day 91 - end of a great week

we finished off the week this fine saturday with a day filled with the beach, sun and soccer. we brought our soccer goals and ball and had a friendly match parents vs. kids.

 i'm proud to announce that parents took the kids in a 5-4 upset!!!  yes, i even scored 3 of the goals - i'm pretty sure i impressed the socks off my kids with my crazy soccer skills :)

as the afternoon went on we could see storm clouds forming in the distance.  this was the amazing sight that passed over us.  it was a very quick moving system and we had plenty of sunshine to finish off our day! 

tomorrow starts a brand new vacation week, a new month and a new journey in our lives.  today marks dave's last day as pastor of renovate.  we have had a wonderful journey with our church family and are blessed beyond words to have walked life with them over the last five years.  although we are walking into a season with so many unknowns we are really excited to see where God will lead our family and thankful for the time we have today to be a family on vacation :)

day 90 - "...when the sun goes down..."

".... a palm island moon arise on a night in paradise. when the sun goes down in the gulf of mexico"  this is one of our favorite captain red beard tunes.  we find ourselves singing the song all throughout the year in anticipation of seeing our friend the pirate and all of the wonderful sunsets on palm island.

 we first met captain red beard the first year we came to the island.  hanging out with captain red beard is one of the many highlights of our trip each year.  our friendly pirate has a show every friday night and then hosts crafts a couple of days during the week.  the kids are already highly anticipating this sunday for craft day!  although the kids were a bit more unwilling to go forward and scream the songs from the tops of their lungs as in years past it was fun, none the less, to catch them singing along to the songs we all know so well.

in the spirit of the song i thought i would post one of the beautiful sunsets we experienced the other night.  beautiful!

day 89 - another amazing day

we had another amazing day!  the sun shone in all it's glory and we enjoyed it to the fullest.  we got homework out of the way as soon as we could and then headed over to see captain red beard (more to come on him in the coming days).  once we had ice cream cones in hand we continued on our golf cart to stump pass and watched a bunch of dolphins swimming in the waters as we searched for coral, shells and sharks teeth.  the golf cart is what we use to get around - no need for the car!!

 once back at the condo i got our fishing gear out and we headed back out to the water to see what we could pull out.  i taught lilly how to cast this year all on her own and she caught her first fish off her first cast.  she never handed her pole over and stayed with it until all the bait (frozen shrimp) was gone.  she caught two more fish throughout the afternoon sharing one with the guy near us adding a nice size "whitey" to his dinner collection.  the boys both threw their lines in the water for a few casts and both caught little fish both on their first casts of the day too.  neither of them were as interested in it as lilly - that's my girl!

 we decided to try a new restaurant for dinner tonight.  which meant we got to take a water taxi off the island.  captain kelly asked if any the kids wanted to drive the boat.  lilly and luke both hesitated under the pressure but caleb stood up and took over.  we had a wonderful dinner and laughed so hard around the dinner table.

i know i say it all the time but, i love my family.  i am so thankful for them and can't wait to see what the days ahead hold for us!!

day 88 - games and more

we closed out our evening with a rousing game of settlers.  i came out as the winner - WHOO HOO!!  i love beating the boys and they hate losing to their mom.  the whole thing kinda cracks me up. 

 we had a ridiculously fun day going between the pool, beach, gulf waters, dinner at sunset.  i began my third book of the trip and got stung by s stingray - quite a fun filled day!!  fortunately, it looks as though i must have stepped on a small little stingray because i didn't experience anything but throbbing pain in my foot.  i am hopeful it won't cause me any further discomfort and we will all for sure remember to shuffle our feet while in the surf. 

day 86 - new view

This is our spectacular view for the next two weeks. We love this place and can't believe we are here again for another fabulous vacation!!!

day 85 - road trip

We are in route to Florida. This is pur 8th year going down as a family and we treasure this vacation and the time we are able to spend together. Although the drive is long - we have a blast singing, playing the alphabet game, watching movies and eating at the waffle house!!!

day 84 - hunger games

over the last year I have heard over and over again about the hunger games. I have even ventured with the intent to purchase the book a couple of times and then left the store with another book in hand. When my oldest came home from school this past week asking to get a copy I figured I better go and get it and make sure it was appropriate for him.

I went to bed last night and thought I would begin the book before I drifted off to sleep. The next thing i knew it was 5:30 in the morning and I was reading the final page!!! I indeed read the entire book in one sitting and really enjoyed it. Yes, it is teeny and a very easy read but it was also thought provoking and sweet and PG gruesome.

I'm curious, have you read the book or series? What are your thoughts? Movie or no?

day 83 - chess match

tonight i got my pants beat in chess by my 10 year old!  i am STILL coughing and not feeling well and all i really want to do is sleep or lay around and watch a movie.  luke on the other hand wanted to play - bless his heart.

chess is one of the few games i enjoy playing.  i love the one on one interaction and the conversations around a chess board are priceless.  i do crack up every time we use this particular board to play with - i can't ever remember what transformer character is which piece. 

day 82 - be the change

i thought it would be fun to share a piece i designed that is currently available for purchase at meijers!  it really is fun to walk into a store and see your art.  keep your eyes peeled the beginning of may for a entire endcap of misty michelle designs.  i'm thinking i'll post some sneak peeks with a little background story in the coming weeks.  needless to say i'm a little bit excited! 

so, i'm debating about selling my stuff on etsy too.  although i would have to charge more than what the product would sell in say a meijers - i think it would be a fun way to test market and get feedback.  thoughts?

day 81 - new toy

After a trade in and birthday cash I am the proud new owner of the "new iPad". Lord knows I couldn't let Dave have the newest toy in our house for all that long :)

day 80 - flowers

I am a sucker for flowers. I love everything about them. Lily of the valley are my all time favorites. It is amazing to me how many flowers have begun blooming already - even in my own yard!! Who knew we could have flowers blooming in march!

day 79 - facetime

around our house we have found technology to be more wonderful than frustrating. i attribute most of this thinking to our array of mac products!  one of the awesome things we are able to enjoy is FaceTime.  gotta love the technology that allows you to have a face to face conversation through your phone, computer or ipad.  today we were able to have such a conversation with our friends in chicago and wish our sweet friend sydney a very happy 7th birthday!

day 78 - 36

today i celebrated my 36th birthday.  as dave has lovingly reminded me i am now in my mid to late 30's!  which also means i am closer to 40 than 30 - wow, how time flies by.

unfortunately i spent my birthday mostly in bed.  i am still fighting off a nasty cold and no matter how hard i keep trying to convince myself i am feeling better it keeps getting the best of me - boo!!  thankfully, the day was beautiful and i am sporting a wonderful new haircut thanks to becky who so willingly cut mine, lilly and lukes hair on our patio this afternoon.  i love my new bangs :)

after laying around and sleeping most of the day i finally felt like i needed to do something productive.  i called my girlfriend to see if it would work for them to bring their sweet little girl, jori, over for a photoshoot we had been trying to schedule for weeks.  it was a fun hour of watching jori and lilly run all over the yard.  i was able to get some great shots of the big 2 year old.

this is one of my favorites.  love this little girl!

day 77 - green

this year was the greenest st. patrick's day i can remember!  literally GREEN!!  who knew it could be in the 80's on march 17th and we would see new life everywhere you looked.  the grass is turning greener the flowers are beginning to grow and even bloom - it's amazing.  i asked my dad this evening if he remembered having a birthday that was this nice ever before.  he said the only one he ever remembered was back in 1979.  although he had never played 18 holes on his birthday.

tonight we had so much fun grilling out and getting out all of our lawn furniture to enjoy dinner out on the patio.

 becky made me wonderful sprinkles cupcakes for a yummy birthday treat.  they were soooo delish!!! i'm so glad we have extras for tomorrow.

 then we all took part in an evening facial.  yup, that's right, all of us!!  becky - you are the best!!! my face feels AWESOME!!

here's to my dad and sister in-law and their st. patty's birthdays!!! i love you so much and wish you both the best in the coming year!

day 76 - friends

there is nothing like your best friend finding his way into town!  so excited to spend time with friends this weekend.

day 75 - sick

Here is to hoping for more sleep less coughing!!

day 74 - vision

i had no idea how poor lilly's vision was until yesterday.  during her eye appointment i sat there stunned as i watched her fumble through trying to recognize the letters she was being asked to name.  as i sat there i couldn't help but ask myself, "how could you have missed this?", "you must be the worst mom not to recognize how bad your daughter's vision is", etc.  when the truth is, i am human.  i had no idea how poor her vision was because she has proven to be successful in spite of it.  she has never complained about not seeing.  in the end i realized beating myself up over not recognizing the issue didn't do anyone any good and the fact that we were finding out now was something to celebrate.

she picked out a cute pair of glasses yesterday and today we were able to go and pick them up.  the smiles that came next were priceless!  she kept pulling them down and pointing at how blurry something was and then putting them back on and saying, "now it's clear!".

day 73 - pizza

My brother owns JDs Pizza Co. He bought out the previous owner a few months ago and has been working his tail off ever since. He has made lots of improvements and has a great vision for what he'd like to see come of the place. Tonight he served 70 pizzas for an event at the school and needed a few extra hands. I was able to make the trip in and am always happy to lend a hand to my baby brother! After it was all said and done I got to make my own pizza (just the way I wanted it). Caleb snapped my picture. We had fun hanging out with the family and enjoying our fabulous pizza.

So, of you're ever in the Rockford area and find yourself hungry, go check out JD's and tell him Misty sent you!!!

day 71 - funny kid

Need I say more....

day 70 - bring on the soccer

our crazy soccer season started today with our first tournament.  luke played two games today and will have two more tomorrow.  the first game we got shut-out (0-9) and the second game we won (4-3).  it was fun to see the boys begin to play like a team again as the second game progressed.  it will be even more fun to watch them grow as the season continues.

although the actual season won't officially begin until after spring break - our teams started practicing last week.  we are all looking forward to a fun season ahead

in other news - i wanted to take a quick second to shout out a big happy 12th birthday to caleb's best friend nathan luckmann!!!  happy birthday lil' nate - we love you and can't wait to see you and your momma next week!!

day 69 - tv

these days i watch little to no tv.  all of the shows i used to watch have taken a backseat to life and to be honest i don't really feel like i am missing much.  the only show i have continued to maintain watching (via hulu) is fringe.  love me some jj abrams!!!

after an incredibly productive day around the house and a wonderful dinner with the family i cuddled up in my bed with my laptop and watched the latest episode.  seriously, i love this show.

day 68 - school projects

kill me now.  ok, maybe i shouldn't be so dramatic.  but you teachers out there, do you get your giggles on when you assign at home school projects?  i promise, i don't mind the hours/time/commitment it takes to work alongside my kids.  what i can't handle is the stress, tears, and frustration it causes between me and my kids.

 luke completed his book report project tonight.  he worked very hard and i couldn't be more proud of him.  i am also thankful for my husbands patience who can take over when i begin to lose my grip :)

after the kids went to bed dave and i reminisced about school projects.  can you believe we still have several of daves old projects from grade school packed away in the basement.  after it is all said and done we agreed the kids probably have just as difficult time as we do getting through these project.

day 67 - like home

Tonight Caleb took his first art class at a local studio. As he climbed into the van after his first two hours he said, "mom, it just felt like home" and his expression was one of sheer joy, enthusiasm and excitement. As he proceeded to tell me about the color wheel he had created and his reasoning behind his first project I couldn't help but have my heart melt. He found his niche his "home" for a season - what more could a mom want?

day 66 - trust

while lilly and i were riding the chairlift this past weekend together we saw a pretty amazing sight - a blind man downhill skiing.  he was wearing a brightly colored vest labeled "blind skier" and skiing alongside him was a companion who was speaking (actually more yelling), "good, good, LEFT, good, good RIGHT, etc.).  lilly and i sat with amazement as we watched this blind man zooming down the hill as though he had been skiing his entire life and knew exactly what to do. it was amazing to watch and over the last couple of days has brought on numerous conversations and thoughts with regards to trust, overcoming, disability, strength and empowerment. 

think about it for a minute...a blind man downhill skiing.  in my logical brain something didn't compute - didn't make sense.  i actually even thought, what in the world convinced this guy he could even do it.  did his mother/father/family love the sport enough to embrace the idea and teach him?  or maybe someone with a heart for the blind caught a vision of how to empower a blind person through skiing?  or maybe he just knew he needed to experience life to it's fullest potential and in his world that included skiing? seriously - who knows.  what i do know, is what it stirred in me.

again, i haven't been able to stop thinking about what our world would look like if we were able to confess that we have a need, disability, shortcoming, weakness (whatever you want to label it within yourself) and trusted the people around us to not only lead us but empower us to be successful in-spite of ourselves.  think of all we would be able to accomplish, vision, anticipate.... trust, it really is an amazing thing!

tonight lilly wanted to know what it would be like to eat dinner without using her eyes.  she realized very quickly that she needed help.  although it was a simple exercise it stirred on more conversation about what it means and looks like to really love and trust one another and how scary it can be to let go and trust.

day 65 - like family

it is a bizarre phenomenon that happens when a friend becomes more than just a friend and because more like family.  we have had the privilege of experiencing such a relationship with our dear friends the olthoffs.   over the last 5 years we have experienced a million laughs, games, tears, vacations, fun, watching our kids grow up, and just plain life.

i am blessed beyond words by you my sweet friends.  we love you!

day 64 - turning a corner

We have enjoyed skiing all season with the family. Dave and Lilly took on snowboarding and Luke and Caleb have been skiing. The boys have done well and have advanced accordingly. Lilly has had a bit of a longer learning curve on her board (which I hear is normal). Today she turned a corner in her skills and found a completely new confidence and in turn love/enthusiasm for snowboarding. I am so proud of her!!

day 63 - we made it!

Wow was there a lot of snow between Muskegon and Boyne. Although it took us a ridiculous amount of time to get here - we finally made it safe and sound. We were able to ski until close and squeezed every run we possibly could in. The kids are getting really good and it's amazing to think of how far they have all come this season in their abilities. As all five of us were speeding down the hill this evening I couldn't help but smile and be soooo thankful for the fact that we are able to share so much together.

Day 62 - room at the inn

We planned to head up north with some of our favorite people today to go skiing for the weekend up at Boyne. On our way up we realized the fight against cold/ice/freezing rain/wind/snow was not worth it. We ended up calling my dad and asking if he and Susan minded if 11 extra people crashed at their house for the night. After an emphatic yes all of us are having a blast being together laughing, enjoying each others company, being safe and sound, and anticipating fresh snow to ski in tomorrow!!!

day 61 - final touches

The final touches to our new showroom and design center are falling into place. This evening my three pieces for the stairwell heading up to the showroom were hung - they look awesome. Design. Create. Inspire.