About Me
Living overseas there have been many times where I felt alone in my journey…
Have you ever felt alone in yours?
(Me with My Hubs)
Where It All Began
Born in Cali & raised in Northern Virginia, with 2 sisters, I was brought up in a home that went to church & learned about Jesus.
I graduated from Liberty University in 2010, with a degree in Business Marketing, & met my sweet husband at the end of that year, while working as a secretary at our church. We got married May 2012 (when I was 28) & moved to beautiful Guam three months after the wedding. (*To read our God-written love story, visit here & here.)
We lived in Guam for 3 years surrounded by beaches, palm trees, tropical flowers, year-round warm weather, (& mild typhoons), & then moved on to our next adventure together—Northern Japan (Chitose).
(Beautiful Guam)
Chitose is a beautiful place, albeit very cold & snowy half of the year. We can see snow-capped mountains & rolling farmland everywhere. It is beautiful. I always envisioned the entirety of Japan being like the parts of Tokyo we see on tv—you know, crazy & jam-packed, with people everywhere (yes, I have visited several times, & no, not all of Tokyo is like that), but Chitose is quiet & peaceful! (I always think of & compare it to how I always envisioned the rest of New York being an extension of New York City, haha—don’t worry, New Yorkers, many a New Yorker has strongly corrected me!)
Through those almost 6 years of Guam & Chitose, I learned the meaning of lonely. My husband, who is a contractor, worked almost always while we lived on Guam & without my own car or job, I made very few friends on the front end of our time there. It definitely challenged me, and if I’m honest, I allowed bitterness to take root too much. It was rough for me. And moving from there to Japan, where I was isolated even further by giant language barriers, it left me spiritually dry. I needed refreshment & fellowship & support. I needed a virtual family to grow alongside & to encourage & edify one another… & so God led me through to designing/building this website & starting this blog.
Moving Forward
(Chitose, Japan)
This is where this story of “About Me” continues. In July 2018, our Japan Adventure moved us a little bit further south to Misawa, Japan, where we are currently. English is more prevalently spoken here (Hallelujah!) & we get to enjoy more American food flavors we missed from back home. We have really enjoyed our time here, the friends made, & the church family we have found.
(Cisco–with a conveniently placed backdrop, haha)
Every place we have lived has been beautiful & has had hardships. That is life. But God works through it all to Grow us & to use it to encourage others who may struggle similarly down the road, & ultimately, to honor Him & bring Him glory. He has a plan through it all.
My hubs & I don’t have any children yet, other than our kitty, Cisco (named after the Typhoon Francisco that we rescued him from as a kitten on Guam). We have tried for children for many years now, & it is something I share about in many a blog post throughout the past years, but God has either asked us to wait or He has asked us to trust Him if the answer is no. I have peace about it most days but memories like chats about being mommies someday with my sister still makes my heart ache at times.
The Little Things in Life
I love to sing & dance & make people laugh. I am definitely “gifted” with dry humor… you know, saying something outlandish in a serious tone to see if someone will stop & think about it or just take me seriously. (That’s probably not Christ-like, but I like to think of it as helping people “grow in discernment & critical thinking skills”. That sounds much nicer, don’t you think?)
(Me with a silly face)
I am far from perfect, have made many mistakes in life & often fail to try things simply because I will doubt whether or not I can do it well enough. It is definitely a self-fulfilling prophecy, as they say, & I am definitely trying to work on it.
In general, I love the color pink. I love kitties (my husband loves all dogs, though, & when I read this to him, he stated, “I will read your blog if you do a dog-of-the-day photo on it.” Um, thanks? Haha, such love–also, check out my Pinterest page for a laugh & some adorable puppy pins). 😉 I love riding horses, although I haven’t ridden in a while. I love relaxing beaches & poolside virgin-Pina-Colada-sipping. I love reading a good book. I love classic Disney princess movies. I love sharing my life with others, in the hope that it will encourage them & make them smile.
And most of all, I love the “Hope I Don’t Deserve” Grace I have been offered through Christ. (*Find out more about that on the “Hope is Found” page.)
So that’s me. And that’s how this website & blog was inspired back in 2018. (I can’t believe it’s been going this long already!)
I hope this has allowed you a glimpse into the heart & mind of who I am & I am excited for the opportunity to take this journey with you & to come alongside you as you strive to live a life of Hope & to Shine like you were always meant to, seeking the face of Jesus. Let’s do this together, Lovelies!
Much love,
Michelle Hyde <3