Spreading the Christmas Spirit

My roommate, Kristin, and I love decorating our room. The decorations make it homey and they make it extra fun and festive around a holiday. And what holiday is more fun to decorate for than Christmas?

Nothing.

The limit does not exist for the amount of fun that can be had when decorating for Christmas and appreciating the final product.

The weekend after Nykerk (November 7th) I went to Meijer with Kristin and a few more friends from our floor to get items on our shopping lists. We made our way to the back of the store and temptation number one appeared: Christmas movies on sale. We bought three. (The Polar Express, Santa Clause 3, and Deck the Halls if you were wondering)
We were already feeling the jingle of Christmas spirit within us as we thought about impending Christmas movie nights and we made our way to the back of the store where we were faced with the real temptation: the Christmas Section. Trees with lights of all different colors and sizes stood on platforms before us. Aisles of lights and ornaments, mini trees and ribbons–we gave into temptation; it was time to decorate room 37 for Christmas.

Our haul: beautifully obnoxious wrapping paper for our door, a bright blue mini tree, snowflake ornaments, a star ornament, and candy cane lights.

Our justification: we have to decorate now because there would only be two weeks after Thanksgiving to appreciate the decorations before the end of the semester and that would not be nearly enough time.

That night after dinner, the fun began. I decorated the tree with the ornaments and some orange sequin ribbon (because if it’s a Hope-themed tree it’s appropriate for all seasons, right?) while Kristin went to work wrapping the door.

The following weekend Kristin came back from her home with ribbon to put a bow on our door and a garland for around our door frame. I made paper snowflakes in my free time like it was my job. (I felt like Buddy the Elf) Gradually the decorating came to a close and our room stood complete in all its Christmas spirit glory.

Now as the semester comes to a close we still don’t feel ready to give up our room’s Christmas spirit. Its joy and holiday cheer are getting me through this last stretch of studying and exams. Unfortunately taking down decorations is something that is mandatory before leaving for the end of the semester. With heavy hearts we will be un-decorating our room Tuesday during the 4:30-6:30 consideration hours. For the next five days we will be soaking in the shimmering wrapped door, Hope-y Christmas tree, and the abundant snowflakes so their spirit will live on in our hearts as we head home next week at the end of our first semester of college.

Hopefully some pictures of our decorations and Christmas themed links can add some Christmas spirit into your day!

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Enjoy and I hope you have a lovely day!
~Erin
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Getting Together One Last Time

It’s almost finals week! Where did this semester go? Like, really? I think everybody feels this way, especially since Thanksgiving was last week. These next few days are going to be extremely chaotic for everybody, so it’s important to get a little last-minute fun in before studying consumes every waking moment of your day. My housemates and I decided that, instead of having a Christmas party, we’d all pitch in and make a nice dinner. With the college budget we’re all on, pasta and salad was going to have to suffice.

Even before dinner started cooking, one of my housemates thought it would be fun to take pictures later and therefore, made some fun props for us! Everyone else helped make snowflakes as a nice backdrop for these said pictures we were going to take. It was fun just seeing everyone gathered in one place and doing a carefree activity and taking a step back from the stress of school.

Once dinner was made, we all sat down and basically inhaled the food since we were all extremely hungry. During this time as well, we went around the table explaining are highs and lows of the day. I discovered a nice little pattern with everybody’s response: a common low is the realization that finals are among us. It was also nice to hear about everybody’s days since we rarely get to actually sit down and hear details of each person’s day because we’re on such different schedules.

After we all stuffed our faces with dinner, we took advantage of the props that were made and had a nice little photoshoot. This was actually such a hilarious time because I think some of the most repulsive faces were made. It’s sad to think that two of my housemates will be moving out after next week, so realizing this is the last time we all will hang out was hard to swallow. Looking back, I wish we were able to have these dinners more frequently because it was such a needed and great time. I guess that cliché saying about not knowing what you have until it’s gone really applies here. At least these photos and laughs will always bring back memories with some great ladies!

Some hideous faces
The whole crew!

Best luck on finals and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Looking Back

As we enter into the last day of classes, right before we (Hope students) hit exam week, I have had a moment to breathe and thus this thought has hit me: “This semester, my 3rd semester in college, is coming to end.” What?!?! Wasn’t it just the other day that I got here as part of the orientation staff? How can this be? What have I even done? What have I accomplished? I realize though, that I have done a lot and accomplished stuff along the way. In this realization, I ask myself the question that I believe is a vital question in life: “What have I learned from this past time period?”

Motivation-Picture-Quote-Dont-Look-Back

Well I have learned a lot of things, but the things that stick at to me the most is what I have learned about myself. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: So much of college is self-discovery. I thought I learned it all my freshman year; what else more to me was there to know? Maybe in a stagnant world, that would be true, but the world I live in is ever changing, so there is always something new for me to learn about myself. So what have I learned about myself this semester? Many things, but here are a few:

1). There is such a thing as being too busy. If you haven’t noticed, I love to stay busy with everything that I do and everything that I am involved with. Well, that “business” caught up to me this year. I know I am a being that easily gets restless, so staying busy is good for me. It is not good for me when I don’t have enough time to bring my soul to rest. When I am not able to do the things that I need in my life such as prayer time, exercise, true intentional time with others, then I become over-worn. That state of mind does not put me in a good place. Instead of business putting me in a good place, it can take over like a disease and really affect me. There is such a thing as being too busy.

2). The nature of doubt. I have gone through a lot  with doubt this semester, specifically speaking, with my faith life. I never disbelieved that Jesus was the Son of God and that He loved me and everybody, but everything in between that was very cloudy and unsteady. At first I had a lot of anxiety that I was so doubtful, but over time I came to embrace it and then discovered so much more about it. I discovered that I am a person whose faith is founded on doubt. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When I hear something, my first reaction is to question it, and thus begin a path to self learning and discovery. That can help me deeper enrich my faith. But you know what? It can be a bad thing, and I let it be that in my life. I was so full of doubt and so quick to do it, that I allowed no opportunity for something to make an impact. My doubt my me so closed hearted and unwilling to change. I let the doubt take control. But what I needed to do was learn to doubt my doubts. The nature of doubt is complex and beautiful, but it can become something that holds me down; it is a fine fine line.

3). It may be cliché, but… #blessed. Yep. I said it. I am so fortunate to go to the school that I go to, to have the friends and community that I have, and to constantly be swarmed with endless fulfilling opportunities. Though I can say this semester has had its challenges as it sometimes took a lot out of me as I was discovering “me,” I can by no means forget the blessings that have happened as well. Thank you, God, for this place and the people.

For more about me, follow me on twitter @hopejohnluke17 or on Instagram at johnlukehawkins. Until next time!

The Last Two Weeks {Recap}

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving Break is already over, and I’ve been back at school from almost a week now! In fact, the only thing that stands between me and Christmas break are four lovely final exams (maybe they aren’t so lovely).

Even though Thanksgiving was a week ago, I still thought it would be fun to share what I did at home and at Hope to celebrate one of my favorite holidays.

This year, a group of my friends at Hope decided it would be fun to celebrate “Friendsgiving.” We all picked different traditional thanksgiving dishes to prepare and share. My housemates were so worried that we wouldn’t have enough food that we made twenty pounds of mashed potatoes and a triple batch of green bean casserole… basically, we ate mashed potatoes and green beans the whole week leading up to Thanksgiving.

After Friendsgiving was finished, Hope Volleyball played for the NCAA Title. Because one of my roommates is on the team, our house will a little crazy during the tournament. After Hope won, we were busy making posters to welcome back and congratulate our superstar housemate, Elyse.

And then Thanksgiving break arrived! It was so great to be in Texas, enjoying my family, friends, good food, and sunshine. My mom and I spent some time decorating for Christmas and shopping. We also took a class to learn more about decorating Gingerbread houses. All in all, the break was great… but such a tease.

It can be so difficult to come back to school after break. The motivation for that last week of classes before finals is a real struggle. But, now I’ve finished that week of classes and am looking ahead to finals. Next week is going to be challenging but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – Christmas break!

For all of y’all getting ready for finals, good luck! Remember to get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, and take a break from studying for physical activity.

I’ve so enjoyed blogging through this semester. In case I don’t have time for another post, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!

Enjoy some pictures from Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, NCAA Championships, and gingerbread houses!

Twenty Pounds of Mashed Potatoes in the Making!
Friendsgiving Turkey!
Volleyball and Friends
Big Blue Housemates (minus Catherine)
Thanksgiving Centerpiece
Thankful for this little puppy!
Christmas Decorating!
My Gingerbread House!
Cutest Dog Ever!

Tunes to make you groove instead of crying about finals.

Finals week is almost upon us!

Maybe I’m just really weird, but I actually kind of like finals week. It usually seems a lot more laid-back than the rest of the semester because there’s no class or homework, just tests, papers, and lots of studying at your own pace and in your own timing. One thing that really keeps me sane (or as sane as I was to begin with) is the music I listen to during the week. It’s vital to have good stuff to keep your studying interesting and to keep you awake during those late nights!

You can follow me on Spotify to see what I’m listening to throughout the week, and here are some of my overall favorites!

Rend Collective 

  

I saw Rend Collective in Grand Rapids in September and have been hooked on them ever since! The Art of Celebration, Campfire, and Campfire Christmas (super new!) are all super awesome. The song “More Than Conquerors” from The Art of Celebration will remind me that I can conquer finals!

“Hate to See Your Heart Break” by Paramore, featuring Joy Williams

This recently released song is INCREDIBLE. Two of my favorite female vocalists of all time collaborating on a song is what dreams are made of. Too good. I will be listening to this all week long.

“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift

Totally on the TSwift bandwagon for this song. If you say it’s not catchy, you’re lying. I’ve tried to resist Taylor Swift for a while lately, but this one is just too good.

Steffany Gretzinger

I just found this album this morning while finishing up a paper and I am in love with it. You can listen to it for free on Relevant Magazine’s website! Perfect calm worship songs.

Michael Buble

No December could be complete without this awesome Christmas album. You go, Michael Buble.

What are you listening to during finals? Let me know on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or via email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu. Thanks for reading!

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

– Isaiah 9:6

Rest is the Rescue, and Chaos is the Culprit

“Take what’s dead, and make it come back to life.”

Back home in Iowa, the week before finals is what many schools call “Dead Week.” This is because while you’re studying for your cumulative exams for 4 classes, you’re also writing three 5-page research papers, eating food, socializing for 10 minutes a day, and sleeping for a total of never (that’s an exaggeration, but you can catch my drift.)

Monday night, I was feeling its implications.

Four folders, a binder, four notebooks, 18 credits, three jobs. A laptop. A backpack that I’m pretty sure might break after Friday. Two outfits a day, one for business meetings, another for homework. Three outfits if I somehow find the time and motivation to exercise.

This is the week before finals.

And I’m okay with that today, even though I wasn’t a few days ago. I was overwhelmed, running from place to place, pulling three nights of 2-4 hours of sleep, looking exhausted 98.7% of the time, and chugging Emergen-C every four hours to ensure my immune system could keep up.

Worst of all, I was not staying present. At all.

On Monday night at 3 AM, I was planning what homework I would be doing on Tuesday night at 4:30 AM. What I would eat for lunch on Wednesday. When I would be able to drink Lemonjello’s Fireside Latte (SO GOOD, it’s made with maple syrup and cinnamon) on Thursday.

I was slipping. My heart raced, my brain leapt from thought to thought, and my eyes were closing – sleep was so close, yet so far away.

Then, I heard a voice speak. It came, cool like water, raining down on me.

“Slow down,” it whispered. “Rest. I delight in you, and all that you have accomplished. You have done so much, and are about to do so much more.”

I looked around the empty room. There was so much space. So much air flowing, waiting, floating around me. I had been suffocating in a room of oxygen.

I drew in a breath and my shoulders relaxed. I blinked twice, adjusting to the dim florescent light of the room.

My heart was full, my brain steadied, and my eyes were opened. At once, I knew. I knew that I would be okay. Instead of being overwhelmed, I was overflowing with grace.

“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” -Psalm 18:19

I was no longer trapped in the prison I had made for myself, but instead welcomed into a space without borders. It is true, we have much to accomplish, and little time to do so. But He knows that. And when we stand in the presence of the Author of Time, there is no need to rush. He rescues in His delight. He brings the dead back to life.

He Brought Me into a Spacious Place
[Centennial Park, October 2013] I remember when this picture was taken during my FYS. As I looked at the trees, I knew there was real peace in the world, and it was there, it was everywhere, I just had to call upon it.
And we know that He works for our good.

How is your week before finals treating you? Give me a heads up @hopesophie17. Questions or Comments? Post below or send me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.

The Quiet of the Campus

It was the day I was going home for Thanksgiving. Finally, I thought. I couldn’t wait. I texted my cousin, asking when he was going to be picking me up. It dismayed me to hear that he was going to be a little bit late.

Hours went by, and I grew confused at how long it was taking him to get over here from Kalamazoo College. After all, I researched their academic calendar and found out that his dorm was already closed for their winter break. What was going on? I called my mom, who was already at my grandparents.

It turned out that my cousin’s car had broken down, and I wasn’t going to be able to be picked up until my aunt and uncle came up from Ohio. Everyone in the dorms was filing out with their bags by the second, and I was stuck here alone. So what do you do in the quiet hours of the campus?

Well first, you get Jimmy John’s. Then you watch too many episodes of Gilmore Girls, read half a book, start your homework (the homework that, let’s be honest, you wouldn’t have started otherwise), then you eat the contents of your mini fridge and call your mom wondering when will you be picked up?

Amidst all of this, I stopped and listened. The campus was so quiet. I had never heard so much nothing at Hope College in my life. While I was stuck with no one around, I began to see something here that I’d never seen before: peace.

Okay, so Hope isn’t a war zone, but there’s usually something going on and there are always people making noise out in the alley between Dykstra and Gilmore. It was so nice to for once just hear nothing. I took it all in, all the stillness, the quiet, the peace. It was reassuring for someone quiet like me living in such a vibrant environment to experience this situation, especially before the holiday.

I’m thankful for Hope. Being alone here isn’t so bad, after all.

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If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!

Coffee With Dad.

I’ve been home for the past few days, but on Wednesday, I woke up in Holland.

And I met my dad for coffee downtown on 8th Street, at 8 AM, where snow abounded, but the sidewalks were clear. Whoever implemented the heated sidewalks, I applaud you for your insight. You’re the real MVP.

I picked up my latte and lifted it toward my face, warm steam rising to tickle my nose.

“Thanks so much for coming here, Dad.” I said. I grinned. “It’s so good to see you.”

There’s something warm about having a cool dad. I know that he’s always there for me, and he’s always going to be there for me. I love to catch up with him about the things happening in his life and share the changes happening in mine. He invests his time to listen, and expresses his successes humbly. Someday, I hope I can be just like him.

I’ve been blessed with parents that know me from the inside out. Their insight is one of the most valuable gifts I could ever acquire.

To all the parents out there, and especially to mine, thank you. Thank you for putting in the time to take care of your kids. Thank you for traveling seven hours both ways to pick me up, most of the time in a snowstorm. And most of all, thank you for your grace.

JP's Coffee
[Warm coffee on a snowy day.]

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wishing you blessings upon blessings this Christmas season.

Check out my profile @hopesophie17. Questions or Comments? Send me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.

It’s a Family Tradition

Happy Thanksgiving Hope College!

Since Thanksgiving was yesterday, and our bellies are full of turkey and our minds are full of memories, I can’t help but think about all the traditions my family has during this holiday season. As you think about what traditions you have, I’m going to walk you through some of the traditions I hold dear to my heart.

To start off, my family always wakes up earlier than normal Thanksgiving morning to watch the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade on T.V. Every year, we say we’re going to head downtown to watch the parade up close and personal, but every year on the couch we stay. It’s a nice thought, going downtown, but it wouldn’t be tradition if we didn’t say we were going to, and then not! So come next year, my prediction? The couch has priority in my mind.

After the parade credits have rolled, we always gather with family to celebrate what we’re thankful for, and of course, eat some wonderful food. It doesn’t matter what side of the family I’m with, but somewhere between the dishes being cleaned up and the pumpkin pie being served, my family always retreats to the couch for the annual Thanksgiving nap. This tradition is classic and will never go out of style. It’s something that my family, and I’m sure almost every family, will keep alive for many years to come.

Once the extra turkey has been packed away and everyone’s left for home, this is when my mom, my sister and I break out a special tradition: Black Friday Shopping. It’s the one time a year when we wake up at 3 AM and watch the pro shoppers come out to play. It’s fun to watch shoppers get so…passionate…about their purchases! Our one rule is that we have to have an open mind about what we’re going to the stores for, because you never know the sales you might find.

The last tradition my family has is the oldest, and in my opinion, the best. Putting up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving is something I can remember doing since I was extremely young. It would take all day, we’d listen to the Elvis Christmas CD for hours, and reminisce on past Christmas seasons by looking at the decorations I made in preschool and kindergarten. Every year, it’s the same routine, and it flips a switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas just like that. It truly is the most magical time of the year for me, and that tradition will only get better as the years go on.

So now that I’ve told you my family traditions, what are some of yours? Whatever they may be, don’t take them for granted! Only make them better throughout the years and be grateful for them, because we only have a little time until we’re making our own traditions!

Until next time Readers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Surrounded by Talents

This week I have been witness to great talent here at Hope. Talent of different varieties on different stages and all of it impressed upon me the unique gifts of human beings.

On Saturday night a few friends and I made our way downtown to JP’s to listen to a Hope student sax quartet play. A girl from our floor in Van Vleck was a part of the quartet and it was fun to go out and support her and see other girls from our dorm doing the same. They played a variety of music and their ability to play all those different styles with ease amazed me.

Monday afternoon our Health Dynamics professor allowed us to all jog to the Knickerbocker to watch the live stream of the women’s volleyball championship our workout. So, my friend and I went from the Dow to Van Vleck to drop off our stuff and then ran over to the Knickerbocker in the weird sleet/snow that Monday’s weather brought to Holland. Watching Hope’s team compete on a national stage from the Knick was exciting. Students and community members alike were cheering on the team loud and clear despite the distance between us and the actual game in Virginia. Unfortunately, I had a 3:00 PM class in Van Zoeren and had to leave the Knick before the game ended. However, I arrived to class where the game was playing on the screen and we continued to cheer on Hope as the went on to win the national championship game!

Monday night I returned to the Knickerbocker with a mini cheering section from my floor to watch my roommate perform in the Student Dance Showcase. Seeing her perform her piece and being able to witness her showcasing that part of her life was really neat. Her talent as well as that of the other students to choreograph and dance was so impressive. Being able to transform human emotion into movement and to illustrate a story through dance is very cool.

I am thankful for having had the opportunity to see all of these amazing talents and continue to be impressed by the variety and caliber of the gifts of Hope students.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

– 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6

~Erin Hoolahan
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