CHRISTMAS IS HEREEEEE

Christmas.

What a [possibly] magical time of year, eh? Christmas is around the corner, and though Holland is yet to have any long lasting snowfall, Christmas certainly is shaping up around us. Downtown Holland is decorated, the tree is up in our suite, and Christmas lights adorn our bathroom mirror.

This is also the busiest time of year, especially in college. There are exams to study for, papers to write, grades to finalize, cramming to be done, and of course packing to go home. In our flurry, we often forget that everyone is experiencing the same thing: chaos.

We took a night out of our craziness to enjoy each others company, and I am so blessed to have the people around me that I do.

Our first festive evening was put on by the best two people ever, Morgan and Shannon. My last year roommates, and this year’s roommate and suitemate, really put on a fantastic evening for us. They had a cheese and cracker spread, cookie dough bites, grapes, and sparkling grape juice. We watched a few new movies together and had a great relaxing time.

The next morning, my good friend Jen asked if I would like to volunteer with her and a few of her Phelps hallmates. We traveled to Resthaven Senior Center and helped them decorate the halls for Christmas.

Jen and I decorated two Christmas trees, one in a community room and one in a newly built family visiting center. The first tree was red and gold themed and as we decorated many residents came by to admire our cheer and work. We even put on some Christmas music to make it a bit more jolly :).

The second tree we decorated was a bit bigger. It was yellow and red themed and had beautiful gold angels hanging from it.

We moved on to wrap the pictures hanging in the resident hallways to look like gifts, a really cute idea! Other girls put bows up on each resident’s door and decorated the main lobby and other seating areas. Overall, it was great to be able to use our abilities to help spread the Christmas cheer.

Last night, we played with my new Christmas present from Shannon, the game Operation!! I am pre-med and having hip surgery over Christmas break, so it was very fitting! We even had a tournament to see who was the best at operating! 🙂

Though you’re busy applying to colleges, getting ready for finals, doing classwork and anticipating the Christmas season, don’t forget to take an occasional breather. We all need them! Even if its playing Operation with your friends, eating cookie dough off of a toothpick, or decorating a Christmas tree.

XOXO

“So shine on. Just shine on!
With your smile just as bright as the sun.
’Cause they’re all just slaves to the gods they made, But you and I just shone.
Just shone.”

— James Blunt

My Past Week Beyond Academics

The days until Christmas break are
certainly being counted down here at Hope! Despite all of the excitement, we
still have preparation for finals and everything before we’re free to leave.
Even beyond that, there are more things going on besides academics at Hope
during this time.

This past weekend, I volunteered
for a few hours at a place called The Rock, which is in downtown Holland. This
is the first time I’ve been there and I honestly did not even know it existed.
If you are unaware of what it is, it’s basically an after-school program for
at-risk children in which people volunteer to help them with homework, but also
play with them for a while before they go home for the day. My RA had organized
this volunteer day with someone else in another dorm to gather people up to go
make a structure called a Gaga Ball Pit for kids at The Rock. I had never heard
of this before, but it sounded like enough fun, so why not volunteer, right?
It’s for the kids! When I got there, I realized what this Gaga Ball Pit is. In
Layman’s terms, it’s an octagon structure that’s about three feet high and you
play dodge ball in it but you can only slap the ball and it has to hit the
person below the knee. Despite
some confusion with actually building it, we all ended up playing it together
and it was a lot more fun than I anticipated.

The same day, there was another big
thing going on: the Hope vs. Calvin hockey game. This is the one hockey game
that everybody attends because we host it at The Edge and gather as many
spectators to watch us play our rivals. Even though the turnout was great, Hope
ended up losing. This was a huge disappointment, but it was loads of fun
anyways because everybody was so engaged in the game and if you’re with
friends, it’s even more fun!

The final major event this week was
the intramural playoffs for the winter season. I’m sure I mentioned it in a
previous blog, but I was playing intramural tennis with my partner from last
year. We were 8-0 going into playoffs, so we had a good chance of winning the
more competitive league. On Tuesday, we won and then on Wednesday we played in
the semifinals and unfortunately lost. Even though this was a huge upset, I had
the best time! My partner and I don’t take things too seriously, so when we
knew we weren’t going to win, we just enjoyed the last few games just doing our
best and having a good time. That’s the best when people aren’t too competitive
because you can still have fun and aren’t pressured to be flawless. This winter
intramural season is my favorite time of the year because tennis is a passion
of mine but playing with a great partner makes it even better! I can’t wait for
next year and hopefully we can win the league!

These were just some of the events
going on this past week, but now it’s time to buckle down and study for finals
next week. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Girls weekend getaway

Last weekend 16 Hope college women drove to Fort Wayne, IN to spend a weekend at Amy and Jenna’s house. We traveled on Friday night in four different cars. Once we arrived to their house, their parents treated us to some delicious food. After dinner we hung out in their outdoor hot tub overlooking the woods. It was even surprisingly warm outside. On Saturday morning, after sleeping in, Jenna cooked us a delicious breakfast. I ran with Grace after eating and enjoyed a change of scenery while running around a beautiful Indiana neighborhood.

On Saturday afternoon we all went to a local coffee shop to study and get some homework done. The coffee shop was adorable, and I actually accomplished quite a bit of homework. in the evening we all went iceskating together at an outdoor iceskating rink which was a lot of fun. We ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and talked for hours together. After dinner we went back to their house and had a time for prayer and worship, and this was definitely my favorite part of the trip. I love the community at Hope and the amazing friends I have made here. We do an awesome job of caring and supporting each other. The friends I have made in college have truly impacted my life.

On Sunday morning as we packed up our bags to head back to Hope, and i could not help but be thankful for the incredible opportunity to spend time with such amazing friends. It truly was a college memory that I will never forget.

When I returned Sunday afternoon, Matthias and I helped out at our youth group formal Christmas dinner. We really enjoyed talking with the students and celebrating the holiday together. Last weekend was one of my favorite weekends at Hope and definitely a weekend I will never forget.

I like the View (from Rome & Florence)

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
161
921
York Community High School
7
1
1131
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

As the semester comes
to a close, my time in Europe dwindles. Naturally, I had to visit Italy and what better city to start with than
the capital? It goes without
saying that we ate like emperors. Among other dishes that I am unable to translate (recommended by
servers), I had lasagna, ravioli, mussel and clam pasta, and of course, pizza
(which was in my biased opinion, inferior to that of Chicago). My only disappointment was that chicken
parmesan eluded me, and take my word when I say that I scoured every menu. I
apologize for the absence of food pictures, but am certainly not sorry. In my opinion, food should be consumed
and enjoyed, but not glorified (Instagram stinger).

Sightseeing in Rome is
literally impossible to avoid, as seemingly every street has some ode to the
Roman Empire, whether it be a temple, fountain plaza, statue or historic
building. But we were certainly
not avoiding sightseeing. On the
contrary, we embraced it. As much
as I despise being pegged as a tourist, I had zero shame strolling through the
streets of Rome with a dropped jaw and a camera dangling from my wrist.

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
90
518
York Community High School
4
1
636
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
32
184
York Community High School
1
1
225
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

We visited Vatican
City, the world’s smallest sovereign state, and the offical residence of the Pope. Despite its dimunitive size, it manages to house St. Peter’s
Basilica, the Vatican museums, and of course, the Sistine Chapel. Of the three, I enjoyed the wide spectrum of artwork of the museums the most. There were tapestries, mosaics, sculptures, graven depictions, and of course, countless paintings.

All three attractions housed absurd decadence and wealth. It was easy to see why many scowl at the hoarding of wealth by the Catholic church.

On Saturday, the four of us friends escaped via a high-speed train to Florence. While it would have been very possible to remain in Rome for all three days, we wanted to get a sampling of another city.

Arriving at 8:46 a.m., we were able to explore the city, visit the Duomo, and get duped by a novice trumpeter. I can see why Florence was the workshop for so many great artisans. ts winding streets, charming homes, and bustling population reminded me a great deal of our beloved Sevilla.

Florence also is home
to San Museo, the largest Renaissance museum and the home of David, sculpted by
Michelangelo himself. He stands a
daunting 5.17 meters high (17 feet) and has zero blemishes, according to my
untrained eye for Renaissance period sculptures. Photos weren’t allowed, but I really
believed my readers deserved a glimpse!

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
66
378
York Community High School
3
1
464
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

Our last day in Rome, I visited the Coliseum and was absolutely blown away. I should prelude this by noting that I watched the scenes of the Coliseum in Gladiator before arriving to get amped. Despite daydreaming of heroism in the ring for much of my visit, I managed to learn a few interesting facts:

1. In addition to gladiator spectacles, the Coliseum also hosted other exhibitions, including circuses, musical/drama performances, the hunting of exotic animals, and my personal favorite, naval battle re-enactments, which were achieved by flooding the ring and the two basement levels below.

2. The editor was responsible for booking and organizing the spectacles. Considering it was common for the current emperor to attend, I’d imagine this was a bit more stressful than our current editor profession (although newspapers, magazines and books are important too).

3. Upon death, the animals would be transported to the lower levels to be butchered on the spot and the edible parts would be distributed to those in attendance as concessions, free of charge. Hail Caesar!

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
37
215
York Community High School
1
1
264
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

There was much, much
more to our Italian experience but I’m afraid I have to begin studying for
exams (gag). Feel free to contact
me via twitter @hopesteven14 with questions or comments

¡Ciao!

-Steven

Stay tuned for my
coming Swiss adventure next weekend!

Labs and Cadavers…Oh My!

Hey there everyone! So a major thing that prospective students, as well as parents who are looking at schools with their children, ask is, “How are the academics?” Well, besides the small class sizes, Hope offers some of the best academic programs around. For myself, I am going into the health field, specifically Exercise Science which will guide me to the Physical Therapy field. One of the requirements for nearly all health professions is Human Anatomy. I don’t know about you, but that was never offered in high school. I do know of a few people that took Anatomy in high school, so they had somewhat of an idea what was going on before classes even started. I’m not going to lie. I was nervous to take this class because there is so much information to learn in a short amount of time and I didn’t know if I could handle the labs because we deal with cadavers every week.

On the first day of lab, we saw the cadavers and were exposed to the lovely smell of formaldehyde…piece of advice: don’t take a big whiff of that if you want to keep your breakfast in your stomach. That stuff smells, but luckily there are vents that help. A huge question in the back of my mind the first week of classes was, “Could I handle seeing a real person that is dead?” It was quite shocking the first time I saw it, but you just have to trick yourself into thinking that it’s not real and then you do just fine.

What’s so great about Hope is that anatomy labs actually have cadavers available. Other schools don’t get this privilege so it’s an honor to have a dead body, no matter how strange that may sound. My brother had told me a while back that his undergraduate school never had cadavers and that I was lucky to have them. Now that he’s in medical school, he is being exposed to them for the first time, which is kind of funny because we are learning the same things in our anatomy labs. Anyway, the first day of lab I was so intimidated and stressed with everything that I honestly wanted to cry. I wasn’t the only one that felt this way but my professor came over and said, “It only gets easier. Keep on working at it and it will get easier.” At the time I could hardly believe that things would get much easier but as the weeks progressed, I know that myself as well as other people in my class got in the swing of everything and things that stressed me out were just a normal occurrence and was definitely tolerable. I feel like with anything that’s new, you get overwhelmed, but with time it seems to all work out. This is how I felt about this class.

Friends who had previously taken the course had said that Human Anatomy was one of the most fun classes they have ever taken. I found that hard to believe. If you asked me the first day of class, I would tell you that it was really difficult, but if you asked me now, I would have to agree with those other people. You honestly do as well as the amount of effort you put into it; just like anything in life. It’s mostly just memorizing, but even with that it takes time and motivation. You definitely cannot slack off because the exams will test you on very specific things, but that’s what makes you learn everything so much more thoroughly.

Human Anatomy is just one of the few courses that need to be taken for the health professions, but I would highly recommend taking it even if you aren’t going into that field. In all honesty, I have learned more from that course, especially the lab portion, than I have in any class I have taken in all of my years of school because it’s truly hands-on and you are learning about what physically makes “you” and what goes on inside you to keep you alive and working.

That’s it for this week! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving last week and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Spotlight on BSU!

Here at Hope, there are so many great clubs and extracurricular activities that you can get involved with. In an effort to highlight some of them, I will be doing a “spotlight” on one of them from time to time. In this post, I’m going to talk about one of my favorite clubs, the Black Student Union!

BSU is one of several organizations associated with the Office of Multicultural Life on campus. Other ones include Hope’s Asian Perspective Association and La Raza Unida for Latino culture. The main purpose of BSU is to talk about issues concerning the black culture around the United States, the world, and at Hope. The meetings this semester have focused around topics such as interracial relationships and black experience. What some students may not realize is that BSU is welcoming of ALL students. It is not meant to be exclusive, or for one racial group to complain about their problems, but rather to facilitate dialogue, promote understanding, and bridge existing gaps.

Something you may not know is that I am the vice-president of BSU. I’m so thrilled to have this position and I have had so much fun working with the rest of the students on the executive board this semester. My responsibilities include assisting the president, Chris, in any way that he needs help, as well as coming up with ideas for future meetings. It can be a lot of work sometimes, but it is always worth it when I see students at our meetings enjoying one another’s company and talking openly about the topic at hand.

One of our most successful meetings this semester has been our Soul Food Night. Every once in a while, BSU will have a meeting that consists of making a bunch of food associated with the black culture and inviting the campus community to eat with us. It’s basically one big potluck and it’s delicious. As you can tell from the picture, we had a ton of food. Luckily, about 60 people turned up to eat it all, so we didn’t have many leftovers. I can’t even begin to describe how yummy all of it was!

The events next semester are going to be centered around Black History Month, which is February, and on topics of racism. If these topics sound interesting to you, I highly encourage you to get involved in BSU. Hope to see you there!

-Rachael

Top Five Christmas Movies

It’s that “most wonderful time of year” where friends and families gather together to watch and enjoy a good Christmas movie. Christmas movies are great: you can sit and watch them (quoting the best lines) or just have them on while decorating or baking for Christmas. Because of this, I thought I would share my five favorite Christmas movies that I will be watching during December and Christmas break. Enjoy!

#1: Elf

#2: The Santa Clause

#3: Miracle on 34th
Street

#4: White Christmas

#5: Charlie Brown
Christmas

So, get your family and/or friends together to drink some hot chocolate and watch a good Christmas movie!

Five Skawski’s in Spain

Not wanting me to
spend Thanksgiving alone in a foreign country, my family decided to come visit
me in Sevilla! Timing it
perfectly, they arrived on Thanksgiving Day in the late afternoon (only after I
had finished my classes, of course).

Upon the program’s
recommendation, we took the subway to Nervión, to eat at TGI Friday’s, which
apparently was serving turkey for Americans wanting to celebrate our favorite
day of gluttony. Accompanying us
was Erinn Snoeyink, another Hope college student. After following Google Maps, retracing our steps, and questioning other Spanish pedestrians, we determined that either:

1. My program
had not updated their Thanksgiving recommendations from last year and TGI
Friday’s had gone out of business

2. Google Maps was wrong

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
17
99
York Community High School
1
1
121
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Based on my prior
experiences, I’m going to conclude it was the latter option. Either way, we ended up eating at a
typical Spanish restaurant and sharing various tapas such as fried cod and Iberian ham. Quite different from the customary turkey and mashed potatoes that we’re used to back home. Definitely a Thanksgiving that we won’t
soon forget!

Friday, we took a bus to the Rock of Gibraltar, which is actually a British territory that was seized from Spain in 1704. Shortly after passing through customs (which was almost non-existent), we were approached by a tour guide named Del, a cheery British fellow who convinced us to enlist him as our tour guide.

As we proceeded up the mountain, Del provided us with a detailed history of the landmarks, along with an impeccable British accent. There is a legend alleging that the day the ape population of Gibraltar goes extinct, the British people will leave Gibraltar. At one point during WWII, the ape population was in serious jeopardy. The good Winston Churchill, being the astute ruler he was, imported more apes to bolster the population, and with it, the morale of his people. During WWII, the mountain held 9 months worth of provisions in case of a German blockade. Now, the mountain contains an extensive collection of computer servers for those who find the security worth the rent.

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
90
516
York Community High School
4
1
633
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

The apes are very
accustomed to tourists and many jump from car to car (whilst in motion), and
then onto unassuming tourists’ shoulders. However, if they feel threatened, they will not hesitate to bite. The taxi drivers know most of them by
name and have trained them to do various tricks, such as exchanging high fives
and giving rounds of applause—for a peanut of course!

As you would expect,
the view was magnificent, with the Mediterranean in one field of vision, and
the Atlantic in the other, with the coast of northern Africa visible in the
distance between them. At the
pinnacle, many birds were flying below
us.

On Saturday, I gave the
family the typical tour of the city, visiting La Catedral and its bell tower, the Giralda. Since Sevilla was the capital during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabel during Spain’s Golden Age, La Catedral houses the tomb of Cristobal Colón (Christopher Columbus to us). You’d think we’d at least call him by his real name, considering he has his own holiday…

We also visited Palacio Alcázar, a living testament to the strong Arab presence (that once existed) in the region. Arabs were crazy about symmetry, and this is readily apparent in Alcázar, along with the integration of nature. Of course, the Christians altered it to suit their style, after the Reconquest. These two sites are the trademark landmarks of Seville, located within 100 yards of each other.

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
20
115
York Community High School
1
1
141
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
59
341
York Community High School
2
1
418
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

That night, the folks
went to a flamenco show together, while the three of us brothers attended the
Real Betis-Real Madrid game. Having been to 3 Sevilla FC games, I felt a bit out of place going to
the rival stadium. However, it
proved to be an incredible experience. A Sevillana classmate had told me that Betis fans are “catetos,” or
peasants. Now I see why. Betis fans are reckless, loud, and
vulgar. Not that I’m complaining. It was quite entertaining, and exactly how I imagined a European fútbol match.

Much to our surprise, Betis managed to score early in the match and hold on until the final whistle. After suffering a crippling 5-1 loss to rival Sevilla FC the week before, this will probably be the highlight of the season for Betis, as Real Madrid is considered an elite squad. Cristiano Ronaldo is sad, once again. Oh the joy! The fútbol gods were truly just this week.

On Sunday, we visited
Plaza España and Parque María Luisa, as well as the University of Sevilla. The average American might recognize
Plaza España as the Capital of Naboo in Star
Wars: The Phantom Menace. In
fact, it was built for the World Fair of 1928 to showcase Sevilla’s wealth and
prestige. Check out the similarities (and alterations by Mr. George Lucas) below!

We had supper with my
host family at a typical Spanish restaurant. Luckily for me (and for the conversation in general), Dani
speaks a great deal of English so we had two interpreters. Through the two of us, we were able to
conduct somewhat intelligent conversations amidst the seemingly never-ending
stream of tapas. The meal ended
with the families exchanging gifts and many hearty handshakes, hugs, and
kisses.

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
60
346
York Community High School
2
1
424
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

It was certainly nice
to see my family again, and quite amusing to hear them attempt to pronounce
Spanish (often butchering it). Their presence helped alleviated any homesickness I felt and also
made me realize how little time I have left here, as I depart Spain the 22nd
of December, arriving in Chicago just in time for Christmas.

Normal.dotm
0
0
1
64
370
York Community High School
3
1
454
12.0

0
false

18 pt
18 pt
0
0

false
false
false

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

¡Hasta luego!

-Steven

P.S. Stay tuned, as I
will be traveling to Rome and Switzerland the next 2 weekends!

Plenty to be Thankful for!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go home and spend time with my family for Thanksgiving! Now, for some of you, this might not seem like a big deal but, with my home 1100 miles from Hope, it’s never been possible for me to go home for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, this year was different!

The break started with a fifteen-hour car ride from Michigan to Texas. It was a long ride but I was able to spend some quality time with my dad while also finishing up some homework and getting some much needed sleep.

After arriving home at 5:15 AM, I gave my mom a big hug and went to bed! I woke up four and a half hours later, ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with the people I love the most! My parents and I cooked, watched football, laughed, and just enjoyed the time we had been given to spend together.

Friday was a busy day filled with shopping and selecting our Christmas tree. The malls were crazy, the people were definitely entertaining, and the Christmas trees were beautiful. Picking out our Christmas tree did not take us too long – we quickly scanned the available trees (they’re probably from Michigan) and selected the prettiest one we could find. Shopping at the mall was a bit different but I love shopping on Black Friday because:

My mom and I always go together and have a wonderful time
The Christmas music is playing and the store windows are decorated
Macy’s has the mailbox out to write a letter to Santa!

My final full day at home, Saturday, proved to be another fun day! My dad and I ran some errands and did Christmas shopping together and then the whole family worked together to clean up leaves in the yard. One of the differences between Texas and Michigan is that while all the Michiganders are preparing themselves for snow at the end of November, the Texans are just raking their leaves.

The last thing that I did while at home was make toffee with mom. If you know my family, you know that my mom’s toffee is a pretty big deal! During the Christmas season, she makes anywhere from seven to ten batches of toffee for friends and family! It was great to help (or distract) her during her baking endeavors!

Birthday x4

Well, this past week was crazy, because in my cottage there were four birthdays! This means many parties with a lot of people and food. We began the birthday celebration on Tuesday night at midnight going to Steak ‘N Shake. Amy and Jenna wanted milkshakes on their 21st birthday. On Wednesday morning Grace and I went to Biggby to pick up drinks for two of the birthday girls in our house. The owner of Biggby gave us their drinks free, plus mine and Grace’s drink, too!

Then, on Wednesday night, five of the girls in my house went out to dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant on 7th Street called Serafina’s Italian Bar and Grille. We couldn’t eat too much at dinner because we were planning to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings later that night with a large group of people.

Of course, when a mass email is sent out to celebrate multiple birthdays at B-dubs, a flock of people show. Our group took up so much space and B-dubs, but it was a lot of fun to walk around and talk with a bunch of different people. I think there was at least 50 people from Hope who attended the birthday celebration.

After B-dubs my roommate and I stayed up till 3 AM talking. I love living with her and enjoy our late night talks. I think it’s those late night talks that I will remember the most about college. The friendships I have made are incredible, and I am extremely grateful!

Christmas.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: