How is Mi moving?

Like she's on fire....like she's swimming for the shore....like she's alive. For a while I was treading water....just keeping my head above water. Now my feet have hit ground and I'm about to take off. I'm learning to work smarter, not harder. I'm learning to take life as it comes....one day at a time. Keep my chin up....look on the bright side. Believe that the best is yet to come....and be thankful for that each and every day. I'm learning to live out loud....and I like it.

Why is Mi on the Move?

Why wouldn't she be? I read a really great quote last year it said....'Laugh in your face the next time you think you're too broke, too old or too afraid to make a change. You are stronger than you know.' It really made me think.....I'm 30. If I don't make some serious changes now....things are never gonna change. I was afraid of what my next 20, 30, 40 or more years would look like. So....I made some changes. Changes are tough....I'm not gonna sugar coat it. But I've learned that things usually get worse before they get better....and they have. I breathe easier, I smile more freely and I love the little life I've created. I'm still moving through life and plan to keep moving until I've landed among the stars. An interesting friend told me, when I met her for the first time on an airplane to Chicago, that her 106 year old grandfather once shared with her, that the secret to a long and happy life was to never have any habits....people, places, things, drugs, alcohol....no habits. His advice made me re-evaluate my life, the people in it and the everything in between. No habits. Don't get stuck in the ruts....live outside the box. You get the picture....this is why Mi is on the move......

Where is Mi?

Right here....right now....and on and on. The beat goes on. I'm right here....standing still....growing tall and deep. Where ever you put Mi...I'm gonna grow. Just don't underestimate Mi...I'm stronger than you think.

Bellingham....my home. I believe fate brought me to Bellingham....10 years ago. I'd always liked it here. Always felt at peace here. As a kid....Bellingham was a big city, an exciting destination and a long beautiful drive out of Stanwood, the small town in which I originated....mostly. I never dreamed that I'd raise sweet Miss P here....yet I do.

Travel is my home away from home. The open road. I long for the days I lived out of my backpack. Saw new people, new places, new adventures every single day. I want to live there again...on the open road. I long to someday be free. Free of these roots....free of these chains. Free of time and place.

When is Mi moving?

Constantly. Mi is on the move...Mi is movement. I'm ready to go and I'm aimed for the stars. I can remember dancing through the aisles at the grocery store as a kid. My mom would put her hand on my head and tell me to "be still" as I tap danced through the produce section. She enrolled me in dance class and off I went....on the move. I danced and danced. When I wasn't taking classes, competing or performing.....I was teaching dance. I started assistant teaching my younger sisters classes when I was 14. Our teacher would have me help her teach classes by demonstrating movements and correcting the students movements. I was hooked....the same way I've been hooked by pilates. After I stopped dancing for my own pleasure, and couldn't pay the bills by teaching classes....I stopped moving. I tried aerobics, I tried yoga, I even tried running (something I'd always loathed), but nothing filled the void.....until I discovered pilates. Now....once again....I'm on the move. Pilates has helped me create and keep an active and healthy lifestyle. Inspiring me to take care of myself, eat healthier and exercise more. Dance is still a part of me....it's still in me. When I'm in my store alone....I dance. I've been caught a few times.....usually by an unsuspecting passerby....but that doesn't stop me. Movement is in me....it's part of Mi.

What is Mi on the Move?

Mi on the Move is Mi...onto bigger and better things. Here I go....watch me. So much to look forward to and oh so much to celebrate! Celebrating the 5 year anniversary of my sweet little shoe store, Mi Shoes, this Fall 2010 is something I'm so very excited for. Every day I thank my lucky stars that I'm still here. Last year was the most challenging year of my life (professionally and personally) so I'm very grateful that by the grace of God and all my guiding angels, I was able to keep the doors to my store open and my dream alive. I'm realizing now that Mi Shoes is a stepping stone....a beginning....with so much yet to come. It's my foundation....and my catalyst. So many valuable lessons learned in the last 5 years....so many lessons yet to come. At present, when I'm not busy at the shoe store or running my girl from one activity to the next, I'm working towards earning my pilates teaching certificate...and I'm finding just how much my own body craves movement. It's something I've become very passionate about and can't wait to share with others. In other news....my daughter, Miss P, has just graduated from elementary school and play dates and is on to middle school and training bras. I can remember how confusing and strange middle school was and I want to be there for my girl as she struggles through it...as we all did. Miss P will be an 'adult' in a mere 7 years....which makes me think more and more about the ever pressing question, "what do I want to be when I grow up?" I'm realizing how much more work there is to do...and how hard I'm gonna have to work. So....join me as I look forward to what's yet to come...in life, in love and in business. Here I go....

Who is Mi?

I'm Mi. I've become Mi....Mi has become me. She follows me wherever I go.....and she's cheering for me at the end of every day. She's a bit of a dreamer. She loves the way the sunshine feels on her shoulders...in the middle of a hot summer's day. She dances when no one is looking and she sings when no one is listening. She has smiles to spare and no spare change to speak of. Mi has wanderlust and yearns to be a gypsy on the open sea....but she's torn because she's also deeply rooted in her community and her family of friends. She loves to play dress-up with or without her girlfriends....and believes that every day is an occasion to express herself. She works hard....and she plays harder. However, you won't catch Mi wasting her days away....she doesn't have time to. Mi is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a lover and a daydreamer...she wears many hats and is determined to wear them all well.

First things first...

Right....first things first. Get started. Whatever it is...what ever it has been...what ever it's about to be. Getting started is the first step. First things first. I've been thinking about blogging for a long time....actually started one or two and never felt I had the right perspective. Never felt I knew what I wanted to write about or how much I had to say. Well....now I know....and that's the first step.