As I write this post I am sipping on a HUGE smoothie that is kind of sludge colored that tastes absolutely fabulous.

This smoothie is:

• 1 frozen banana
• 2/3 cup frozen cherries
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 big handful of spinach
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp instant coffee<—NEEDED this today!
• 1 scoop Perfect Fit Protein Powder

OK, but let’s be real…today I’m not blogging to tell you all about my delicious smoothie.  I’ve got some major life things going on and I think it’s about time I shared these exciting updates with all of you.  Don’t worry…they are GOOD changes 🙂

My goodness, this post has been coming for quite some time…

I am officially going back to school to become a Registered Dietitian and I could not be more excited! (ok, and a little scared!)

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Right now, I have quite a few prerequisite courses to take, so I am currently taking Medical Terminologies, Chemistry 1, and Biology 1, and I just finished my Fundamentals of Nutrition course.  If all goes as planned, I will be enrolled in a distance dietetics program beginning summer 2015.  Crazy.

It’s no secret that I have a passion for health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition and for me this passion is not something new.  I consider myself pretty fortunate when I say that this passion started early in life when I was in the 8th grade and worked on a research project devoted to childhood obesity.  A fire lit up inside of me at that moment and it hasn’t dimmed.  I loved the research involved in the project, I loved helping people, I loved educating others, I loved seeing changes being made, and I loved promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.  While I love health and wellness I also consider myself very fortunate to have more than just that passion.  Music has always been a huge part of my life and I honestly can’t live without it.  I studied music during undergrad, which is why I have so many prerequisite courses to take to get me squared away for the dietetics program.

I’ll admit, that at first when I toyed with the idea of going BACK to school, I felt a little bit like a failure…Harsh I know, but I have always been successful, a planner, someone who has her ducks in a row so the thought of going back to school for something completely different than what I initially studied made me feel like I made the wrong choice the first time around…I was a little embarrassed.  I enjoyed my previous jobs and learned valuable lessons, but they weren’t fulfilling in the way I dream of being fulfilled.  There are so many thoughts, goals, and dreams rushing through my head ALL. THE. TIME. in regards to what I want to do when I am an RD that I couldn’t just “suck it up” and tell the voices to be quiet.  I knew I had to put the embarrassment aside and commit to my decision to pursue my dreams.  After thinking about this decision for the past couple of years (yes, I’m a planner and a thinker) I have come to realize that I couldn’t have been more wrong about the way I was choosing to think about my decision to go back to school.

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My passion for music makes me who I am, and I would not take back those years of studying music history, music theory, and practicing my aural skills (sorry for the music jargon).  After having a few years of practical experience from the working world under my belt I am SO excited to dive into this new chapter of life.  I can’t wait to see where the journey takes me 🙂

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Another fear of mine with this decision is that people will just think I’m simply jumping on the bandwagon. I know I shouldn’t care what people think, but I do! I am aware that there are a ton of blogging RDs out there, and I look up to each and every one of them. And guess what, they all have a slightly different approach and a slightly different message.  I’m not doing this to crowd out any voices that are already there.  My goal is to add to this wonderful community, add my voice, add my opinion to the conversation, and add my positivity to an industry that is ever-changing and needs to be shared.  I feel that everyone in health, nutrition, fitness, etc is bringing something totally unique to the table because WE are all unique and we connect with people in different ways.  So in my opinion, the more the merrier 🙂

This quote from Danielle Laporte really resonated with me when making my decision to go back to school:

“You will always be too much of something for someone:  too big, too loud, too soft, too edgy.  If you round out your edges, you lose your edge.  Apologize for mistakes.  Apologize for unintentionally hurting someone–profusely.  But don’t apologize for being who you are.”  Danielle Laporte

I love blogging, I love what this blog has become, and I love what it will grow into.  I can’t wait to see the changes and progress.  I can’t wait to learn, learn, learn because I have SO many questions and I feel like the MORE I learn the MORE questions I have.  I can’t wait to finally know some answers and feel confident in sharing and educating all of you.  The science behind nutrition and fitness is so fascinating to me, so I really can’t wait to dig deep and get dirty with this stuff.

My life right now is completely different than what it was in Indianapolis, but I am very at peace and totally loving it.  I feel much less stressed and I am so happy to be doing all the things I love to do.

Here is what I’m doing now:

• Studying for Medical Terminology, Bio, and Chem during the day (and some nights and weekends…)
• Teaching group fitness classes at an amazing fitness center (Just taught my first class yesterday!)
• Nannying part-time for a family where I get to help provide healthy dinners during the week (so fun!)
• Blogging (still working on the whole blog schedule while studying thing…)
• Singing with the Holiday Party Singers 

That last bullet point is something else I want to share with you.  Last week, I was feeling a little down because that music piece of my life was missing.  I did a little googling and found an audition for last Saturday for the Denver Holiday Party Singers…I auditioned and they picked me to sing with them!  I seriously couldn’t be more ecstatic!!! 🙂

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I feel so fortunate and thankful right now to be doing all the things I love to do while experiencing an amazing new city and making the best new friends all with my wonderful husband.  The blog may not be updated as regularly as you were used to in the past (I am hoping for a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday schedule), but I promise I won’t be going anywhere.

I hope you all have an amazing Wednesday 🙂