graduation and gratitude

I’m hoping this post makes even a little bit of sense because I’m writing as I’m getting ready for our first event this morning with Sara taking her EO rollerballs and me taking all of my coaching stuff and there is so much to do. We are excited and super busy and running.

This week has been that sort of week.

Sara – who started public homeschool earlier this year due to her health issues – had to have all of her school work in by midnight last night. And, as a lil’ stressball when it comes to school (all internal – not coming from me and her dad), she has worked and worried and worked and worried like crazy all week. And, of course, she made all A’s. Despite having been struck with RA in the middle of her 8th grade year. I am so proud of her – and so glad she has a break now too.

And, for me, it has been a week that I have wanted and dreamed of for so many years that I am just overjoyed that it is here.

See, Thursday night was our official End of Year Celebration at school. That’s right. I’m officially an official Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

As I wrote in my post back when I was SO excited that I was getting to start IIN, I’ve wanted to be a holistic health coach since I realized there was such a thing back in the early 2000’s when I saw Alex Jamieson in Supersize Me.

At the time, the situation I was in was incredibly difficult and I was in nursing school and I was quickly told that would never happen.

And, though I am incredibly thankful for nursing school – I got a full scholarship at a time when I was supporting a family on my own and desperately needed it – and will always be grateful for God’s provision, I always wanted to do something a little different. Something that was more me I think.

the only time I ever I tried blonde – whew! – at dinner with my oldest daughter, celebrating my graduation from nursing school. 2003.

Cozied up in bed with my Wonderpup, working. The night I graduated IIN.Picture taken by my oldest daughter. 2018. God is good, y’all.

So, 15 years later, despite some major health challenges this year, I have graduated IIN. And I am overcome with gratitude.

I can’t believe I am putting together my own coaching programs and planning my own practice and getting ready to coach others on a holistic path. It’s incredible.

And, not only did no one in my life ever say anything negative about it, my precious family has done EVERYTHING to support me and to help make this dream come true. I couldn’t have done it without them. And I am just so so thankful to them and for them.

And I also realize that, as life is happening for me and not to me, I would not be the health coach I can now be were it not for my life experiences and my years of nursing and the years of waiting to get here. So I am grateful for that as well.