Wow. I can’t believe it’s already almost a new year! This year definitely seems like it’s gone by faster than usual. So much has happened and I feel like I’ve changed a lot, but I’m definitely happy with where I’m at right now! So what’s gone on, anyway?
JANUARY:
January: Choir-Fest! I got to see my favorite choir, the Luther College Nordic Choir, in Naperville, Illinois. It was pretty amazing. They’re such an incredible group and they sing the most beautiful music. It was such a great evening. I also got to go to my second All-State convention as a member of the Honors Choir. All-State is always such a great experience and I was so blessed to be able to go both my junior and senior year!
FEBRUARY:
In February, my parents and I, along with my aunt and uncle, made the trek to Holland so I could audition for the Distinguished Artist Award! I highly recommend auditioning for these if you are interested in coming to Hope. They are scholarships in music, visual art, dance, drama, and creative writing that are $2,500 per year over four years. This is such a huge help! You can also audition in multiple areas to increase your chances of getting scholarships.
I also put in my deposit at Hope during February!
MARCH:
In March, I was super blessed with the opportunity to do something I’d wanted to do for most of my life – play Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz! I had so much fun and it’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.
APRIL:
My brother got engaged in a beluga whale pool at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago! How cool is that?! Other than that, I was just working on a ton of end-of-the-year stuff for high school! It seems like so long ago!
MAY:
I guess May was probably my busiest month of the year! Between prom, graduation, awards banquets, concerts, track meets, graduation parties, and more, I’m still not sure how we fit everything in!
JUNE:
In June, I got to sing the National Anthem at the Illinois State softball tournament in Peoria, Illinois. A neighboring high school was actually playing in one of the games I sang for, so it was pretty cool to see people that I know! After that, we took off for a wedding and then our vacation in South Haven and Holland! I also started working at one of the banks in my hometown.
JULY:
In July, I was invited to go to a Peoria Chiefs baseball game with some old friends and I had so much fun catching up with them before we all left for school. I also found out at that game that the Chiefs were back to being the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm team instead of the Cubs’ team. As a lifelong Cardinals fan, of course I was super excited about that! I also got to celebrate the 4th of July with a big group of friends, so that was great too!
AUGUST:
August meant HOPE! I said goodbye to Katelin, moved to school, decorated my dorm, did cool stuff like watching The Great Gatsby on a giant screen in the Dow during orientation week, and more! In the beginning of the month, we took a trip to Holland with my whole family and I got to show them around Holland. It was super fun!
SEPTEMBER:
In September I did a lot of stuff with my new friends, started classes, and started blogging!
OCTOBER:
In October, I tried out a new restaurant in Holland and celebrated my friend Jess’s birthday with her, sang at the Presidential Inaugural luncheon, WATCHED MY BROTHER GET MARRIED, carved pumpkins with some friends, participated in cluster craft night, chopped my hair off, saw the awesome movie Gravity, and went to an orchard with a few great people over fall break! I was truly a great month!
NOVEMBER:
In November, I got to celebrate my first birthday at Hope, spend Thanksgiving with my family, do some late-night shopping downtown with a bunch of friends, sing at Pillar Church for the first time, and go to a Christmas tree lighting at the President’s house! It was a ton of fun!
DECEMBER:
December was so fun! I took my first college finals (less fun, but still not awful!), decorated the cluster for Christmas, went to the Dykstra Christmas party, celebrated Christmas, spent time with friends at school and at home, participated in my first Vespers, had my first of many voice juries, went to a choir rehearsal and concert at my high school, and will celebrate New Year’s Eve and my mom’s birthday tomorrow!
Overall, it’s been a great year! Tell me about yours! Leave me a comment, email me at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu, or tweet @hopekathryn17!
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1