I can’t believe this day has finally come — graduation day. Tomorrow I planned to walk the stage, to take photos in my cap and gown, and to go out to dinner with my family. I was ready to celebrate, me, and the many hoops that I had to jump through to get to this milestone in life.

It’s no surprise that today didn’t turn out how I wanted it to. But if my time on this earth has taught me anything, it’s that things don’t always go as planned, and that it’s the disappointing moments in life that ultimately make us stronger.

From 18-years-old, my path was carefully plotted out. I would marry my soul mate, become a famous singer, buy a house, have a baby (or two), and grow old with the love of my life. At 22-years-old, I chose to walk away from college. Dismissing it as something that I didn’t need in order to accomplish my goals. Ultimately, I was right. No bar, club, or restaurant ever asked for college credentials when booking my band. No bride or groom wanted to hire a singer with a Masters in Music. The music industry is simple — you need to be professional, and you need to be talented. Together, Justin and I were both of those things.

After Justin died, I swore off music life, and I vowed to never sing again. He was my partner and moving forward without him seemed unmanageable. I always loved singing, but the reason I loved it so much was because we did it together. Then, for some reason (when Jax was about a year old), I jumped back in and joined a full time traveling band. I needed to find me again, and singing was all I ever knew or loved in life. I traveled for almost three years with this extended family of mine, and I learned a lot about myself while on the road. One of the many things I learned was how much I missed my son. I hated being away from Jax, and I knew it was time for another change. 

Ultimately, I chose to leave the music industry and to go back to school full time. I wanted a do-over and to change career paths completely this time. Thanks to Florida State Panama City, I was able to change my path in my own backyard.

I can’t believe that this day has finally come. It only took: two weddings, one husband’s funeral, one pregnancy, five bands, three houses, countless hours of babysitting help, a trillion panic attacks, one cat. five hurricane, 6,570 days, and one pandemic to get me to this day.

Halle-freakin-lujah