New Transition

Small Town Girl will be having a little transition.

From my last post, you'll read about my life currently and how a few things have changed. These changes are less external, and more internal regarding my perspective and decisions. Let me explain a little bit more.

Recently, I'm more focused on my education and not just "getting by" but actually putting in all my effort towards my classes and grades. In my last semester of college, I only received A's & B's - that was the first time since 8th grade. I realized that if I'm willing to put in more work for a shorter period of time, then I will experience the benefits afterwards. So in the next couple of months, I will finish a summer class, register for state tests, and have an interview to get into The School of Education at UNW. To say I have a lot ahead of me, is an understatement, but I'm looking forward to those adventures. :)

Also, since I'm working 3 jobs this summer, I have a lot less time to blog and keep up with everything going on in my life. However, I still LOVE to write. I'm constantly typing up small paragraphs on my phone, writing quotes in a notebook, or occasionally getting on my laptop to type up a blog post. Writing is how I best express my thoughts and experiences.

So with all of that being said, my blog, will be transitioning to more of a journal. I've been away since March, and during that time I really felt no pressure to hurry and get a new post on my blog. Blogging is something that I love to do, but  I don't want to feel any pressure to have the most page views, or followers, or shares. I just want a place to document my life and have fun reading my fellow writers' blogs as well.

For the future, you'll still see posts, pictures, and life updates from me, but just whenever I have the time. I hope you'll continue to stop by, enjoy catching up, and looking at pictures. Feel free to follow me on Instagram, find me on twitter, or shoot me an email - I'm always checking my social media and texts or emails from people.

Thanks for always being such fantastic followers and great friends, too.

xoxo,

Michlyn

One. Week. Left.

Guys the time is winding down!! In just over a week, I'll be back home with my family & my dogs & working & having no school work.
Can't. Wait.

College has been much tougher than I ever thought it would be. Many different aspects tie into the first semester being a little challenging but this too shall pass. I've learned SO much and am just taking more and more steps towards my ultimate goal - which I'm incredibly excited about.

With no set schedule (besides classes), little sleep, homework, and other various socially & mentally draining events - you get a little exhausted. So I'm very much looking forward to being home for almost a month!

Highlights of my first semester?

- Getting to know my roommates better & we're actually adding our best friend to our dorm room next semester :)
-Yes, we were one of those dorms that bought a "pet" fish. Hank Alexander Nigel Sven I - aka Hans. (long story, don't ask. We just call him Hank)
- I'm very thankful for the weekends I got to go home - a lot of students aren't able to.
- Random adventures to Target.
- Playing Just Dance with my roomies until midnight - and losing every single time I might add.
- The support of friends & family! I couldn't do this journey alone.
- My GORGEOUS campus - any season is picturesque.
- Extremely thankful for my boyfriend who pushes me to do my best & supports me through everything. Going to college with him has been such a blessing!
- Also, my sister Erin is my biggest support. She wouldn't complain when I texted her ranting or upset. She drove the 2 hour commute to come see me on weekends I was alone (or just bored). She totally understands me & my heart. It's tough not sharing a room with her anymore but I know we'll be there for each other in everything we do.

Praying all my lovely followers have a safe & blessed Holiday season. Enjoy those around you and don't take them for granted. Remember the real reason for Christmas. I'll be back soon!

xoxo,
~Michlyn

Preparing

The countdown has begun. Only 12 more days until I'm moving onto my college campus. TWELVE.

Nerves are kicking in. Excitement is rising. Dorm checklist is getting smaller. Time is getting shorter.

I'm preparing myself for the unexpected. I've never done this college thing before. I know I'm going to love it. I know it's going to be different. I just don't know what to expect. My friends and I are all going different ways. An hour away from home. Taking a year off. A couple are moving east and a couple are moving west. My best friend found her dream college 5 hours away from me. We're all just preparing ourselves for change.

We've done it before. When your childhood best friend and her family moved across the country. Or when your parents got divorced. You had your "goodbye dance" after middle school and prepared yourself for freshman year of high school. Now it's a little different though. We won't all have our parents to pay for our groceries and car insurance. We'll have to schedule our own appointments and buy our own clothes for a job interview. It's all changing.

But it's a good change. Growing up is intimidating and thrilling. We'll all do it individually and life will get busier and more exciting. We'll meet new people and call them our soul mates. We'll forget those girls in high school that only strived for beauty and popularity; not intellect and originality.

Life is a journey and nobody travels it exactly the same way. So I'm just preparing myself - my mind, my heart, to strive for my dreams and pray that God will always be by my side.

And every little (or big) thing is gonna be alright.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

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

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

Liar, Liar

Oh boy, where do I begin? :) I always say "I'm coming back guys, don't worry" "I'm going to start blogging more again". Haha well if those aren't lies then I don't know what is.

My life is always busy, there's no doubt about it. Friends, family, church, volleyball, school, work...The list goes on and on. Thought I'd do a little catch up on my life since I've got some actual free time today!

School - This year I started my first year of college classes. I'm doing PSEO (Post Secondary Education Option) through my high school. Which means I'm still in high school but I'm also getting free college credits at the same time. My sister did PSEO with me this year and we have a lot of friends from school doing the same thing, so it's been really fun and a little more flexible. I'm also a senior in high school, which means I'm making the most of everything I can. :) Senior trip, school dances, sports games, etc...It's been a blast so far!

Work - I only work weekends because I have school and play a sport as well. So once volleyball is over, I'll get back to working more and making a little more $$$. I love my job and everyone I work with is really nice and fun. Really blessed to have an opportunity to work there :)

Volleyball - I am one of the captains on our varsity volleyball team this year. I have the pleasure of sharing the "title" of captain with 2 other really great girls and our small varsity team of 11 girls always knows how to make me so so proud in all that they do! They always make me laugh on my worst days and we're like one big group of sisters. :) I'm sad that it's my last season with these girls, but I know God has great plans for all of us in the future.

Summer went by way too fast and senior year is in full swing as we're already at Homecoming Weekend! I'll be posting some catch up posts on summer and scheduling some posts on my life currently, so get ready for those. Thank you to everyone who still stops by and reads about my life and leaves sweet comments. You guys keep me going!

xoxo,
~Michlyn

Stopping By

Hey everyone,

I know I haven't been around here this summer, but I'm coming back! Life has been crazy and messy and chaotic but in the midst of all that, I've really missed writing. Blogging, especially, is a stress reliever for me because it's something I love to do, it passes time, and it's fun. Plus I have all you wonderful followers who take the time to read and skim through my little blog. :)

What have I been up to? Keeping myself busy as always, there's never too many dull moments in my life. I've been working a lot, babysitting, getting back into shape for volleyball, going to the beach, playing volleyball, drinking too much coffee, had my senior pictures taken, having youth group bonfires, and spending time at home with my family.

Here's a sneak peak of my senior pics - Look around the blog, there's a few more

All pictures belong to Bees Knees Photography - Please don't copyright or steal them. 

This summer hasn't been too crazy and there's still some things I need to do before it's over! I can't believe August is only 10 days away...Time slips away too fast. I recently took a trip to Kansas City with my youth group and that was incredible! (post on that really soon) Still need to do the annual trip to Valleyfair, have a couple more bonfires, and definitely go to the beach more. Unfortunately, where I live, it's not as hot and sunny as I'd like it to be in the summer but when the sun does come out, the beach is a must.

Ok well that's all for now...I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Get outside, don't scroll through twitter or facebook for very long ;)

Have a fabulous day!
~Michlyn

Blogging Break

Hey everyone! I know I haven't been posting as much in the last month or so, and I'm sorry if I've completely bored you to death. :) I've written many posts about the chaotic, crazy, and fun life I lead. I've talked about my stresses and praises and my adventures and reflections. I thank everyone for following along and reading about my busy life. I love getting feed back and encouragement from anyone who reads along...it just makes me want to blog even more.

I usually take at least one blogging break a year and maybe a couple more unnoticed ones as well. With all the responsibility I have at home, the fun I have with friends, school being a little extra hard this year, and trying to manage a basketball team and find time for myself - Things get a little hectic sometimes. The thing is I never give myself a break...I've always been a people pleaser. I don't like to disappoint others; I like to help them and encourage them and think about them before myself. And as much as I hate talking about myself...I need to.

I need to make myself happy as much as I can make others happy. So sometimes taking a few steps back and clearing my to-do list for others is just what you need to do...and that's what I'm doing. I'll probably be gone most of February and I'll be taking some time for myself. Don't worry though...When I'm back, I'll catch you all up and hopefully have some pictures to post as well. :)

Thanks for being the most fantastic followers ever!
xoxo,
~Michlyn

P.S. To keep up with me while I'm absent from here...You'll probably see me on my social media sites more often. You can find me on twitter, instagram, or shoot me an email. Just click the 'Contact' tab above!

The New Year

2014 has brought a whole different adventure of busy and crazy into my life. I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't have something to do...even if I say I'm bored there's probably something that I could do to keep me busy. Obviously blogging has not been one of those things that I've chosen to do ;)

Some current things in my life right now --

Our school's Snowdaze dance is exactly one week away...

I'm managing the boy's basketball team at this year...

Waiting for my best friend to finish reading Divergent so I can borrow it from her...

Planning a trip with my youth group in July...

My family needs to move by the end of May...

There is constantly something new that pops up in my life and sometimes it's stressful and hard and sometimes it's good and exciting. One thing I can always count on is prayer and knowing that our Saviour with get me through anything and that His plan is always better than mine. :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their January so far. I'll be back soon!

xoxo,
~Michlyn

Reflecting.

This is a post mostly for myself. Something that I need to write down so I can come back and remember. If you want to, go ahead and read along but I warn you - it might get a little long and be a tad boring. :)

Looking back on this year, it has been a year of growth and struggle. Good struggle & bad struggle. A full year of fitting pieces of a puzzle back together, erasing scars of my heart, and opening new doors. I look back and realize that I fit a lot into this past year and it brings nothing but joy. I had a lot of stressful moments but I had support and comfort after the storm. And that just brings joy that overpowers all the hard times. For that I'm thankful.

But something else I've noticed is that I have not grown in my faith with God. And that's something I've really struggled with in the past 2 years. You can go read this post and that gives you a little smidgeon of info. We lost our youth pastor around that time and it's been hard ever since. (We do have a new youth pastor now and he is super awesome! Just losing the one before him was pretty rough for a while) Someone really special to me asked me the other day "How is your walk with God?" and all I felt was disappointment. In myself. In my church. In my heart.

My faith has been tested a lot over the past 2 years and I've realized that I rarely turned to God when I needed something or was hurting. I turned to my friends or raged at my parents or cried alone in my room or complained to God. I never prayed to Him or thanked Him or cried out to Him. And I'm SO THANKFUL to everyone in my life who has and will always be there for me in hard times. Whether it's girls from my team, my parents, my best friends, or my grandparents. But most of all I'm so thankful to have a God that is so forgiving, so loyal, and so selfless. If it wasn't for Him not giving up on me or letting me give up on myself then I'd be in a lower spot in my faith than I am right now.

I'm the girl that tries to always have a smile on her face, who hates letting people down, and has a positive outlook on life. My life is beautiful. And there are times when I think "my life couldn't get any better" and times when I think "my life couldn't get any worse". But whether it's good, bad, or beautiful - it's not perfect and I'm not perfect.

So reflecting back on this year it's been an adventure. A crazy one. In 2014, I want it to be even crazier. I want to be crazy for God and for the life and future He has for me. Not the plans I have for myself but the plans that HE has for me. I want to strive to learn about Him and to seek Him in all that I do.

"But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me." 2 Timothy 4:17

xoxo,
~Michlyn

2013 Year in Review

Wow, can you believe 2013 is already over?!

One year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. Already in the rear view mirror of our lives.

This year, 2013, has brought unbelievable blessings and trials. God has shown me time and time again that no matter what we go through or how great our life seems to be, there will always be new adventures coming our way. Those adventures have shown me that God is the only one in charge of our lives and living it to glorify Him is going to be way easier than trying to do it our own way.

So cheers to 2014 and the great journey it will bring!

JANUARY

Snowdaze 2013 which you can read about here and here!

Braces came off for the second time! You can watch the video here.

 FEBRUARY

February photoshoot with Beka here.

Basketball games with the best friends ever! They became my life! Love supporting our school :)

MARCH

 Scenery from our dreadfully long winter here. I also decided to take a blogging break around this time - I usually take one or two a year.

APRIL

Had a blast at the youth conference District Blitz!

MAY

Finished Sophomore year!! Reviewed that in this post.

JUNE

Big sister got married!!!

JULY

Highlights of Summer 2013!

Little sister's 3rd gotcha day! You can read about our journey here and here.

AUGUST

Valleyfair 2013 with The Posse! :)

SEPTEMBER

Volleyball Season 2013!

Highlights of our season can be found here. So proud of these girls!

OCTOBER

 My cousin Kressi got married in October and our whole family was able to be there on her special day.

NOVEMBER 

I turned 17 this year! Read about some parts of my crazy life here and here.

Posse night in...Love my crazy group of friends!

DECEMBER

Merry Christmas and blessings in the new year! :)

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Christmas Instagram

Well it's that time already...Christmas 2013 is only 3 short days away! This year literally felt so short it's unbelievable. Time flies but memories last forever. (< yeah I'm pretty cheesy)

Thought I'd catch you up on my instagram feed as we all celebrate the most wonderful time of the year! :)

birthday cards & flowers// new beanie// getting pedicures// 

celebrating birthdays w/ my mom & sister// editing photoshoot pics// scarf selfie// best friend status//

message on my calculator (inside joke)// black & white selfie// sister bonding through homework//

my cousin & I on thanksgiving// random selfies// college emails// it's Christmas break, let's celebrate selfie//

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Volleyball Banquet

My volleyball banquet was in the beginning of November, so I'm posting this a little late but I wanted to go back and look at the memories we made. :) The girls are my second family and some of my best friends...the teach me life lessons, make me laugh, and work harder than a lot of girls I know. When ever I felt down or upset, one of my co-captains noticed and could always make me feel better. The bus rides to away games were always my favorite and we always had conversations that made us laugh until our stomachs hurt.

Looking back and thinking about the banquet not only makes me smile but brings tears to my eyes. I'm sooo proud to be one of the captains of this team and to see how hard they worked this past season. I LOVE YOU GIRLS SO MUCH!

Here's to the 2014 season!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

November Instagram

Hey everyone! There have been 6 official days of November...Can you believe it? It seems like every year goes faster and faster...only 2 more full months of 2013. Crazy.

So can you guess what tomorrow is? Yep, you guessed it...MY 17TH BIRTHDAY!!!! :) I'm so excited and since I have school this Thursday and Friday - my weekend is packed full of celebrating. Don't worry, I'll post about my celebrations here and on instagram. (follow me: michlynk_fisher) Speaking of instagram - here's my catch up of the last 2 months.

Oh and I would just like to note that we got our first official snowfall yesterday - So happy winterish fall :)

lunch date with my momma// fall scenery// see you at the pole// volleyball girls//

excited to play a rival team// struggling with junior year// volleyball selfies w/ the girls//

our favorite game of the season(pics with the other team)// babysitting my favorite 4 month old// cousin's wedding//

sunrise on the way to school// more homework// parents night from volleyball// sisters picture//

peace sign and duck face w/ the little bro// one of my fave nail polishes// posse night in// dressing up//

xoxo,

~Michlyn

At the Moment

I've been a little busy with being a crew leader at VBS, working, scrolling pinterest, volleyball, and sucking every great moment until summer is over. :(

So I thought I would update until I have my next photoshoot or event.

1. Wearing - sweats & a t-shirt

2. Eating - crackers

3. Listening to - True Love by Pink

4. Drinking - Water

5. Needing - to get one more good tan before school starts

6. Feeling - Sore & tired but I'm happy :)

7. Thinking of - my friends that I miss so much & can't wait to see again!

8. Weather - Cool & partly sunny

9. Doing - Relaxing all day until I have to babysit late tonight

10. Wanting - to get somethings checked off my to-do list

11. Enjoying - How busy I've been! Want to pack in as many things as possible for the rest of the summer!

Have you been busy this summer? Anyone else dreading school?

 xoxo,

~Michlyn

Right Now...

I've been a little busy with reading, enjoying the great weather (finally), and going to a wedding! (more on that soon)

So I thought I'd give you a small post to read for now. :)

1. Wearing - work out shorts & a t-shirt

2. Eating - pizza

3. Listening to - Mirrors by Justin Timberlake

4. Drinking - Water

5. Needing - a tan

6. Feeling - happy but have a slight headache

7. Thinking of - my friends that I miss so much & haven't seen yet this summer.

8. Weather - HOT & sunny

9. Doing - Relaxing after working all day

10. Wanting - to go shopping

11. Enjoying - just the summer in general. I've loved the break from school :)

Hope this post finds all of my wonderful followers well and that your summer is going splendid as well!

 Love to all!

~Michlyn

A Nomination, End of semester, & Drivers license Kind of Week

I did say I was going to be busy this week...

And BUSY I was!

I also said that there would be great stories and I do have those as well.

Here's a look into my busy week!

I mentioned before that our first semester of school was ending and Thursday was the last day! We are on a nice 4-day weekend break!! Which means it was full of tests, projects, and all late homework was due by the end of the day.

Little brother hard at work :)

Took a break and played some intense scrabble with my sister! 

I also mentioned in my last post that I was looking for a Snowdaze dress. Well I found one and thought I would give you a little sneak peek. :)

P.S. I also found out that I was nominated as one of the top 3 girls in my grade for Snowdaze Princess!

Oh and my amazing friend Megan was nominated too!! :)

Since this week wasn't stressful enough *sarcastic cough*, I also decided I was going to try my license test again. For those of you who don't know...I failed the first time at the end of December. I PASSED! Woooo I am now a licensed driver! :)

So it might  not seem stressful or busy, but put youth group, teaching AWANA at church, late nights, and a nerve attacking license test allll together and that's what you have! :)

I also got my braces off! (a whole other post about that coming in a few days)

Oh and I'm also guest posting right here today! Would love for you stop by Emma's blog and check it out!

~Michlyn

Lately in January

What have I been up to?

Pretty much this.........

Credit goes to Pinterest for this pic.

Scrolling through numerous websites looking for a Snowdaze dress.

Babysitting. Saving some mula for a car. and gas!

School. School. School. 1st semester ends next week.

Taking some winter scenery pics...the snow is still here in huge amounts.

WAY less instagramming. I guess around Christmas things are just so pretty to Instagram.

Cleaning...Seems like a tornado has hit my room every other day.

New nails designs. I've been experimenting...fun stuff thanks to Pinterest!

Shopping. One of my hobbies.

Wishful sleeping. I love taking naps after school. Unfortunately that hasn't happened for many weeks.

And blogging! I have fantastic followers :)

~Michlyn

P.S. Sorry I've been a little quiet lately. Not much to say...once this week is over...I should have some great stories coming this way. Have a restful weekend full of extra junk food, sleep, homework, and friends!