I'm BACK! With news!

Well, hi there. Again.

I didn't intend to take a 5-month hiatus from blogging, but it's time to come back, because I miss engaging with friends from all over the place about what we're reading, what concerts we're going to, and more importantly, how we deal with real life when it smacks us in the face and how we celebrate when wonderful things come our way.

What happened in July? I traveled to St. Louis for a week-long training for my new position at work as a school director and instructional coach, and from then on I haven't had a slow day. I had to focus all of my mental energy and most of my physical energy on the day-to-day work of building a culture, helping teachers orient students to a new style of learning, mastering the ins and outs of a new online learning management system - basically, putting on my big girl pants and becoming the school reformer I've dreamed of being. During that work, blogging seemed frivolous. Had I ever added anything to the world by blogging, or was I adding to a lot of noise? Why did I ever think I was qualified to give anyone advice or suggestions about homemaking when I was figuring it all out myself? Moreover, I imagined a parent coming across Beyond the Aisle and, as a result, not taking my school seriously.

So while I am back, I will be doing things differently. I am not going to put pressure on myself to blog multiple times per week, because that made blogging feel like a task rather than a hobby. I'm not going to try to be anyone else's personal shopper or party planner, but I am going to continue to share cool things that I like. I still want to include book, movie, and concert reviews, but only when I'm truly impressed or moved. So why am I returning now?

I mentioned the biggest thing bringing me back to blogging already - I missed this community. Or perhaps, I miss the idea of the community I always wanted to build around this blog. Because reader, I am facing the biggest challenge and most amazing blessing of my life so far - I am going to be a mom!

Right now I am seventeen weeks pregnant with Baby Q. The verse from Psalm 30, "You have turned my weeping into dancing," came into my heart as soon as I had confirmation. Having polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), I had anticipated that becoming pregnant would be difficult for me, and given my mom's medical history I had tried my best to prepare myself for a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or the possibility that I might not ever be able to carry a baby. Instead, Mr. Q and I finally listened to our friends who'd been saying, "if you wait until you're 'ready,' you'll never have kids," decided we were open to the possibility of having a baby, nd God made that possibility a reality very quickly. 

So far, my pregnancy has been healthy and fairly smooth - I did deal with some morning sickness first trimester ("morning sickness", by the way, is an incredibly misleading term), and I have pretty killer heartburn constantly, but it is nothing I can't manage. I've lost rather than gained weight, but I am fairly sure it's because I'm trying to eat super clean and be active for at least a little while every day for Baby Q's sake. My mom and Mr. Q's parents and sister are over the moon excited, and my friends at work are very understanding of the days that I just need to sit at my desk instead of coaching in classrooms. I look forward to documenting Baby Q's progress here, and I know that those of you who are already mamas will have lots of helpful stories to share with me. I've missed you all, and I'm excited to be back.