Joy Dare {Week 4}

It's the last week of my Joy Dare - Week 4!

May 22nd - 3 gifts that make you laugh

1. My brother Scout. He just graduated from Kindergarten, and this is his teacher. She would tell my mom all of his little stories and jokes and they totally crack us up. He's our little comedian.

2. My best friend Beka. Just thinking about all of our conversations makes me laugh. She's a funny one!

3. My dad. His sense of humor is great! He makes me laugh everyday! I couldn't imagine life without my dad.

May 23rd - 3 gifts found in community

1. My youth group.

2. My school.

3. Fun shops in our town only a few minutes away.

May 24th - A gift in a pot, a plate, a package

1. Pot - The food that my mom and dad made - yum!
2. Plate - Well this is a given. Almost everyone knows I'm a food fanatic, so it's definitely food!
3. Package - A sweet blogger friend sent me, my mom, and my sisters a package with gifts inside. :)

May 25th - 3 gifts hard giving thanks for

1. The neighbor kids - They are a pain sometimes but I have to remember they are just kids.
2. People I know really well that complain, complain, and complain some more. I know that sometimes you just have to let it out.
3. Non-working vehicles that take lots of $$ to fix. It's part of life.

May 26th - A gift worn, white, whispered

1. Worn - My favorite pair of jeans that I bought on sale.
2. White - Paper towels to clean up messes.
3. Whispered - Something my little brother told me.

May 27th - 3 gifts found in church

1. My crazy friends

2. My EPIC (<-- his favorite word) youth pastor

3. The truth that is spoken out of God's Word, and all of the amazing things I learn about our Lord.

May 28th - 3 gifts in today's work

1. Doing a photoshoot with Beka!

2. Going to the library with Beka, my sister, and my mom

3. Getting to drive!

May 29th - 3 gifts at 8am, 12pm, & 8pm

1. 8am - Still sleeping :)
2. 12pm - Lunch
3. 8pm - Peace and quiet as my little sister was in bed; after I watched her for a couple hours

May 30th - 3 gifts blue (YES, it's my favorite color!)

1. The color of my nails a little while ago

2. The shirt I was wearing today 

3. The color of one of my journals

May 31st - 3 gifts you gave today

1. Taking pictures of Beka today.
2. Willing to watch my little sister while my mom went to one of my brother's soccer games.
3. Not waking up my sister and letting her sleep in a little later than usual.

Well that's it! Thanks to everyone who read through these, and left comments. It really motivates me to be grateful for what I have! Ann Voskamp is the creator of the Joy Dare, and she has a new one every month. Some of you might think she sounds familiar, because she is the author of "One Thousand Gifts". If you think you'd be interested in doing this, you can head over to her blog A Holy Experience and find the June Joy Dare in one of her upcoming posts.

 I dare you...And Week 4 is done!
~Michlyn

End of the Year Party

As mentioned in my last post, our youth group had an end of the year party. We had inflatables, food, and A TON OF FUN! :)

Beka & I made over a hundred cupcakes for the party, and a lot of people showed up. It's basically a Summer kick-off party!

It was a really fun night, we finished up our series that we've been talking about in youth group, and there was plenty of laughs! :)

~Michlyn

Cupcakes

On Tuesday, I went over to my friend Beka's house to help her make cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes. Over 100 of them, for 6 hours, so we could get them to our church that night. Fun stuff.

We succeeded and can I say that they were quite expensive, we had to go to the store and get more supplies.

It was a lot of fun, and the cupcakes were a hit. Every single one of them was gone at the end of the party! :)

~Michlyn

Joy Dare {Week 3}

May 15th - 3 gifts about you

1. I'm a leader and try to help in anyway I can
2. I'm a great big sister
3. I'm not a bragger, so this was really hard

May 16th - 3 gifts found in His word

1. The knowledge that I need to hear
2. The truth that is spoken
3. The miracles He performed

May 17th - A gift in a bag, a box, a book

1.A bag - My school work from the school year; my accomplishments
2.A box - Odds and ends from my life, I loved looking through the box a couple days ago
3.A book - The suspense and adventure that I love reading about in mystery books

May 18th - 3 gifts unexpected

1. The engagement of my cousin, her ring is beautiful!!

2. The time to hang out with my friends from choir & band

3. Unexpected summer plans

May 19th - 3 gifts from your childhood

1. Loving parents that taught me so much
2. Growing up in a Christian home
3. Having everything I needed

May 20th - A gift sweet, sour, and salty

1. Sweet - A smoothie from my mom
2. Sour - Candy spray from friends
3. Salty - A snack with my friend, while playing a game

May 21st - 3 gifts found in little people

1. My littlest brother Scout - His sense of humor
2. Little kids at church that make me smile
3. Watching my little brothers play soccer with their friends

Week 3 is done!
~Michlyn

Update on My Life

So I meant to write a post like this a long time ago, but that never happened. Can anyone tell that I never get what I want done, done on time?? :)

Anyway, thought I'd write an update before I forgot and right now is a perfect time.

SCHOOL'S OUT! YAY! I'm so happy that Summer is here and we can finally relax. No more homework, staying up late for a due date, or projects. I am going to miss a ton of my friends this year though. I met so many people this year, and I won't get to see all of them this summer. (For those of you who don't know - It was my first year of high school and I started a new school.) There is a pool party in a couple weeks and all of the 9/10 graders were invited - So excited!

We continue to keep things low key around the house. It's only the 2nd day of our summer break and we haven't started any grand plans. Although, I will write a post soon about the things that we do have planned for this summer. :)

My dad & our dog on a late night, my TRAP journals for youth group, and a smoothie date with mom for the last day of school!

That's pretty much it so far, I have a couple more updates and posts coming! Have a good Memorial weekend everyone!

~Michlyn

P.S. From High School Musical 2 - Thought of this song. And in almost every 7th hour class at our school, we started chanting "Summer" just like these guys did in the movie.

If you haven't seen these movies, I suggest you do! They're really good, plus dancing and singing. Make sure you watch them in order 1,2,3 :)

Sunday Snapshot {Summer Nature}

Yesterday, I ventured outside with the camera in hand...

Decided to take advantage of the beautiful nature around me this time of year...

The simple things...

And the intricate things...

But everything is yet so beautiful.

My camera settings were anywhere from 1/200 - 1/1000  f/3.5 - f/4.5

~Michlyn

To see more Sunday Snapshots visit Stefanie's blog below: 

Joy Dare {Week 2}

May 8th - 3 gifts inside a closet

1. My TRAP journals from youth group 

2. Almost all of my clothes are in my closet

3. Storage bins full of memories 

May 9th - 3 gifts found in the dark

1. My bed, so I can sleep peacefully at night

2. The street lamps outside as they show a little light each night on the roads

3. The stars, and how beautiful they look even as the nights get longer

May 10th - a gift outside, inside, & upside down

1. Outside - The view of a beautiful sunset

2. Inside - Brothers quietly watching some TV

3. Upside down - Littlest sister being a little crazy, and hanging upside down on her chair in the dining room.

May 11th - 3 gifts about my parents

1. Their love for each other, even on the bad days

2. How hard they work to take care of us

3. They listen to each other and make decisions together

May 12th - 3 gifts held in hand today

1. iPod - Time to relax and read blogs

2. Washcloth - To keep my face clean and to wake myself up this morning

3. Camera - Taking a few pictures of our life today

May 13th - 3 gifts found in my mother

1. Her patience

2. Her organization

3. Her cooking

May 14th, - A gift picked up, put away, put back

1. Picked up - Legos, so I don't step on them

2. Put away - Winter clothes, that I'm grateful to have but ready for summer

3. Put back - Something at the store that I wanted, but know that I can live without

Week 2 is done!

~Michlyn

Joy Dare {Week 1}

Week 1 of my challenging Joy Dare!!

May 1st - 3 gifts tasted

1. My mom's hearty wild rice soup

2. Corn muffins that I successfully made

3. One my new favorite candies...yum

May 2nd - 3 gifts that are flat

1.The laptop, that we all use a lot for homework, emailing, and staying connected with friends.

2. My iPod, that I use every. single. day. I love it!

3. My yearbook... So many memories and notes from friends! It's been an amazing first year of high school. 

May 3rd - 3 gifts found in difficult people
1. I'm going to be honest and say that our President can be very difficult. One gift I find in him, is his strength and courage to lead our country - with every twist and turn.
2. Some people at school. Certain people don't know how to contain their own drama, and it can drive me crazy. The gift I see in them, is their ability to get help. It's better to tell others what you're going through, instead making bad decisions and going through it yourself.
3. My littlest sister Tareh Jo can also be very difficult. One gift I find in her, is the way she continues to live her life. With her past so heartbreaking terrible, I admire her strength and beauty. Man is she gorgeous! 

May 4th - 3 gifts before 9am
1. A nice morning shower before school, after a night of staying up way too late working on projects.
2. Quick breakfast drinks on the go
3. A quiet and nice ride to school with 2 of my siblings and my dad

May 5th - a gift in a sign, a smile, & a snack
1. Signs all over school that say "Buy a yearbook". Brings back the memories of the school year.
2. Smiles from school friends today. It was the last day for seniors, and everyone was in a good mood.
3. Snacks after school, before a relaxing weekend starts.

May 6th - 3 gifts found in Christ
1. He died for me, for you, and for the whole world. Just to take our punishment away.
2. His forgiveness, when I know I made a mistake.
3. His never ending love, that makes me smile even on a hard day.

May 7th - 3 gifts about your home

1. Ethiopian artwork!

2. The beautiful sunlight that comes through our dining room window!

3. The pictures that hang on our living room walls!

Week 1 is done!
~Michlyn

She's 14!

No matter how old she is...

2001

2011

... she'll always be my little sister.

Erin turned 14 years old today! I can't believe it. I remember when we were little, it was just you & I... no other siblings yet. We would play outside in our sundresses all summer long. And in the winter we would get bundled up and catch snowflakes on our tongue as we stood in the driveway.

You've almost caught up to me. You're only 1 inch shorter than me, and I'm done growing - So the idea that  you're going to be taller, is correct. I remember when I always thought, that you would never be taller than me.

Your feet are bigger than mine

You're stronger than me

BUT... you're still skinnier than me, and I don't think that will ever change. :) You've always been little, except when you were born. haha you were definitely a chubby baby. To this day, I still don't know how you stay so skinny. You eat all the time, and have a lot of snacks. I guess it's because you're so crazy and have some energy to run around. Unlike me... you always call me lazy and "no fun". 

We have good times together, and sometimes laugh so hard we cry. I enjoy those late nights when we'll watch TV until midnight. Or dance and sing to music in the car. I hope that when we grow up, we don't lose the bond we have. You are only 18 months younger than me. Even though it seems like you're so much older. Don't grow up too fast, because that means that I have to grow up first. :)

Love you sister,

~Michlyn

Laura Grace

Happy 8th Birthday to my beautiful little sister Laura Grace!

Dear Baby Girl,

Even though you're in heaven, and I miss you sooo much - I know that you are safe in the arms of Jesus! You are so lucky to be up there dancing on the streets of gold. I can't wait to meet you, and see your face. Mom says you looked like me, and I've only seen your small hands and feet. You hold a special place in my heart, and a day doesn't go by when I don't think of you. Some days I go through your album mom made you, and look at how tiny your footprints were. Even though you are one of our tiniest blessings, you made a huge impact in many lives. You are loved Laura!

Love,

Your biggest sister, Michlyn

Ending My 3rd Series

I am finishing my 3rd Series! I can't believe I've already finished it.

It was very fun going through old pictures and comparing them to current ones of the same people. I love all of my family and friends and how they have influenced me in all different ways.

Going Back in Black & White was a very fun series! Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and comment on my posts. :)  (If you would like to go back to any of my series and read a specific post, just go to "My Blog Series" at the top of the page. I do my best to label each post/link in detail so you can find it easily.)

Sneak Peek for my new "series". It's called the.... Joy Dare!

Every month a new joy dare comes out - And it's a dare to see if you can find 3 things a day to be joyful/grateful about.

Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience came up with this - She is the writer of "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to live Fully".

A blogger mom whose blog I follow also does this every month, and I thought I'd try it for one month. It will be a challenge but just as fun. I hope to do it one week at a time...

Hope you look forward to my first post on this new series!

~Michlyn

Wordless Wednesday