Ah, spring! It’s such a lovely season of new beginnings and growth that features beautiful displays of color and light. Now that I’ve finished school, I get to actually sit back and enjoy the beauty around me. My life has been so consumed with work and school that I’ve had no time to fully enjoy moments like these. Which I suppose is a good thing, considering that it’s been winter and there hasn’t been much to look at besides gray skies and lifeless trees.

Many of you may remember the post that found me venting my frustration at how I felt the nail program at my school left “more to be desired”, to put it nicely. Well, I must say that I’ve made peace with my experience. While it was not an ideal experience, I began to realize toward the end of my program that I needed to find a way to embrace the good, toss the bad, and not become so frustrated that I couldn’t learn the things I needed to learn… and I did. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary, and it allowed me to finish school on a happy note, with nothing but hugs and well-wishes from and for my teacher and other staff at the school.

Now, as I sit nervously awaiting my appointment to take the written exam (this SATURDAY!! Eeeeek!), and the practical exam (in 2 weeks), I realize just how far I’ve come from Day 1 back in the Fall to this moment. I’ve completed my course with flying colors, I’ve already had a very successful job interview, and I’ve reevaluated and solidified my goals and dreams. And with the clock “springing forward” recently, I’ve also felt a bit of figurative “springing forward” in my own life, punctuating the fact that my life as a school student is over, and my life as a nail tech is just beginning.

My real world education will commence soon enough with securing my first job as a nail tech, and in attending the upcoming Premiere Orlando show and Nail Tech Networking Event. But in the interim, I will sit back, take in the beautiful spring weather here in DC, and enjoy the feeling of contentment and anticipation I have.

— LaTia