👑  
My Lifes  
Little Luxuries 
By: Jodi Holstege 
 
 
 
  

​My Lifes  

L​ ittle Luxuries 
By: Jodi Holstege  
 
 
 
 
 
 
2
 Introduction

In this memoir I am going to portray a moment in my life that was one the most exciting

things to ever happen to me. Everyone has that one special memory that they will remember and

I am going to tell the story of mine. I am also going to talk about an object that brings me

excitement every time it's brought into my life. It makes me happy and a lot of people can relate

to having an emotional connection with something. Not only that, but I will also talk about

someone who is very exciting and important to me. Everyone has that one person in their life and

I will tell you about mine. Looking back on everything that has happened in my life, God has

been there through it all. He guided the plans of my life, He gave me the talents to perform, and

He brought me to become friends with such an amazing person. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, ¨For I

know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to

give you an expected end.¨ Everything is in the will of God and it is all done in His perfect plan.

He wills it to be not evil, but for it to work out for our good. We must remember this throughout

our lifetime and in everything we do.

 
 
 
 
 
3
  

Finals vs the Rivals

I never really felt the feeling of true excitement until the night and morning of our soccer

District Final game. The butterflies in my stomach and the achiness in my muscles. I remember

not getting any sleep the night before the game because of how excited I was. When I got to the

game I could tell everyone was nervous, afterall it was District Finals. But not only that, it was

also against our rivals, Calvin Christian. I remember feeling how anxious and excited I was

because my legs shook and my hands dripped sweat. I always get pre-game jitters, but the feeling

was much more intense this game. I started the game as a little freshman scared out of my mind

because I knew I had to play my best game yet.

Next thing I knew the whistle blew and the game was on. I felt the nervousness

consuming me because I could hardly run to my full potential because my legs felt so heavy. It

was the most intense game I had ever played. The game dragged on and I thought that no one

was ever going to score and that we would have to go into overtime. I felt a bit happy because at

least we were not losing. But I thought too soon because it was almost the second half and

devastatingly Calvin scored a goal.

Not soon after Calvin scored again. My body felt weak. Looking at the others, I knew

they felt the same as me. The only thing I remember from half time was coach's pep talk saying,

“Now it is time to go.” He would only say this when he thought it was actually serious, which it

was because it was District Finals. He resparked my excitement for the game.

The whistle blew and the second half started. Everyone frantically ran and tried harder

than they ever had before. Time passed and I looked at the clock. Four minutes remained in what

could be the last game for the seniors. All of sudden we got the ball and dashed for the goal. We

fired shots left and right. Finally, after many attempts, we got one in. The crowd and players

4
went crazy. Everyone jumped and screamed. I remember looking at my fellow teammates and

everyone was holding on to each other knowing that we can do this. I didn’t even realize how

fast four minutes actually was until its the last crucial moments of the game. The excitement on

the faces of others reflected onto me.

Finally the clock counted down, thirty...twenty-nine...twenty-eight. I thought to myself,

“Well this is it. Thank you seniors.” I looked out to the field and my sister had the ball and was

sprinting to the goal. Ten seconds left. This was it. ​If she makes it we have a chance of winning

in overtime, but if not then we go home. ​She shot the ball and miraculously it went in with the

buzzer ringing right after. I can’t even describe how amazing that felt. Everyone immediately

jumped out of their seats. Everyone was screaming and clapping, others were crying and

cheering. I was so overjoyed because I knew this game was ours. Looking back on that moment

all I could think about was how excited everyone was including myself.

We then had to go into overtime. It was an intense half because it was do or die. There

were fouls left and right and everyone was loud. My mind was so crowded with thoughts of

happiness and excitement. With only a few minutes left in the game, the unthinkable happened.

We scored. Once again there was so much cheering. I didn’t have much of a voice after this

game as one can imagine. The buzzer rang and our team flooded the field. I was beyond excited

and was jumping up and down. It was my first and only district win of high school. This will

always be one of the most exciting and memorable moments of my life.

5
 Season By Season

From when I was really little, all I can remember is having a ball at my feet. Whether it

was playing AYSO league starting at the age of six or playing outside with my family, it became

a huge part of my life. I looked forward to the fall because that's when the first season of soccer

would start, and once that was done, it would start back up in the spring. I fell in love with this

sport because it was something that was important to my family. I remember always going

outside and playing 3 v 3 with my siblings in the backyard and if not that then I would play by

myself against my garage. It was also something that my cousin and I would always do together.

We’ve been playing together for eleven and a half years now. We would do camps, indoor, and

other leagues together and it brought us closer. It was always a fun and exciting time playing

with her.

The thing that I like most about soccer is that every game there's something different.

There's always something to keep you on your toes. A team could be really good or really bad

and it just makes the game more fun and exciting. My favorite part of soccer is when I get a huge

break away and it’s just me and the goalie. One on one. The crowd on the edge of their seats and

the opponents hoping I miss. Adrenaline fills my body and the feeling of accomplishment when I

score consumes me. It makes up for every bad play I make in the game. Everyone runs up to me,

claps my hand, screams in my face. Even though the excitement only lasts for about 6 seconds, I

still feel on top of the world every time I score a goal.

Soccer has honestly taught me so much in life. It taught me how to communicate with

people better. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m a bit of an introvert and a bad

conversationalist. But not on the field. On the field I’m as loud as I can be, screaming for the

ball, talking to teammates and helping others out. This also fills me with excitement because

6
that's not who I normally am, so I get to see myself as a new person every time I’m on the field.

Every season is a new exciting experience. Last year we were so excited for our season with the

new team, but that didn’t happen because our season was cancelled because of COVID-19.

Sadly, we don’t know if we will even get our season this year either. It’s depressing to think that

my last year playing soccer might just be my sophomore year. Soccer has been such an exciting

experience in my life. It brought me closer with many new people and taught me to grow out of

my shell.

7
 
 
An Everlasting Friendship

It was the beginning of fifth grade. I had zero of my normal friends in my class, so I had

to make some new ones. I remember our teacher had our desks in a u-shape arrangement and my

assigned seat was next to Sydney Zolen. Slowly, day by day, our friendship grew, and we began

hanging out at break and lunch. One day, she invited me over to her house to see her new puppy.

Little did I know this would be the start to a new and exciting friendship.

From that day on we were inseparable. We did everything together. We had sleepovers

almost every night in the summer. We would always go on exciting walks to the Dollar Store,

which was right by her house, and get Jones Sodas along with a bunch of candy. Then, we'd walk

back home to watch a movie. We did a lot of exciting things like ride mini dirt bikes at the

Hudsonville fair when it was vacant, went boating in the summer, and many more things that one

could do at a young age. Everyday was a new adventure for us. Don’t get me wrong. We did a

lot of cringy things like weird photoshoots, dressup, and even tried to make music videos. But

that all comes with such an exciting and memorable friendship. Living by each other really

helped our friendship grow. She lived right down the road from my house, so we always hung

out together. My mom always says that I should just live at her house since I'm always there

anyways.

Sydney is definitely an exciting person. She makes me try new exciting things that I

would never do. Looking back at our friendship, I can see how much she's influenced me. She

forced me to get over my fear of heights and ride rollercoasters with her. It was exciting to see

myself doing that because for the longest time I would never do it. She also made me try new

8
exciting things like riding a mini bike, going on walks in the woods at night time, and boating on

Lake Michigan for the first time. Our friendship has made me branch out to do more exciting

things and took me out of my comfort zone more and more each day.

Not only has she made me branch out and do exciting things, she also makes me a better

person. I am a quieter person when I am with people I don't know that well, but whenever I am

with her I am loud as can be. It's exciting to see myself become a new person because of her. I

have also met so many more new people because of her as well. I wouldn't have had the courage

to reach out and talk to them without her, so she really also is the cause of my other exciting

friendships.

Sydney Zolen has made me become a better person and given me such an exciting life.

I've done so many exciting and adventurous things because of her. I can say that I would not be

the person I am today without being friends with her. I like to imagine what my life would be

like without her in it and it's hard to even imagine that because I can't picture her not in it. I have

such an exciting life with her in it and each day holds something new for us to do together.

 
 
 
 
 
9
  
 
Conclusion

I would like to thank my family who has shaped me into the person I am today. They've

pushed me to become the athlete and person that I am because they have taught me to never give

up and to find joy in the little things in life. I would also like to thank my best friend, Sydney

Zolen, for never giving up on me and always sticking by my side through thick and thin. She has

been there for me giving me some of the best memories in life.

Thanks to my teachers who have helped me throughout the years, giving me a Christian

education so that I am able to learn about my Savior and have helped me grow spiritually. They

have helped mold me into the Christian woman that I am today giving me knowledge and

spiritual understanding.

My memoir has the theme of excitement. I felt pure excitement winning District Finals

for soccer my freshman year. It was the first time something super exciting happened in my life.

Beating our schools rival and winning a trophy will be a memory that lives in my mind forever.

Coming off of that, an object that gives me excitement is soccer. I've been playing this sport my

whole life and every game is something new. Joining new teams and gaining many friendships is

always exciting. Now onto the third chapter, a person who brings excitement into my life is

Sydney Zolen. We've been friends since forever and everyday is a new adventure for us. My

future life is very undecided. I'm not sure what college I am going to or what I'm majoring in, so

these next few months are going to be an interesting time for me.

10
My name is Jodi Holstege and I am eighteen years old. I live in Hudsonville, MI and am a senior

at Covenant Christian High School. I enjoy watching TV and taking naps, as well as hanging out

with my friends and family. I currently play three sports; volleyball, basketball, and soccer. I

come from a family of eight, being the fourth child after three sisters. I go to Faith Protestant

Reformed Church, where I plan to make my confession of faith in the years coming. I work at

Sunrise Acres Egg Farm year round and Teravest Farms in the summer. I have a love for

animals, but admire dogs the most.

11
12