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
April 28, 2015
April 1, 2015
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
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
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.
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
March 27, 2015
Official Instagram
Hello followers! I've got some exciting news...Small Town Girl now has an official instagram!
I was searching the big vast internet and I came across some blogging tips. One of them especially stood out to me, and that was social media. My blog has always been under the radar and almost none of my friends know about it. I've told a few close people in my life and I've gained beautiful friendships through blogging, but I decided why not spread out a little bit?
So I'm excited to announce that the official instagram for my blog is: smalltowngirl_michlyn
I would love for you guys to follow along and join all the adventures to come here on my blog. Go scroll through my beautiful & messy life in pictures! Thanks for all the support everyone!
xoxo,
~Michlyn
xoxo,
~Michlyn
March 24, 2015
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
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
March 20, 2015
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
March 18, 2015
Printing Your Instagram Pictures
I don't do this very often but sometimes I like to pretend I'm artsy and write out tutorials for my blog. Today, I'm going to show you how to print your instagram pictures. I've seen this pinned on pinterest or on other blogs, but those tutorials required photo paper and fancy printers which I do not have the money for.
So as I searched for tips or tutorials on printing instagram pictures with good quality and within a reasonable price range, I noticed that there weren't too many that I found to be quick and easy to follow. Then, I finally came upon this post and it was perfectly laid out and I instantly started to follow along to get my pictures printed!
So now, I'm going to do a tutorial just like the one above and give you feedback on how my pictures turned out and hopefully you find this useful for your own experience.
First go to Persnickety Prints and you can either instantly upload your pictures or create an account that takes about 1 minute and then upload your pictures. Depending on how many you upload (I chose about 30), it could take a few minutes for all of the pictures to load.
Next, the pictures will load into a separate album and then you can name it so you remember what pictures you print. Once they all appear you can select "All" or individually select them to be printed for your order.
Since I wanted all of my uploaded pictures to be printed, I selected all of them and then a tab popped up to customize my order. It will show you all of the pictures that you intend to order and if you need to delete any then they have those options. Once you review your pictures you can click "order prints".
For the best quality, you want to choose a "photographic print" since your pictures will be printed after-all. Also, since instagram pictures are completely square you want to choose even dimensions so they are printed proportionally. Since they don't show you any prices, I'll give you a heads up and tell you that the 4x4 photographic prints run at about .50 cents a piece.
Make sure you only select the quantity to be ONE because that means you're only ordering 1 of each picture. I made the mistake of choosing 30 (because I had 30 prints) and my order got mixed up and I had to go back and change it. Finally, it will ask for your shipping address and payment info and you'll be set to go.
Ok now here's for the review part - You guys I'm in love!! They came within 3 business days and everything was packed neatly and perfect! They come in a small package that fits right inside your mailbox and they are protected just as pictures should be.
The pictures are packaged in two separate bags and the overview of your order is inside as well. They even sent coupons and a little thank you card! (you guys should know, I LOVE coupons)
At this point I was kind of holding my breath just waiting to see how my pictures turned out because despite the coupons, the pictures are what I payed for. They turned out beautiful! The quality was excellent, just like they would be shown on instagram. The size was perfect...not too big not too small. Whether you like to instagram square pictures or you're trying the new trend "rectangle instagramming" like me, the quality doesn't change.
Square, rectangle, borders, designs, collages...you name it and they all turned our perfect! With my 30 prints, plus regular shipping, my order cost about $15 and they also had a deal going on. Just google "persnickety print coupons" or check out their social media for any ways to save a couple dollars. All in all, I'm so happy I did this and very satisfied with the results. If it's not obvious I'll be doing this again very soon!
xoxo,
~Michlyn
February 28, 2015
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!
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
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