Hello, 22.

So you want to know about me. Well. I’ll tell you.

I am Michaela, a small girl with a starburst of life, fast tongue and quirky drama. You see, there are thick Italian roots running rapid through my bloodstream, and that, combined with a person of 4’9”, makes a bundle of passion, feelings so deep they hurt, high sensitivity to love, pain, sorrow, joy. . .and an addiction to coffee. My Jesus is all and everything--my fire. The thing that keeps me going. The God I worship and serve in my feeble way. With Him I’ve been on many adventures. I’ve struggled. . .I’ve fallen. . .and I’m growing, little by little, every day. There’s a narrow path, stretching over a lifetime; and me, standing at it’s opening, looking out at the big, unknown world.

Because I believe in dreams. In heroes, love at first sight, happily ever afters, and never growing up. I’ve vacationed in Narnia, sailed over the moon on the back of a unicorn, crossed the Misty Mountains, danced with the dryads. Romance is my favorite expression. It means femininity, the magic of theater, the worship of words. With romance I can drink the scent of lilacs, let music run from my fingertips, defend the barricade with Enjolras, fall in love with a sunset, think in pink. I can be dramatic and girly and simply ME, all within the power of that one word. In the belief that pretty is not dead. . .not yet. I can make it live. That Andrea Bocelli has the voice of an angel. That Les Miserables in second only to the Bible. That you don’t need Irish in your blood, only your soul. That chocolate is the food of royalty. That European seaside villages are the ideal place of retirement. That to love another person is to see the face of God.

I want to be Kilmeny of the Orchard. I want to play with poetry. I want to travel and write and breath and wonder. I want to feel each beating heart. I want to make an impact on this world.

And I want to welcome you--to this place I call my blog. To this rambling, random, unimportant corner of the worldwide web. Duck into my hole. . .but goodness, watch your head! I’ll pour the coffee while you make yourself comfortable. Oh, and please ignore Bilbo. . .he doesn't always like sharing his cookies.

That ^^ is my new "about the authoress"--for a completely new year, and a completely new Michaela. Perhaps it's a little over the top, and when I re-read it I realize it doesn't really say ANYTHING about me, but in strange ways I don't know me anymore. I'm seeing God work so abundantly in every unimportant detail. . .things so big to me, so small to Him. I'm different, VERY 22, and loving every inch of everything this great, unknown world has to offer. It's wild. It's full of suspense and surprise. It's an echo of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music--"What will this day be like? I wonder. What will my future be?" 

Like I said on facebook, right before diving into another break (which is SO good for me. Re-prioritize  anyone? YES PLEASE.)--"It's funny. No, not funny--an amazing thing that proves how silly I am. :P At the beginning of the year life was a blank, boring, pointless sheet of white. Empty. I had no plans, and this big 22nd birthday looming ahead. (Neverland forever and ever amen.) Well, I'm past the birthday and have a whole list of things to do over the summer. See how God works? Sometimes He keeps us wondering to test our faith. To put trust in the un-trusting. We have a great and powerful Lord! I don't know about you, but I'm excited to travel the unknown. Because Jesus and I are on an everyday adventure."

It's odd. Because, well, maybe I'm the only person who's experienced this? Every year, right before my birthday, I feel my age. Not my NEW age, but the age I've lived with all year. . .for example, when I turned 20 I FINALLY felt 19. When I turned 21 I finally felt 20. . .until this year. This year I felt 22 BEFORE 22, which I suppose means I skipped 21 all together. ;) The Lord has put me in a place where I truly, really, honestly understand Him. It's a constant growing experience, but I FEEL Him in everything, and I think. . .finally, in all my stubbornness and believing I'm bigger than God, (GASP--shocking as that is, I'M NOT. o.O ) I've surrendered. Not saying I don't have the biggest will on the planet, but I've accepted my position. I've given up fighting. It's the loss of friends, maybe. It's the dark times my families endured. Perhaps. Whatever the case. . .I can say with a clear, resounding voice: I am not the same person I was last year.

So hello, 22. I love you already. Lets learn together, shall we? Lets fall, lets get up, lets praise, and worship, and grow and go on running through the forest of life. Let's use our imagination and serve the One and Only King with everything in our being. Because "Sometimes the strongest people are the ones who love beyond all faults, cry behind closed doors, and fight battles that nobody knows about." 

Hello, 22.