I guess I should probably introduce myself. My name is Jill Deneau, and I’m a 30-year-old smartass hot mess of a human being who relies heavily on sarcasm, swearing, and border-line inappropriate humor. I’m currently living in Denver, CO but was born in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (what us locals call "the U.P."). Not sure where that is? Watch this 30 second video narrated by Michigan’s own Tim Allen and then add it to your travel bucket list (click here).
I’m not even sure what to write here, honestly. I feel like I could get all up in my life story, but I feel like that’s boring. My life isn’t THAT cool. Plus I feel like you’ll probably get a good sense of who I am over the coming weeks and months as I write more about the shit I’m about to admit.
But for now, here’s a (somewhat) quick synopsis of the life of yours truly:
I grew up in a small town in the U.P. I had what I think is a typical “Yooper” upbringing. Camping, playing in and having picnics in the woods, building forts, riding 4-wheelers, enjoying summers on the Great Lakes, you know, the usual pre-electronics childhood. Then as I grew up, it turned into Friday night football games, chatting with friends on ICQ and Yahoo Messenger, driving around aimlessly with friends because there was nothing else to do and venturing out to the parties at “the Lake” or “Seven Sisters” – the local party spots deep in the woods.
After high school, I took my opportunity to get out of my hometown and went “downstate” for college – 5 hours away. This was the first time I experienced living outside of my small hometown, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of living elsewhere. But at the time, moving there was all about getting school over with so I could get on with the rest of my life. (That's not to say I didn't have a friggin' blast with people I still consider some of my best friends.)
You see, I’ve always been the type of person to have a goal, a game plan, and a timeline. I wanted to do all of the things I wanted to accomplish in the most efficient way possible. I rushed to finish my Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Biology in three and a half years, and then went the following fall to England for a year to complete my Master’s degree in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. Then after that it was job time, right? Start my career. That’s the next step in this efficient plan I had.
Except, that shit turned out to be harder than anticipated. I spent a year at home applying to jobs all over the country with no luck, so I decided to move to Denver for a change of pace and to maybe broaden my opportunities at getting a job in the forensic science world. After two and a half years of trying to get a job in forensics, I threw in the towel and decided I needed to try something else. That sounds so flippant but it wasn't - I struggled with this "failure" for a long time before coming to terms with it, trust me. A girl can only take so much rejection! So I decided to go back to school (for about two and a half more years) to become a holistic health practitioner, reflexologist, and Functional Medicine Health Coach.
Fast forward to the present. I’ve been in Denver for five and a half years. I own my own business, where I practice reflexology, coach others on living healthier lives, and educate people on the safe use of essential oils. I love to travel, learn (forever student), read, feel in awe of the mountains, help people feel happier and healthier, enjoy a good beer and make others laugh. But don’t get it twisted, my time in my late 20s wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I’m now 30 and feel like 18-year-old me had my shit together better than I currently do. But we'll get to that.
Well, I think that’s the gist of it. Like I mentioned before, I’m sure more of my story will come up through the blog posts and you’ll be able to get more of a picture of who I am. Is this where I say I hope you enjoy it?
