12 months = 365 days.

A lot can happen in a year whether it's good or bad. God has done a lot in my life this year and for the better. this idea came from my favorite author, I'm going to show you a picture of each month this past year.

In January 2015, I began preparing to graduate in May. It was a fun exciting time!

February,I walked my very last parents night. 4 years of parents nights. my parents have supported me in 

everything I do but especially cheer. 

March,I attended my first Focus conference with VOX youth, as well as participated in Peter Pan the Musical. It was a very busy month

In April, My Aunt Karen,Uncle Dave, cousins Patricia and Thomas came to visit us because they couldn't attend my grad party. It was so fun to have them in town!

May, I graduated after 12 years of hard work at Kalamazoo Christian! That month was a hard month because we found out my Grandpa has stage 4 bone cancer yet I radiated so much joy in the journey. Also a senior trip to Chicago, as well as EmPowered Conference were my life was changed and I gained so much more confidence. Also May was Senior Chapel, were I spoke and I told about confidence journey, so thankful that God gave me this opportunity. 

in June I was a very happy Indians fan because we beat them tigers. 

In July I got a job at Rykse's Restaurant and I absolutely love it! I work with amazing people, so thankful God placed these people in my life!

In August I got to hang out with my bestie Kendra, it included lunch, ice cream, talking about boys. 

In September I started College.

October came around and we found out some rad news that Grandpas cancer is going down! 

November, is Thanksgiving and I am very THANKFUL for my Grandma and my bond with her as well as my Grandpa. 

December, I finished my first semester at KVCC with a 4.0 GPA. My Dad literally had surgery 4 days ago on his shoulder. 

This year has been a lot of ups and downs. I've embraced this season I am in. I've embraced it with JOY and being Thankful! I am thankful for Jesus and for His love for me and his amazing grace and mercy for me. 2015 you've been good to me, but 2016 holds so much more for me!

The Countdown is on.

A week from Monday my Dad will be having complete shoulder reconstruction.

  Now I've been preparing for this for weeks, we found out in October that he'd finally be having surgery because it is really bad.

my perspective.

I've been trusting God and I know this will help Dad in the long run. I've been telling myself that I will be okay and I've got to be strong. After going to a few pre-surgical appointments with him. Today I wanted to go to his appointment with mom and him to hear more about what is going to happen on the day of surgery. Also if I had any questions I could ask them, I had none that I could think of because I was speechless. What happened at this appointment was they took x-rays and they wanted to see the flexibility he has. Now keep in mind, that I'd been telling myself I'm okay, God's got Him covered and He's going to be okay. But that's when I lost it, the Physician's Assistant asked me if I had any questions, I responded "no, I just want to cry and I proceeded to start to cry."
 As his daughter it is very hard for me to see him in pain and its very hard for me to hear about what they are going to do and to know he is going to be in pain for awhile and it will be painful for him to go through physical therapy. For the first six weeks he'll have some at home therapy to do.
   One thing I've really clung to during this whole process is the song Trust you by Lauren Daigle as well as Loyal by Lauren Daigle ( seriously, y'all should check those two songs out. they are ah-mazing!) I'm going to share the choruses of each of these songs. I've also really clung onto psalm 13:5 " But I trust in your unfailing love, I will rejoice because you have rescued me." I am so thankful for the peace that God has given me!

Loyal by Lauren Daigle

Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
More faithful than the rising sun
This grace for me I can't outrun
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal

Trust in You by Lauren Daigle
"When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!"

these have really helped me the last few weeks and I can tell you this these songs and verses are going to get me through the next few weeks and months. 

the countdown is on 9 days until Dad's surgery. 

xo my people. have a very Merry Christmas! 

Cancer you're going down!

 Over 6 months ago my Grandpa was diagnosed with stage 4 bone cancer. These last 6 months have not always been easy. You see, a few days after his treatment, he is tired, not really hungry but after those couple days it goes back to "normal" per se.
  You see for the first months of his diagnosis, I was really confused and really lived in doubt of what if he doesn't beat this and what if he dies? You see from that very moment I started praying Isaiah 53:5 over him.

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

Just last month we received great news that the Cancer was going down, and these past few days have been stressful because he's been in a lot of pain. So I began to worry about his appointment yesterday. BUT yesterday he got another great report the Cancer is still going DOWN! gosh I serve an amazing God!

I've learned a lot in these last 6 months..

• relying on God for everything not just when it's relevant for me
• standing on His promises for me 
• loving the time I get to still spend with my Grandpa
• starting each morning with God, searching His word 
• the power of prayer is so powerful and so active 
• being upset or mad about the problem isn't going to help anyone.
• I'm so thankful for my relationship with the Lord
• thankful for Jesus' unconditional love for me. 

Have a fabulous week! be thankful this week for what you have! Just because thanksgiving is over doesn't mean we stop being thankful! 

Xo 

speak love.

Man, I've definitely been challenged in my devotions lately especially with the one I read today. Today's was called Trash in. Trash out. Talking about what you put in you will come out like the music you're listening to, the tv you're watching. Just like Annie Downs, I've found myself influenced by especially the music I've been listening to. Today she encouraged us to take seven days to go on trash fast. Which means taking a step back and a break  from music and tv that is ungodly.
  So for the next seven days I will be filling my life with music that is honoring God. As I think of the amount of music I can listen to, it makes me so excited because I have so much music that I haven't listened to full length. I am so thankful for this challenge.
  Some of the music I am listening to is.

• Francesca Battistelli's albums- If We're Honest, My Paper Heart, Hundred More Years, Christmas
• Hillsong United albums- Empires.
• Natalie Grant- Be One Album
• Desperation Band- Banner Album
• CFC Worship- Break The Silence Album
• Kari Jobe- Majestic Album

Those are just some of my favorites to listen too!

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!
Xo  

where did the time go?

  Well almost 6 years ago, my Grandpa Ziegler passed away it was right after Thanksgiving in 2009. We knew his health was declining, so we made the trip to Ohio to spend time with him and Grandma and the whole family. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him or I don't see a lot of Grandpas characteristics in my Dad.
  One of my fondest memories with Grandpa was when I was 5 or 6 years old and he made a rooster because he loved working with wood and tools. So after I watched him make the rooster I painted it red and it is one of my biggest memories with him. Then there was this one summer we were visiting them and Grandpa was diabetic but when I went to the store he told me to pick up Oreos ( which grandma was not happy about at all.)
    Every Christmas I would call him and talk to him, that is one of the things I miss most about him! But after he passed away, I saw one of the Bibles he had and I asked Grandma if I could have it for keeps. Of course she said, yes when I'm really missing him, I pull it out and see the things he underlined or highlighted.
  Yes, I would have loved to have him been at my graduation and my grad party but I wouldn't wish all that pain he had just to see me because I know he was looking down from heaven. I learned a lot from Grandpa and I know he is proud of me and who I've become.
  When November comes around it is such a happy time,but it  brings a flood of emotions because I remember that whole day and night when my Grandpa passed away. I remember after finding out what had happened I cried myself to sleep and the next day I wrote a piece of writing about my Grandpa. The next day, I read it to my Grandma and she told me, she wanted me to read it at the funeral and not to change a single word in it. Believe me I was scared to change anything so I didn't. This was the piece I wrote and read at his funeral.

Floyd Charles Ziegler Jr.

My Grandpa was in the Navy and he was a very loyal husband to Grandma and a loyal father to four kids there names are Todd, Mark, Esther, and Karen. Grandpa also liked to spend time with his grand-kids and he did coin collections and he liked to do wood work. One time I made a rooster with him and we will remember all the good times we had with him. Grandpa went to be with the Lord at 11:10 pm in Wadsworth, Ohio at Wadsworth Hospital on November 28th,2009. Grandpa was born December 2,1934, he was 74 years old he would have been 75 today. Grandpa was a Man of God, he was a preacher. Grandpa was married 49 1/2 years to Grandma, we knew this was going to hapen but we didn't think this was going to happen so fast. Grandpa like to read. I love my Grandpa Ziegler and will miss him a lot: he was the best Grandpa I could ever have. I feel I was really close to Grandpa Ziegler we used to do stuff together. I remember one time I stayed home with Grandpa I had a fun time. We will miss him a great deal. But we know he is not in any pain and he is watching over us and he will always be in my heart and there is a little bit of Grandpa in all of us it is in our hearts and we will have our ups and our downs. There will be days we will be fine and days we will cry. Grandpa was a beloved Veteran, husband, father, and grandfather. He will look down from Heaven and say "Now thes are family members I know and love."
1934-2009
I love you Grandpa
Micaela Ziegler
Granddaughter

keep your loved ones close and hug them tight!

have a great week!

fall craziness.

  I come with good news, my Grandpa's cancer is low which means its going down. Which is amazing news and I'm praising Jesus for this amazing news and amazing breakthrough. When I found out I was in complete awe and I just couldn't stop saying "Thank you Jesus".
  Being a college student is a little easier than I thought. I know that all my classes I have won't be easy for me but right now with the hard work I'm putting into my studies. I can't thank Jesus enough for all that He has done in my life these last couple of months. I give all the praise to Jesus! I think of Psalm 100. Jesus has gotten me through the first 8 weeks and he'll get me through the last 7 weeks! Here's to finishing the semester strong!

Psalm 100
1     Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Be encouraged by this scripture! 

Have a great week! Xo 

My Confidence Journey.

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks I've been super busy with school and work. I thought I would share my confidence journey with you all. I just finished writing my first college paper on it.

Confidence hasn’t always been an easy characteristic for me to grasp hold of. As I said in my little paragraph of who has effected me and why, it took me awhile it was not an overnight process it took time. In a major way confidence has helped me become bold when making a decision and not to be timid like a rabbit. If I were to give confidence a definition for how much it has helped me it would be these few words bold, outgoing and,don’t not try something because you are too scared.

At first, I wasn’t to sure about this whole confidence deal. I mean I was fine, I had my friends and everything in my world was going great, at least that is what I thought. One day my junior year of high school I was being my normal self but not the bubbly,happy, smiley person I was as a freshman. So I decided to go to my guidance counselor and I asked her for help. I told her I was up for the challenge and that I wanted to become more confident in who I was. Right there it began, my “confidence training”, Each Friday I would go to her office and she would give me a challenge and depending on what I was struggling with that week it’d center around that issue. One of my first challenges was to raise my hand in class and ask the teacher a question I had. That week I asked a question in my history class and the two others in my math class. Friday came around and we talked about how my challenge had went and how I think it helped me become confident. Each week I’d do a new challenge and slowly I started gaining more confidence, I started talking more, and  standing up straight. One week I literally worked on looking people in the eye when I would talk to them. That was a really hard one to accomplish, because I did not like to confront a person and actually look them in the eye. There is a lot that happened those two years that she helped me with. Sometimes I would have to work on the same project just because I was having a really difficult time with it.

Next was putting the confidence that I had just gained, now it was time for me to put it into action. Whether that meant me being very talkative or if that meant me looking someone in the eye when I was talking to them. It took a lot of work, as I said in the beginning it wasn’t always easy. One of the big characteristics that I really learned is to be bold when I’m making a decision. Now when I have to make a decision, I tell myself “I’ve got this” and “I am going to do just fine” with whatever I choose”. One way this was put into action is when I went in to get my first job this past summer. I couldn’t be timid when I went into the restaurant to get an application. I had to be confident in asking for an application and it went really well when I went in to get an application. I ended up getting an interview later that week. So when I went into the interview I gave myself a little pep talk and I told myself “ you’ve got this, you are a very good candidate for this job, show them your bubbly, loveable self, go get em’ girl!”.

Finally, the biggest stepping stone I had to step over to really get my confidence to the top. I talked at senior chapel about my confidence journey and to be you for you, don’t be the you that your friends like just because they are influencing you a lot. In the end, friends come and go. People will always have something to say something about you that they don’t like about you. For me I really have to remember to be me for me, because at the end of the day my confidence is mine, it’s not someone else’s.  Now fast forward to this past spring, the morning of senior chapel, I was confident in myself and in the message I had to share and if I helped just one person then my job was done.

Gaining my confidence has been great for me because not only was it a little bit of a challenge to get at first but in the end all the hard work paid off. I’ve become more outgoing, I smile more, I found myself again since gaining confidence. It has truly changed my life. I’m not the same girl who walked into those high school doors.

summer 2015 recap

  This summer has been a whirlwind between graduation, looking for a job and accepting my dream job, registering for college, dinner at my grandparents every night.

Wow, were do I start? Well I'll start with this, I graduated, turned 19 and had my grad party and had a lot of lasts in the month of may! Well after that I started looking for a job, and looking, looking, and finally found my dream job. here is the back story to finding my job at Ryske's.

  When I was a little girl I used to go to Ryske's to eat when my grandparents would come and visit and I love their cinnamon rolls just a sidenote. So ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to work at Ryske's Restaurant. So one day in July I was scrolling through facebook and saw they were hiring. So I went and picked up an application, turned it in the same day, got a call the next day for an interview. Then I went in on Wednesday for the interview and was hired later that afternoon. I started that Friday as a busser. I absolutely love my job. Through that whole process I give all the Glory to God, God met me were I was at.

  I registered for my college courses while in the process of helping my mom with my Grandma and Grandpa, to tell you the least it isn't always easy. This summer has been  a whole lot of fun, a whole lot of family and a whole lot of Jesus.

psalm 71:14
"but as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more."
   I've learned a whole lot this summer. One of them being, it sucks more than anything to see my Grandpa sick and getting slower each day. No matter how bad his day is and how hard it is for me to see I will love him until his last breath whenever that may be.
oh and this summer I got a tattoo. three nails into a cross. it is simple but has so much meaning behind it.

Summer 2015 is in the books. here's to fall!

it's more than what meets the eye.

no pun intended. 

 psalm 71:14

But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more.

 
When you read this post I do NOT want you feeling bad for me, this is my life and I want you to be encouraged by my story and to never give up. 

  For me life has been easy except when it comes to my eyes. You see when most everyone around me has two eyes that they can see with, well I can't I only have one eye because my other one in medical terms is called the "lazy eye". So from very little I've had glasses and it wasn't until I was 7 or 8 that I realized I was different, I couldn't see out of my right eye. This wasn't news to my parents because of my premature birth and various eyes surgeries, there was nothing the doctors could do. Let me tell you one thing I've learned over the past 19 years with being half blind. 

1. Never give up

I learned in middle school that it'd be difficult to play sports and yes it was hard playing volleyball only seeing half of the court. But I never gave up, yes there were days I wanted to because I was having a pity party for myself.  My freshman year I played tennis and yes at first it was hard, but I adjusted and got used to playing with only seeing half the court. No matter what came at me, I've tried to face it head on and say okay God I trust you and I know that you've got me in your hand. 

  Yes I have my days were I just wish I had two eyes and I get down and I get frustrated because what a normal task would be for you it might take me twice as long (especially reading a book). If you know me, I LOVE to read but because I only have one eye, I can't strain my left eye to much so I have to be extremely careful when it comes to reading. Also lights and the sun, sometimes they are both very bright I will have to put on my sunglasses just because my eye is very sensitive. 

I'm not mad at God for making me half blind, instead I praise Him for my one eye and my life because it is truly a miracle that I am living today. God is faithful! 

psalm 100:5

 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations 

did someone say family?

sorry I missed a week, its been a busy couple of weeks. this post is all about family.
F-fun
A-adventure
M-memories
I-irreplaceable
L-loving
Y-young

 Family is a huge part of my life. Whether it be spending time with my parents or my grandparents, whether it's having supper or going shopping for groceries. These last few months have been surrounded around my grandparents for dinner and grocery shopping and many many laughs.

   It's been over 3 months since my Grandpa was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer that has also turned into bone cancer as well. So my mom and I go down almost every night except Wednesday's to have dinner with them and just have a fun and memorable time. I can tell you this I have more photos of my Grandma and I and my Grandpa and I then most people. Oh and one of my favorite things to do with my Grandma is watch Wheel of Fortune with her, you'd all laugh at some of the guesses we have for the puzzles. They are pretty hilarious. Here are 3 things that I've known but really learned over the last year but especially the last 3 months.

1. Love them.
No matter how irritated you are at them for what they said or did. LOVE them because you never know what will happen and you do not want to live with that regret and you don't want to feel like the worst person ever for just a petty thing. Love them with everything you have, tell them you love them just because. you don't have to have a reason to tell them you love them. the moments I cherish the most are when I tell my grandma I love her and she responds love ya too. the moments I especially cherish are when I tell my Grandpa that I love him and he actually says love you too! I cherish the hugs and the kisses goodbye and the see ya tomorrow once I get out of work.

2. Make memories and capture them. 
 Whether it's a trip to the grocery store or a trip to go get ice cream find a way to make it fun and if you're doing something funny, capture it with a picture. The saying a picture is worth a thousand words is so true. On my phone, I can look at one of the photos of my grandma and I and I will start laughing or just smiling because I remember what was going on in the photo.

3. Pray for them. 
Whether they are  believers or not, pray for them, pray for peace and pray for comfort. One thing I've always done my entire life is pray for my Grandma and Grandpa, it's not just when they've been sick, it's been about there everyday life. Prayer is so powerful, don't put limits on what God can do.

xoxo
have a fantastic week!

it's in the small victories.

Happy Friday!   

 As I was looking back on this summer and celebrating the small victories from things I have overcome. As you all know I am starting KVCC this coming fall and I am not the greatest test taker, so I had to go in and take the compass test three times. By that third time I heard the man in the office say that it was my third time coming into take the test, that negative comment only compelled me to take my time and not get nervous and that in all honestly it's just a stupid number. Well I went into that test open-minded and I looked at myself and told myself " Micaela Ziegler you've got this, you are smart, you are going to pass this with flying colors, don't get yourself down just because of what that man said." During that test , there were multiple times I kept playing what that guy said in my brain and when I finished, I went out to get my results I got an 85. I got more than I needed and I just had to believe in myself. That was a very small victory for me because each time I had looked on the sheet and it said go see counselor, I would beat myself and I'd put myself down. So I've learned always believe in yourself and its in the small victories. In those small victories, write them down in a journal so that when you are having a bad day, you can look back on them and it'll encourage you. When I think about getting my job, let me tell you in my book that is a huge victory because I'd been trying to get one for a while and the perfect one came along. It took time but that is what's so awesome about God is His timing is perfect!  

  Second as I think about my future, college, and my career. There have been multiple times I have gotten discouraged because I haven't been were I want to be at this certain moment. As you heard in my last blog that I want to go to Grace College in WInona Lake,IN but right now I just have to get 12 credit hours and reapply as a transfer student. Let me tell you something, at first this discouraged me so much that I didn't even want to talk about it. But now as I think of the stuff I have to get done in order to reapply as well as get accepted into there Nursing program. I get so excited and all giddy thinking about what God has planned for me regarding college and my future at Grace. Let me tell you it took me awhile to look at the small victory of God is only preparing me for what I am going to be doing at Grace. 

  Remember its in the small victories that you have and you can look on them and be encouraged that you've got this and that God's always got your back. Believe in yourself and believe in the person God has called you to be!

xo

have a fabulous weekend!

 

a perfect love.

No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music.--- I highly recommend that you listen to this song on youtube. just listen to the lyrics and let it just sink in.
  
 "all my fears were drowned in perfect love." just think about that for a second even a minute. All of our fears were drowned in perfect love. Jesus loves us so much that He would one die on the cross and take the nails in his side, the crown of thorns in His head, for us and all of our sins. When I think about that it just brings me to a state of just pure awe because to know that Jesus did this for little ole me. I don't deserve it yet, He still loves me and takes all my fears away. 

I could go on for days about how great this song is and how much you should go listen to it. I am not going to do that because it's not my decision whether or not you like this song. but for me this song helped me in so many ways. The line that I have quoted "all my fears were drowned in perfect love" just that simple line has touched my heart in so many ways. When the lyrics say " I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God." that is a declaration we can make over our lives because we don't have to be a slave to the fears that we have. We have to remember that we are a child of God.

  So, I just want to encourage you, those fears you have you can give them up to God. Never forget that you are a Child of God, He loves you, He's got an extraordinary call on your life.

much love. xo

have a great weekend!

Leaving for College in a week..NOT

Hello Everyone! I’m going to try and get a blog post up once a week, so we’ll see how this goes. On that note.

Happy Saturday! As I was sitting and thinking last night God reminded me that some things I want to do and go do, they will take time.

   As I  sit here and reflect on this past year of thinking that in one week that I would be heading to Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana to start college. Well, that isn’t happening at least this year, as I have come to the realization that I have terrible testing skills it would be smart to get my pre-requisites out of the way at Kalamazoo Valley. So as I was scrolling through facebook last night and saw that it is one week until Welcome week at Grace and I did everything I could not to cry. One thing I’ll let you all in on is, Grace College is my dream college that I’ve wanted to go to for the last two years and it breaks my heart to not be attending this year. I was turned down BUT I just have to get 12 more credit  hours and then I can re-apply. But last night as I was completely pouting about not moving down and attending Grace, being on there cheer team. But God reminded me that this season is about family and I am needed in Kalamazoo and Otsego to help my Mom with my Grandparents.

   I know that God hasn’t shut the door on me attending Grace College, it is just going to be a little while until I get to attend whether that be one year or two years I do not know.  I am reminded of the verse in Philippians 4:6 “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I was starting to freak out and became anxious when I first found out I couldn’t attend Grace this fall but this verse put into perspective for me. No matter the situation whether it be little or humongous to never freak out just because I’m not going right now, that it just means that it’s going to take hard work to get to Grace and I am going to work my tail off. God’s got my back, He is always here for me and to just give him my problems.  

   God basically told me to stop having a pity party, I know I will get to Grace College and yes it’s not this year and you know what. I’ve embraced this season that I’m in. Yes, it sucks to not be going to my dream college right now, but it is totally worth the wait. Here’s to college, here is to new beginnings, new surroundings, new friends. So as I end, if you are like me I want to tell you do not be discouraged, it’ll be okay God’s got your back and He has a plan even if it seems like craziness right now.
You may be asking why'd you title this post "Leaving for College in a week..NOT" simply because of what I shared about how this time last year I thought I would be leaving next week for my dream college.

My world shattered. But I choose to live with joy.

   The six letter word no one wants to hear, Cancer. I heard this word four days before my 19th birthday, another thing no one wants to hear is that someone in your family has cancer. Well I heard those two words cancer and grandpa. At first they called it prostate and colon cancer. But on May 18 we found out it was stage four bone cancer. This is news no one wants to hear no matter what season of life. But this was supposed to be a happy moment in my life because graduation was coming up soon and so was my grad party. 

   Soon after finding this out, all I did was worry about the possibility of having to celebrate a graduation and plan a funeral at the same time. Now don't get me wrong it's not that I've stopped worrying completely. But after hearing this news, I was angry at the world and I barely would smile and I could hardly look at my grandpa without crying let alone say the words "my grandpa has stage four bone cancer and he's dying but oh don't worry I'm dealing with it, it's okay". Yeah, no it took me a couple weeks to even say that my grandpa has cancer and that I was starting to enter this season with joy. 

   For along time all my grandpa would do was sleep a lot and eat when I was down at there house visiting. I can tell you this once I changed my attitude about the situation and just giving this to situation to God, it's in his hands I can't do anything but enjoy my time with my grandpa. 

Within the last week my Grandpa has gotten a lot better, doesn't sleep as much, watches tv and eats a lot and enjoys time with my grandma and whenthe people that visit.  One of the things I dreaded was my grandpa not being at my graduation, well he and my grandma made it to my graduation. 

  

When I stopped being angry at the world and just gave it all to God. I started smiling again and laughing and I now have this joy that's within in me. I don't know what tomorrow will bring and I don't know how much longer I'll have with my Grandpa but I'm living life to the fullest with a lot of memories being made.

   This last month has been hectic but I can tell you one thing that I am sure of, Jesus has been with me through everything and I will praise Him through everything! I'm reminded that in the midst of this storm I will praise him through it all!

Psalm 63:2-4

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
    drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
    My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
    My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

   Though the last month has been nothing but crazy. I've learned so much through this already. I choose to live with joy!

grandpa and I 

there is hope & his name is Jesus

Happy February!

   I wanted to encourage you if you are going through something, whether it be small or huge. I first wanted to encourage you with this verse. Hebrews 6:19 NLT " This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary." In whatever storm of life you may be going through there is so much hope and his name is Jesus.  Jesus is our comforter,healer,strong hold, our hope in the midst of a storm. 

  Everything will be okay, even if it is not right now, it will all work out, you just have to believe and stay rooted in Jesus. A great verse about staying rooted and built in Jesus is Colossians 2:6-7, you can check out this verse on your own. If there is one thing I have learned about this crazy life is to stay rooted in Jesus when circumstances get rough, when things don't go as planned. Countless times I've had to say "okay God I trust you I'm putting my hope in you, you said you are my hope and I know you have a great plan from this storm that I'm in." 

  Whatever situation you are in whether it be small as a penny or as big as a box just speak this over your life,

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV 

" I will remain confident of this; I will see the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living. Wait for The Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for The Lord." 

You can speak that verse over your life or you can speak something like this or even make up your own confession similar to this one

" God, in your word it says that no matter what circumstance I'm going through you will have an answer and whether that takes along time or just a day I trust you, I trust your plan for my life and this storm that I'm in. I love you Jesus with all my heart and whatever happens with this storm I will still trust you and I will love you forever." 

Be encouraged tonight friends! Put your hope in Jesus! 

Much love! 

Xo 

-Micaela

Family stays together. Grandpas are key.

together.forever.gramps and me. 

  This is for my Gramps who had surgery today and a post while I wait to hear how everything went. But more because he's such a huge part of my life! 

  

 For as long as I can remember I have always went to my Grandma and Grandpa Harper's house every Saturday for lunch.They live only about twenty minutes away from our house and I am forever grateful for the memories I have shared with them but especially over these past four years. It didn't just start with having lunch it started when my parents both worked so I would spend time with them each day. But this post is about my Grandpa! Bucky Harper what a man, what a grandpa, father and husband. One of the first memories that I can remember is we were in the car on the way back home from going somewhere probably a fish store in allegan and I threw up right there in the back of the jeep, little Micaela felt fine she didn't think she'd get sick and let alone in the jeep. I just remember grandpa saying it's okay, poor gramps had to clean it up.. Then anothe story would be when 9/11 happened I was at my there house after half day pre-school boy what a hard life I had back then. just kidding. I remember it being near lunch time and it coming across the tv and I just stopped. Then another story is in elementary school we have this grandparents day and they came to see me perform, I was such a happy little girl that they loved me enough to come see me perform in the school play thingy. This story happened about seventh grade when my dad had an absess and we were in gobles at another fish store getting some bait and fishing pole line, I have never seen him drive so fast in his life, he likes to drive slow but when it comes to family and needing to go to the hospital he's there. When the times my dad has been in the ER and been admitted he was always willing to have me come to there house just to stay. Then my freshman year he had a heart attack and I freaked out I thought we were going to lose him but he survived the heart attack he just had to have stints put in, and all is okay. 

  In the summer before my freshman year I went fishing with my grandpa, talk about a great time! It was so much fun, I outfished him and my Uncle Bernie, I even can't a bullhead and if you don't know your fish, a fifteen girl usually doesn't catch one. But I did and I was so happy I got to share the fishing experience with Gramps! Then this past year he's really had to slow down and just take it easy.  And today he had to go have surgery and of course the winter decided to hit today but I got to see him pre surgery here is a picture I got with him this morning.

gramps and me 

  I hugged him extra tight this morning! 

We always have such a fun time together and I can't wait to spend many more Saturdays with him and my Grandma! I love pops a lot! I've helped him gut the fish before and kinda fry them, more like keeping them hot in the oven. 

This snapshot was taken a little before thanksgiving 

family stays together no matter what happens! Love my pops and our memories! We'll be making more in the coming days and months! I love you pops xoxo hugs He's always there for me and I will always be there for him and grandma! Here's to more memories than ever in 2015!