Houston, We Have an Intruder

It’s just me, Aubrey. Seeing as how I no longer have a public domain in which to boast/blog/brag about friends, I have taken it upon myself to hack into this kukiluki internet space (knowing passwords comes with the territory of being a best friend).

I am simply here to say:

HAPPY 22^nd BIRTHDAY CHACH!!

I know I'm a day early, but I just couldn't contain my excitement to get this post up! As all of you know who follow the blog of Chachsky, she is one of the most tender hearted people you will ever meet. We often joke around about “her heart” and it’s sensitivity, but she is constantly filled with the most sincere love for other people. She loves easily and she loves quickly and because of that, she draws so many people to her.

When you’re her friend, you’re her friend for good. She never forgets faces or names and can recall exactly when/where/ how she knows you. It never ceases to astound people with how many “best” friends she has, because she considers a lot of people her best friend. But she’s very genuine about it - these are the people who have meant the most to her at different stages in her life. She turned our living room into a constant revolving door, with people visiting from our past, people from school, people from her family, people from our current wards and people from home.

She’s a San Diego native (So. Cal. So Cooool) and although that unfortunately means she’s a Laker’s/Padres/Chargers fan, she wears it with pride and takes a lot of beef from a lot of people. (Congrats on the championship, by the way!) Tati is one of the biggest BYU football and basketball crazies. Ever. We bonded instantly because we both knew the importance of getting to the games

an hour and a half early to sit front row. We camped out three years in a row in -15 degree weather for literally weeks at a time for the BYU/Utah game. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is. We frequent the covers of most BYU basketball brochures. (This is only one of many - See if you can find us!)

Tati is an INCREDIBLE dancer. We attribute this quality to the fact that she’s ¼ Latin. We were notorious for 2am table-top study parties in the library and running around Provo to just about any place with a good beat. She’s even got her own dance move where she stands with her legs wide, knees bent, shakes them and then brushes the dirt off both shoulders. (If you haven’t been privied to this once in a lifetime show, please ask. In the meantime, let this blow your mind. She’s on the left. )

For all you single boys out there, Chach is going to make the most incredible mom someday. Seriously. (And as a bonus- she can whip out empanadas like nobody’s business.) She even kept my fish alive for 3 months! Although she “accidentally” dropped him down the drain, she fed him extra to cure the emotional scarring.

She’s a picture fanatic and you can often find her running through photos of old events and old friends. Plus, who wouldn’t love pictures when you’re the most photogenic person in the world? Seriously, I don’t think there has ever been a bad picture of her… If one of us were ever without the other, people would always ask where our sidekick was. People even got our names mixed up. I couldn’t be more honored to share a “name” with someone.

And in all seriousness, living with her for my college years in Cougartown was, for lack of a better word, absolutely life-changing. I live for her blogposts about the kids she works with. Her love for them is incredible and truly Christ like. The joy she felt when she watched one of her students get baptized was one of the most fulfilling days. Tati has a way of sharing her testimony with other people simply by how she lives.

She’s made you laugh; she’s made you cry; she’s made you want to be a better person. Happy 22^nd, Tati. Sure love you.

Love, Aubrey and the blogging world.

(Please donate to the “Get Tati over to New York City” fund. Checks can be made out to her. I’m dying without her. Thank you.)

saying ayo, gotta let go

I am sitting on the couch at my house but I feel like I am rocking back and forth.

The last four days have been quite the adventure. I was in Lake Powell with some people in my ward, a first for me. It was an absolute blast. I loved it. We went wakeboarding, wakesurfing, tubing, swimming and jet skiing. We had lots of dance parties, camp fires, and fun. The weather was not the sunniest, but the thunder and lightning storms were a blast.

We listended to Taio Cruz's Dynamite over and over again. I have been home for almost 24 hours and I still have the song stuck in my head (hence the title of my post)

I had probably one of my best wakeboarding runs ever out there. I so badly want to clear the wake, still can't do that, but I feel like I got so close! haha I went on the most ridiculous tubing runs and was thrown all over the place. There were four of us that would ride and ride without falling off. SUCH A BLAST!

And as much as I absolutely loved these last four days with my friends, it made me really miss the weeks at Shaver Lake with my family. All of our traditions, jokes, and memories. Yes, many people think that Powell is heaven on earth, but Shaver will always be the most beautiful.

All in all, I am so lucky that I got to go and I wish I could spend everyday of my summer at a lake with friends and family.

San Marcos. The SM. My home.

This post has taken me awhile. It's one that I don't really want to do. I have been thinking about it for a week now and I guess it's just the hope that not doing it means it won't happen.

I turned 8 the summer my family left Orange County and headed south for San Diego. I remember thinking it was the worst idea ever, that I would never make friends in San Marcos, and that my parents were going to have to drive me back to see all of my friends every week. Needless to say, San Marcos quickly became my home and a place I have begged my parents to never leave....but the time has come and they are soon to join me in Utah.

I might be biased, but I believe it is one of the most beautiful cities around. It is located in Northern San Diego, making it a prime location of 15 minutes from the beach, half hour from downtown, and half an hour to southern Orange County. San Marcos is well known for its Restaurant Row and it recently opened the Grand Plaza (it's got a Nordstroms Rack, Marshals, Ulta - all the essentials). But then San Marcos also has a very quaint country feel with the rolling hills, miles and miles of horse trails, farms, and the Twin Oaks Valley.

The Thorkelson San Diego Adventure actually began in Escondido, at the top of a hill. After a 6 years there we moved down the hill and into San Marcos. We stayed in the same ward, school district, and everything but now lived on an acre lot with a puppy. Our house is a unique one in our area and looks a wooden cabin. It grows on you though and I think it would be the perfect grandma and grandpa house. Mom made the inside a beautiful home and my friends and I have spent countless nights just sitting in the family room.

I am trying to have a good attitude about it all, but it has caused me to reflect a lot on the last 14 years of my life. How much I have grown in that time. The hundreds of people I have met, loved, and learned from. The silly and wild adventures from exploring Emerald Heights to TPfights to spending every Friday night at Killer Pizza From Mars. I remember my very first friend, meeting her on our first Sunday, and knowing, even now that I rarely see her, that she will ALWAYS be my best friend. I went to Woodland Park when it was an elementary school. I was also the first class to graduate from Mission Hills High School. My first job was for the City of San Marcos as a lifeguard and I did it for years! I got to know so many kids, both totally adorable and some amazingly obnoxious, but I loved them all.

I've talked about my home ward before - TOV. I love them. Sunday was one of the hardest days. I didn't think much of it, just went to church like normal, but then it all hit me as we sang the closing hymn. I love them. I love them. I love them. They are my family.

I have amazing friends in San Marcos. We have all grown a lot and started to go our own ways, but a few of them are still my closest friends. I have also gotten to know quite a few of the kids at the Palomar ward from my few short stints in the singles ward.

So, I haven't lived in San Marcos for the last four years and many think that having my family move doesn't change my life. It will. It is very bittersweet. I hate saying goodbye and I don't want to, but I am thrilled to have my family nearby. I cannot wait for the adventures we will have out here and to see my siblings go through their first snowy winter.

I just spent the last 3 weeks soaking in all of San Marcos that I could. I am already homesick for the beach, Mr.Taco, and my San Marcos.

Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth!

I love this holiday. I always have. I love being surrounded by family and friends. I love the patriotism it brings out in everyone because I am so proud to be an American. I love the baseball, the food, the fireworks. The entire country turns red, white, and blue.

But this year, I think it means a lot more to me. I have a new respect for the inspired men who founded this free country. I just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and it talks quite about the men who dedicated their lives to the beginning of the United States of America. There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father gave them inspiration to design our government the way they did. We are so blessed with all of the wonderful freedoms we have.

I honor those who serve so that we can continue to have such rights. My students and I did music with a regular 4/5th grade class once a week and for a month or so we learned the military medley. I had heard it many times before and had even played it back in the days of band, but it really moved me to hear these sweet children sing and to hear my kids remember the songs even at the end of the year. I admire the courage and dedication of those in the armed forces. I am forever grateful to them.

the power of the SUN!

I am home. I have been home for the last week and a half and I will be at home for at least another week and a half!!

Over the last few days I have spend most of my time in the sun. This wonderful, huge, and very hot star helps to make me a happy me. Just sitting in the sun for a few minutes makes me feel healthier. It heals the aches and pains. It fills me with vitamin D and my skin clears up and all the sudden I even feel prettier. I actually think we all feel this way when we have some color in our skin and we can wear our bright salmon colored shirts and look fantastic!

Some new studies say that some sun exposure is actually very healthy and I totally believe it. Yes, my mom had melanoma. Yes, I most likely will get it too. But that is why you know what signs to look for. So, until I have a mole that fits the ABCDE's of Melanoma, I am going to enjoy looking good in bright colors from soaking in the sun!

Mostly, I love being home (especially since this is possibly my last time, but more on that to come). I love being at the beach. I love going to the pool. I love reading in the sun. I love just sitting in it and letting it's warmth envelop me!