Wow...it’s been quite a while since we wrote a blog post! Let’s catch up, shall we?!

Michelle and I have worked together since 2006 (I was just a baby!) and were moving forward with a business that would provide for both our families. We researched products, opened a business with the state of Ohio, created a website, and began reaching out to our future customers.  I can’t remember a time we were as excited about work as we were in those days.  However, the Lord was taking our lives in a different direction.  Michelle’s husband came home from his boating adventure, went to the doctor, and was suddenly diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.  Talk about a life changing blow right to the gut.  When you hear that a family member is ill, nothing else matters except for doing everything possible to make them well again.  Lasse and Michelle packed up and headed off to the Cleveland Clinic for chemo and radiation treatments, and I was working hard to finish out the school year with our preschool.  The days were long and exhausting, and our family really learned what it meant to trust in the Lord with our whole hearts.  The decision was made to close our preschool for good and as soon as I hugged and kissed all of the little ones goodbye, it was time to pack up Lasse and Michelle’s house and move them into a new one.  That was an adventure all its own!  2016 proved to be quite challenging and a complete emotional rollercoaster.  After many months, lots of tears, and constant prayers, however, Lasse received the news we had all been waiting to hear – he was finally cancer free!  Our family had a big party with loved ones to celebrate this good news and began discussing new plans for our lives.  We were excited and hopeful for the future!  Cancer, however, had other plans. 

My grandma was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and we immediately got busy taking care of her and helping my grandpa any way we could. Did I mention 2016 was a really tough year?  My sweet grandma fought for as long as she could, but left this earth to be with our Heavenly Father surrounded by her entire family praying over her and thanking the Lord for the wonderful woman she was.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen my family cling to one another the way we did that day and the very devastating days that followed.  While it is so hard to lose someone so near and dear to my heart, she was a woman who loved the Lord and had given her life to Him, and that brought so much comfort.  I know that I will see her again one day, and what a glorious reunion that will be!

I can honestly say that my grandma lived her life to the fullest and accomplished her goals and lived her dreams. She loved the beach and made it a priority to visit several times each year.  There is something about seeing a life well lived that inspires others to do just that.  Michelle and I had many conversations about what we wanted for our lives and we immediately got busy making plans to turn our dreams into a reality.  Fast forward a few months and we are beginning 2017 with the business we had planned for ourselves a year ago.  Early morning planning sessions, late night research, and business meetings over coffee (and dessert, too!) have filled the last few months, and we are ready to hit the ground running -although probably not literally as we are both a little out of shape these days! 

We have dreamed of a little shop for specialty kitchen items, our best recipes, and our tips and tricks for making the Proverbs 31 woman a reality, as well as making family time a priority again. We have poured our hearts and souls into The Classy Pearl and are so excited to begin this new journey in our lives. We have spent a lot of time in prayer and seek the Lord’s blessing for our business, but also seek to be a blessing to other women and families as we bring back family dinners and classy and elegant kitchens. After all, this life is what we make it, and we are ready to make it fabulous! Stay tuned for exciting news and updates!

Written by Marah

www.theclassypearl.com