FYI: none of these pictures have anything to do with the words, so just pay attention to whichever you’re most interested in :D!
I spent 2014-15 in school doing prerequisites for the Radiologic Technologist (X-ray Tech) program. I spent 2015-2018 on the waitlist for said program (while working a fantastic job that I was incredibly sad to leave). I spent 2018-2020 in the Radiologic Technologist program, while working 1-2 days a week at a coffee stand (that I love!), and working on our Cabin and property.
In March 2020 the world began shutting down due to COVID. Our program got shifted into an online format. I continued to work 1-2 days a week at the coffee stand, and make as much progress as possible on the Cabin and the property. In April I got hired for my first ever radiologic position! And online school started back up on the same day. In June I got hired for my second ever radiologic position! And we moved out of the RV and into the (mostly) finished loft in the Cabin.
On June 30, 2020 I graduated college – as Valedictorian – (not to toot my own horn or anything!). On July 6th, 2020 I passed the most stressful test I have ever taken, the test that displays the cumulative knowledge I have gained over the last 6 years of my life. I was so stressed out that I still felt the stress for hours after passing!! So now, after (finally) wrapping up my schooling, this week feels like the beginning.
The beginning of a new chapter, where yes, I have 3 jobs. But when I am not at one of those 3 jobs – or when I am there but it’s not busy – I can think about whatever I want to! My brain is suddenly free of constant study mode. And it feels so good.
The beginning of making money again. I know a lot of women out there feel best when they’re providing for their family by taking care of the home, but I confess, I am not one of those women. At least not yet. I feel my best when I can contribute to the family income and share the household duties.
The beginning of gardening. Okay, so maybe I made gardening a priority while I was still in school. But now it will be squeezed into time off between jobs, not time off between jobs when I really should be studying, or completing assignments, or taking a test, or blah blah blah. It can be a stress reliever without the feeling of guilt that accompanied doing anything other than school for the past couple of years.
The beginning of homesteading. My MIL is the queen of edible gardening at our property. She does the edible gardening, and I do the decorative gardening. But so far she has also done all of the processing of the fruits of her labors. I’d like to get more involved and learn how to can and dry and preserve things. And when to plant and when to harvest the edible things.
Life will go on, as always. Maybe one day we’ll be building an addition. Maybe one day we’ll put in a shop. Maybe one day we’ll have cows and pigs. Maybe one day we’ll convert the barn into an animal barn instead of a storage barn. But it’s clear that now is the end of one chapter, and the beginning of the next. And quite frankly, I could not be more excited, or more grateful.
The Homestead Journey 