Homebird

My whole life I lived having to tell my parents where I was going, what I was doing, and who I was going to be with. After moving into the dorms, I got in the habit of not having to explain myself. Usually my roommate would know what I was up to since she happened to be in the room as I got ready. But other than that I enjoyed not having to explain myself and what I was doing.

Then came this year. I moved into a house where all of the girls are my good friends. We hang out in the family room by the door and they would see me coming and going. I, in my own world, would leave without notice or explanation. I didn't realize how that looked to my friends. Luckily they finally told me that they thought I was upset with them for abruptly leaving. I felt terrible because that was not the case at all.

I didn't just feel bad because I was hurting my friends, but I realized that my housemates have made our awkward cottage into a home for me. In fact, my Klaaren home has been more a home to me than the place I grew up in. When I walk into that cottage I hope that everyone is home and when no one is, I'm bummed. I never feel like I have to hide there like I often feel when I am back at my parent's house. Now as I am back home in kzoo I desire to get back soon. I love my family and I love spending time lazily around the house, but it isn't quite the same anymore. I have created a new home base.

Freshman year I distinctly remember how we all started to refer to Hope as home and would correct ourselves. Now, Senior year, I don't think I have to correct myself anymore. It is home. A different kind but a home none the less. It is going to be so strange next year when I will have to establish a new home for myself. The security of the past four years gone. I guess you know you found a great fit in a school when this happens. Perhaps it occurs regardless of where you go. Rather it is the people you find that make a place home. So don't be scared when you start to feel your life belongs more in your new place than your old. I guess it only means we are growing up (which in itself is scary I suppose) and realizing that is a pretty stellar experience.

Any Moment

Seriously long break between entries. Sorry about that. But I think the topic I chose to return with suits the reason why it took so long.

16 credits, internship, sorority president, campus job, homework to finish, and a social life? Ha. Just a glimpse at the typical life of a college student. During this time we are expected to find activities that will fill all of our time with important and resume packing experiences. This is an incredible time of life with so many opportunities presented to us, we would be fools not to take advantage of them.

It isn't easy to find a balance in life, especially while in college. There are so many thing you should be doing and yet so many other things you would rather be doing. For me, my serious issue with procrastination and indecisiveness do not help matters. Whoops. Now I'm not expecting you to become an efficient time manager as a result of this bit of wisdom. I think what I want you to take away is don't become too caught up in either extreme. Don't give up a social life for the sake of good grades and never throw away your studies because there are a plethora of fun times being had.

This is way easier said than done, I realize. I guess the best way to assure yourself of this is to become involved in things that mean something to you. Don't just join a group that takes up all your time because you know it might benefit you later. Find things that create a spark in you. Things that make you want to attend their meetings. No one likes having to sit for an hour and listen to people talk on about things, but I love going to Dorian business meetings or working with the girls at Career Services and ending up talking about our own lives more than event planning. Some days in my life and many of my friends we literally are going nonstop all day long from class, to work, to a meeting, etc. Even if we enjoy what we are doing there is something to be said about the times in between the rushing from one meeting to the next.

The moment I walk into my house and find my housemates gathered together in my house exclaiming it is time for a Slurpee run. We all say we have this, that or the other to finish or get to, but somehow eventually everyone caves and we pile into a car and fill our cups with flavored ice for 89 cents. Its times like these the world slows down just for a while. We forget our papers or problems and focus on each other.

The friends that surround you will be the ones to help you keep your life in balance. They will tell you that you have been on sporcle far too long and need to get back to studying, or that you don't sleep enough and become your sleep accountability partner, or realize that you locked yourself in the library for far too long and now need a break to go build a snowman. It is these amazing people who will keep from losing your mind when you have seem to taken on more than you can handle. I promise you can always get through whatever life throws at you. Even when you can't, your friends will be there to push you along. Enjoy the ride!

Bad Body Double

I assume you have already heard of this but, there is this thing called a double standard, don't know what that is? According to dictionary.com they define this as: A set of principles establishing different provisions for one group than another; also, specifically, allowing men more sexual freedom than women.

Basically it means that we get the shaft. Women are told to be modest and pure and when we are as carefree as men we are judged. Lame. There is no reason women need to be put in such a box. If males are allowed the freedom to do as they choose why aren't we? I am not saying I want to be like the douche bag guys who bang every chick they can, but why as females are we looked down upon for having just a bit of "guys" fun? Lots of questions, moral of this story is to beware of this inevitable evil trap.

Truthfully there is very little you can do to avoid this problem. If you never go out you are viewed as a prude, if you start to go out and enjoy yourself you can turn into a tramp. There is no real solution to the problem. My advice though: Know who you are and where you stand. It is easy to get caught up in the fun of going out or staying in out of fear of the unknown. Take risks, this is a great time in life to just let your hair down and say who cares?! If you know who you are, what you are comfortable with, and when to say no you will have an amazing time.

Boys Boys Boys

So I still haven't even told either of you much about this guy situation. Basically it came out of no where. Since this is not the first time I've dealt with such an out of the blue romance craziness, I'm gonna sum up my experiences as of late.

Seriously, what do guys think they are? They don't realize how much power they possess and I don't mean over women like keeping us down or in control or whatever, I mean the power they contain to bring joy and happiness into our lives (and yeah sadness or more commonly frustration) in just a moment. Cause truly like Hitch said, "No woman wakes up saying 'God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!'" I mean truth there are times that trying to add in a partner is waay more difficult (i.e. right now for me) but even still, we want someone to come along that is worth the risk, our time, and the challenges that will inevitably occur.

I have no idea how this whole finding a guy thing works. At all. It just seems that recently men have been falling into my lap. Now my insecurities would say, o this is just total luck and I have no control over what is happening. Yeah, I'm probably kidding myself there. I know I control a lot more of my life than I want to admit to. I have finally become whole by myself. I love myself for who I am. Realizing I am not perfect but being willing to strive to be a better person. Not that you can be in a relationship and be uber insecure and have it work out, but its going to be difficult. That's why dating in high school and such is such a joke sometimes. How can you figure out how to be with someone else when you barely know who you are and what you want.

Moving along, boys will pop up out of no where. You are a beautiful, smart, kind girl. They will find you. It might take a while, usually that's cause they understand they are not worthy of you or are intimidated. Yeah, its annoying, cause you'd rather they try and be able to weed through them yourself, but probably not going to work that way. Then when they do start pursuing you it seems so unexpected. Like you've been this pretty awesome girl for quite a while now… why just now are all these males realizing this, and how am I suppose to manage? Who are the guys worth friending, who should you politely run away from, who just want your body, and who wants your heart? Better yet, who is worthy of having a part of your heart?

I just threw a bunch of questions at you. I wish I had the answers to them. It would make my life a whole lot easier for sure. That's the hard/fun/scary/exciting part about romance. You are literally walking in blind to every situation. Even if you've been in serious relationships in the past, each one is different from the last and you have to figure them out. It's intriguing to work at figuring someone out so intently. I am sure there will be more on this topic as the year progresses but I needed to create a base. Haha Perhaps this is also for me and my mind. It is so cluttered with boy thoughts. Which is good and unfortunate. Anyway, trust in yourself and know that any guy would be so lucky to have you. If the guy you want to be with doesn't realize that, then maybe you should rethink why you want him to begin with. You deserve to be adored.

The Handbook

Awhile ago I started a project for two friends. I decided to write down all the wisdom I have accumulated over the 3ish years I have spent in college. I told them it would be a handbook on how to survive or just deal with whatever college throws at you. I started off strong doing one entry a week. Then as is typical, life takes over and you no longer think there is time for such personal assignments. Over this break I plan to catch up and post them here. Telling myself I have to post a new one weekly on the blog hopefully will keep me more accountable. So now it begins, I'm hoping to have at least 14 posted by the end of break.

Here's the First Week.

I told you I would give you a mini handbook about the college experience and I'm sticking to it. Part of it is because I think it would have been helpful to know this stuff ahead of time, or at least know that someone else has been through the same thing. But also really this (selfishly) is for me, a reflection on my past four years at Hope College and the crazy randomness that occurred and I learned from. I am going to try my hardest to make sure I do at least one entry a week. There are about 36 weeks until graduation ( yes I just counted) so I'll try to reach a goal of 36 for you. Who knows if I'm feeling up to it maybe I'll keep going into summer and add more life/summer experiences. Since we all know summer is its own world really, with its own intriguing tales.

Focus, okay so I'm gonna be back tracking and skipping around, bear with me. I think since it’s the first week of school I'll tell you about my freshman year move-in this week. I'm not sure if you know this story already but the roommate I lived with was not the roommate Hope assigned to me. First I was going to room with this girl Maria. She was actually from Kalamazoo and went to K Christian. Seems cool right, I could easily meet her and get to know her right away. Well plans went awry and I didn't meet her until this Hope Picnic in July. I introduce myself, super nervous and kinda feeling insecure, and she basically is cold and blows me off. This sends me into a panic. My roommate sucks, we will never be friends, how can I live with such a girl!? After a good cry fest in the car, my mom and I went to figure out what my options were.

Conveniently, I had been fb messaging with a girl who had yet to hear back from her roommate and was also freaking out about it. I decided to ask her how she felt about possibly being my roommate for the year, and she said she was thinking about asking me the same thing. So we made the switch so that we were both free from our unappealing roommates. Magically, Brittany and I ended up getting along and though there were minor set backs (I'm sure I'll get to those in this handbook) I couldn't have asked for a better Freshman year roommate experience.

Story time aside, basically what I want to let you know is that going away to college is freaking scary. No need to feel weird about thinking it is, but if you don't think its scary that's okay too. People have their own ways of handling new situations. Clearly things were not going swimmingly for me but that doesn't mean it won't end up working out. Sometimes you have to deal with the hardship to grow and learn about yourself. After that’s all said and done you come out on the other side being a better person and if you're fortunate you get something, like an awesome roommate, out of the deal.

Also, before college starts just know your mom/dad will be bugging you about any and everything they can. Let them. If it really starts to wear you down, kindly let them know that as much as you love them you need a bit of space to just be. Since you're the baby it really could go either way. They might be ready to kick you out and have their own place again or be afraid of becoming empty nesters. Really its about a 50/50 chance of either.

blessed

Lots to catch up on.

In Summary: I have an extremely blessed life and its freaking incredible.

To begin, by the end of this semester I feel like I finally found my groove. I not only am confident in who I am but I've collected a group of amazing friends along the way. Who knew that a failed fake kidnapping would lead to such a bond with our bros. Freshman year I would have never guessed that I would eventually be spending my nights at cent house. These guys are sassy and crazy and they make my life so much more entertaining. I would have sincerely regretted missing out on a chance to know them. While it sucks I only have one more year with them, I know next year will be stellar. I cannot wait to see what antics will go down.

Speaking of mischievousness, who knew once you start you just can't stop! (: But I'll have to learn to control myself since I will be in charge. Another awesome thing, being elected into such a large role is awe-inspiring. The fact that my girls trust me enough to give me such an honor blows my mind. My life is truly in God's hands not my own. I would have never predicted this for myself but I that is what happens I suppose when you give it all up to Him and trust that He knows best. He will help me through this presidency and even though I know it won't be a cake walk, I will love everything it will teach me about myself and others.

I've discovered my love for knowing people on deeper level. After watching and being apart of the Psi class' journey and then spending time to know them individually, I realized how everyone has a story and I love to hear them. Also, I have been able to develop a close friendship with a girl I hardly knew a month ago. She is teaching me so much about myself while I am able to know her better. I am so grateful that God puts people like this in your life. It makes you think that life can still be like kindergarten. You can just meet someone and instantly be bffs, no questions asked.

I love how summer is always such a special period in life. Everything gets a bit calmer while at the same time there is this spark, which can either blow up in your face or produce an awesome fireworks show. Last year, I faced this and I clearly ended up with a bit of both. This year I hope I have become wiser. Admittedly, it is hard to only listen to logic when your emotions/feelings are craving something else. While I have been trying to live my life a bit less cautiously it is hard to keep from just living a reckless life. As one of my favorite quotes says:

"Be wise enough not to be reckless, but brave enough to take great risks"

Striving to live this is much harder than I imagined. Sometimes I still feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. I want to experience life to the fullest while still maintaining my values. It's a tricky path, often I end up in a cloud of confusion, but I thrive on those perplexing moments. They make life worth living.

Game of Love

All I can think about is where to begin...
It's been quite a while since my last entry and life has evolved and changed in ways I would have never predicted. Guess that is just the beauty of God's plan. Even when I don't know what I want for myself He does.
I'm afraid of letting go of what control I think I have over my life. I don't want to let go of past people for fear I may need or want them around in the future. To grow and learn sometimes this is the only way. Trying to sort through life without hindrances. Even if you care deeply for someone they don't always belong in your life.
I want to control my heart. I tell myself I don't have time, there's no one interested, there's no one interesting, its too complicated and I don't need it right now. Maybe on some level I just say those things to protect my heart. I am completely freaked out by the idea that one day I will be so vulnerable that I will let someone else take control over my heart when I hand my love over to him. And all I can do is have faith and hope that he will want to do the same.
It is all such a gamble. and I am not big into taking risks. Everything that goes into finding a love, having a lover, being in love is such a game. I am pretty sure I never got the instructions to this game cause I am really good at following rules. Maybe I have to start being more reckless with my heart. If you get out what you put in, then why don't I put in more effort. Even if I am too busy or there is no one I want what could it hurt to try this thing called love.
I'm not expecting to fall in love tomorrow or even this month. but some day, I will. Why not start learning the game of love now. Its a confusing game that doesn't come with all the pieces and probably could be updated with clearer rules (or rules at all). I don't know if there is a strategy to this game or if it is just a game full of chance. I'm excited to figure out though.
I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to worry about a thing like Love. Thank you Lord for gracing me with the life I have. I pray that You help me stay open to all the possibilities of love. I would love to feel giddy and overjoyed. Help me share my love with everyone I meet, but also guide me to realize who my heart belongs with.
I do want to fall in love. but I also want to experience everything before that moment. It is some of the hardest, confusing times (so I hear) but it sounds rewarding and I want to feel all life has to offer. The good, the bad, and the beautiful.