I came to college knowing exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to graduate in four years with a bachelor's in music education, find a job teaching high school band (maybe even with a marching band), move to a new location right after I graduate, fall in love, and start a family.

Some of this plan is going the way I wanted to. Some of it has happened, and some of it is taking a little detour to my final destination.

I worked my butt off to get to where I am now. It definitely wasn't an easy road, but I sure did push myself to make it happen the way that I had planned. Because of all this hard work, my plan is still in the works.

Teaching high school band was what I wanted to do when I was in high school band myself, but I don't know if that's what I'm really passionate about. At least, not quite yet. Going through my major-related courses, I found that maybe teaching general music would better suit me. I'm not sure what I'm going to fall in love with yet, but I have one final semester to test the waters.

I'll be moving to a new place after graduation. But not right after I walk across that stage, and that's okay. Because I fell in love.

Little did I know that my sophomore self would fall in love with a future Marine. Little did I know that plans would be changing in the blink of an eye. Fast forward a little over two years later, and I am now engaged to that future Marine. This is the one change in my life that I have been the happiest with. While he's at basic training, I get to make up for the last four years of lost time with my family while I was five hours from home. I get to live with my mom and help her out wherever it's needed. I can get my feet wet with education by substitute teaching in a county I grew up in.

Skip ahead to months later, and we will be getting married. We will have officially started our own family just by saying "I do". He will be a United States Marine with a base ready for us to move to, and I will have found a job near there to continue doing what I love. We will settle into our future lives together.

Change can be difficult, but it can be a beautiful thing to adjust to. Most of the plan that I originally imagined is completely different now.

But that's okay. I am happy.