Things to be happy about.

Happy happy happy

This week has just been awesome. I have been so blessed and felt so much joy! I hope you’ve all had an even more incredible week than I have, but even if you haven’t, I just want you to know that there is still so much to celebrate!

Here is my list of things to be happy about today!

1. Jesus loves you matchlessly, endlessly, and unconditionally. If that’s not something to be happy about, then I have no clue what is!

2. There are people who want to love you as closely to the way Jesus loves you as they can. You might not see it right now, but trust me, they’re there somewhere. Sometimes the hardest thing is letting people love us because we don’t always think that we’re worthy of it. Trust me, you are worthy and you are loved. If you don’t think so, send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu and I would love to talk to you!

3. A bunch of Ben Rector music (or maybe all of it?) just appeared on Spotify. This is a big deal. SO PUMPED.

4. Taco Bell. Enough said.

5. The song “One-Eyed Cat” by Jenny & Tyler exists. And it is awesome.

6. No words necessary.

Baby

7. God has a plan for you and He’ll reveal it to you when the time is right. And it will be amazing.

8. Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream. If you haven’t tried it you should probably go do that. I’m a very recent fan (as in within the past 3 hours…) and I’m never turning back.

9. THIS CUTE DOG.

Cute dog dancing

10. God answers our prayers. It’s not always when we want it to be, or in the way we want it to be, but he answers them. Sometimes his answer is, “I have something better,” and while we might be a little disappointed about that at first, in the end, it’s AWESOME.

11. Ingrid Michaelson is coming to Hope on Friday! Which means even more incredible events will be coming in the future!

12. God has called you beautiful and He has called you his.

13. Whether or not you are healthy, think of all the crazy intricacies that God knit together in your body to make you work. The human body is truly a masterpiece – such an incredible work of God’s art! You truly are fearfully and wonderfully made by the God who made the Grand Canyon, cardinals, Jupiter, and every snowflake. How cool does it get?

14. Can we just talk about the cookies from Subway? Um. How delicious.

15. Seeing someone else smile and knowing they are truly happy, even if you don’t know why.

16. Dr. Pepper! Oh wait, is that just me…?

17. The movie Up. If that movie doesn’t make your heart smile, I don’t get it!

18. Seeing people who just glow with love for Jesus! So awesome.

19. Doing something you love and being truly satisfied with it. Whether you played a beautiful song, cooked a great meal, aced a test, had an awesome life-talk with a friend, spread (and received) some awesome joy through babysitting a lucky kid, have successfully kept a potted plant alive in your dorm room (a true accomplishment!), surprised a friend, wrote a heartfelt poem, or whatever, you’ve probably done something awesome recently and you might not have even realized it!

20. You belong to God. You will see his plans for your life come to fruition for his glory and your benefit.

What are you happy about this week? Let me know so I can be happy about it with you! Even if you’re in the midst of a tough time right now, I’d still love to hear about something you are happy about, no matter how small it may be! Leave a comment, email me at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu, or tweet @hopekathryn17! Thanks for reading!

So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Everybody’s Got One, But Mine’s the Best!

January 24th is an important day in my life. Well, not my life specifically, but without a significant event on the 24th, my life would not be possible. January 24th is my mom’s birthday. As this title says, everybody’s got one (one meaning mom); however, I am convinced that my mom is the best!

I know the purpose of these blogs is to share events happening in the Hope community, but I felt that it would be appropriate to share some about my mom. After all, if it weren’t for her, I would have no clue about Hope College. As a freshman in college, my mom attended Calvin College (not the greatest decision) but by the beginning of her sophomore year she was a committed Hope student.

As a high school student, I was totally against Hope College. During the end of my junior year my mom encouraged me to look at the school. She told me that knowing my personality I would love the school. Throughout my college search, my mom never pressured me to attend Hope, but I am confident that God directed her to pray that I attend Hope.

And you now know, I am a junior at Hope College pursuing a double major. But… this post isn’t about my college story.

Back to my mom! She really is an amazing lady! Her prayer and encouragement have been constant throughout my life – and me attending Hope College is just one example!

During the past year, my mom and I have been through some hard times. However, there’s no one I’d rather struggle through life alongside. Her faith has been an example to me and the people around her. Even in the most difficult circumstances she has relied on God and drawn others closer to Him – she really is an awesome role model!

So Mom, know that on this birthday I love you so very much! I’m thankful for you and your cray personality! Your attitude inspirers me and others, while also motivating me to be the best I can! I hope you have the greatest birthday and know that you are loved by so many!

Happy Birthday, Mom! You really are the best!

Mom and Me!  Livin' Life Together

Upcoming Semester Highlights

First semester is out of the way, so now there’s all of the fun stuff associated with second semester! Here is a list of some of the fun things going on the next few months:

Basketball

Hope Basketball is the best sport to watch in my opinion because we have the Dew Crew as well as having an awesome team! Being part of the Dew Crew is so much fun because you all have a shirt, you drink Mountain Dew during halftime, you learn fun dances and stuff and it’s a great stress-reliever! It’s also really fun because for me, I have made friends with some of the players so it makes watching a lot more enjoyable because I actually know who is playing. Our team and fan section is especially awesome when the Hope vs. Calvin game arrives because the feud is so great that winning is the ultimate feat.

Winter Fantasia

Although I have yet to go to Winter Fantasia, I’m super excited about it this year because it’s this upcoming Saturday in Grand Rapids. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a winter dance put on by SAC in Grand Rapids. Tons of dessert and entertainment are provided, so getting a group together and just having some fun is what it’s all about. It’s also really fun just to have a reason to get all dressed up and take pictures and pull some horrendous dance moves that have yet to be mastered.

Intramurals

With a new semester comes a new set of intramurals to participate in. For me, I am planning on playing co-ed volleyball, co-ed soccer, and co-ed Frisbee. I especially love soccer because I grew up playing and this is my only chance to really play again and enjoy the sport. In addition, I’m really excited for Frisbee because I was on the winning team last year so it will be awesome if we could pull out another win this year and get intramural champion shirts!

Preparing for Summer and Applications

If you read some of my previous posts, you would be aware that I am going to be traveling to Vienna in May to study abroad! I’m getting really excited about it since I have friends going with me as well. However, I’m also slowly getting anxious and nervous about it because I don’t know what to expect completely. In addition, I’m also getting anxious about this summer after Vienna because I need to take the GRE and start applying for graduate school. Having that on my plate for the next few months and into senior year will definitely be hectic and time consuming, but I really hope all of my efforts in the next few months pay off and I get accepted to some of the schools I plan on applying to.

I really hope some of these highlights get people excited about the upcoming semester despite the actual academic part! Have a great week everybody!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Writing Workshop: Finding God’s Voice

Have you ever taken time to reflect back on your life and see how God brought you through some of the most difficult parts? Are you curious to see how the Holy Spirit is working through your life right now to shape you into the person God sees you to become?

I sure am.

When I heard about a writing workshop early last week hosted by Campus Ministries, I became super excited. And little did I know, those questions (and many more!) were explained and answered throughout the day of this workshop.

We started off the day yesterday morning by reading Psalm 139 and finding the verse that stood out most to each one of us (see Psalm 139 here).

Psalm 139:14
Verse 14 stood out most to me from Psalm 139.
“I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

We then did a meditation in which we reflected on how Jesus has traveled with us throughout our life, and how he has supported us during some of the happiest and most difficult times. I was amazed to find His glory and mercy throughout all of my life.

Plus, we had lunch from Phelps Catering (Phelps is the dining hall on campus), and it was a delicious salad with chicken, apples, and pecans. It inspired me to be more creative with the salads I make in the dining center!

Later in the day, we reflected on stories of women in the Bible to see how their interactions with Jesus and the will of God can shape us to become people who share and experience God’s love with the people surrounding us.

Some of the things we found:

1. God’s love knows no boundaries. There is also nothing that can separate us from God (John 4:1-42, Romans 8:38-39).

2. When we become desperate for God’s presence, he will not reject us. Also, having strong, abiding faith creates a gateway for us to see God’s miracles in our life (Luke 5:25-34).

3. God blesses us through our works of selflessness and is steadfast to us in our times of need (2 Kings 4:1-34).

It was neat to review these stories as as a college student and understand them with a different perspective. It was also inspiring to find strength and courage through women who were faithful to God.

And the one of the best parts about this workshop? Over the next six weeks, we’ll be breaking into small groups to engage in greater discussion about God’s plan in our lives. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes!

In the meantime, keep up with me @hopesophie17! If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or email me at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.

My first full week in France!

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven’t written since my arrival! I have been so busy getting used to my new daily life and schedule. Last weekend, only a day after my arrival in France, I went to Tours for an orientation weekend.

I spent Friday night exploring the downtown area with some friends. We went on a ferris wheel and I was able to see the entire city in lights!

Exploring a chateau
Exploring the Chateau de Blois

Saturday and Sunday were spent exploring four famous Chateaux in the Loire Valley: Amboise, Chenonceau, Chambourd, and Blois. On some of them, we had guided visits, which was helpful for learning more about their history. Walking around the gardens and interior of buildings older than the United States was one of the coolest experiences of my life. My favorite chateau by far was the Chateau de Chenonceau, which  inspired Walt Disney!

Monday to Friday of the following week was spent getting more acclimated to Nantes and IES through various orientation sessions. We learned about safety, health, transportation, classes, and just about anything else you can think of. We spent some time getting a tour of the area and various places we might need, like the post office and grocery store. We took a test on Monday to be placed into our French language class at IES and spent Wednesday through Friday having grammar review classes. It wasn’t my favorite part of orientation but it was definitely helpful. Friday was spent choosing the classes to take at the IES center and at the University of Nantes. Classes begin on Monday and I can’t wait!

A bientot!

Rachael

First Week of Spring Semester!

Well, folks, welcome back to spring semester! We started off the semester with a Hope College miracle – TWO SNOW DAYS! I was pretty excited about that because it gave me more time to safely make my way back to campus. My parents tried to bring me back to Hope the Saturday before classes were scheduled to start, but the weather was awful so we ended up turning around and heading back home for a few days. It wasn’t clear enough to try to come back up until Wednesday, which was pretty convenient since classes got pushed back to start on Thursday! It worked out super well. I missed all my friends at Hope but it was so nice to spend some great time at home!

So much has already gone on this semester and I really don’t think I could be happier with it, except for maybe if my credit load could just be a little bit lighter… Oh well. I’ll make it! One of the things I was most excited about was…

BOB GOFF!

Bob Goff
Christin and I with Bob Goff!

Christin and I love love love Bob Goff’s book Love Does. I haven’t finished it yet, but I read a good chunk of it over Christmas break and it’s just so good. It’s about loving others extravagantly, the way Christ loves us, and showing that love intentionally and regularly. It is so, so good. Bob came to Hope last Thursday to speak as a part of a group project that some students in a Leadership class had started. They chose to dream big and work to get Bob to Hope, and they did it! We were all so blessed by their efforts. Bob is an incredible storyteller, a captivating speaker, someone who really practices what he preaches, an engaging conversationalist, a truly humble servant of God, and just all-around incredible. I am so blessed to have met him and heard him speak. If you ever get the chance to meet or hear him, please please please do it! You won’t regret it!

Friday, SAC brought in an improv group called the Upright Citizens Brigade. Going into the performance, I didn’t really know what to expect, but they were super funny. They called a girl up on stage to talk about her experience at Hope and kind of the “in’s and out’s” of campus, and they took the things she said and ran with them. Hilarious.

Saturday was my friend Grace’s birthday. It was so awesome to get to celebrate with her and so many of our other friends. She has blessed me in so many ways since I met her in August and I am so thankful to be able to call her one of my best friends! We went out to lunch at Jimmy John’s in downtown Holland and got dinner at Johnny Carino’s, which is so good. We had a great time celebrating together!

Friends for dinner
Here’s the group of awesome cluster girls who went out for Grace’s birthday dinner!
Grace and I
The lovely birthday girl and I!

Hope men’s basketball also beat our rival, Calvin, on Saturday!

Sunday, I got to go back to Pillar Church and it was so great! Pillar is so welcoming and I love going to church there. I really do take away something I can apply to my life from the service every single week! I met up with some friends in the afternoon and had an awesome time with them. The first gathering of the semester was Sunday night and it’s always great to start off the week with a night of worship with my friends and peers!

Monday, INGRID MICHAELSON TICKETS WENT ON SALE. Nothing else even matters. I waited in line for almost two hours, but it’s going to be so worth it. I am so excited. The concert is January 31st and our tickets were only $15! Such a deal for what’s sure to be an incredible concert!

Tomorrow and Saturday, I am looking forward to attending the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids! I’ve heard it’s great, and I’m super excited to go. The Hope music department does such a great job of offering opportunities like this for its students and so many of us are able to take advantage of them! It’s so awesome!

Thanks for reading! I love to talk to people interested in learning more about Hope, so please leave me a comment, email me at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu, or tweet @hopekathryn17!

“Lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”

Ephesians 4:1

First Snow Days!

For all of you Michiganders who have experienced snow days in the past, this is monumental for me. I have never had a day off of school due to weather, so I was pretty excited when I received the text from Hope saying Tuesday and Wednesday classes were cancelled.

Back in elementary school, we almost had school cancelled because there were wildfires around and the ash was almost at a dangerous point where it wasn’t safe to be outside, but of course we still had classes. Also, in high school there was a rule that if the electricity went out for over an hour, students were required to go home. Guess what? The electricity was out for 45 minutes, so we still managed to have to stay the entire day. As you can see, when this cold weather happened, I was filled with joy that I received my first day off of classes. I feel terrible for the people who had flights cancelled because that’s flat-out annoying and frustrating, but it’s also stressful. Luckily, I had no issues getting back to Hope but one of my friends from California who goes to Hope as well had her flights cancelled multiple times. Talk about frustrating. However, she WAS in California so she got to absorb a few more rays of sun, but it’s still annoying being cancelled or delayed a bunch.

Now that classes have begun, I have to be honest. It’s all fun having days off, but I got bored. Since it’s so terrible outside, you don’t really want to go or should go outside, so that really limits what you can do. I know I’m going to regret saying this, but I’m glad classes have started because I’m now establishing a schedule of sorts and getting into a rhythm once again. Homework and studying is definitely not going to be fun this semester, but once everybody starts getting into the swing of things and you start making more friends in classes, everything seems to get better and it’s not a huge drag. That’s about it for now, so I’ll keep everyone updated on the following week!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

This Week at a Glance

The snow days last week were truly awesome. It was great to just do nothing, but now that I am almost done with my first full week of my spring semester, life just got busy. And by busy, I mean REALLY busy. For some reason, I am freaking out, and feel behind because of those stupid snow days. Regardless, it’s ok, everything will be ok, right!? On the plus side, all of my professors have re-adjusted our syllabus schedules, which is so great. Without dates, I can’t function. But, I just want to share with you how hectic things were for me this week. And by all means, I’m not bragging at all, just venting. 🙂

MONDAY
Monday, I had an orientation for my clinical this half of the semester, Maternity and Women’s Health Nursing. And this lasted from 1:00 PM-7:30 PM. Crazy. Dates were being thrown at me, I was frantically writing them down in my schedule, and of course I was overwhelmed. But I literally got the do’s and dont’s of this clinical. Thank goodness!

TUESDAY
On Tuesday, my clinical got to work right away on the floor at Spectrum Butterworth. Nothing says happy spring semester than having students start right away. Although it was scary, I just needed to warmup to the hospital. It will be a good semester.

WEDNESDAY
Wednesdays are hectic. In the morning, I work in the skills lab, then I have a short break for lunch. Following lunch, I have two classes from 1-5. Then, I break for dinner, then I TA for skills lab until 9:30. Then homework, then sleep.

THURSDAY
These days are little better. I don’t have class until noon, so I sleep then workout, eat then class! After class, I TA some more, then I’m done for the day. Thank goodness.

TOMORROW/FRIDAY
Everyone looks forward to Fridays, especially me. I don’t have class until 1! This gives me so much time to sleep, workout, eat, and finish some homework. I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Week 2: almost check!

After typing this, my week actually didn’t seem that bad, but it was just busy and frantic because of all the information given in each class. So. Many. Assignments. And. Dates. So this is just my little introduction to this semester! I have exciting plans this weekend, so that’ll be fun to write about! If you haven’t already, make sure you follow me on Twitter at @HopeMarvin15.

What You Need to Know about Studying Business

Hello Future Hope College Students! I thought it might be interesting to tell you a little about the Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting (DEMA). Many times, when people think about the strengths of Hope College, business might not be their first thought. However, the business department is a phenomenal program.

Several different majors are offered in DEMA, such as:

  • Management
  • Economics
  • Public Accounting (150 Credits)
  • Accounting
  • Public Accounting and Management Double Major
  • Accounting and Management Double Major
  • Management and Economics Double Major
  • Management and French

Not only are different majors offered but also different tracks inside of a major. Some of the tracks are:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance/Banking
  • Human Resource
  • International Business
  • Marketing
  • Nonprofit
  • Operations
  • Technology

Being a DEMA student allows you to participate in some great opportunities and experiences. Hope professors work extremely hard to provide students with career developing events as well as out of classroom experiences.

As a Public Accounting and Management double major, I have had the opportunity to attend resume workshops, mock interviews, career fairs, and business school tours. In addition, Hope has also prepared me to compete with top business school students in potential internships and job offers.

If you are considering business as a major, I would highly recommend getting into contact with a professor in the department if you have not already. And, if possible, I would advising coming for one last visit day, or fly in weekend, to visit a business class.

Below I’ve provided some different links that provide information about Hope College Business Faculty members and the different majors/tracks:

Majors & Tracks

DEMA Faculty

My Perfectly Boring Break

I didn’t go anywhere exciting for Christmas break, I didn’t really do all that much looking back. One thing’s for sure, though – it was exactly what I needed.

The main thing I did over break was work. Over this past summer, I was fortunate enough to receive an internship from PVS Chemicals in Detroit, MI. I worked the help desk in the IT department all summer, and I guess I did well because they invited me back for Christmas break! Even better was the fact that I got the lead my own project writing training manuals for people in the company so they can learn how everything works faster.

When I wasn’t at work, I was writing reviews for my website. I posted a fair bit of news as well. I also spent a lot of time at the gym working out with my dad. We went to my cottage in Metamora, MI a few times, and we did the typical family gatherings for Christmas and New Years.

The best thing about break for me personally was being able to hang out with my friends who I hadn’t seen in a while and attempt to reduce our massive backlog of video games. First on the list was Rainbow Moon, a Japanese RPG that I had no business to be playing, but still enjoyed. After that we all got sucked into the mild addiction that is Terraria.

Terraria is essentially Minecraft on a 2D plane rather than a 3D world. We were able to all connect to the same game and build our houses and fight some monsters. The best game I played all break though was Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise is one of my favorites of all time, and even though I bought IV when it was released in November, I was saving it for break because I knew how much it would distract me from my school work. Playing a game set in the golden age of pirates was truly a dream come true for me, and meeting the people I was fascinated with as a kid in the game like Mary Read, Black Beard and Callico Jack basically had me geeking out for the entire duration of the story.

Christmas break was a great time to relax for me, and I definitely needed it. Being away from home for months starts to wear on you, even when you don’t notice it, and it’s pretty incredible what a month at home can do for you. Now that I’m back, though, I’m starting to realize how much I started to miss Hope, and also Holland.

Those two snow days were nothing to complain about, either.