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Thoughts from Places: Dykstra Hall Cluster 3-1

Hi everyone!

I enjoy watching John and Hank Green’s YouTube videos on their channel called the Vlogbrothers. Occasionally they will do “Thoughts from Places” videos in which they detail the things going through their minds as they travel to various places.

I thought that I would put my own twist on the Thoughts from Places, and do it in blog form. So here we have Thoughts from Places: Dykstra Hall Cluster 3-1.

I never thought I would call a place with so many girls my home. After all, I grew up with two brothers and it’s not to say that I didn’t have friends at home, I just had a few that I enjoyed the company of very much.

This is my cluster. It houses 13 girls, 11 of whom are freshmen (my RA and her roommate live in our cluster). I’m happy to say that we get along pretty well.

For those of you who know nothing about Dykstra, it’s an all-girls freshmen dorm organized by living spaces like the one shown above that we call clusters. I was really nervous coming into living here because of my tendency to be quiet and my avoidance of drama. It hasn’t really been a problem for me, since I don’t get involved.

I’m here to tell you that, as a prospective student, if you’re considering living in Dykstra but you’re worried about there being too many girls, don’t. The reason I say that is because while you’re living with all of these people, you really have a choice in the words and actions that you say and use. You get to choose what you do or don’t involve yourself in.

Some great things about Dykstra:

The comfy living environment: you have a cute living room to hangout with friends in and have some great times!
The supportive living environment: People are always willing to listen and be there for you; they’ll offer you advice and try to make you feel better.
The adventure: there’s always something going on and always someone to do something with. Whether your adventures be donut runs or sledding, it’s fun.

So I hope I’ve given you a bit of a better perspective on living in Dykstra. It’s a great place for a lot of girls who call it their home.

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!

Choosing Your Major..

Hey Everyone,

So I have been so set on my major for the past year, and yes, just a week ago I started having major doubts about what I want to do with my life. I know this is a very common thing during college, but I thought I had battled with this enough already. I guess when you have a change of heart, or a reminder of what really has value to you, it can really change your perspective of the future you want to have.

I have been realizing lately that with the particular major I had, I am not going to have much time for my future family when I am in my career. This causes great distress for me because that is the most important thing to me. Being able to have a family, and be there for my family is the thing I look forward to the most. I have started realizing some serious things other than just the family thing that could be a deal breaker. When these conflicts come up, don’t just rush into something new. Take some time, pray about it, and see what you can come up with. Take the time to talk to your family and friends. They know a lot about you that you might not think about yourself. They are wiser, older, and probably have had more or different life experiences than you have. Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith, your family and friends will be there to make the leap of faith with you.

Although this is a very stressful and scary time, just always remember that there is a light at the end of every tunnel. Everything will end up being okay. It will all turn out the way that will make you the happiest because that is what all of your family and friends want. As long as you take the time to seek out what you are made to do, everything will pan out for you.

Thanks for reading everyone!
Hope your week is going well!

Jesse Heerdt

A Snowy Midnight Stroll with Friends

Winter has arrived at Hope College!

The snow is falling; our room has been decorated for Christmas for a whole week awaiting it’s arrival.

Naturally, on this snowy Saturday night, we watched a few Christmas movies (Deck the Halls and The Santa Clause 3 🙂 ). Afterwards, spotting the falling snow, we shoved on boots, pulled on our coats, grabbed gloves, an ID, and ran out the door.

Pushing through the wooden door of Van Vleck led us to the winter wonderland of Hope’s campus. Snow covered sidewalks, puffy white flakes floating from the sky, and the light from the lamp posts making the freshly fallen snow glitter.

The scene before us asked just one thing: Do you wanna build a snowman?
Yes.
Yes, we did want to build a snowman and here is our creation: Vince the Snowman of Van Vleck

After Vince’s creation we set off on our stroll around campus.
We gazed in awe at the beauty of the falling snow, we felt the thrill of running and sliding along the sidewalk, we spotted snowball fights in the pine grove and snowmen on the roof of Nykerk, and we took so many pictures trying to capture the beauty of the campus surrounding us.

It’s nights like these that I realize anew how blessed I am to be in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people. Especially people who are as ecstatic as I am to run outside at any time to build a snowman 🙂

Here are a few of my favorite images from our wintry adventure

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I hope you have a warm, snow-loving week!

~Erin
Twitter & Instagram

Roommates.. They are Always There

Hey Everyone,

Another stressful week of exams has gone by, snow is slowly building up on the ground and we finally have a chance to sit back and catch our breath with the eagerness that awaits in the coming week. While you catch your breath, take a second to really appreciate your roommate because at the end of the week they are always there for you, understanding the stress and load of work you have to deal with on a weekly basis. College is not easy and having a roommate to go through it with is a blessing.

As much as you do not want to admit missing your Mom or Dad you will. Maybe you won’t on a day to day basis, but the days you are down or sick are the hardest when it comes to missing family. This is another place where your roommate can come in big time. My roommate and I have a very good relationship, I know that throughout everything, he’s got my back and I’ve got his. This week both him and I have gotten sick at separate times, neither of us have left the other one to deal with it on their own. We have help one another out and taken care of each other.

I know going in random can be a very scary thought. I mean you are going to be living with this person you have never met for 9 months, but give it a chance. I for one can say that my roommate is my best friend. We do almost everything together and I know I can trust him with my life. Whether you like it or not, your roommate is always there for you, don’t take it for granted.

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope your roommate blesses you as much as mine does!

Jesse Heerdt

The First Snowfall of the Year!

Whether we like it or not, Mother Nature made an appearance to Holland and the greater West Michigan area. The snow is here folks, and it’s here to stay until the spring. People have and will continue to complain about, and some people will obsess over it, but as for myself, I’m in the middle. If snow could be here for a month, I would be totally fine with that, but anything more, it’s just redundant. But let’s be real, the first snowfall of the year is so beautiful and is ALWAYS exciting. Just think of the snowflakes as little blessings falling from the sky!

Here’s a weird phenomenon: many areas in the state don’t even have snow. Lucky them, or lucky us?

Anyways, yes, the first snowfall is pretty, but it can unfortunately have consequences. It’s a recurring pattern every first snowfall that many cars end up in ditches or accidents simply because people are not ready for the conditions winter brings, seeing that the last time snow was on the ground was in March/April. That’s almost half a year! Even though such bad things happen, we can count on two things with snow on the ground: 1) THANKSGIVING and 2) CHRISTMAS! These two holidays are my favorites because they encompass the thing that matters to me most, FAM BAM!

Back to Holland though, when the snow was falling from the sky yesterday night, it produced some pretty gnarly conditions. ALL roads were slick and icy. The road was my personal ice rink and I didn’t even need ice skates! In all honesty, I am excited that the snow is here. It’s part of the reason I love Michigan, we get all 4 seasons! Check out my slideshow below of some awesome pictures of the snow! Until next time!

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Stop and Listen.

Here’s where my mind has been for a while:

Homework, vocal chord nodules, papers, bank accounts, and earth: 1.

Kathryn: 0.

As I am writing this, I just thought of another thing I have to do for tomorrow that I had forgotten about until now, and I said to myself, where is this blog post going? I think the answer is that I don’t really know, so buckle up, kids.

Earlier this week, I had a day where I was done with my homework by the afternoon (which never EVER happens for me). I was thinking about working to get ahead on my homework for the rest of the week, but I started not feeling well, so I just decided to relax for a while. I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I cracked open my Bible without being at church or the Gathering or being asked to, so I flipped to where I left off in Jeremiah and started reading. Very quickly, I realized for what seemed like the millionth time lately that I’ve been doing something wrong. I’ve been working through Jeremiah since July, and trust me, the book isn’t THAT long. I pulled out my journal because I know that writing things down is the best way for me to process them, and I noticed that I hadn’t written in it since September. And a lot of things have happened since September.

I quickly became overwhelmed with just the thought of the cycle in which I’ve gotten myself stuck. Homework is done, almost always, at the very last minute before class. Most of my events, meetings, and commitments are attended out of a sense of obligation and responsibility, and not with a desire to do these things I used to so enjoy. Because of the fragility of my voice, I have become timid in both speaking and singing, and even though I’m finally getting healthier, I don’t know how to use my voice anymore. I am graduating in two years and I have no idea what I want to do with my life. All the things that I could possibly think of that weren’t ideal came flooding into my mind. And while some of these were trivial and I made them issues because I was looking for things to add to my list of struggles in the moment, I became overwhelmed with the fact that I’ve thrust myself so fully into so many things that I literally haven’t stopped in months.

Newsflash, everyone: That’s not healthy.

If you read my blog regularly, you might remember that I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago about finally letting God have my attention, and in the moment, I thought that I was definitely going to follow through on that, but I didn’t. I kept trying to move at a pace that I don’t even think is possible and left no room for myself or for time with God. This has left me sprinting through all aspects of my life without stopping to process anything or enjoy college or do anything fun without having “you should be writing a paper/doing homework/planning an event for your residents/practicing for choir and voice lessons/reading ahead/other ridiculous things” in the back of my mind. The guilt complex was speaking loudly, friends.

But then, the next day after I realized all these things, I talked to my parents and my boyfriend, who all pointed me to Jesus and spoke a lot of truth to me. As I was letting myself try, often unsuccessfully, to move so quickly, I was ignoring what God was trying to say to me and neglecting myself physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. I had to come to a point where I just needed to stop. The problem was, once I stopped for even an hour, I wanted to just stop altogether, at least for the time being. To be honest, doing homework and going to class this week has not been easy, but I’ve been doing it because I know that God put me in this place for a reason, and there are so many people in the world who would do anything to have a chance to have an education like the one that Hope offers.

I’m still in the process of sorting things out, processing, and figuring out how I am going to change things, but I know that God isn’t finished with me yet. He has overcome this world and I am more than a conqueror through him. He has placed me here now because I need to be in this place in this season for reasons that he knows far better than I. No matter what I feel about myself and my stress and my shortcomings and successes on a daily basis, that’s the truth. I am a daughter of the King and his plans for me exceed what I understand. I just have to stop and listen.

Thanks for reading! Keep up with me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or via email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

– Romans 8:37

My Surprisingly Successful Attempts at Cooking

I’m not sure where you are as you are reading this but if you happen to live in Michigan, you’re well aware that we got our first official snowfall today. I have very mixed feelings on this…I’m excited winter is approaching because that means we’re closer to Christmas break, but at the same time, I could use a few more months of warmth and sunshine. Despite the fact that temperatures will no longer rise about 50 for quite a while, I thought it would be appropriate to write a blog on some warm food that makes winter slightly more tolerable.

Last year I was on a limited meal plan, which meant that I had to make some meals for myself. This was quite the experience because not once did I really make anything of quality…I resorted to a lot of mac & cheese as well as frozen dinners. Looking back, I’m not sure how I managed to do that because that sounds so unappealing now. Therefore, this year I cut myself off completely from a meal plan and committed to making every meal for myself. Surprisingly, I’ve become much more domestic and actually know how to make a few dishes! For those of you who have little time and knowledge to make a meal, here are three recipes I use quite frequently that are very satisfying and not coming from a box or freezer:

Chicken and Rice

This is a very simple recipe and takes virtually no time to make! I find myself making this at least once a week because it’s delicious and basically idiot-proof!

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

Marinade (I use Lawry’s Marinade…it’s easy to find in any grocery store)

½ cup white rice

1 cup water

Instructions: First, defrost your chicken if it’s frozen or simply take it out of the refrigerator if it’s already defrosted. Spread marinade on it in a pan or bowl and let it sit for an hour or more (the longer it marinades, the better!). Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees after marinating, and place the chicken on a raised pan for 30 minutes. At this time, add rice and water in a saucepan and simmer for approximately 20-25 minutes on the stove.

Tortilla Casserole with Chicken (courtesy of my mom!)

My mom makes this recipe and another type of casserole whenever I’m home so I really enjoying making this for myself! If you can’t handle spicy food, you may want to refrain from this one.

Ingredients:

7 oz. of Salsa Verdes (green salsa, one can)

1 lb. shredded cooked chicken, skinned

½ cup sour cream

6 corn tortillas, cut into ¼” wide strips

1/4 lb. (1 cups) cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 large avocado (optional for garnish)

Instructions: Place half the chicken in a 8-9” baking dish. Spread with half the salsa. Spread ½ the sour cream over salsa. Top with ½ the tortilla strips and ½ the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers, using remaining chicken, salsa, sour cream, tortillas chips, and cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and continue baking until cheese is bubbly (5 or 10 minutes more). Remove from oven. Let stand for 10 minutes: then arrange avocado slices on top of casserole.

I hope you get the chance to try these two recipes if you feel like experiencing something new! Anything warm to eat is nice now that it’s freezing outside. Stay warm everyone! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

It Held Off, But Now It’s Here! Welcome, Snow!

Well, Hope College, it held off for as long as possible, but it’s finally here!

The first snow!

Waking up this morning, I was like a little kid on Christmas. The snow put me in a great mood, and as I was walking to class this morning, the white puffy flakes brought me back to my childhood…

I can remember the first snow of second grade. Where I’m from, it isn’t the beautiful white curtain that covers the ground, it is a spotty mess that looks like mud puddles on the roads. But the first snow of second grade was magical! There were so many possibilities that came with it and it the many thoughts of the happy times of Christmas. After the first snow, many snows came after that, and being in second grade, I got to experience all the fun things winter brings along with it.

Sledding down (what seemed like) huge hills, snowball fights with my dog, snowman building, hot chocolate drinking, reading Junie B. Jones by the fire in the fireplace, and best of all, snow days. Here at Hope, I know snow days might seem like a foreign concept, but in grade school, they snow days happened all the time it seemed like.

I can remember one snow day that made all the rest pale in comparison. It had just snowed the best packing snow of the season; at least one and a half feet! Being a second grader, I was just happy to stay home and play in the snow with my family all day! But just because school is cancelled, doesn’t mean parent’s jobs are. My mom and dad both had to go to work…but they couldn’t leave me alone by myself, so my mom chose to bring my sister and I to work with her. She worked at a golf course at the time, and worked in the office. So sitting there cooped up wasn’t the most appealing thing in the world for a kid on a snow day, so we packed up the car with sleds, snow pants, and whatever else we would need to see if we could make the most of this snow day. On the way there, there were cars in ditches everywhere and the roads were a mess, but in my mind, this was the perfect sledding weather; nice and slippery to get the farthest distance with my sled! When we arrived, my sister and I headed straight to the back patio of the golf course and, since the lawn furniture from the summer had been put away, we had the most perfect place to play all day. We adventured, built snow forts, and pulled each other on our sleds for hours, and before we knew it, it was time to go home and play even more in the snow! It truly was the best snow day ever and every time there is snow on the ground, I can’t help but think about that day.

Even though today wasn’t a snow day, or even a winter day, snow brings back great memories for me, and I hope it does for you too. There’s just something about the way it glints in the sunlight and makes the world seem so peaceful at night that makes it a great trait of winter.

To close out this post, here is a picture of what the street looked like tonight with a bit of snow on it:

This was right in between Gilmore and Phelps! And yes I was standing in the middle of the road.

Until next time, readers!

Scrooge Until Thanksgiving

Halloween just recently ended…you know what that means: Christmas decorations up. Christmas music blaring….NO!

You’re right. I said it. Some call me a scrooge, but I prefer to be known as a “Scrooge until Thanksgiving.” And this is the reason why: I LOVE Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday by far. You get a break from school. You get to spend time with family, eat, and then after that, there is literally no agenda (at least not in my house). No going to the other room to open presents, not having to do some ritual, just eating and relaxing. Just writing about it makes me feel of bubbles of contentment.

So, If you can’t tell, I love Thanksgiving. Therefore, it upsets me, that my favorite holiday gets buried under the excitement of Christmas. I love Christmas too, but not before Thanksgiving. It constantly just gets forgotten due to pre-mature (in my opinion) Christmas.

tumblr_inline_mvjd3e9kyO1rdzepz — #preach

Therefore, here are my suggestions to get in the Thanksgiving Spirit:

1). Listen to this song. Constantly. It is golden.

2). Decorate your room with Thanksgiving stuff, like turkey cut-outs or Autumn colored streamers. Get in the Thanksgiving Spirit!

3). Before Thanksgiving, at least once a day, write down something you are thankful for, and then stick it in a jar. For example: I am thankful for the beautiful blessings and opportunities that I have been able to find at Hope College. OR I am thankful that my roommate’s farts don’t smell…most of the time. Anything works! When Thanksgiving hits, read all the things that you wrote you were thankful for.

4). Lastly, once a week leading up to Thanksgiving, tell someone important in your life that you are thankful for them, either in person or by writing them a letter/note. It will really mean a lot to them and help them get in the spirit of gratitude as well.

Thanksgiving is a beautiful holiday people. Let us celebrate!

Music To Keep You Sane While Studying

Anyone who knows me can tell you how little the amount of time is I don’t have at least one earbud in during the day. Any chance I get, I’m listening to music. I figured I’d share some of my favorite albums right now since listening to music while studying is pretty much the best thing ever.

1. Worlds – Porter Robinson

Worlds is a huge departure from pretty much everything Porter Robinson has done before. It’s got an awesome chip-tune vibe, and also incorporates some smooth vocal tracks from the likes of Amy Millan and Urban Cone. My favorite tracks are Divinity, Sad Machine, Lionhearted and Flicker. The whole thing’s pretty great though.

2. Pop It – Anamanaguchi

I wrote a post like this last year, and Anamanaguchi’s album Endless Fantasy was the best thing I put in it. Over a year later and I’m still jamming out to that album. Their new single, Pop It, came out of nowhere, and even though it’s a little different than their usual stuff, the bones of their chip-tune days are still there if you listen for them. The vocalist on the song still hasn’t been revealed, but the band promises more info soon.

3. Hohokum Original Soundtrack – Various Artists

Hohokum is easily the weirdest video game to come out in 2014. The PlayStation exclusive blends trip visuals with a relaxed “do whatever you want” feel that’s a great departure from the Call of Duty clones and GTA imitators we see come out so often. It also happens to feature a soundtrack comprised entirely of tracks from artists under the Ghostly International label. The soundtrack is $10 and comes with 22 tracks from awesome artists like Tycho and Com Truise.

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Chicken and Rice

Tortilla Casserole with Chicken (courtesy of my mom!)

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