How did I get here?

I don't know how I possibly got here. Things have happened so fast for me that I am not sure how the time went by so fast. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 2004, I decided to get my Undergraduate degree in Human Services. I knew I wanted to help people in some capacity, but I wasn't sure in what way. I knew I had to primarily study online because of having to work full time and go to school. I have a son with Down syndrome who is now 9 and a 3 year old. When I graduated with my BS in Human Services, I was pregnant with my youngest. That was in 2008. As I prepare to graduate with my MA in Professional Counseling this coming May, I am again preparing to begin a new program. The PhD program in Professional Counseling will allow me to continue to become more specialized in the field of Counseling and child psychology. I love being a child and adolescent counselor and I am having so much fun. I am counseling individuals from ages 4 to age 60 and I am in the final part of my internship. I am studying for my comprehensive exit exam, which will be on May 18th. I will also be taking the GRE in April in order to get a higher score than last time for my admission portfolio. I will then prepare for the State test in August. As soon as my scores are in, I will submit the application for LPCA (Licensed Professional Counselor Associate). At that point, I will be applying to be on the Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance panel, so I can begin billing insurance. After completing 3,000 hours, I can then apply to be a LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). I will then be applying to be on insurance panels everywhere, including Employee Assistance Programs. I am excited. I want to really get in there and help these children and adolescents. I am already trained in EMDR level I and level II. I have just completed the basic training in clinical hypnosis and I intend on completing the intermediate in June. With all of this schooling and training, it has been hard to keep up with family and friends, but I have been doing all of this to create a better life for them and to make my schedule flexible enough that I can attend meetings and sports, school functions, field trips, etc. and be the mom I want to be. I am looking forward to having a schedule that I make. It has only taken 8 years...that is painful to say....I am still not there yet, but I am closer to being Dr. Kauffman than I was 8 years ago.