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

An Open Letter to my High School Best Friends

I recently read this post and thought why not write my own letter.
Because I'm gonna be honest. I. Miss. High. School. So. Much.

These girls were my everything. My support, my laughs, boy talk, pizza lovers, terrible dancers, and adventurers.
So here's to them and their beautiful futures.

The Laughs

Thank you for the endless laughs. The last minute sleepovers and girls nights. For helping me eat an entire pizza & cheesecake. For passing out on the couch because it was past 1am and we had just finished a dance party. For the "hot tub of truth" where we told our secrets and trusted each other to never tell anyone.

Memories

Freshman to Senior year - you girls are apart of my favorite memories. Color coordinating our dresses for Snowdaze. Taking pictures together before Prom. Dominating an entire lunch table Sophomore year because we didn't want to sit with anyone else. When we were the most athletic girls in gym class because we actually took the ridiculous "volleyball session" seriously. Always trying to sit next to each other in choir so we could actually learn the song correctly. Making signs for our friends and holding them up in the stands when they won their section title game.

Opportunities

Getting to go on my senior trip and enjoy every part of it with you by my side. Graduating high school with all of you in the auditorium with me. Learning how to drive and getting our first cars to carpool every where together. We made the varsity team together and played side by side on the court. Celebrating our birthdays, first jobs, first kisses. I'm thankful that I got to experience the best moments of my life with you girls.

What I Missed

Sorry I wasn't there for you when you broke up with your boyfriend. Sorry we only hung out once over the summer because we were "too busy". I'm sorry I missed your last high school basketball game. I wish I was there when you found out you got into your dream college. I wish I could have punched the guy that broke your heart. I wish I hadn't missed so much.

For the Future

So. To your beautiful journeys ahead. I wish you the best. I hope you can reach a 4.0 gpa. I hope you find new friends that make your heart happy and make you laugh. I hope you're never afraid to hold back and to fight for what you believe in. I wish you the best 4 years in college; I know you'll do great, just like you did in high school. Drink lots of coffee, buy lots of clothes, go on as many adventures as you can. I know you'll achieve great things.

Dedicated to the girls that stood by me in everything. My life wouldn't have been as exciting or fulfilling without all of you as my sidekicks.

xoxo,
~Michlyn

College Life

The last 3 1/2 weeks have flown by so incredibly fast.

All the nerves, anxiousness, and worries are gone. Replaced with new friends, joy, and college adventures. Let's rewind just a little bit...

Family selfie after the truck was loaded up

On August 18th, I moved into my college dorm and started orientation.

The next day, August 19th, at 5:30am I woke up to tryout for the varsity volleyball team. I didn't make the team but it was so fun to meet the girls and get to be on the court again.

Then on August 21st my roommates moved in! They have the same name (Brooke) and so we now go by nicknames based on our last names. We get along so well and we're already really close. That same day my boyfriend (Derek) also moved into his dorm and it's such a blessing to have him on the same campus!

From the 21st-25th, we had constant freshman orientation activities. Met with our orientation leaders, our entire orientation group of 20+ people. We did volunteer work in the community, played "name games", went to chapel together, and had so many informational sessions I thought my head was going to explode.

Goodbye pictures with my brothers

Move in day with Derek :)

Me and "the Brookes" (roommates)

Despite how exhausting and full our days were, it was a lot of fun and my roommates and I got to know our group really well! Classes started on August 26th, and we're just about to go into our 4th week of classes! Time flies so fast and it's insane that I've almost been here for an entire month. Lots of work. Lots of fun. Lots of memories.

First day of school selfie - I only did this for my mom because it's tradition :)

I've even gotten to go back home a couple times to see my younger siblings play soccer, and visit with some friends. Last week, Derek and I went back to our high school to watch my old volleyball teammates play their second home game! It was so fun to see them again and one of my best friends from high school came and watched with us too!

Erin and her best friend came to watch UNW's first football game!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their time back to school! I'll write again as soon as I have enough time :)

xoxo,

~Michlyn

The Rest of Summer {2015}

The summer after my senior year was probably the best summer of my life so far.

I gained such beautiful friendships and grew closer to those that I love. My "big sister" (actually my former babysitter that became a huge role model in my life and now I just call her my sister) and how much wisdom she pours into me without even trying. Her faith is so strong and it's so inspiring.

My amazing cousin who seeks out my time just to chat and catch up. Who randomly sends me bible verses for encouragement and wants to know how my day is going. We've been best friends since we were little and I love how our bond has only gotten stronger even though we see each other way less than we used to.

This summer I started dating my best friend and that has been such an incredible transition. He pushes me to do my best and believes in everything that I do. I love getting to talk to him about anything and know that he's going to support me. He made this summer one I will never forget.

Lots of memories. Lots of love. New beginnings are ahead.

xoxo,

~Michlyn

Prom 2015 {Senior Year}

On May 2nd, 2015 I went to my senior prom! My last high school dance ever...

I'm so thankful that I got to go with my best friend as my date and all of my favorite people got to spend the night together dancing, laughing, and making so many memories. We enjoyed every single part of the day/night and made it as fun as could be.

My sister, Erin, and I got our hair done at 10:00am and then finished our makeup and made it home in time to get in our dresses and put on our jewelry before my date showed up and it was time to go.

One part that does get sort of exhausting are all of the pictures that we take before we actually head to prom. Thankfully everyone was pretty patient and we had some very nice photographers & parents ready to capture the moments.

Pictures went from about 2-4:30pm with all of the driving to different locations and meeting up with different friends. Finally, at 5:00pm we all jumped in our super awesome cars (just kidding - nothing too extravagant) and headed to the river boat where our prom would be held from 6-11pm.

I had an absolute blast with some of my best friends! Time passed way too fast on prom night but we all enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we all followed each other back to our friends' house and ate more food and eventually crashed on the couch before the guys left.

Senior year has been full of so many incredible opportunities and sweet memories that I will never forget. I'm so looking forward to graduating with my amazing senior class in just 18 days, and then enjoying the summer before we all go our separate ways. Here's to the best prom I could of imagined!

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...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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