I'm baaack.   If you read my blog before you know it was very personal and family oriented, as well as all about my crazy life in a blender (blended family).  If you know me well you know that I recently took the leap of faith into real estate full time.  I have probably called you.   If not, I will be calling you soon.  Please answer!

I will provide a brief history here.  I used to work for The Ryness Company, a national new homes sales and marketing company.  It was a dream job that I got very lucky to land and it lead me to many wonderful people and my first career love, real estate.  Don't get me wrong, I worked very hard!  I worked on the corporate side of real estate while at Ryness, although I earned my license in 2006.  If you know anything about new homes sales, you know what happened in 2008.  I was resilient.  I went back to school and earned my BA.  I became exceptionally entrepreneurial and held down many positions while earning my degree.  Fast forward to 2013.  I was working part time in real estate while maintaining a full time position at a digital marketing agency.  I liked the people, but it wasn't rewarding in the way I needed it to be.  I needed a challenge that I could win and be passionate about.  Yes, I know being passionate about something is a bingo buzzword, but it's the best way I can explain how I felt.

Fast forward to today.  I said I needed a challenge right?  Well I found my challenge and I am loving it.  Is it difficult?  Yep.   Is there an easy way to get ahead?  Nope.   I will elaborate more in future posts.

So, I am resurrecting my blog so you can follow my progress and perhaps even learn something about me, and even real estate.  I promise to keep it light and fun and real.  I post some hard core stats on my Facebook page, which I hope you will "like" (www.Facebook.com/SuzanneColemanRealEstate) and my website (www.SuzanneRColeman.com) has lots of informative articles as well as a home search feature for available listings from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). 

Here on the blog I want to keep it honest, real and hopefully entertaining and maybe even funny!  I guess I will be funny next time.

Maybe I do Need to Blog

Ever since I finished my degree and the stress of school has been off of me I haven't felt the need for the blog outlet.  I guess school was that thing that broke the camel's back because I still have the economy, three kids, two teenagers, one preteen whose attitude may very well equal that of a hat full of assholes, too many sports, your grades were what?, emergency rooms, you're allergic to what?, my student loan is due, and I could go on for at least three more blogs.  It seems the time has come for the outlet again.

Now what do you ask is the most recent need for this outlet?   I have these conversations with these people in my home.  People who have small children post funny conversations they have with their children on Facebook.  I remember those.  That was back when I thought parenting was really difficult.  I had NO IDEA.  One time a thousand years ago Sam was three and  in the back seat of the mini van back when I had a mini van and the conversation went like this:

Sam:  "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH Loud Noises Blah, Non Sense"   For like 10 minutes straight
My 80 year old Grandmother was in the car and I'd had about enough
Me:  "Sam that's enough noise, be quiet"
Sam:  "LA LA LA LA TELE TUBBIES BLAH"
Me:  "Sam, enough or I'll pull the car over"
Sam: (30 seconds into the silence) "Mommy are you going to pull the car over now????"

OK so that's funny
She was three

She is 15 now.  I have these conversations with these people in my home.  I am an adult.  Sometimes I feel like there are cameras in my home and someone will pop out from "behind the scenes" and the whole thing will be an episode of candid camera, or sometimes the Dr Phil show (I would kick his ass) or some other unreal reality show.  One thing is for sure, I had no idea I'd be having these conversations.

Sam:  "I feel sick, like I might throw up"
Me:  "How can I help"
Sam:  "You can't"
Me:  "Wanna sleep down here?"
Sam:  "No"
Me:  "Want some tea?"
Sam:  "No"
Me:  "Want me to come upstairs?"
Sam:  "No"
Me:  "How can I help?"
Sam:  "You can't"
Me:  "What do you want me to do?"
Sam:  "Nothing"
Me:  "OK"
Sam:  "I feel horrible"
Me:  "Sorry"
Sam:  "I just feel hot and cold and disgusting"
Me:  "How can I help"
Sam:  "You can't"
-Silence-   She won't go away
Sam:   "I'm going to barf"
Me:  "OK did you catch a bug?"
Sam:  "I don't know, My stomach hurts"
Me:  "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
Sam:  "I feel hot"
Me:  "Can you go to bed?"
Sam:  "I'm dizzy"
Me:  "Why are you dizzy?"
Sam:  "I'm thirsty"

Getting the gist here.....the kid makes no freaking sense.....12 years later.  I've always said it, it's like a who's on first routine.  It doesn't help that she is on prednisone right now for her asthma, but this is a relatively normal occurrence.

Parents of precious little kids who say funny things you post on Facebook, enjoy that.   In the wink of an eye they are going to say things that make you think you must surely be on a reality show because there is no sane explanation for why they are saying the shit they are saying.  Worse yet, you are gonna say some really stupid stuff back.

General Update

We'll start on a negative note.....

I don't really want the answer to this but I do need to ask...what the hell is up with all my browser issues?  If my blog is hosted on Google and I try to log in using Chrome, shouldn't I have a great experience?  The answer, to me, is yes, to my computer, is apparently different.  To my smug as hell Mac friends, shut it.  I love my Google and my PC.  I shun your Mac and Firefox....However, on my marketing travels I have come to learn that certain platforms "like" certain" browsers, so I have found it necessary to become familiar with all of the popular browsers, despite my opinions.  I honestly know that IE is widely out of favor, but I hate change.  I tried Chrome, and got used to many of the features only to find that many sites "liked" Firefox.  Well guess what, I don't.  Well guess what else, I don't count for jack squat.  I have all three browsers loaded on both of my laptops and I get to constantly struggle to learn who likes what.  Hey internet, how about thinking about what Suzanne likes for a change??  My children have clearly influenced the internet because it listens no more than them.

From www.sdmomfia.com - Life in a Blender

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If you read the launch column on April 25th, you know I have a positive take on the blended family, even though they are challenging.  The point in creating this series is to offer positive solutions, alternatives and resourceful thinking to people in blended families.  Think about it, do you know anyone that does not have some aspect of a blended family in their lives?  Off the top of my head I cannot think of a single family I know who does not have a divorce or a step kid, parent somewhere in the mix.  Are they as complex as mine, mostly no, but blended families happen all the time.  We might as well make the best of it.

So let’s start from the beginning.  My parents split when I was about ten.  They were mostly a good example of how to co-parent.  Newly split parents read this twice.  They never bad mouthed the other, and they could have and they probably should have, but they didn’t because they knew it would be hurtful to me.  The ex may be a gigantic idiot, it doesn’t help your kids to have that told to them.   Your kids want to feel loyal to both parents and it’s not their fault you could not make it work.  Don’t make it their burden to try and feel loyal to both of you when you give them reasons not to.   Mind you, your ex might be a total dingleberry, but that is not your kids’ burden, that’s your bad choice.  We all make them.

When my parents split my mom left me with my Dad.  There were good reasons for this, no need to discuss here.  I’m sure it was hard for her to do this, but it was the right thing at the time.  By the time I was about 13 my Dad and I were really butting heads.  In a genius and selfless act my Dad moved out of the house and my Mom moved in the same weekend.   I have no idea how they pulled this off financially, but it allowed me to have my Mom back when she was more equipped to deal with me and my Dad got some freedom in the bargain.  Most importantly it allowed me to have stability with school and the same neighbors I had grown up with.  I have never heard of another family where parents did this.  I thought it was cool at the time, but I didn’t get the depth of love this took at the time.  They put me first.  You’ll find this as a recurring theme in the blog, the kids simply come first.

When my parents were single it was easier.  My Dad dated a totally fun lady once, but she had an annoying younger daughter and she lived at the beach and there were lots of bugs.  My Mom dated and eventually married a great man.  We butted heads at times, but not often.  Dad landed a great woman as well, though I didn’t always think so…

So now let’s get to the Step Mother.  Now, I am a Step Mother, so I’ve seen both sides.  Dad married Sandee 25 years ago this year.  Sandee was then and is now a vivacious, spirited, cute, generous and kind woman.   I adore her these days.

She met me when I was 13, angry, in junior high, enough said.  I don’t think at that point in time that any woman would have been a welcomed addition in my life.  And live and learn comes to mind here.  I took many things she said personally and I think she did the same.  Her daughter would be introduced as “our” daughter and I would be introduced as Jim’s daughter.  I took that as a sign of rejection.  I would introduce my Dad as my Dad, and then say, and this is Sandee.  Sandee took that as a lack of acknowledgment of her being my Step Mom.

I suspect both of us were innocent in our words.  Sandee likely didn’t want to say she was my mom because that would be rude to my Mom.  Introducing Sandee as Sandee for me, didn’t feel like I was disrespecting her, but in her mind it did.  Years later I get all of this. I’m not sure what might have made this situation better. There were so many hurtful things, family therapy, attempts to bond.  As a teenager, I’m just not sure I had the maturity to do this, and I was genuinely hurt by the fact that they had their great family and I was the outsider.

And by the way, don’t think I couldn’t write twice as many blogs about the crappy aspects of stepfamilies!  I’m no Pollyanna, that’s for sure!  Hang in there blenders!