Megan Tye became a mom at 22.

And like everything else in her life, she gave it her all.

“Before kids, I was working. Then Royce came, and I focused on him. Having Royce taught me boundaries. I never made time for family or slowed down. It was always about work,” said Megan, who has two children with husband Josh Tye: Royce, 13, and Lucas, who is nearly 8. “They trick you with the first one! He was so easy. I’d take him everywhere. I took him to work with me at New Leaf, where I was a bartender, and he’d hang out with Tracy at the front desk.”

The couple enjoyed their time with Royce as an only child, living for a time in Silverdale, Washington and later visiting Josh in New York, where he lived for six months to complete a high-end building job. After Luc was born in 2013, Megan’s life changed again.

“He was a happy baby but very busy,” she said. “Then it became about setting time aside for all four of us.”

Lucas was six months old when Megan contracted meningitis and was flown off Orcas to the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s in Bellingham.

“Once I recovered, we started traveling more and taking time to be together as a family,” she said. “We also started goal setting. Before we were always like ‘okay, well that’s down the road.’ Traveling is mandatory for us. We could go alone but why would we? We bring the kids.”

The Tye family has gone to Hawaii, Mexico, Disneyland, Disneyworld, St. Louis and California. They just returned from Kauai, where they plan to return next February. The boys weren’t allowed to play any video games during their most recent excursion, and Royce told his mom it was the “best vacation ever.” The couple is celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary this year with a trip to Leavenworth.

“They are Orcas kids, and they don’t really have any fear because it’s so safe here. But they have to be aware of certain surroundings when we travel,” Megan said. “We are also teaching them about dealing with things like flights getting canceled or plans changing. You learn life lessons when traveling.”

Four years ago, Megan left the restaurant industry to become a nail technician. She runs her own business out of Studio Mierau in Eastsound.

“Bartending was great when the kids were younger but once they started school, I would drop them off and then not see them until the next morning,” she said. “I wanted to be in charge of my own time. And Joshua has that too with his construction businesses. So as a unit we can create our own schedules.”

Megan says being a mother has taught her patience.

“I’m very orderly but that doesn’t work with Luc. He was born breach and he is still does everything on his own time. He has taught me to be more flexible,” she said.

Megan sees herself the most in Royce.

“He creates art, loves music and has follow-through,” she said. “Joshua and Luc are so similar. They are goofballs and always trying to make people laugh.”

From her own mother April, Megan inherited her work ethic, thirst for knowledge, love of travel and ability to find a quality deal. She is close to her sister Rachel Duke and brother Brian Duke, both of whom live in California.

“This last year during COVID my brother and sister came up to quarantine with all of us. It was the first time since I graduated high school that we had Mother’s Day and Easter together,” she said. “It was fun watching my kids interact with the grandparents and my siblings. I love it when the generations are together.”

Brian is a professional musician and began teaching Royce the guitar last year. Their lessons have continued on Zoom.

“Both of my kids are super creative,” Megan said. “Royce loves drawing and creating his own music. Luc will take something completely apart and instead of putting it back together, creates a whole new thing. He has that architect/builder brain.”