Well, before I begin, let me just say you need to grab a glass of wine (it is after all Saturday night), or maybe an ice cold one and enjoy the story.

It's been such an amazing journey these last 37 years, that I am not surprised to see where I am today, although amazed at how much I love my life. I sometimes feel like I want to ask someone to "pinch me" just to make sure that this is really real.

I am often asked the question "how did you become a professional organizer? Where you born that way or did you have a life changing experience?" I wouldn't say that I was "born" this way (after all, what the hell does that mean anyway?), but I would definitely say that the events in my life have significantly made me who I am today.

As a child, the youngest of three girls, I found that I had a lot of time by myself. My parents were both teachers and back in the 70's, you NEVER THREW ANYTHING AWAY. I wouldn't go as far as saying that they were hoarders, but I would say that there was some definite lines crossed in my younger years. I think being around all that "stuff" just bugged me. Both my older sisters were off doing their big girl things, while I was left to my boom-box (that I got for my 10th birthday) and reading magazines in my room (yes, it started young... my obsession with mags). I often spent my afternoons with nothing to do rearranging my room (what young girl didn't) and loving the way it felt when all my old things had new homes.

As a young adult, I found that my ability to be organized was my biggest strength, especially when I started working. I didn't finish college so when I started working, I had to work twice as hard to establish my credibility as a leading employee. It's always amazing to me how a little bit of common sense goes a long way in the work world.  I always found myself asking for more to do, and always looking to see where I could make things easier for myself (streamlining became second nature for me back then).

Working mostly in administration, I found that I every job I had, I was always the go-to girl (or "Girl Friday", I am not sure where I picked that up but I remember it stuck for a long time). I have never had a boss, that when I quit or left the company, didn't feel the pains of my absence. I wouldn't say that I loved each job that I had, but always managed to "make do" because I was always keeping everyone in the company organized, so that made me happy.

When I moved to Oregon in 1998, my then boyfriend (now husband) and I decided that when we had children, I would stay home to raise them. The idea seemed so logical to me at the time. After my first son was born in 2002, my days were filled with so many tasks to do that  I didn't know if I was going to make to the next. Things got easier though, routines started kicking in, and before you knew it he was two and I was, well, bored. I needed something to do. I was introduced to an organizer by a friend and it was like the lightning bolt hit me. I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

I feverishly started doing research on how to become a professional organizer, what it would take to start my business and how I could manage my family first and organizing second. After long discussions with my husband, I made the plunge. Let's not forget my favorite nugget of this story was as soon as I started my business, baby number two jumped into the mix. Let's just say I no longer feel like I don't have anything to do!

I love what I do and have found something that I am really good at. I enjoy all my client experiences and can truly say that I love my job. I have the best of everything, a loving family that I get to be with everyday, and a job that I sometimes feel guilty taking money for.

I never thought that people could actually have a job that they love. I do! So, there you have it. That's my story.