It's a Girl!

**this post is 2 months old because baby girl was born in January**

I had the privilege of being there for my childhood best friend, when her baby girl came into the world. My best friend, Meg, went to the hospital around 11am with her momma. I finished class, packed, and got to the hospital around 2pm. By 9pm she asked for an epidural and kept dilating normally. (but slowly) Nurses and doctors checked on her every 2 hours throughout the night, while her mom rested in the recliner, and I slept on the couch.

By 5am her brothers, dad, and baby's dad were back. We ate some food, Meg kept breathing through contractions, and the doctor came to check her at 7am. She said that baby should make an appearance by 1pm.

At 10:30am Meg kept feeling more and more pressure. Her nurse came in, checked her one last time to confirm she was finally dilated to 10, and said she could start pushing. Her mom, me, and the future dad her the only ones in the room. She started pushing before 11am, but after 2 hours, the doctor came in and said that baby was in the same spot.

They wheeled her back to perform a c-section, with her momma by her side. At 1:58pm, McKinley Darlene came into the world.

Finally after recovery, her family & friends got to go in and meet baby McKinley!

It's funny how we all have our own plans, but sometimes God's plan is different. No matter how much time passed with no progress, or how uncomfortable Meg got, or that baby girl just did not want to come out. He is faithful. And we were thankful that McKinley was healthy and stubborn. ;)

xoxo,
Michlyn

Moments That Make Me Smile

When my family is all together and gets to eat endless amounts of food, jump in the lake, and sit by a fire at night.

Laying in the sun while my nanny girls splash in the pool with their friends and talk about Taylor Swift.

Hearing my favorite song on the radio and turning it all the way up with my windows down.

When I fall asleep and he kisses my cheek and lays quietly next to me.

Working at the store really late but my awesome coworkers and I all go out to eat afterwards.

Getting packages in the mail.

Meeting future roommates at a coffee shop and getting to know each other before move in day.

Spending the day with extended family that I love so much but don't get to see often enough and eating our way through the conversations.

Planning ideas and necessities for dorm life.

Shopping.

Going for a bike ride around the neighborhood, looking back and seeing him smile back at me.

Beach days with my best friends and gossiping about our lives and forgetting about reality on the other side of the sand.

Painting my toes and wearing new shoes to show them off.

Telling him how nervous I am for the future, and then he kisses me to forget about it for just a moment.

Senior Summer

I live a crazy, beautiful life. Soaking up the sunshine. Working hard. Seeing friends & family. Enjoying my post senior year summer.

starbucks for lunch after a 5am shift.

baseball game with Megan.

sunset on the way home from work.

moments like this.

 fourth of july.

road trips.

You can follow along with my busy life at smalltowngirl_michlyn.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

endless grace.

You guys! I have some exciting news!

My incredibly beautiful (inside and out) friend Brooklyn just began blogging again. She tends to make people smile, take incredible pictures, laugh continuously, be wise beyond her years, and give all the glory to our incredible God.

Go check out her blog endless grace and leave a comment telling her how awesome she is and check out her photography!

I thank Jesus that he gives me the opportunity to write, meet new people through blogging, and then calling them some of the sweetest friends I know. This blogging world is such a fun and blessed environment.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

The Story About My Mom

In my literature class this semester, we're reading this book called "Riding Shotgun" :Women Write About Their Mothers: I highly recommend it. It's raw and beautiful and realistic and full of old black and white photographs of incredible women. The stories are real and you can picture every single thing vividly in your head. So I decided to write my own story about my mom...
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My mother was born to a 17 yr old who's boyfriend was enlisted in the U.S. Navy. She was the first born to my young grandparents, Bonnie and Melvin, who had little to nothing figured out. By the time my grandmother was 19, she was married, graduated from high school, had a job, and was a mother to 2 children. Melvin eventually wasn't in the navy anymore and worked full time as a garage door installer. He would tell you every place he installed a garage door or what kind of garage door you had installed in your home. My grandparents grew up on the ghetto side of the city and raised my mother there for a couple years. By the time her brother was born, they had moved three times and eventually bought a house in the country. My grandmother was the middle child of 10 children and my grandfather the first son of 4 children. Together they raised 4 kids before Bonnie was 25 years old and they both worked full time. My mother, 2 brothers, and her little sister. Bookend girls who were 7 years apart and became best friends. 

My mother grew up to become the second mom to her 3 younger siblings and traded rooms between sharing with her brothers to sharing with her sister. There was only one major school district in their area, so kids from the nearest 5 towns all went to the same elementary, middle, and high school. My mother's mom used a gas stove and burnt everything she cooked. She grew up with the words "suck it up and eat what I made you" and "you didn't cook so you can't complain". Throughout the years, the sacrifices her parents made were difficult and having her mom gone even after she was home from school was hard. Because a woman in the workforce was a privilege and one my mother's family of 6 needed to maintain stable.

When my mother was 16 yrs old she met a boy who was a junior in high school and played for the hockey team. He was dating the snottiest girl in school, and when he walked by my mother in the hall, he winked at her behind his girlfriend's back. After that girlfriend broke up with the boy, he took my mother's best friend out on a date, changed his mind, and started dating my mother. One breakup before prom, graduating high school together, and dating for 6 years later...My mother married her high school sweetheart at the age of 23. For a couple of years they went on adventures, honeymooned in Florida, drank beer up at the cabin with their friends, and built a house on 5 acres. Five days before my mother turned 26, she gave birth to me on the snowiest day of the year. My parents brought me home in a blizzard and started a whole new life experience together. My mother was meant for motherhood. It was her calling, her destiny to raise a family with her loving husband at her side. My parents gave me a sister when I was 18 months old and we were best friends ever since. I remember my mother doing the dishes, and teaching us how to sing our ABC's. I remember her makeup-less face when I had a nightmare and woke up in her bed. I remember her getting the privilege to stay at home and raise me. I remember going to church every Sunday and her talking on the phone for hours at a time. 

My mom had birthed 5 children before she was 35, 4 down on earth and 1 baby girl up above. When I was thirteen we adopted a little girl from Africa and that meant 5 kids, a husband, a house, and a dog that my mom handled with pure grace. This was her job. Motherhood was her job. Girl scouts, snotty noses, dying flowers in vases, messy rooms, greasy hair. Spring break trips to the zoo, school musicals, sleepless nights, a sick husband, dirty dishes. That was her job. She didn't get paid but she sure did one hell of a job.

I remember staying with friends for 9 days because my mother was in Africa with my dad, and crying because I had never been gone from her that long in my entire life. I remember my mother always getting up and getting ready in her blue robe. I remember her pretending she was good at singing while she mopped the kitchen. I remember the toys she helped me pick up after playing with them all day. That was her job. My mother was "the mom". The mom everybody knew. Everybody looked up to. Who raised beautiful children. Who kept her life busy and messy but it was perfect. The one who taught morals and kept the neighbors kids in line to protect her own kids. She was the glue that kept everything together because her husband had chronic headaches his whole life. Together they lost their house and moved three times in 4 years. Together they lost a couple dogs, but just bought another one. Together they lived their life. Not lives, life. My mother was so intentional about everything she did. She was the mother and wife that made everything make sense and if other people did it differently, it didn't make sense. My mother was a role model. For my grandmother, for my aunts who were much too crazy, for her little sister, for her peers and her children. She was "the mom". Because motherhood was her job.

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xoxo,
~Michlyn

Small Town Life

I grew up in a small white house on five acres of open land. A long driveway off a street that wasn't traveled often and next door neighbors that owned john deere tractors. The first born of high school sweethearts, in a small three bedroom house. Eighteen months later and I had a sister. We were best friends from the start. We went to school in our sundresses and tennis shoes. We played barbies, rode our bikes up dirt hills, and climbed trees together. Equally girly girls and tomboys.

In kindergarten, I began going to a small private school and that winter my first baby brother was born. For Christmas we braved the snowy roads two days in a row and drove to our grandparents' homes. Including annual cookie bakes with the cousins and sledding down hills in the backyard.  In the summer we visited the farm next door to my mom's parents' house and fed the horses and went on bike rides to the park.

For Easter, we alternated each year with which grandma and grandpa we would get to see. There were easter egg hunts, frilly dresses, and new white shoes. Occasionally my parents would brave the crying pictures with the easter bunny and too much chocolate. Before church, we woke up early and looked around the house for our Easter baskets.

When I was seven, my little sister Laura Grace was born sleeping and went to heaven in May. Every year we celebrate her birth and go see her beautiful stone at the cemetery. Full of releasing balloons into the sky and planting new flowers. The only thing I remember from her funeral was singing Jesus Loves Me and watching my family cry. I was still too young to understand everything.

Through the years, both of my siblings joined me at the private school. We had our favorite teachers and the school lunches were actually good. Our classes had less than fifteen kids in them and we all grew up together. The boys ran from the girls because they had cooties. We raced on the swings to see who get the highest. Every Wednesday we had chapel and in class we had coloring contests. Twice a year we had a musical and performed for family & friends.

By the time I was nine, my second baby brother was born. Mom & dad and four kids. We went on camping trips, saw fireworks on the fourth of July, and went to the beach in the summer. When school started in the fall we took "first day" pictures and mom drove us in the suburban. We raked leaves piles and jumped in them. In the winter we drove snowmobiles and went ice-skating in our backyard.

After a few years of trying to homeschool and eventually switching to a charter school, we adopted from Ethiopia, Africa when I was thirteen. Adding a fifth to the bunch just made life more beautiful and messy. We moved from our childhood home and took our swing set with us. Youth group trips, family trips to the big city, growing up, and moving again.

Seven. Together we live this life. We navigate the ups and downs. Whether it's dirt roads or a college campus. 8 years old or 18 years old. Living a small town life is what we know. We learn, we grow, we live.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

My Favorite Fashion Blogs

It seems to be more and more popular these days to have a fashion blog. Whether it's OOTD's (outfits of the day), fashion photo shoots, makeup tutorials, or shopping hauls. I've seen these blogs become more common throughout the last couple years. Let me mention, I LOVE fashion blogs! The ladies who have fashion blogs all have such unique styles and I love reading them and scrolling through their pictures.

So today, I thought I'd give a little shout out to my favorite fashion blogs. I'm going to do my best and find ones that all have different styles preferences so there are different varieties. They will be numbered in alphabetical order, not by most/least favorites.

#1: belle vie
Haley is a college student who just got engaged. She finds incredible deals at thrift stores and let me tell you, she rocks at finding the cutest clothes for the best prices. Besides style, she talks about her college experiences, wedding planning, and her favorite moments in life.

#2: Classy Girls Wear Pearls
Sarah is an international blogger who reaches thousands of people with her beautiful style blog. She has an elegant and classy sense of style and she expresses it perfectly. Besides her wardrobe she includes pictures of her friends, beautiful vacations, and exciting parties.

#3: The Freckled Fox
Emily is a gorgeous mom of soon to be 5 kiddos and an incredible lifestyle blogger. She is most popular for her many hair tutorials and trust me, you can find any hair style ever on her blog. Including her beautiful hair, she blogs about maternity, her family, and her busy life.

#4: Into the Woods
Alexandra owns a beautiful vintage fashion blog. She often makes some of her own clothes and creates the perfect classic outfits. Aside from pictures of her style she wears the cutest jewelry, creates makeup tutorials, and her photos could be on the front of magazines.

#5: Rachel Lately
Rachel is an Austin, Texas fashion blogger. She shops at popular places but finds the trendiest ways to put outfits together. She loves her hometown, showing pictures of her travels, and gives great advice.

If any of these blogs seem to interest you, go ahead and click the link and it will bring you right to the homepage of the blog. These ladies know their fashion!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Snowdaze 2015

Last month, my friends and I spent too much time getting ready for our last snowdaze dance altogether. Some of my friends (including my sister) who are juniors, will still have next year to go to, but for us seniors it was our last one. Senior year is already half way over and these last events have really been bitter-sweet.

So on January 31st, 2015 I attended my last snowdaze dance with my best friends and we danced all night long and had a blast!

Love these girls with all my heart! 

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Looking Back on 2 0 1 4

2014 was such a great year! Looking back I learned many lessons, gained new skills, experienced joy & heartbreak, accomplished my goals, and planned new adventures.

One thing I've noticed about 2014 is that everyone around me, hated it. Friends, family, strangers, people on social media - just about everyone. They post things saying "2014 was supposed to be the best year of my life, but it was the worst." Or say "Goodness I'm glad that's over, here's to 2015." I find it sad that looking back on a full year - 365 complete days, that people find it collectively awful. So sad.

I'm thankful for the entire year - good & bad. For what I learned and what I'll learn in the coming year. Whether you look at the glass half empty or half full, is your choice. Even if you're looking back at 2014 or looking ahead at 2015. Stay positive, there's a lot out there in the world to experience. You won't always experience good but you also won't always experience bad.

Here's my year in 2014.

In January, my school hosted our annual Snowdaze dance, and that was a blast! Me & my entire group of friends are counting the days until this year's dance! And sadly for us seniors, it will be our last Snowdaze altogether.

In February, I took my annual blogging break  and took time for myself to reflect on my life and the chaotic busyness of it all. 

In March, the first day of spring came & that included getting myself back into shape before summer.

In April, I got my first job, got a prom date, and stayed busy with school & managing the boys' varsity basketball team at my school.

In May, my friends and I took way too many pictures, walked across the stage at grand march, and danced the night away at our junior prom. 

In June, I posted my first Summer Instagram post and showed you pictures of my life.

In July & August, I was staying busy with all the summer activities; volleyball captains practices, getting my senior pictures taken, and being with my family. I also did a little post on my adorable brothers and reflected on the great time my youth group & I had down in Kansas City doing missions work and attending a youth conference.

In September, I did a post early in my volleyball season and talked about my team and how much we were progressing. Also, I re-winded through summer with Instagram and said how much I would miss the freedom before I started my first semester as a PSEO college student.

In October, I was in my second month of college classes, in the middle of my volleyball season, and Fall was right around the corner. When the days get cooler and the nights get longer, that only means one thing - Homecoming. I attended my last homecoming dance and became homecoming queen for my fantastic senior class.

In November & December, I finished my last season of high school volleyball and recapped my senior season. Then, a couple weeks later I turned 18 and got accepted into my #1 college. 

2 0 1 4 has been a blast! Full of memories - things I'll always remember and things I want to forget. Life is extraordinary and everyone has their own journey. I'm excited of what 2014 gave me and looking forward to the journey ahead in 2015.

Thanks for following along!

xoxo, Michlyn

Challenge 2014

This year, my sister Erin and I went on a trip with our youth group to Kansas City, Missouri for a week. It was amazing, life changing, stretching, and moving. I loved every bit of the trip and seeing how God used everybody to do His work and to reach others about his love and mercy.

5,300 + teenagers
1,000 + leaders / youth pastors
39 states + singapore & austraila
7 fantastic speakers
2 incredible bands
vans, buses, and planes

...and we all came together to serve our amazing Jesus, learn about his restoration, reach the community of Kansas City, worship Him with our praise, and come together as the body of Christ to His work. I can't begin to describe this trip to you...It was a "had to be there experience". We did service work like painting houses, picking up trash, and landscaping. We met new people from different states and exchanged jokes about accents from Minnesota, Nebraska, and Texas. :) It was an unforgettable trip because it involves unique opportunities that you can only experience at the Challenge Conference. It's an unbelievable time.

So instead of me continuing to blabber on about it, here's some pictures for you to look at and see if you can gather why you must get yourself to a Challenge conference before you graduate high school. The next one is in Louisville, Kentucky in July of 2016 so make sure you talk to your youth pastor and get you & your youth group there. You won't regret it.

Service projects, playing card games, late night girl talk in our hotel rooms, j-walking because we're too impatient for crosswalk lights, worshiping Jesus with an Irish band, learning new songs with a band from our home state (MN proud), taking too many pictures, swimming, doing prayer walks around the city in 102F heat, meeting new friends, tweeting #ChallengeKC 5 times a day, long bus ride memories, growing more in my faith, and learning more about my restoration in Christ...would not even sum up Challenge but it's close enough. :)

Our youth group also stopped at Adventure Land in Des Moines, Iowa for some amusement park fun after a crazy week and it was awesome!

We serve one amazing God and I'm so excited to travel to Louisville in 2016 as Challenge staff!

Restored.
Live the story. Tell the story.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

~PROM 2014~

Last Saturday on May 3rd, 2014 - me, my sister, and one of our best friends (Katelynn) plus our dates...went to PROM!

It was so much fun! For Katelynn and I it was our Junior prom and for my sister Erin it was her Sophomore prom.

The day before we got our nails done, the morning of prom we got our hair done and then did our own makeup, and then the guys came to our house to pick us up. We took soooo many pictures, and it did get kind of tiring but we do want to remember somethings from high school. :)

The guys picked us up at about 1:45pm and then we took pictures at our house, then went to a baseball field near school, next we went to a park that was also near a pond and a bridge, and then it was off to school for grand march at 4:00pm. (Yes we took that many pictures)

At school we had some professional pictures taken before grand march, then waited for all the couples to get announced, and then our group of 6 headed to the river boat for the night :) We had dinner and danced all night long...well at least until 11:00pm. After prom and having the guys drive us back home, we didn't get to bed until 2:00am. Many memories were made and we can't wait for next year to be even better!

xoxo,

~Michlyn