An Education (Mine, not the movie)

My life seems to be one big example of never planning anything in detail. Not because details are bad (I think they are very very good), but because God always seems to come in and change everything. Perhaps a better way to say this would be "never get attached to your life plans."

I had a plan once. That plan was to finish my English Literature and Writing degree before my 21st birthday. I was on the track to do it too. Then a lot of things happened and my whole life turned upside down and suddenly I had absolutely no use for college anymore.

"Goodbye college. You're silly and absolutely not right for me and just forget you!"

Or something like that.

It was an unusual decision, but so absolutely what I needed to do and I do not regret that decision. In the years since I left school I've been able to direct a play, costume a musical, be in another musical; write, direct and produce a feature length film; nanny and tutor the children of my favorite author for three months; finish a novel and start submitting it for publication; start an e-magazine that is well into it's second year; start a costuming business; and learn so many invaluable life lessons.

I thought I finally had everything together. It wasn't going to be easy, but I had a life plan.

Haha.

Seven weeks ago God started laying a certain university on my heart. It was a school that a friend of mine had nearly gone too, and where I have a cousin currently enrolled. It was also in a location where I had pretty much vowed never to live. But for some reason I felt really, really strongly that I needed to check this school out.

So one morning I went online and did research. Lo and behold but this school had exactly the right major for me. Apparel Design.

See the one thing I had learned over the years away from school was that if I ever (for some bizarre reason) went back, I absolutely had to do a hands on major. This Apparel Design major fit the bill exactly.

After that everything started falling in place. I discussed the idea with my parents and grandparents and they were 110% in support of it. It surprised them all, but they saw the wisdom of it and of course were thrilled that I was considering going back to school.

So just a few weeks later we went up to visit the school. It was absolutely amazing. We loved the campus, and we were floored by how wonderful all the people were that we met. I came home and immediately the college started peppering me with handwritten notes. I had applied the day after our return, so every day I would check the mail box and find another piece of mail telling me how they hoped I would consider their school... but all I wanted was my acceptance letter!

(It was, however, pretty amazing when the head of the Apparel department sent me a handwritten note. THAT one is going in my keep-forever box.)

Then, this Monday, the letter arrived.

So next fall I am going back to college! It's going to be crazy, awesome, challenging and adventurous! And I absolutely cannot wait!

...now all I have to do is apply for Scholarships and work like crazy so I can actually afford it. But I have complete confidence that God is going to lead me through this, because it is completely his plan, not mine.