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Post-Thanksgiving Coma

Happy Black Friday to all!

Now that I am slowly waking up from my Thanksgiving coma from last night, I thought I’d write about my experiences you all. First off, Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays (other than Christmas, of course). This year in particular, I am extremely thankful for my family. Even though we had our ups and downs, I know I have them always, which is incredibly comforting. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

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Every year, my family goes to our uncle’s house for a hearty meal. Per usual, I ate more than I usually do in any given day. But, this is the only time during the year that it is acceptable to gorge on food. Random side note, my favorite Thanksgiving food is stuffing. Anyway, after stuffing my mouth, I had left no room for dessert which was quite sad. But a few hours later once my food started to digest, I ate pie. I needed the pie because after dinner, my family did something crazy. WE SHOPPED FOR THE BEST DEALS.

A lot of the stores opened at 5 PM on Thanksgiving, but we only started an hour after. The country might as well call it Black Thursday rather than Friday because all of the deals were primarily for Thanksgiving Day. Although there are many who don’t believe in the shopping during Thanksgiving, to each their own, right? I had ample time to spend with my family prior to shopping, but we also made the shopping itself a family affair!

We went to so many stores. The people were just crazy, and this is an understatement. Some of the stores we hit up were Macy’s, Kohl’s, GAP, Old Navy, American Eagle, PacSun, and Target. Each store had amazing deals. I mean who doesn’t like buy 1, get 1 free? IT RARELY HAPPENS. For some stores, the sales and deals continue today, so I might have to check those stores out!

But as for today, its a perfect winter day to put up our Christmas tree, decorate the house, eat Thanksgiving leftovers (hopefully another food coma), be with family, and do homework. That’s all for now, friends! Keep checking for more posts this upcoming week!! The semester is really coming to an end!!

Heartwarming Videos To Brighten Your Day

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, everybody has giving back on their mind (at least hopefully)! I find it important to be thankful for our friends and family but viewing this holiday from a different view, I see that some people can be thankful for different things than I would initially think of. For some people, being thankful means being grateful for material things while others may be thankful for spiritual aspects of life such as happiness. I had a presentation in Religion with a few other people and we were discussing agape love and the importance of spreading selfless love throughout the community. When researching some information, we incorporated a few videos that clearly demonstrate giving back to others without any expectations in return. It seemed appropriate to show these videos since Thanksgiving is surrounded by agape. A key point about agape is that it’s spreading love to others who are deserving; therefore, providing agape to someone – even a stranger – could be a reason they are thankful this holiday season, not just because of the dinner they have planned or any gifts they may receive.

This first video is actually a Thai Life insurance commercial, but it clearly demonstrates a philanthropic mindset that everybody should try to achieve or actively work towards.

I had never seen this next video before until somebody in my Religion group brought it to my attention. I thought it was very creative and had a nice spin on it that makes you feel appreciative of the community. It’s surprising how little acts of kindness really make somebody’s day!

This last video does not relate to the others in the sense that it covers homelessness instead of acts of kindness. I thought this video was very moving and really made you reevaluate homeless people you mindlessly pass on the street. Hopefully it makes you see the community differently and give you a new perspective of the “poor” you come across.

I really hope you were able to take the time to watch these three videos because they elicit a philanthropic attitude but also seriously ground you at the same time. I think it’s very important that people take a new perspective on the way they treat others and try to show love through intentional, unconditional and selfless actions. I challenge you over this Thanksgiving break to start a domino effect of kindness with your friends or family and see how that can impact your day as well as somebody else’s.

Have a safe and relaxing break and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

The Most Wonderful Weekend of the Year

Hello everyone!

It was quite an eventful weekend here at Hope, the best so far, in my opinion. There were so many cool things going on around campus, including the Christmas tree lighting and 80’s Rollerskating Night! I also had the opportunity to attend the Delight muffin and painting party; Delight is a woman’s worship group here on campus.

Friday night, a few girls and I went to the Christmas tree lighting. It was so lovely. They had sugar cookies, hot chocolate, hot pretzels, and a few other warm treats to keep our frozen fingers from falling off while we sang Christmas songs around the tree, our candles glowing throughout Silent Night. At the end of the ceremony, out mascot Dutch came in by reindeer and sleigh!

Cookie and hot chocolate 🙂 Yum.

Michelle, me, and Rachel.

The Christmas Tree!

Our beautiful candles

Rachel, me, and Michelle in front of the tree!

Keagan, me, Hannah, Rachel, and Michelle!

Later that night, SAC put on an 80’s Rollerskating event: Sk80s! It was held at the Home Roller Rink in Holland, and buses were provided to take students without cars over there! My friends and I didn’t really want to leave, that’s how fun skating around the entire time was! When it was over, we went to Steak ‘n Shake for shakes (obviously) and a late night snack.

Cluster-mates! Grace, Rachel, Michelle, Olivia, me, Angelina, and Melah.

Angelina and I 🙂

The next morning was the Delight event. We walked to the Mouw Cottage, where worship is held every Saturday night, to spend some time with some other Hope girls, painting and worshipping while we enjoyed some delicious muffins and coffee. It was a very calming event, and I’m definitely going to be attending more Delight worships!

Delight painting party!

It was a very eventful weekend, balanced by friends, fun, and God.

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!

The (Final) Gathering of 2014: Greater Height, Greater Depth

“Sometimes we have a hard time seeing the bigger picture,” Chaplain Trygve Johnson stated during his sermon tonight at the last Gathering service of 2014 in Dimnent Chapel.

Maybe it’s because I’m always looking at the world from the same height.

5’6″ is a good number. Not too tall, yet not too short. I’m rather content with looking at the world from that level.

As I walk through campus every day, I see each window, brick, and person from the height of 5’6″. And with that in mind, one can imagine how easy it can be to latch onto one perspective.

But tonight, things changed. As I stood in the Chapel – then sat in the Chapel – then slid off of the pew onto the ground to pick up my notebook – I realized something. From the height of the pew, everything seemed bigger than me. And as I stood, I stood in a crowd of people, all of whom were approximately the same height.

At every height, I was still in the Chapel, still with my friends, still on November 23. But the different heights made the same situation look different.

That’s when I realized it: it is easier to see the bigger picture when we realize how small we are.

For After Worship tonight, I did something I had never done before. Instead of gathering in the front pews like most students do, my friend Delaney and I weaved through the crowd in the aisle until we were at the back of the chapel. Once there, we ran up the stairs until we reached the balcony. We were laughing, grinning, feeling the power of the Holy Spirit filling us with joy. We overflowed with light.

I stood at the railing, staring at the crowd below, and I knew I was part of a bigger plan, a dimension greater than the one I can see when I’m standing on my own two feet. I knew that if I had remained below, I would be another one of the small specks in the pews. I paused. I saw myself there, and I was humbled by thinking that when God looks down, He sees how small we are, but He loves each and every one of us with a depth that not one of us can fathom. He calls us to further His kingdom even though He knows we’re not going to be perfect. When we are in Christ, we are free. There is nothing we could do that could make Him love us less. Amazing.

As the music played, we jumped up and down. Our hands reached for the sky as if we could grab onto the “something” that was bigger than ourselves. And in that moment, I knew I was catching a glimpse of the story God is writing in each and every one of our lives.

Rose Window — If I turned around, this is the view I would see in the balcony. How beautiful it is to see each separate color combine to create a window such as this.

When we look at our situations from a different height, we in turn look at our situations with greater depth. We are led closer to the truth that awaits us and closer to the plans that are prepared for us. This trades our doubt in for hope, our pain in for praise, and our plans in for His purpose to prevail.

What did you gain from the last Gathering? Tweet at me @hopesophie17. Questions or Comments? Email me at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.

12 Things to Do Now that Snow Has Covered the Campus

1). Snow Ball Fight

elf animated GIF

2). Snow Slurpee’s

INGREDIENTS: Snow + Pop/Soda = Snow Slurpee

time animated GIF — Avoid the Yellow Snow…

3). Go to “The Bowl” and Sled

Get a group of friends and head a huge dune in Holland called the Bowl. Sled, ski, snowboard…you can do it all.

Bowl sledding — This is picture from my freshman year when a group and my friends went to the Bowl and went sledding!

4). Snow Angel

Simple. Step one: Go outside. Step two: Lay in the snow. Step Three: Wave your arms and legs. Step four: BOOM, snow angel.

water animated GIF

5). Do you want to build a Snowman?

Show Campus what you can create via snow.

disney animated GIF

6). Another excuse for a Coffee Date?

The Huffington Post animated GIF — *Wink Wink*

7). Movies

Snuggle Up and Watch a Movie. And guess what? SAC (Student Activities Committee) brings in popular new movie for students to watch. This week “Guardians of the Galaxy” is showing.

thumbs up animated GIF — Brittaney agrees.

8). Beach

Last year the beach froze so that you could walk on it and stand on the frozen waves. It was a sight.

Frozen Lake — Here I am standing on a frozen wave on Lake Michigan.

9). Ice Skating

Head to Grand Rapids to skate at Rosa Parks or the local Skating Rink in Holland!

10). Pranks

The best pranks are done with snowballs. Throwing a snowball at someone’s window and watching them jump. 🙂

snow animated GIF

11). Admire the beauty.

Though it may be cold, you got to admit, it is beautiful.

snow animated GIF

12.Stay Inside and wait for it to be done.

For those snow haters…this is for you.

deer animated GIF — We’re in Michigan. Don’t hold your breath…

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

Sushi… It’d be easier with a fork

“Stop it, stop, can you please NOT pick them up with your hands? You’re grossing me out.”

“I don’t even know what that is.”

“Yum. Yum, yum, yum.”

“Mmmm, that’s really good. Yeah, I like it.”

“Crab? That’s crab? You just told me it was salmon!”

“Guys, I really like this, it’s really good! Can we come back again next week?

And that, in short, was the extent of our sushi experience. In our group of six, four of us were well-suited with sushi, and two had never tried it. Although most of us were sushi-familiar, we’re all still in the process of learning how to correctly consume the rice, fish, and vegetables with two sticks of bamboo.

It would have been easier with a fork.

But the new restaurant located downtown, Mizu Sushi, is awesome. It’s awesome if you love sushi, and it’s awesome if you don’t. They have a full menu with great options, green tea, and mochi ice cream – delicious ice cream with a chewy outside. And the best part? It (can be) super inexpensive. For one sushi roll (which is enough for me!) the cost runs anywhere between $4-10 (so, basically, it’s the same price as my late-night trip to McDonald’s, and it’s a ton healthier, too.)

Salmon Sushi (Before)

Salmon Sushi (after)

Mochi Ice cream– peach, green tea, and berry flavored, all in a giant pile of whipped cream!

Have you ever had sushi before? If not, it’s something you have to try (it doesn’t matter if you like it or not… it’s more about being able to say you tried it at least once!)

Want to hear more about fun things to do downtown, or about other cool things on Hope’s campus? Tweet at me @hopesophie17 or shoot me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu. Have a great weekend!

Taking a Break from Technology

I am one of those people who would not be able to live through a apocalypse (if one were ever to occur) Why? Because I would be scrambling around trying to pack away all of my electronic devices instead of grabbing food and water. This is really sad, I know. This past week, one of the worst things that could ever happen to me happened: my computer charger broke. It wasn’t even my computer! No, it was my charger. It was like some cruel joke. My computer was laughing at me while its battery slowly decreased. I was so desperate I immediately bought the cheapest charger I could buy. Until then, I could only ask to borrow a friend’s loaner computer (Thanks Alex!) until my new charger came. I annoyed my friends to no end until I finally realized how dramatic I was acting. This could be good for you, I thought. That got me thinking about the benefits of “unplugging” from technology for a while.

I know what you are thinking. “I am a college student! I cannot survive without technology. Don’t say such a thing!” Trust me, I get it. I am the person you will see staring at a computer screen for hours at a time until I am finally passed out from exhaustion with my head on my keyboard. Don’t get to that point. All I am saying is, take baby steps. After you have done your homework for the next day, try to get in the habit of not reaching for your phone. Instead of texting your friend who lives next door, go knock on their door! Say hello. Watch a movie. Invite the other people who live in your hall. Instead of hiding behind a computer screen, take that extra step of talking to someone new. That’s what makes the college experience memorable.

We get so caught up in what is “new” that we forget about living in the present. We miss important moments that we don’t realize we forgot until later. Our world is constantly changing and evolving, but that doesn’t mean we have to be caught up in that too. Take the time to step back and remember what is most important to you. Your friends. Your family. Your values and beliefs. Instead of writing your thoughts and ideas down, tell them to someone. Someone will always be there to listen.

So as I am sitting here typing this blog post, I suddenly have the urge to go outside. Yes, it is freezing cold, but the sun is finally out. Take advantage of the time you have when you aren’t using technology, and spend it with those you care about. I know I will be doing the same.

Thank you for reading! 🙂

20 is already treating me well.

I am old.

Not really, but I have entered a new decade!

Monday was my birthday and to be honest, I was not super excited about it. I wasn’t feeling that well, I have a lot of papers and projects coming up, I had an exam, and I had activities that I enjoy, but that would prevent me from having a birthday dinner with my friends on my actual birthday. I knew it would all be fine, but I was finally coming to the realization that my birthday no longer means that the world stops and everything that day is all exactly the way that I want it to be. It was a little bit of a bummer, but of course, I was still excited just because it was my birthday and I’m totally a little kid at heart.

Some of my activities, like WyldLife, ended up getting cancelled due to snow, so I had a birthday dinner after all! Three of my friends and I went out to Five Guys!

4 girls x Five Guys = 20th birthday dinner to remember

After dinner, we went back to Dykstra to hang out and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas (I love it!) and in the middle of the movie, my boyfriend, who lives in Chicago, texted me a picture of him standing outside of Dykstra. I think I jumped over things and sprinted and was very confused and I don’t really remember the whole process of getting there, but I finally made it to the door and found him! It was the best birthday surprise ever.

We went out for ice cream and donuts and then he stayed with a friend on campus, so the next day we could hang out more! We went out to brunch at The Biscuit. It was our first time there and it was so good!

I’m so thankful for such an awesome birthday! Keep up with my other surprises and adventures on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or via email (kathryn.krieger@hope.edu)! Thanks for reading!

“But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.”

– Psalm 3:3

SACsgiving 2K14

This year, I am thankful for family.

Despite that it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, we should always be thankful for what we have, and not reserve these thanks for one day out of the year. Everyday is Thanksgiving. We are thankful for life, opportunities, freedom and much more.

Psalm 9:1 – “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

Family for encompasses many factors. I have my immediate family and extended family. But I also consider my student organization (Student Activities Committee) my family at Hope. Having a support system away from home is so essential in the formative college years, and I am happy to be part of a large, caring family. Whether you’re in a time of need, need that extra push, or just need encouragement to get you through the week, they’re constantly there.

That is the Hope Difference. So many of the students here are plugged into the community and are part of other organizations on campus, which essentially is another family. Soon enough, you’ll find yourselves within different families, and to have this every step of the way with you will help in success.

So with my SAC fambam, we had a large, Thanksgiving-style dinner. We went all out with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. You name it, it was probably there. After much socialization, dancing, and just being in each others presence, we had a pow-wow and just said what we were thankful for. Then with any large group of friends, you’re bound to take endless amounts of pictures, and that is what we did exactly.

Moral of the story: Hope College truly fosters a genuine community with the institution itself and among its many organizations. During my four years here, it has been evident to me that these groups made my college experience that much better. Want to know what the community is like? Schedule yourself a visit. You won’t regret it.

If you have any other questions, or want to see what life is like at Hope, check out my twitter page at @HopeMarvin15 and Instagram at: MarvSolberg. In the meanwhile, check out these pictures from SACsgiving!

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Urinetown: The Musical

If you’re searching for a place to spend your night, Urinetown is the place to go. Actually, I lied. According to the residents of Public Amenity 9, Urinetown is the place you don’t want to go.

But the musical itself is one you won’t want to miss.

Filled with hilarious satire, musical numbers, and, who could forget – a love story – you’ll be falling out of your seat in laughter, and then thrown back into your seat with the heart-wrenching tale of people on a mission to pee for free.

Urinetown will be showing November 18-20 at 7:30pm, November 21 at 8:00pm, and November 22 at 2pm & 7:30pm in the DeWitt Theater on the Hope College campus. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased by stopping at the Anderson-Werkman Ticket office, in person before the show, by calling (616) 395-7890, or online at hope.edu/tickets.

There. With so many options, you don’t have an excuse to not be able to go.

(Students: your res hall RDs might have some free tickets hanging around too, so be sure to ask about those.)

Want more info, a complete summary of the musical, favorite song lyrics, memorable quotes, or a commentary of the show? Or, if you have a question or comment about any part of the Hope College experience, please feel free to send me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu. Follow me on Twitter @hopesophie17 for all of the latest weather updates, conversations, and other random shenanigans. Stay warm!

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