This is me, and why you should care

Hello and welcome! I am excited to meet you and I can’t wait to share a little bit about myself. Now some of you may be thinking, why now? She has already written some posts and is getting her name out there, but that right there is the reason! Why would you want to read what I have to say if you don’t even know who I am?

So here is my story in a nutshell. I grew up in sunny Southern California. I grew up going to a church that was amazing. It taught me the importance of helping in the community, whether it was painting over graffiti, volunteering for special projects with inner city youth, or mowing lawns. It was (and still is) important to show Christ’s love through actions. I was a band nerd in high school, and had a competitive streak that pushed me to do the best I could do in my studies, but mainly it pushed me to prove that a middle child should be noticed (MIDDLE CHILDREN UNITE!).

College was a different thing all together, other than the steadiness of church I just could not figure out what I wanted to do. I loved the outdoors, I loved animals, I just didn’t have a clue what my next step should be. Luckily I had one of the best jobs in the world. I got to work at Disneyland for a few years while trying to figure out life after high school. Let me tell you, all that you have heard about their cusotmer service is so true. I mean really, I had to go through “Disney University” just to be able to go out to where the “guests” were with enough confidence to know I was doing it the “Disney way”. I learned so much about the value of a positive attitude and smile and what it could do for a person.

Three colleges later (and a lot of college debt) I had to say goodbye to my family, friends, and my familiar way of life so that I could move up to northern California. I finally made a decision and enrolled in college for a degree in Forestry. College life was an eye opener! The first year I thought I would not make it, no job, funds were running low and I knew no one. Such a sad state of affairs. With lots of prayers a few strategic phones calls to mom about the small amount of funds, I made it! I was even able to get a job! Fast forward a couple of years and a couple of moves to finally end up sharing a house with 4 super awesome gals. I ended a relationship with a guy who was not so great and definately not meant for me to start a relationship with this great guy who eventually proposed to me. After gradutation, and the wedding, and yet another move, we ended up in Southern Oregon.

Oregon has been our home ever since. In the beginning it was a love/hate relationship. We moved here so that my husband could start his new job. This job kept him so busy, I barely saw him the first year of our marriage. God at work again eventually got us to a point where Tim started working for a company that gave him better hours and I found myself working for a veterinary hospital. I absolutely loved my job, and I still love it since I am still working in the veterinary business going on 15+ years. I learned so much in the first few years. I have to give created to the vet techs that took me under their wings Vi and Lori. If not for them I would not be where I am now. They saw me as a sponge that would just soak up any information they gave me. They pushed me to be the best I could be, eventually helping me get my license as a vet tech. They saw potential in me when I didn’t see it in myself. That hit home for me so much I wanted to be able to do that for others.

About 6 years ago I had to leave that vet hospital, it was becoming a place that was toxic. I had to put me and family first (since we grew from Tim and I to Tim, 3 kids, 3 dogs and a cat). My health was on a slight decline, I started to have major anxiety attacks each time I had to go into work. My heart would race, I would get light headed and just the fear of having to see certain people made me have to change my work schedules and go home early. Within weeks of leaving that job the anxiety attacks were less and I was able to start working at a church doing children’s ministries.

I eventually became the director of the program and started working more in growing the youth group. Jr High and High school kids are so much fun! Yes there are trials and difficult situations but give them a ball and tell theme we are playing dodge ball before the Bible study and they go hog wild. I was there for only two years but they were some of the best times. My good friend and I started outreach programs, had Father/Daughter dances, did Science schools during the summer for the community kids, and we got to see God working through those kids and their families.

Life was busy during that time and soon afterwards I started doing more vet tech work again. ( I had been doing weekend work while at the church). I decided at that point too that I wanted to get in better shape, eat better, get more energy (I became an Advocare coach). As I started feeling healthier, I was feeling better about myself and my confidence grew. People noticed and I was able to encourage others to eat better, start exercising and for some they started to use the Advocare supplements that I had (and still do) used.

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Today I am working full time at two different vet hospitals. I started this blog and hope to see it grow. My husband, the kids and I are working currently working on surviving the “staying at home” rule that has been applied to us all. I will say that there will be a lot of Spark and Oasis in our future as we become stay at home teachers, referees, and all around super humans trying to prevent the home as we know it from imploding on itself. I really love to encourage people, I love to be sassy, I love a challenge and as a true middle child I won’t give up, and I hope you won’t either. Until next time: