I revamped and re-started this blog for one main reason – I am relocating again to follow my career dreams and I wanted to document the crazy happenings.
I suppose I should start my story by back-tracking to the start of the trail. It all started in Colorado where I grew through my teenage years and where I had my awful horse training accident. After discovering my macabre calling, I decided to intern at a local funeral home just after I started college studying Agriculture (I was bull-headed and was determined to not let the horse training accident ruin my dreams to stick with the family business). But soon after the start of my funeral home internship, I enrolled in a Mortuary Science college program. In just over 1 year, I had graduated with my A.A.S. in Mortuary Science and the owner of the funeral home promised me a job once I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business. True to my word, I graduated with my B.A. degree the very next year. Reneging on his word, the funeral home owner took the job offer off the table (that’s a story for another time).
So, now what!? There I was, a new college graduate with 2 degrees and nowhere to go. I was able to land a job working in a pathologist’s laboratory at a hospital so I could bide my time and figure out my next move. I knew of the pathologist from some autopsies he’d completed at the funeral home (not particularly great at the task…. he lacked the grace and knowledge of the medical examiner lady from 40 miles away).
As it turned out, the reneged funeral home job offer was a true blessing in disguise. Here’s why…. Colorado does NOT license morticians! That’s right. Anyone and their dog with a high school diploma can be an embalmer there. So, why then had I gone through all of the stress of completing my Mortuary Science degree at the same time as my Bachelors!? Why did I go through all of that work?
That’s when I realized that I needed more for myself. I needed to continue on, obtain a license, and get the respect I deserved as an up-and-coming young woman in this industry. That meant moving out of state… moving to ANY state… to get my Funeral Director’s and Embalmer’s licenses. A very promising lead came from the Northwestern United States. Next thing I knew, I gave my notice at the pathologist’s laboratory, packed my stuff into my dad’s horse trailer, and hit the road for Idaho (the caravan to Idaho is a crazy story for yet another time).
Idaho law said I had to serve yet another internship to get my licenses, but it was well worth it because within a year, I was a LEGITIMATE professional and I felt proud and honored for all of my hard work and risky decisions. The parchment paper framed on the wall called me a Mortician – it’s a dual-license in Idaho State for a Funeral Director and Embalmer. YES! I DID IT!!
But in another 3 years, I would be searching for the next step in my career (as well as my husband’s career advancement). That brings us to our current position…
We are packing up the house, horses, and goats and hitting the road again. We’re going back to the Southwestern United States. I’m taking a job as “Managing Funeral Director and Embalmer” for two mortuaries. But better than that, my husband is going to continue his work as an Apprentice Brewer – working for a growing, well-established beer brewery in the very same town.
It couldn’t have worked out any better for the two of us. Now comes the part of actually getting there! 1214.05 miles should just fly by, right? Ugh.
