the possibilities that others present. Peace comes from tolerance, respect and the courage to embrace the lives, hearts and souls of people different from ourselves. I'm still learning and trying. Are you?