Thankful Thursdays pt 4

November 24th:

I'm thankful for my three crazy, amazingly smart and Jesus-loving brothers. I'm also thankful for every single one of my cousins, near and far!

November 25th:

Christmas. music. And second thanksgivings!

November 26th:

I'm thankful for my desire to be a teacher and change kids' lives. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for my future kids and classrooms!

November 27th:

Thankful for chill sunshine after a week of rain and darkness. I don't mind the cold as long as I'm not wet!

November 28th:

I'm thankful for my sissy and that we've always been pretty great friends, even though sometimes we hate living with each other.

November 29th:


I'm thankful for God's Word. It needs no explanation.

November 30th:

I love having rabbits. I'm so thankful for each of my "babies"!


Until next time,

H.L.W

Dutch Bros Anniversaries

I have a weird thing with dates. I remember them quite well, and I can tell when I'm nearing a date that has some sort of significance even if I don't remember what happened on that date right off the bat. Around my birthday I had the strongest feeling that the anniversary of when I was hired at Dutch Bros was coming up. For some reason, it was a big deal to me to find out what day it was. I found the date in my journal, and for some reason I subconsciously counted down the days until it came.

On November 18th, 2016, I had walked into a local hotel where Dutch Bros had scheduled their interview party to hire employees to launch DB Everett.

On November 18th, 2016, I walked into the room with messy hair and food on my shirt, because I didn't expect an interview. I only thought I was dropping off an application. I had no idea how much these people would mean to me. How much my life would change because of Dutch. How much I would change in the year to come.

"I wouldn't come to work like this," I remember saying to Sammers, the one who looked like she was in charge. "But I didn't know I was going to have an interview." She just said she was glad to meet me and gave me hug. She made me feel special and I loved her instantly.

They were conducting 5-minute interviews of over fifty candidates that day, but I waited only around 10 minutes before they called my name and I was led into the office room with a panel of five interviewers, Teal and JD, Kate, and some guys I didn't see again. Sammers and the other ladies and gents that were entertaining in that main room said "Good luck". In the interview, I felt like I fit right in. We joked together, laughed together, and the interview went by quickly.

On November 19th, 2016, Teal called me and said I pretty much had the job, we just needed to meet again to have a second interview and discuss scheduling.

On November 20th, 2016, which I remember being a Sunday, I had a second interview with Teal at our stand and she told me they usually do a second interview, and ask more questions, but they knew I was hired and so they didn't do that with me. She just discussed the shifts and how they could build a schedule around my school schedule and such.

On Monday, November 21st, I had orientation and received paperwork to fill out and my manifesto to memorize in a week.

On November 28th, training began! There was a 2-week period of training prior to our stand opening on December 13th, 2016. It's almost been a full year since our stand has been running smoothly!

Until next time friends,

Holls B Jolls

Thankful Thursdays pt 3

November 17:

I'm thankful for my friend Connie, who covered my shift at work today because I was so sick!

November 18:

One year ago today most of us had our Dutch Bros interviews :) So thankful for the friends DB has brought me, and the money I've made to be able to pay for school with no loans!

November 19:

One year ago today I was told I had the job. I'm so thankful for my manager and franchisee Teal, her fiancée JD, and their puppy Tucker. I really couldn't have gotten a job with better leadership, especially for it being a brand new stand in this area and my first job.

I'm also thankful for my puppy Odin. Today we played fetch for around 30 minutes in the back yard, and cuddled afterwards. He finally knows how to drop the Frisbee when you toss it. It only took him a year to learn. He's a good dog, even though sometimes he's not.

November 20:

Thankful for the beauty of fall.

November 21:

If you know me, you know I hate coffee. But I LOVE white coffee. It keeps me alive during early morning shifts and late class nights. 

November 22:

Today I'm thankful for my youth group and my church, and the amazing people I get to spend every Wednesday night with!

November 23:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Today I'm thankful for my big, messy, loving, and passionate family who has made me who I am today.

I hope you spend the day as thankful as I am.

H.L.W.

$10 and Under Half Price Books Haul

On the 18th I went to Half Price Books to spend the $25 gift card my mom bought me for my birthday. There were a few books I have wanted to add to my collection for a while, and then I love to look around to see new things from authors I love or classics I've heard of and have always wanted to read.

I wanted some specific books, but didn't have much in mind. I hadn't shopped for books in a while so I was excited to look around. I primarily wanted to get Wonder (one of my favorite books), and the last Eragon books I didn't already have to add to my collection. I ended up getting lots more than I originally anticipated, and I didn't get everything I wanted, but I'm so excited about my purchases.

• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. This book is kind of a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, but also can be a standalone. Mockingbird is one of my favorites, and although I haven't read Watchman yet, I'm excited to start it very soon. $8
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. It was only $1 but I actually already owned it. I guess it's one I'll add to a box for my future classroom, or donate to a school near me. 
• Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins. This is the fifth and final installment of the Gregor the Overlander series, the only one I didn't own. My sister, brother, and I have all read and love this series. My 11-year-old brother is currently reading them. $5
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• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I haven't read many of Dickens' works, including this one, but I want to read more classics, and I've heard such great things about Oliver Twist that I'm sure I'll love it. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass (a collection), by Lewis Carroll. I also haven't read these classics, but I've wanted to for a long time. $3

Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys (a collection), by Louisa May Alcott. I read Little Women when I was much younger, and I've wanted to reread it. I'm excited to read the sequels. $8

Eragon ($7) and Inheritance ($10) by Christopher Paolini. These are the first and last books in the Inheritance Cycle, I already own the middle two, but these were missing. Now I have the full set! My sister, dad and I read these books years ago and we all love them. They are classics to us. 

I didn't get Wonder, because of the new movie coming out, they had all brand new copies that were about $15+. It's cheaper on Amazon (around $12), so that's where I'll be buying it.

Now you know how much I spent on books (my gift card did not cover it all). But I wanted to include prices because I think Half Price usually has great deals and lots of people don't realize they have great stuff too.


Keep reading adventurers,

H.L.W.

Birthday Blessings

On Saturday I turned 19 years old! Today I want to talk about what my family and I did to celebrate. It's a big age. Maybe it doesn't seem or feel as big as, say, 16 or 18, but it's my LAST YEAR as a teenager! WHAT. Next year I'll turn 20. Then I'm REALLY an adult. I can't use the excuse of being a teenager for everything I try to get away with.

WHAT.

Thursday night, my classmates sang me happy birthday. My birthday this year fell on a Saturday. Because I worked 11:45-6:30 on my birthday, we began the celebrations on Friday. My mom gave me money, and my sister and I shopped at the Everett mall (Old Navy and Burlington primarily), ate dinner (she got enchiladas and I got soft tacos), and got some tasty sorbet at the new froyo shop inside the mall.

Then, we watched Thor: Ragnarock Friday night with the whole family. Marvel movies are our favorite. We always see all the newest Marvel/Avengers movies in the theaters as a family. I usually see Thor movies for my birthday each year because they come out in November. This movie did not disappoint! It was hilarious and very entertaining.

On the day of my birthday, I woke up around 7:30am (as much as I tried, I couldn't sleep in), and I opened presents from my mom and siblings. My sister made me a fancy H with 19 things she loves about me, chocolate, and a jar she made as a pencil holder. She also picked out some flowers my mom bought for me. A couple brothers got me homemade cards, and one of my brothers bought me a scarf. My parents got me gloves, hats, a gift card to Half Price Books, chocolate, and an umbrella (the necessities). They also gave me money to buy whatever at the mall the day before. I was trying to buy these things I needed (hats, umbrella), but Sydnie told me not to, and so I pretty much knew what I was getting from them. Haha. 

I worked from 11:45 to 6:30, but I had a great time having fun with friends and customers, and dancing to good music. Around the time when my shift ended, my manager/franchisee Teal, my assistant manager Sam, as well as one of my shift leads, Maddie, surprised me with flowers and a present.

After my shift, I discovered that my family's car had broke down and my mom wasn't able to pick me up from work. Unfortunantely, this meant that I had to take the bus home and we didn't get to eat at the restaurant I had picked out for my birthday dinner. But it was okay. We walked home from the bus stop together, ate pizza, had brownies with frosting and watched This is Us until after 11.

On Sunday, we walked to an Indian restaurant because they were having a lunch buffet, and ate there. It was a great relaxed day.


I felt so loved and celebrated. It's definitely a day I won't forget.

Not every day is perfect. But each day has it's share of perfect moments.

Take care, friends.

H.L.W