If there is one quote that describes my life, it is “If you want to see the Lord laugh, tell him your plans.”

After deciding that being there for my family was more important to me than what I though was my life-long dream of medical school, it took me a while to figure out what life I wanted! I struggled to get excited about my average day because I couldn’t think of goals that I really cared about. I am here because I don’t want you to have to sit in limbo for as long as I did, before living the life that is waiting for you. 

“Homemaking” does not come naturally to me, so I struggled with the transition to motherhood. Though I absolutely adored my beautiful little girl, I was constantly stressed about my messy house and my, let’s say “not mentally stimulating,” work-from-home job. I felt like I was meant for more, but yet I couldn’t handle what I already had.

Curve ball after curve ball was thrown at our family, and I kept feeling like “I just have to make it to _ .” It may sound like I was going downhill, but I really wasn’t. Each step of the way, I was slowly learning how to manage my home and find more joy in each day, but it didn’t particularly feel like I was making progress because life kept getting more difficult.

Everything changed though when we found out we were pregnant with our son. The first few months were filled with the normal combination of excitement about meeting him and stress about how life would change. Then we found out that he had a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 13. It is a condition so severe that most babies don’t make it until birth, and the few that do usually don’t survive more than two weeks.

Life is never the same after you hear that your days with your child are numbered. Two thoughts consumed me:

First, I am about to go through one of the hardest things in my life. I need to get the things that are important functioning on autopilot, so my life doesn’t fall apart while my heart is breaking. (Side note: I decided I needed help and invested in Systemize Your Life. The things I learned in that course are why I was able to get in control of my home, so I could have the space I needed to grieve and heal.)

Second, I need to make the most of every single moment I have with my precious son! I didn’t want to look back on my time with him as “difficult” or something I was trying to get through. Especially since there was a high chance he wouldn’t make it to birth, I needed to learn to find joy right now. I couldn’t wait until my husband was done with medical school or my daughter was done being potty trained. My son deserved to have as many happy moments with his mom as possible.

We ended up losing our beautiful baby Nathan when he was six days old, and, honestly, I am still in the thick of grief. However, the purpose that his life pushed me to find started me down the path to realize just how much joy can be found despite all the difficulties of whatever stage of life you may be in!

These days, I am loving soaking in every moment with my daughter, taking care of my home and family, and serving my community in every way I can. I still take time to be sad, but there is even a type of deep joy in being able to spend that time remembering him.

You can often find me researching my latest obsession, going on adventures with my family, or training my dogs. People often refer to me as organized, passionate, and nerdy (I love to geek out about human physiology!) 

The things I am most passionate about in life are exploring the world with my family, learning what factors brought us to this moment, feeling a part of this beautiful world, and living intentionally. I love getting outside, going to the zoo with my little girl, listening to podcasts, and exploring ways to cut processed foods out of our home.

I find so much joy in the work I do! I absolutely love helping people who want to find a joyful life of purpose.  I am feel so blessed to be able to to give you guys tools to help you enjoy what you need to do, while giving you more time to refocus on the relationships and activities that fill your souls.

If you’re dying to hear more, here are five things you might not know about me:

  1. I have been to 9 countries in the last 9 years 
  2. I was going to apply to medical school when I finished my Bachelor’s degree, but instead I ended up teaching beginner horseback riding lessons for a year and then starting my first business 
  3. I have two dogs that I have entirely trained with YouTube
  4. I started teaching myself to draw in my mid 20s (not sure exactly when!)
  5. I was a theatre geek (never went to a football game until college) that married a jock (played everything from street hockey to football), so pretty much everything I know about sports I learned from him!

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How about we find a joyful life of purpose together? 🙂

I honestly believe you can find all the happiness you are looking for right now. Some people are waiting to have joy until they have more money or have found the perfect partner. I’m here to tell you to stop waiting !! You already have everything you need to build the life of your dreams.