Announcing my new blog, Quaintrelle!

I am super excited to share with you my new blog, Quaintrelle. Its been such a pleasure getting to know all of you, and I  hope you feel the same! Let's keep in contact, shall we?? Quaintrelle is an entirely new experience. . .centered around fashion, travel. . .but I'll let you check it out for yourself. ;) Please follow me, leave a comment or two, and spread the word!

Happy blogging,

Michaela

PS. Rhapsody in PINK will still be here, at least temporarily. However, I will no longer be posting.

Be all there.

It's interesting, looking back on the "year the locust's ate," (AKA, 2013,) and seeing how far God has brought me. I don't know how it happened, and it certainly wasn't without a lot of groaning and complaints, failing in faith and forgetting to trust. I think God intentionally puts us in the Valley of the Shadow. . .what and where that valley is depends on the soldier. I was in search for total dependency on God. I'm still looking, but His nearness is fuller in my life, and at long last I've reached the mouth of the tunnel, and am looking out into the light. In proper English, 2014 has been a hugely transforming year thus far. Not saying there hasn't been challenges, and relying on God is a new discovery, every day. Yet, things are changing. Things are happening. It's amazing, really, how doors have suddenly, unexpectedly, opened. Have you noticed something about this blog? I'm going off a rabbit trail. . .but I hope you see a rawness, a realness to my writing. Through these pages I try to convey the depth of a relationship with God. The ups, downs, failings, and triumphs. . .in a human, real-hearted way. No candy-coating or cushioning allowed. This is my heart. Maybe it's sentimental and even melodramatic at times. . .but once the typing fingers and soul connect. . .there's no stopping the flow of words, coming from a gal who hopes to be a light in this world, no matter how small.

All that said, God really does work in mysterious ways! Missions and ministry have been my passion since I was about five years old, but I've encountered very few opportunities to serve. Wellll. . .just today I found out about a Christian-based coffee shop literally five minutes from my house. Seriously, I've been praying so hard that God will use this bumbling, stumbling excuse of a Christian for His kingdom. 

I think I may have found my calling. :)

 The cafe serves coffee and other hot drinks, meals, fellowship, Bible's, and the gospel of Jesus Christ to poverty stricken teens and families. I am so excited I could scream! Not only do I get to serve coffee. . .but I can give the gospel, something organizations like the Salvation Army does not offer. Going tomorrow for my background check. Please keep me in your prayers!

Are you burdened? We all walk our own, private Valley of Shadows. Please, whatever you do, don't give up. It may be too dark, engulfing you, pulling you down, convincing you there is no restoration, no hope, no reason to move forward. Friend, keep those eyes trained on Jesus! Whatever you do, no matter how confusing, no matter how mind boggling--He cares. He sees. Even when He is silent. Even when you may never understand. There is always a plan. There is always a purpose. Look toward the future. I promise, it may not be in this lifetime, but all this mess of humanity WILL make sense. If I have but one mission statement, this would be my motto: Jesus KNOWS. If anything, the harder the trial, the deeper the pain, be rest assured. . .the harder He's working. You must be doing something right if you are facing adversity. Really, in the strange, beautiful mystery of the Christian life, these valleys, these dips in the road. . .are a privilege. Don't ever question who you are in Him. You WILL be rewarded. :)

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." -Jim Elliot 

"The cold never bothered me anyway."

   


"Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

 

 

And so, here you have a rather spontaneous, very cold, full-of-warm-hugs photoshoot of Yours Truly and my loverly sister Anna. (see also, best friend, awesome photographer, often-more-mature-than-me.)  Sisters are truly a gift from God. . .I should know, I have four. :) Soooo the titling of this shoot has more than one purpose. . .yeah, it was cold, and yeah, I really love Frozen. . .but the concept of the movie embodies sisterhood. Just another reason it's now a favorite of mine. ♥ Do you wanna build a snowman? 

story.

"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?"
-- C.S. Lewis

Happy 2014! I had planned a long, sentimental post for the new year, sharing all that I learned in the last 12 months, all the life-changing things that happened in a year when nothing happened. It's all rather weird and a muddle and something I just want to say goodbye to forever. Yes. I happily slammed the door on 2013, and thank God--I never have to go back. I've traversed the long, dark path of last year, once again into the beautiful, blinding white of an untouched, unscathed, perfectly new, perfectly blank world.

It's called 2014.

Maybe sometime I'll write my sentimental post. Maybe sometime I'll attempt to describe the awesome power and renewing glory of God in my life. Can it be put into words? The deepness of a new heart, the passion of knowing Jesus in the truest way possible? I'm not sure. But I've been transformed. I've cried. Tears enough to fill an ocean (or so it feels. ;) ) I've laughed. I've struggled. I'm still struggling. But most importantly. . .I've grown. You know, every year I say the same thing--but I'm truly not the same person. This girl isn't even Michaela, at least, not the Michaela I used to know. She's a "better," more mature, more wizened-and-gray Michaela. It's like I've aged (not physically. . .I still look 14, ;) ) ten years. And it's good. Life is a mess and I'm a mess, but I'm a beautiful mess. I'm God's mess. I'm tired of trying to understand His ways. They aren't mine. I'm tired of trying to figure Him out. He is too awesome for that. I'm tired of fighting. My future is in His hands. So goodbye 2013. As much as I hated you, as much as you tried ruining my life, I'm glad I knew you. I think you'll always be in my heart, an stinging little reminder of what was. 

I am looking toward the future (cue Mr. Thornton's voice, ;) ) through a fresh lens. No, I may not be in control. No, I may not understand God or even always feel Him working in my life--but I know He's there. Isn't it special, how there is always time to start over, to begin again? That's what makes the new year so perfect. God knows we need new scripts, new adventures, new dreams, new goals. I'm not the biggest resolution-maker, but there are are some milestones I'd like to meet in 2014. For starters, I'd like to get my license. I want to have more grace. . .to judge less and remember that everyone makes mistakes. A new job would be nice. Oh, and I really, really, really want to write my first novel. Yes. I've been plot making for years, but as my biggest critic, I've never completed a book. Right now there is (at least, IMO,) an awesome little story floating around in my head. . .that needs telling, and is keeping me enraptured and busy. 

2014--let's go get 'em.