Melissa Devitt "Your Right-Hand Girl"

(10) Candy Corns

(9) The Smell of Cinnamon Candles

(8) Pumpkin Patches at Every Neighborhood Church

(7) The Promise of Cooler Weather

(6) Biketoberfest

(5) Pumpkin Beer

(4) Baseball Playoffs

(3) College Football

(2) Caramel Apples

(1) My Two Little Boys Running Around Saying, "BOO!"

Do you have anything you would like to add to the list?

I know this is not at all Real Estate-related.... but had to post a personal plea to all of the women out there on ActiveRain.

In case you have not heard about the Army of Women founded by the renowned Dr. Susan Love, please check it out.

Many of you know that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer awareness has been my "pet" cause for the past 17 years.

I am the only child of a single mom. In the month following my graduation from high school, 17 years ago, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a matter of fact, she went in for an out-patient lumpectomy and while I sat in the waiting room, the surgeon came out to speak with me. Mind you... this was 17 years ago and I was only 18 years old. Her surgeon and all of his wonderful bedside manner came out to tell me that my Mom had CANCER. Yes, he told me this in a waiting room with other people listening. I fainted and woke up crying hysterically. Back then, and at my age, I thought cancer meant death...

My mom underwent a radical mastectomy and had reconstructive surgery to follow. It was a very tough summer for both of us, to say the least.

My Mom is now a 17-year breast cancer survivor. She survived because she HAD to. She was strong and scared at the same time. But she knew she couldn't teach me to be anything less than strong in the face of adversity.

It is because of this that my life had forever changed.I began having mammograms at the age of 29 and have them every year. I am diligent about my monthly BSE's.

I have joined the Army of Women in hopes of preventing other children from experiencing what I did. And to save the lives of all the wonderful moms and women afflicted with this disease.

PLEASE consider visiting the website. They are not asking for monetary donations. They are simply asking for you to donate your time. They are seeking healthy women of all ages and races, to join a study and work toward a cure for breast cancer.

Pink ribbon image courtersy of Wikipedia and not copyright protected.

In an Orlando Sentinel article today, Jerry Jackson reports a bright spot of hope for the Orlando housing market. "The Orlando Regional Realtors Association said Thursday that its members sold 1,335 homes in their core market in September -- up more than 37 percent from the same month a year ago, thanks to lower prices and an increase in foreclosure sales."

With the impending loosening of the credit markets, one can only hope that helps to ignite a buying spree and an eventual reduction in the number of homes on the market. I am sure we all agree we are ready for our local market to stabilize.

I am happy to finally see something positive to read about as opposed to all of the doom and gloom we've seen for over a year now!

Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at jwjackson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5721.

So, many of you may know that I am very new to blogging... I have been reading and taking notes from some wonderful examples on AR!!! Thank you!

I know when it comes to SEO, that the goal is to be at the top of say, a Google search, right?

Well, I thought I better check myself out to see where I ranked... I did a Google search for "Orlando Florida Title" and found myself in the Number 18 position. Is that a good start for my first week or so of blogging? Or does it really not mean that much?

Just curious what you all think and wondering if you have "Googled" to see where you end up?

Thanks to everyone for teaching me by commenting so generously on my previous posts!

So, I heard the reports from NAR yesterday about pending home sales…

I live in Florida and have been seeing what I had hoped was the “bottom” of the market for about a year now. With these recent statistics, is it safe to assume that we are close to seeing bottom in Florida? I know that the first to feel the effects of a change in the market are also the first to rebound...

The realtors out there in the AR community are much more able to speculate than I am…

What are your thoughts pertaining to the market in Florida?
Do you think the bailout will free up credit and allow these houses to move faster?