As you may already know, I am a big fashionista. From February 7-14, New York was host to the wonderful event that we fashionistas wait anxiously for: Fashion Week. Top designers including Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, and Ralph Lauren, formally debuted their collections for fall 2013 (in the fashion industry, fall clothes are debuted in the spring and spring clothes are debuted in the fall). Sometimes the styles on the runway can be intimidating and hard to master in real life. That’s why I decided to take some of the hottest trends and put together some outfits perfect to wear at Hope!

70s Glam Rock

Diane Von Furstenberg’s fall 2013 collection was one the most talked about and anticipated ones of the season. Taking her mantra “be the woman you want to be” back to the 70s, the collection’s theme is “the girl I used to be”. Bold colors and prints were the ruling elements of the collection. I really liked von Furstenberg’s collection because all of the pieces are really wearable. I also like the fact that the songs during the show were reflective of the era; models walked down the runway to 70s tunes, including “Love to Love You Baby” by Donna Summers. In creating my outfit, I looked for clothes that were bold enough to stay true to the trend but appropriate for the classroom as well.

Leather

This trend has been on the runway for the past few seasons and it shows no signs of going away any time soon. Carmen Marc Valvo made the traditionally tough-looking material into feminine pieces, while BCBG Max Azria and Atruzarra went with rugged motorcycle jackets. Personally, I tend to dress more feminine than tough and decided to take that into the outfit I created. A loose, flowing shirt over leggings is comfy, yet fashionable to make a statement! This outfit is perfect for a weekend stroll or casual get together with friends.

Leopard Print

Much like the leather trend, leopard print has been making frequent appearances on the runway. The trap that all the designers have managed to avoid is not making the clothes look trashy, which can easy to do. This season, leopard print was seen in the shows of Peter Som, Jenny Kayne, Elie Tahari, and Herve Ledger by Max Azria, among others. The trick to making leopard print work is to tone down the rest of the outfit. Leopard print is bold enough to stand on its own, so make sure to not have other loud elements in the outfit. The art of this was clearly mastered in Peter Som’s collection, as you can see from the picture. To me, leopard print is fun and feminine, so I did my best to work that into the outfit. When I think of leopard print, the image of a cat comes to my mind immediately, hence the cat-eye sunglasses! This outfit is really versatile; it could work for class, a coffee date, a study session…the possibilities are endless!

As always, I welcome any comments you may have! Did you watch the New York Fashion Week? Are you watching the London Fashion Week right now? How do you feel about the trends? Let me know here or on twitter!

-Rachael

Hey Everyone!

In light of my last blog about the snow, I thought I would write about the sunshine. I hope you had a wonderful week! We only had a three-day
school week because of Winter Break. On Friday my friend Grace and I decided to
travel down to Florida to get away for the break. Last year we vacationed in
Marco Island, FL, but this we ventured to St. Pete, FL, and we could not have
asked for nicer weather. It was upper 70’s/low 80’s and sunny every day. The
beach was absolutely beautiful with its white sand and gorgeous sunsets. During
the day Grace and I laid out by the pool, which also overlooked the beach. We read
some books and soaked up some wonderful Vitamin D. We also ran along the beach
everyday which was incredible. I loved listening to the waves crash and
watching my feet indent the sand as I strode along the shore. During the sunset
we sat on beach chairs on the sand while reading our Bible and journaling. The break
came at the perfect time, and it was great to take time to reflect and think.

After the sun would set we ventured out to try different
restaurant every night. The food was incredible and the restaurant environments
were a lot of fun. After we ate dinner, we made our way back into the hotel’s
hot tub and met some interesting people.

Overall, I had an incredible winter break. I am so thankful
for the opportunity I had to be in Florida with Grace. I am already looking
forward to our trip next year!

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all are enjoying your weeks, and if you’re from Michigan, I hope you are enjoying the snow. I’m from Springfield, IL, so I am definitely not used to all of this snow. I also never remember anyone ever telling me that Holland got so much snow. I had never even heard of “Lake Effect” snow. My first winter at Hope was a definitely a surprise to me, because I had never seen so much snow in my life.

Here are some fun things I like to do in the snow:

1. sledding
2. make a snowman
3. ski
4. snowboard
5. make snow angels
6. make an igloo or snow fort
7. snow ball fights
8. iceskating
9. eat snow
10. cross country ski
11. make snow ice cream
12. drink hot chocolate
13. lick icicles

Even though winter isn’t my favorite holiday, I have definitely found fun activities I enjoy. Plus, the more I’m around the snow the more I like it, or at least that is what I tell myself…  Plus Boyne Mountain and Crystal Mountain are not too far from Hope, so going on a quick ski trip is always a fun option. 

This past week, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my good friends, Ady Burmester. She’s working on a pretty cool project in a political science course right now and spent this past fall semester in Russia, so I thought she would be the perfect candidate to share some insight into the life of a Hope student. Enjoy!

1. What project are you working on?

Our professor calls it Operation Justice Homecoming.
It’s a project to bring a man named Mikhail Sebastian back into the United States. He
fled from Armenia to the United States when fighting broke out to detach from the USSR. His passport became invalid when the USSR disbanded, so he got a work visa
in US. He lived and worked here for 16 years. He travelled to Western Samoa, not
knowing it was a different country separate from the US. When he
wanted to come back, customs told him he couldn’t come back and that he had self-deported himself. He’s been stranded there for two years. He’s tried talking
to the US and Europe. He has a lawyer in Indiana, and we’ve paired up with him to try
and bring him home. (Author’s note: As of recently, Michael has been given 30 days to gather his legal papers; if done successfully, he can return to the United States and get a work visa for one year while attempting to gain citizenship. Yay!) 

2. Why do you think this is important?

It’s the question our whole class has been asking.
It’s hard to give defined facts for that answer. Mikhail’s worked here for 16 years and given more to taxes than I have. He’s a human being. He’s so hopeless, and that’s
heartbreaking. Imagine if it was you: stuck on an island, no where to call
home, and the place you thought was home won’t let you go back. A lot of it has to do with
showing care and love for another human being. I think it’s important as a Christian student to respond and show
love to people.

3. How do you think Operation Justice Homecoming fits into Hope’s Mission Statement?

I see this as showing Christian love and being global
citizens and leaders. We are interacting with a man who grew up in Armenia and dealing with West Samoan government. This is helping us all to be leaders. We are learning from a real-life problem and trying to do
something about it. We’re educating
ourselves on US foreign policy and how to get stuff done in a big government.
We’re working on communication through twitter, social media, and working with
other schools. Operation Justice Homecoming incorporates a lot of different things into one class.

4. Changing subjects, I know you were in Russia for study abroad last
semester. What was your experience like?

The thing I enjoyed most was joining an
international church. We went to a Russian church and it was the coolest thing for
me to go there every week. I don’t speak Russian
well and they didn’t speak English, but we had a connection through our belief in Jesus. The congregation really took us in. People came up to me and gave
me hugs and they didn’t even know me! I feel like that was a church where I
could feel like the Spirit was alive. It was cool, especially since Russia isn’t known
for being a Christian place. Making those connections acorss the world was
a learning experience for me.

6. Some might say that study abroad is not
necessary for a fulfilled college experience. What would you say to those
people?

You’re dead wrong. Some students say they would go, but don’t
want to miss anything that goes on. That hurts me to hear! I wish it was
required for every student. When you go abroad, you understand people better.
We’re all the same. We all laugh, cry, and joke. You learn to love diversity it makes you conscience of differences between people. It helps you develeop a lot as a person, because you are in an
environment you’re not comfortable in 100% of the time. Another most important thing you realize is how big of a problem Americans have being Americentric. Russians knew more about America than I
did. It’s really embarrassing how little we know about the world. We don’t take the time
to learn about those things. Learning that there is more to the world than
America changes your perspective of the world. It’s important for the upcoming
generation to have as we step into leadership positions. Everyone should study
abroad!

7. That being said, was there anything you missed doing or seeing on campus?

I missed seeing Nykerk and my friends. It was
really hard coming back and all my friends were like, “remember that time…”, and
I was like, no I don’t! I missed a lot of fun times, but my time there was
invaluable. I have no regrets about going there. I haven’t talked to anyone who
has gone abroad that would have rather been here. It becomes a defining feature
of who you are. It was hard to not be at Hope. It’s so loving. At the same time,
the world is so much bigger than Hope. It enriches the campus when you go
abroad and bring your views back.

There you have it! I hope you learned a little bit more about what life can be like as a Hope student, inside and outside of the classroom. Happy Weekend!

-Rachael

Today is Ash Wednesday. That means a lot of different things to different people. Some are recovering from yesterday’s Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras celebration. Others are introspective about their faith and their communication with the Lord. Others don’t have an opinion.

I’m back and forth about religion. I am a Christian, but I don’t always enjoy organized religious events. This morning I went to Chapel with good friends Betsy and Hannah, where Father Charlie Brown (from a local Catholic Church) gave the message about Ash Wednesday.

He reminded all to introspectively evaluate what each of us is blessed with, and how we can use those blessings to benefit others. How can we be as generous to others as God has been and is to us?

During my time of Lent, instead of fasting, or giving up sweets or TV, I’m going to make a concerted effort to START something new. I want to listen to my self, to God, to hear how he is speaking to me, because often it’s hard to hear him. I want these next weeks to be about listening more, about living my life positively and focusing on how I can bless others with my blessings.

On my way back to Hope from Winter Break, my passenger conveyed she had wanted to go to a public school. Having gone to private school all her life, she was interested whether she could continue to test out and apply her spiritual life to the “real world” without a constant reminder of her faith. Though Hope is defined as a Christian college, you can easily avoid all religion while here. Sure, most of the students and professors you talk to and interact with are Christians, but that doesn’t mean you have to be, or participate as one. However, if you DO want to be the Christian you’ve been training for, and develop your faith, Hope has a million and seventeen ways to do that and help you in any way you desire.

So join me. Take the leap. Use your life to benefit others, whether you believe in a higher being or not. Make the pledge to assist others, to lend a hand, and to lead by example.

1 John 3:17 

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need,
yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Hebrews 13:16 

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Philippians 2:4 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I’m not going to lie. There are definite perks of dating a Cuban/Nicaraguan/Chinese chef. Actually, there are infinite perks.

I never cook. If I did, you wouldn’t like it. But, I’ve never had to worry about what I was going to eat, because I’ve been dating a CHEF. Yep. If you can’t cook, it’s the right thing to do. They feed you and think your cute and you don’t even have to do anything.

HOWEVER, this winter break, I think I earned my keep. My boyfriend, Anthony, opened a restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan. It’s always been his dream to be able to work for himself and build his own flavor combinations, and finally it has come true. As the handy-dandy personal assistant, I have called cable, phone, internet, banks, GFS, local producers, TV stations, radio stations, chair companies, painting places, you name it, I’ve called them. I’ve run to the store at 2AM to get EVOO and called the Coca-Cola distributors and meat shops to make sure the mornings order would come in on time. Now, since I’ll be going back to Holland to resume school, I will try to maintain their social media influence in Traverse City.

This weekend, Anthony had a sneak preview day, where he fed over 220 people on the house, to introduce them to his food. It went really well, but we were VERY busy. Only getting around 4 hours of sleep every night to keep up with food prep and business odds and ends, we were constantly going. Talk about a great date! 🙂

His official opening date is Feb. 12th. I am so thankful that I had winter break to come and help him open to the public and be able to share in his joy. The passion he has for his cuisine is unreal, and inspires me every day.

If you get a chance to travel up to TC, make sure you check out his little gem, Georgina’s Taqueria. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is great. Though, I’m a tad biased.

Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter, too! 🙂

Here are some photos to make you hungry… Ok. the food ones anyway. 😉

Last Thursday was a pretty sad day in my life, because one of my favorite shows, 30 Rock, came to a close after a poorly-watched, but critically acclaimed seven-year run. 

The brainchild of Tina Fey, 30 Rock followed the adventurous, messy life of Liz Lemon, a thirty-something working as the head writer of the comedy TGS on NBC who wanted nothing more in life than a husband, kids, and a meat lovers pizza. Each day, she was surrounded by a eccentric bunch: Tracy Jordan (played by Tracy Morgan), the man-child star of TGS; Jenna (played by Jane Krakowski), a narcissistic wannabe actress on TGS; Kenneth (played by Jack McBrayer), a naive page from Georgia, and Jack (played by Alec Baldwin), a cunning network executive. Together, they made one of the most dysfunctional, lovable groups on television.

Liz has given me some wisdom over the last seven seasons that I think can be easily applied to anyone’s life…

Be yourself

This piece of advice is given so much that I think it is sometimes ignored. But not for Liz Lemon. She took it, ran with it, and lived everyday through it. Despite being in an industry known for superficiality, Liz stayed loyal to herself and was never afraid to let her true colors fly. Granted they flew at the wrong time once in a while, but she had the right idea. Her sayings, like “what the what?” and “I want to go to there” gave her an added dose of uniqueness.  Who else would dress up as Princess Leia to get out of jury duty? 

Have a sense of humor

Liz Lemon’s personality attracts unfortunate situations like world’s strongest magnet. She’s had numerous failed relationships, work projects blown up in her face, and enough sadness to last her a lifetime. But does she lock herself up in her room, eat her sorrows, and give up on life? Only occasionally, but the important thing is that it never lasts forever. Liz is somehow able to bounce back from whatever life throws at her and come back stronger than before. After watching countless episodes, I actually believe that her can-do spirit and joyous attitude is so infectious that it can be transferred across the television screen.

Work hard for what you believe in

TGS wasn’t the most loved show, by audiences or executives like Jack. Luckily, it had the strong force that is Liz Lemon to work as its advocate. She put her life on the back burner to work tirelessly for the show she loved so much. TGS didn’t have the longest run, but it did have a lot of heart behind it. Liz dedicated everything she had to the show and worked her hardest to make it the best. As a student desperately searching for my life’s purpose, it gives me great hope to see people like Liz pursuing their life’s passion without any regrets. 

If you still doubt Liz’s wisdom, think about some of her famous quotes:

“Thanks, it’s my own recipe. I use cheddar cheese instead of water.”

“Can I share with you my world view? All of humankind has one thing in common: the sandwich. I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich.”

Did you watch the show? Absolutely hate it? Have a favorite quote? Let me know here or on twitter!

-Rachael