Gracious Words Are Honeycomb

This year, my new buzzword is affirmation. After my last two years in college, I have realized that kind, affirming, uplifting words are essential to myself and to others. I do not mean that I am working on being less negative to people, but rather being less neutral, less unresponsive. Often, I only hear what I am doing wrong, but not necessarily what I am doing right. This leaves me in a state of feeling defeated and dejected. 

Where some positive feedback goes unsaid, especially in a workplace or group setting, because it is expected that you do something a particular way, it is my goal to say those often unsaid things. I have found both as someone following a leader or being the leader, relaying positive affirmation can make a large difference. 

If someone is beautiful, they deserve to be told. If someone is doing something great in their job, they deserve to be told. If someone is kind, they deserve to be told and affirmed. 

As the roommate to my best friend this upcoming year, who will be an RA on a freshman hall, I get the opportunity to affirm Crystal in how she is leading a group of 30+ girls well. As editor in chief of the newspaper, I get to tell my staff and writers that they are kicking butt at certain parts of the production. As a friend, I have the joy of uplifting friends and acknowledging their successes. I have the opportunity to share gracious words and provide people with a little healing sweetness. 

So here's to junior year and to gracious words. Here's to affirmation and healing from it. 

Things I Learned In New Zealand

Me in front of a Hobbit hole.

Many people have asked about my trip abroad to New Zealand and Australia. For those of you who don’t know, I spent three weeks in New Zealand with Azusa Pacific, and then vacationed after for 11 days in Australia. I promised I would keep up the blog and post a lot of photos, but of course, as it always does, time became an issue. Additionally, I found that I didn’t have a lot of good things to say.

My communication studies internship was not what I expected, to say the least. Not only did I have to cross the lines from journalism into public relations, which I soon realized why so many journalists disliked it, I was mostly working on in areas of media that I was not interested in. The only thing that I had opportunity to write while I was there was about 800 words for an assignment toward the end of the two-week internship.

While writing it, I realized that this was what I loved to do. After almost two weeks of begrudgingly going to work each morning and leaving feeling drained, I felt productive and inspired.

What I realized after two weeks was that it was good to find out what you don’t like. I realized that not every season is going to be the best one. I realized that sticking to my guns occasionally pays off. I realized and was reminded how much I love writing, how much I love journalism, and how much I love storytelling.

So, although I did not have the best time I’ve ever had in my whole life while in New Zealand, I learned a lot about myself and about what I don’t want to do in life. Although it wasn’t perfect, I am so thankful for the teaching moments that came from it.

Watch out late this week for a little bit about Australia and my travel tab for a list of things we did in both New Zealand and Australia.

Navigating New Territory

Well hello all! It's been awhile, but here we are. I've been waiting to find out a couple of things before I blogged about looking ahead to next year. And now, with only three weeks left of school, it seems to be the appropriate time! Here are some things that I am certainly looking forward to in the next year!

Major/Minor Update

I feel like every blog post I have written I have changed my minor or my double major, but don't worry. Hopefully this one will stick. I have decided NOT to double major, but instead to add two minors toward marketing and graphic design. Here's to hoping that the combination of journalism, marketing and graphic design makes me as hire-able as possible post-grad!

Heading Abroad! 

I'm so excited because in about one month I will be on a plane to New Zealand, shortly followed by a trip to Australia! I'm going to New Zealand for three weeks with a study abroad program through APU!  I will be working (interning) at Wandering Sheep Productions in Auckland and staying with other students and three professors from APU. We will be doing plenty of exploring when we are off the clock, however, including visiting Hobbiton and going to a hot water beach and going on a small kayaking trip for one day!

Right after, a group of friends who are going on the New Zealand trip with me are puddle jumping over to Australia to stay in Sydney and Cairns. Consequently, I will be out of the country from May 16 to June 16, so see ya later! Much much much more information and blogging will be taking place while I am there and I promise to take a ton of photos! If you have any advice for what to do or see or where to go in Australia, let me know!

Junior Year

I got the jobs of my dreams! I am lightening my class load (no worries, I'll still be graduating on time) and will be working more than 30 hours a week between being the marketing intern in the Office of Career Services on campus and being editor-in-chief of the Clause next year! I am so so so happy that everything fell into place exactly as I had hoped.

Although I am nervous, I know that these positions are going to push and challenge me in ways that I never have been before. I am already learning about what I want to pursue in terms of leadership on campus and cannot wait to put that into action next year! So, if you need a job, stop by Career Services next year! Or, if you have a story that needs telling, stop by the Clause office!

I am also so excited since I will be moving back into the freshman dorms next year to live with my sweet friend Crystal Reed, who will be the RA of an all-girl freshman hall in Trinity next year! She has been my best friend since early on my freshman year and I am so excited to live with her and support her as she leads about 50 girls through their own freshman journey.

Bring on the New

Although I have the very thing that I crave most, having everything all lined up and planned out, I find myself extremely nervous to be thrust out of my element, serving in a capacity I never have before. Although I have experience in both of my jobs already, this next year will be on a much larger scale. What I am realizing is how hard it is to have grace for yourself. I think I find it so easy to quickly to forgive others for little mistakes (well, sometimes). What I struggle with most, however, is forgiving my own.

What is being constantly reiterated to me in this season is that I will undoubtedly fail at some point in some capacity this summer and next fall in my new adventures and positions of leadership on campus. However, what is more reassuring is that I do not have to be perfect and that I have a community to lean into.

Perfection is impossible. Boom. The pressure is off. Thankfully, Christ took that burden off my shoulders a long time ago, and I can be at ease. And furthermore, Christ set us up to live in a community that forgives, is merciful and is a complete support to me. It is now my responsibility to 1.) continually remind myself of this truth, and 2.) to offer this same hand of grace to others.

This last week has been filled with affirmation that I am moving in the right direction and that I have a community who will support me as I navigate in the upcoming months. Thanks so much for those that encouraged me to do the things I thought were crazy, and for those of you who have been so kind and supportive as I have taken on these new roles.

Good luck with finals everyone! May the odds be ever in your favor.

xoxo,
Hunter 

Why being a cat would be the best thing ever

We all have a "spirit animal," or so dictates almost every impromptu get-to-know-you game. Mine, clearly, is a cat. Sweet James recently came upon the notion that I am more specifically a cat princess, but that's just semantics. All cats are royalty, duh.

The following reasons prove that being a cat would be the best (illustrated in photos provided by "Emergency Kittens.")

1. You get to nap whenever and wherever you want. One of my favorite things while I was studying abroad was this giant Garfield-looking cat that would sleep in the most unusual places. He even had his own blog posts as part of the Island School blog entitled, "Fritter Sleeping Places." (Bonus: People might even blog about you if you are a cat.)

Emergency Kittens

2. Being a cat allows you to be both an introvert and an extrovert at your own will. When you want to be around people, hog all the attention and be a chatter box, you totally can be. And humans will flock to you because it was the first time they had seen you out of hiding in weeks. In contrast, once you're sick of the humans, you can once again retreat.

Emergency Kittens

3. People will post pictures of you on the Internet, and even if they are unflattering, people will still be in love with this photo of you. Need I go further? 

Emergency Kittens

4. You can be grumpy, or what is often called having a constant b**** face, and people will still love you. Grumpy Cat once agains proves my point.

Emergency Kittens

5. People just feed you. You don't have to do anything to receive it except meow loudly at your human's feet, the edge of their bed or at the closed door until they listen. All reward, no work. 

Emergency Kittens

6. You can wear any costume you want and no one will think you look silly, but adorable.

Emergency Kittens

7.  Finally, because cats have such flexible bodies, yoga becomes much easier.

Emergency Kittens

I'm currently working toward a solution to be able to become a cat, I'll let you know if I get anything. For now, I will just continue to act as if I am a cat and a human at the same time. (Please don't stop reading my blog because I like cats). 

Finally Posting After Forever...Sorry, Don't Hate Me

I apologize everyone! My blog keeping has been less than satisfactory as I have not posted in forever. My life has been busy this semester with The Clause, working a new job at the Writing Center, and taking a lot of philosophy and religion classes (this is surprisingly not as bad as it sounds).

Things that are happening in my life & things I'm learning:

1. My boyfriend:

James auditioning for Bay Watch

James Henry Rohwer 

James recently said the day he was featured on the blog would be "the best thing ever." Apparently, he had been reading my blog before we even started dating (stalk me much?). Anyway, James is a huge blessing in my life and he continues to pursue me every day. The majority of our time is spent watching The Walking Dead, making rice crispy treats and eating goat cheese (we're really into that right now). Yesterday James and I spent Valentine's Day together at Seal Beach eating lunchables followed by dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Le Creperie in Long Beach. 

2. Working Girl
I went from working less than eight hours a week last semester to close to 15 to 16 hours a week this semester. Holler, making money at the expense of losing all my free time. Naps are a thing of the past (my mom is probably thankful).

3. Future World Traveller 

It's official everyone, I will be going to New Zealand for three weeks from May 16 to June 6, and then Australia for 11 days from June 6 to 16. All our flights are booked and we just are working on where to stay! I just am so stinking excited, but also trying not to think about it too much! I will be going to New Zealand though APU and will be taking two classes and doing a two-week internship while we are there. Then, five other students from the New Zealand trip and I are traveling to Australia to visit Sydney and Cairns (the Great Barrier Reef area). If you've ever been, tell me what I have to do while I'm there! 

4. Quarter Life Crisis

Valentine's Day at Seal Beach. Photo credit: James Rohwer

I am turning 20 on Tuesday (wait....what?) and am entering into what my sweet friend Crystal calls my quarter life crisis. Let's be serious, I am two decades into my life and I still have no clue what I am doing! I'm still constantly debating my double major/minor status, the last few months have been ridden with internship panic. All I really want to do is nap and work for Pinterest. So what's a girl to do? 

For one, I have learned that my faith needed some major reevaluation. Who am I to think I can have it all figured out? Jesus trusted God to the point of death, and I realized I didn't even trust him to deliver an internship before I graduated senior year (yes, I now realize that's not for two more years). I learned I have to trust that God will deliver me to where I'm supposed to be. In the words of a previous blog, I need to lean in and let God move. 

However, that doesn't mean sitting around and waiting. In pursuit of a heart that reflects Christ and a life that honors Him, I have to continue to intentionally pursue Him and pursue opportunities that He is laying out to me. This last month I have learned what an intimate relationship with Christ should look like, and how I should be moving toward that.* I need to be intentionally seeking Him in my life instead of waiting for Him to show up. 

More than that, I am learning that God is present and powerful. Even in a season of constant confusion, and in a season of a hard kick in the butt via this thing called reality and growing up, God is moving in my life and moving in the world. He is teaching me things, keeping me humble and providing for me in every season, not just the ones that I think I have things all figured out. 

Thanks for reading! Love, Hunter

*Future blog to come on my thoughts about Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge. 

Family and Friends and Fall

My weekend trip to Michigan was filled with orange leaves, chilly air, little brothers, ma and pop, close friends, a few tears and lots and lots of love. 

I was able to fly home two weekends ago for the dual purpose of seeing my family and going to see my sweet friends Ashleigh and Josh get married. They are officially the first of my friends to get married as I enter this weird season of life so casually called, "My Twenties." (Holy cow, I want to barf.) 

During the weekend, I got to go to my favorite hot yoga studio (my Grand Rapids friends, click the word "yoga" and then go there immediately); go to my favorite food places (Noodles and Company, Yesterdog, and Bombay Cuisine); get manicures and pedicures with my mom and grandma; see my high school's football game; spend time with two of my oldest friends; spend time alone with just me and the brothers; see my sweet friends get married; dance with some of my favorite people. 

Here are a couple things I have learned from the great state of Michigan and those people living in it:  

Family is the most important thing. I have four little brothers that are my favorite human beings and a mom and dad that are a constant blessing. After being away for so long and realizing the number of weeks a year I'll be living in that house is slowly going down, I am much more appreciate of all the loved ones in the mitten. Shout out to the Feet, you da best.



Pets are family too. One of my favorite parts of the weekend - I wish I was kidding - was coming home and having my dogs and cats recognize who I was. I came in the house while Nelly was still locked up so I could properly hug all my family, but when my mom let her out she ran straight at me to give me plenty of licks. College makes you miss those annoying but cuddly, furry little critters.



Dancing like an idiot is good. At the wedding, I got to dance around with some of my oldest and greatest friends. After watching my sweet friends say, "I do," it seemed only right that we dance it out. Thank God for dancing at weddings. Additionally, when my parents tried to get me to come off the dance floor when they needed to go, my dad came onto the dance floor and basically busted the same caliber of moves Kevin James pulled out in Hitch.

Hard goodbyes are a blessing. I always have a hard time leaving home. Why? Because I love it so much and I love all the people in it. But, I never want an easy goodbye. I never want to be so distant that departing from loved ones is easy. However, I've realized the best friends and the best relationships I have are not ones I have to see every day, but the ones who you don't see for awhile...and then when I do see them, nothing has changed.

See ya in December, Michigan. It was a blast. 

You don't have to know it all

Photo: Ellen Emery

I often feel that - especially in this phase of my life - I am supposed to know it all. People are constantly asking what my future plans are, whether it's tomorrow, next week, next month, next semester, next year, post grad, 10 years down the road...you get it. I am expected to know what's in the cards. But, let's be honest: no one does, and that is 100 percent ok.

This is new: I decided to double major in journalism and business marketing. I am now getting questions every day on how I plan on graduating on time. How am I going to balance having a life and having a double major? How am I going to pay for an extra semester if needed? How am I going to have time for two internships with so many classes? What do you even want to do with your life? Whoa everyone, calm down. I don't know and that's ok. 

This is also new: I am applying to study abroad in New Zealand from May 5 to June 6 of 2014. This study abroad program is brand new for communication and journalism students only. It's competitive because only 12 students get to go, but I have to go because, well, it's New Zealand. Now I'm getting more questions. How am I going to handle not being home for another month? How am I going to pay for it? What will I do if I don't get in?

Consequently, I've realized in the last few weeks as I've tried to plan my life out for the next couple of years that I really can't until I know a couple more things. I need to know if I'm going to New Zealand to schedule my classes for next semester. I need to know what my summer plans are to know if I'll be taking classes this summer. I have to know what next summer is going to look like to plan how many units to take next semester. I need to know if I'll pass my CLEP tests to get out of the classes I need to.

And the more I tried to plan, the more I realized I can't. There is nothing more humbling than not knowing what the next year is going to look like. I have often given out the advice not to worry, and have brought up the flowers of the field and the birds of the air and the way God provides, but have never taken the advice myself...until now. I had never been in a position where I honestly had no clue what the future holds. I have been praying for humility for over a year now, and it seems like God has been delivering this year with dose after dose (or maybe kick after punch) of pure humility.

But the greatest thing is that instead of doubting everything I know, I have been leaning into His direction more. I thought my uptight control freak self would panic in this moment, but I've never loved not knowing more.

So here's to not knowing, and to feeling out of control, and to leaning in and letting God move. 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

Matthew 6:24