A New Career! (kind of)

I believe God created each of us with a purpose. I believe that purpose is to bring glory and honor to Him. And I believe He made each of us with certain gifts and abilities such that the way we bring glory and honor to Him will be uniquely personal.

For me, I am a teacher. There is no question about that calling in my life. Whether I am actually employed in the formal act of "teaching" is another question, but being a teacher is part of who I am, it is part of how God made me. I didn't always know this, but over the years it has become abundantly clear.

Every single job I have ever sought after has involved teaching. One of my first jobs was as a life guard and swim instructor. I have been a swimmer my entire life and it is a passion of mine. And... as most of you who know me can attest, I am passionate about sharing my passions! (Which I am sure can be down right annoying for some of you who have ever gotten me on a subject I am passionate about-haha!) I am also a "people-person" so teaching kids to swim was so much fun for me because I got to share something I loved with little people.

One of my most-loved jobs, which I worked at during the summers during college, was on the waterfront staff at a summer camp teaching sailing and waterskiing. When I showed up at camp I didn't know how to sail or waterski, but since I was already a lifeguard with an obvious affinity for the water, I learned, and then had the opportunity to teach my new skills all summer. There are few things more exhilarating than gliding across the glassy surface of the Chesapeake Bay, whether in a sailboat or standing on a thin strip of fiberglass. And it was such a joy to be a part of the moment a kid first gets up on skis and gets to experience that for the first time.

My first college degree was in youth ministry and Christian education, and during college I volunteered at a local church with the middle school ministry leading a small group of girls. I loved it! I felt like there was nothing more important that I could be sharing with others than a love for God and spending time in His Word learning to be more like the person He created us be. I interned full-time at the same church right after college before marrying into the military. Interning was a great experience but I realized that I spent more time in the office planning and managing programs and volunteers than I did with the students.

During my time following my new husband around for his career, I often worked as a substitute teacher and fell in love with secondary education. This led me to go back to school for my second degree in mathematics education. I then had the opportunity to teach at a few different schools when we were stationed in Hawaii for a couple of years. I felt like my life was complete. I loved my job. It required lots of time outside of "work" and was physically and emotionally exhausting at times but every moment I felt like I was doing what I was created to do.

Towards the end of our time in Hawaii we got pregnant with Quinn and then as soon as we arrived in California, he was born! And what a blessing he is! It is a privilege and a joy to be his mommy and I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom who gets to be part of every little milestone in my child's life. That said, I did have a bit of an identity crisis after he arrived because I just didn't know who I was if I wasn't a school teacher. God had to gently remind me that my identity does NOT come from my career, but from being a child of God. He had to remind me that my purpose in life is first and foremost to bring glory and honor to Him, and at this time in my life raising my child is the best way for me to bring glory and honor to Him.

Finally, this brings me to the new "career" that I am so excited about! I love being a stay-at-home mom and feel fulfilled in my role. And I am a bit of a group exercise fitness fanatic and still want to maintain a bit of 'myself' outside of being a mommy. So I am super excited to start training to be a TurboKick and PiYo instructor! This is the perfect balance for me at this time in my life. I get to combine my love of group-x fitness and my love of teaching, and it requires only minimal time away from Quinn (time that I already spend away from him anyway, because whether I am teaching or not, I still go to the gym).

I just ordered the home-study materials so I cannot wait to get them and get started! I've also spoken to the TurboKick instructors at my gym who say they are really in need of new instructors and that they will be happy to help me train by letting me team teach classes with them and will help with my audition when I am ready. I also know that my gym needs a new PiYo instructor after our most recent one left.

So here I am, almost (but not quite) done with my third degree (M.Ed. in Instructional Design) and I'm already starting the next thing... I think Sam was already taking bets on how long it would take me to start something new after finishing my Masters, but I bet none of you put your money on before I finished my Masters :-P

*PS- TurboKick is a high-intensity, choreographed, cardio kick-boxing class, and PiYo is a blend of pilates and yoga.