"And you may ask yourself ... well, how did I get here?"

That's probably my favorite quote, or at least my favorite quote by the Talking Heads.  :)  In any event, it pretty much sums up my life to this point.

My name is Alex Dedels, and I am a mom to two wonderful children through transracial adoption.  My son, Elias (when he's in trouble, at least; "Eli" the other 80% of the time), was born in Ethiopia.   My daughter, Ryan Ashley, was born in the Buckeye state (a much easier and shorter trip, for sure!).  Both kids are the light of my life, with beautiful eyes and spark-plug personalities.  Just seeing them smile accesses parts of my heart I never knew existed.  I could not have asked for anything more.

And yet, I recently decided to go back to work.  After 3 years as a stay-at-home-mom.

Now, I didn't just decide to go back to work.  I made the decision to completely switch gears and begin a real estate career.  You see, in my previous life (before kids), I was a direct mail writer for non-profits.  I loved the "independent contractor-ness" and the freedom to be creative.  And to market myself.  But, I really didn't love the fact that I didn't work with people.

I had always wanted to go into real estate, from the time I was a little girl and would sit at the breakfast table analyzing real estate publications.  But, the timing was never right ... until I decided that there was no "right time," and that I needed to jump on the ball before I ran out of time.

So, after taking 9.5 hour classes every weekend for 2 months and passing the licensing exam, here I am!  A real estate agent in Ohio.  I am fortunate enough to be a part of a great company (Keller Williams) and a great team (The LaBuda Advantage Team) with more than 20 years experience in the business.  They are teaching me well!  And I'm happier than I've been since college -- and of course, much busier.

I can't wait to have you follow along with me in my journey as a new working real estate mom.  It's sure to be an exciting, terrifying, bumpy, and enjoyable ride.

-Alex  :)