Just before I graduated from college, my car died. Well, more than that. I had to leave it on a country road when it stopped running, only to find one week later that it had been towed because some hillbillies thought it would be fun to ram into the side of it with a pick up truck. Barely driveable, I tried to get it back to school. But while it had been lying on it's side prior to being towed, all the oil had run out of it. So the engine caught on fire, and that was truly the demise of my Datsun B-210 (I loved it, despite it's oxidized paint and holes in the floor boards).

Armed with the practical "Theatre and Film" degree (minor in Business Admin), I had planned to seek my fame and fortune (or at least meager earnings) as the next Steven Spielburg. Yet, I decided that a car was necessary. And that, in turn, required a paying job. So I fell into retail management for a short spell.

I accidentally got a job after a couple of years in restaurant management, and the hours weren't conducive to any type of theatre work. With a new husband and a baby or two, it was looking less and less like I would follow my passion. I really did enjoy many aspects of restaurant management. It was fast paced, I got exercise and ate for free. But the hours were killers, and I was unfulfilled.

My husband was supportive when I told him I wanted to get my Masters' Degree. But in what? After some pondering, I thought marriage counseling would be a good idea. But he tactfully suggested that it probably wasn't the best course of action for me.

It so happened that around that time, he had given me two gift certificates for massage. I was hooked. I asked the LMT where she went to school, what was involved, etc. Next was the research at the library. My husband was suprised that I thought that maybe I could touch people for a living. Holding my breath, I asked my parents what they thought. I really thought that they would think it was weird. They're all for advanced education--Mom has a PhD, and my pop is "ABD" (All But Dissertation). They thought it was a great idea though, so it was all systems go!

I went to SHI (Self Health Incorporated) in Lebanon, OH. It's a little north of Kings' Island, the huge Cincinnati amusement park. Great school, wonderful instructors, cadaver studies included. I graduated in October 1998 and passed my State of Ohio Medical Boards shortly thereafter. I LOVED massage! I still love massage! I hung on to my restaurant job one day a week for a few months but finally went solely into massage in 1999.

Four pregnancies and five babies later, I still love massage. I did hand-on massage for the first two of those pregancies until about a week before my due dates. Ashiatsu saved my career when I was expecting my twins. All my kids (yes, there are seven of them, for those who are trying to count them all) have a wonderful touch and would make great massage therapists. Well, except the youngest, who destroys everything he comes across.  My older children can't wait for me to teach them Ashiatsu.

In July, I came home after an out of town teaching expedition. After having spent hours in airports, on planes and in cars, my back was killing me. My seven year old asked me if I wanted a massage. "YES!" So she told me to lie on the floor, over there by the wall. And she proceeded to walk on my back. Now, that's love!