Okay folks, here's a long one. The who, what, where, when and why we got here.

Sure, there's a hundred-word blurb telling you the short story of who I am, and what I do. But it does very little to tell you who I am, what I stand for, and how we got here. So I'll take a few minutes to try to do that. Think of it as a getting to know you exercise, but it's just me, writing to all the future "you's". 

I went into nursing school after spending 1 1/2 years going to college for early education and environmental sciences. I was unsure of my future, couldn't picture myself in any job I knew existed, and felt overwhelmed by all of the choices. In a casual conversation with one of my cousins, (thank you Katie!) she mentioned that if she could do it over, she would have gone to nursing school. We briefly chatted about it, but no one thought too much of it. Three days later I dropped out of school and applied to nursing programs. 

Suddenly it had clicked! I love science, I love working with people, a 9-5 office job would have sucked the life out of my body, etc... I attended UMass Boston and got my bachelor's in nursing 4 years later. By chance, I was placed in the operating room during clinicals, and I immediately knew that's where I wanted to stay. It's one of the few places in a hospital where the staff work together as a team and their focus is explicitly on one patient. Surgeries are mostly satisfying.. a patient comes in with a problem, and we work together to solve it. I love the technicality of each little piece involved in such a high stakes environment. I love seeing results right before my eyes. 

A little over a year ago, I was given the opportunity to work for an amazing surgeon outside of Boston in her own private practice plastic surgery office. Almost instantaneously, the environment surrounding aesthetic surgery, reconstruction, and the excitement of the patients had me hooked. These were people who had a real desire to make a change, and we could help provide them with that. It's a collaborative effort between practitioner and patient... one that starts with a person's wishes, meshes with experience and expertise of the staff, and becomes a result the entire team is proud of.

Our surgical patients go to sleep excited; they've spent a long time dreaming, saving and planning to get this day. They wake up happy! I don't take a second of that for granted and I am honored to be a part of their journeys. But I wanted more! I wanted to be able to work 1:1 with more patients, helping them love what they see in the mirror. So I found a program and a mentor that I adore (shout out to the team at Advanced Medical Aesthetics Academy // Academy 165!) got certified, and here we are! A business owner, certified aesthetic injector and apparently, blogger!  

I don't have any desire to change anyone's face, or push anyone to do something they're unsure of. My goal is to help people maintain and enhance the beautiful faces they've already got. (Yes, I am talking to you, and YES you are ALREADY beautiful)

More than anything, I want my patients to feel how much I care about them. Safety is my TOP priority. I want to work together with you, hear your thoughts, understand your life, and then come up with a plan that will make sure your results are the best possible. I understand that you may have questions and concerns and I am SO ready to chat with you about them! I want you to feel heard, understood, and in control. 

Make an appointment, send me a message, leave a comment! Whatever you want, I'm here for you. Let's chat. 

In the age of social media, it's not hard to see everyone's highlight reel. There aren't very many people who showcase the hard days, the doubts, the fear, or the let downs. It's easy to remember to snap a photo of your most favorite people, or something rare & exciting. We're constantly bombarded with the best new thing. It can start to feel like you're the only one with just small blips of bliss followed by long bouts of trying to survive everyday life. 

I've always been the kind of person to stop and take it all in. I soak up the sunshine on the short walk from my car into our apartment. A sweet little bunny munching the flowers can hold my attention for longer than most people could. Every sunset I see has me captivated. I'm a real stop and smell the flowers kind of a girl. So when I feel I've accomplished something, big or small, I want to celebrate. I want to feel all the feels.

So I've decided to keep track. A short blog post here and there to remember everything that could slip by with the passing of time and the potential for growth in my business; the small steps on the path to bigger ones. It's not reasonable for me to take myself out to a nice dinner every time I check something off of my list, even if I really, really, really want to. What I've accomplished so far has me already wanting to celebrate. I've officially opened a licensed Aesthetic Injections business. I've got the website and bank accounts to prove it. My first official client all on my own is on the books. And I'm ready, let's do it. 

On to the next small thing, and another, and another. Someday I'm sure, it'll add up to something really big. See you there. (Bring champagne!!)