Happy Birthday BEANS!!

My baby sister turned 10 today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hannah!!

Why I LOVE her soo so so much:

First though, I have to say that saying goodbye to her is the hardest thing I have to do at the end of every summer.

Next, no on can do crack like Hannah. This is such a classic picture of her.

Make overs all the time. She is all about fashion and beauty. Even to this day she can make any outfit fit her and look cute.

She is the best bus-plane companion ever

No one has loved my babies quite like Hannah has. She would regularly sleep with Bubba and Max. I couldn't get the cat to even sit with me let alone let me sleep with him.

How could you just not LOVE that face?! Pure happiness

I am home for a weekend - she busts in with an outfit like this.

The Thorkelsons would be nothing without her. She has a personality like no one I have ever met.

Mommy and her girls. Hannah loves the sun, just like me :)

Once again, making my clothes look cute on her. I had been studying in Mexico and came home for a weekend for Alyse's wedding. She stayed by my side the entire weekend.

I have taught her only the best in dance moves and she can move better than any 10 year old I know! My sisters are notorious for dance parties around the house.

This is a totally classic, normal picture of the sisters. Hannah is always busting a new pose with a fabulous face to go with it.

Hannah banana. I absolutely love love love you! I love that when I sign onto gmail - you are ALWAYS there to chat with me. Even if I am busy with work or school, all you want to do is tell me you love me. You love everyone and everyone adores you. You are loud, rambunctious, and so incredibly smart. I know you would give anything for me. You are the most selfless sister and such an example to me. I hope you have had a fabulous day and that your class sang to you :) I miss you and I love you. <3

the 5 love languages <3

Is it weird that I have taken both the hfl and religion marriage prep classes at BYU? I just find the whole relationship so interesting, especially with the church. This relationship is one that we will have for all eternity. The whole dating scene here at BYU is also a little strange so it is always great to get some advice or just hints to putting ourselves out there. I have an array of knowledge in this area, and anyone is welcome to pick my brain :) (not that I am like pro or anything, I just had Dr. Barlow and he knows some powerful stuff)

Ok, so about a week ago for Enrichment Night we had Val Baldwin come in and discuss with our Relief Society the 5 love languages. Those consist of:

1. Quality time
2. Words of Affirmation
3. Acts of Service
4. Gifts
5. Physical Touch

The whole time she was going over the love languages, my roommate and I were trying to use examples from our lives to pick apart what we are. She would say something and it was either yep, that describes me or my roommate, or eh, definitely something I don't enjoy. She said quality time was enjoying being with people...that's when I thought, hmmm I hate being alone. I am definitely a big people person. Words of Afffirmation - nice, but when I get too many compliments, it just sort of makes me feel like I am just being stared at...you know? I need it to be interactive. Acts of service are ok, but there are somethings I just have to do on my own. Then gifts. Oh boy, I do not need gifts. I would rather go on a date with the money. And finally physical touch. This is just physical contact in non-romantic times. I realized that is probably the way I most show my love and a lot of the way I expect to receive it. I am always touching people as I talk to them and I love hugs. Just love them.

So I took the online quiz. Yep, I was right. I am bilingual :) haha Split at 10 and 10 each were quality time and physical touch. I got 0 for gifts, 5 for words of affirmation, and 2 for acts of service. I could analyse myself or anyone I know well alllll dayyy with this fun information.

oh snow...

So the snow has come back. We were doing so good! Yesterday morning, early morning, I had to go to Miracle Bowl to bowl with my favorite special ed class. I left while the snow was still falling and the roads were still a little slippery. I am taking this right turn nice and slow when...boom, I was doing a 360. I remember it so vividly. I just kept my hands on the wheel and all I could do was gasp short ooh, ooh, oohs. Really actually very scary. I was so lucky. There were cars around but my light had been green and there was no one turning behind me. I had to reverse and cars sort of just drove around me, like no big deal. But no worries, I obviously made it home just fine :)

Then today, I got out of my English class just before 10 and was walking down to work. The snow! It wasn't coming hard but it was light and kind of just whispy....just annoying enough so that you can't look up and see where you are going.

But I guess it is beautiful.

I am currently watching the basketball game. I know, I know. Why am I not there?! Well it started at 6 today...when does basketball ever start at 6? and I have class until then and then I was in charge of dinner tonight. So here I am, on my couch, with my computer and the basketball game on. I don't think anyone understands how I love this team. My social life and only form of entertainment comes while I am at these games. But, yes, we are winning. Playing CSU right now. This will tie us for second with either SDSU or UofU depending on how their game goes tonight. (That will be a BIG game. Both teams currently tied for first!)

pounding it with max hall. that's how i roll :)

It is time for me to go to bed - but I just want to write. I have to write. I have so much that I want to say, but I am not sure how to say it. I don't know who reads this or why I even have a blog. haha I got it before I went to Mexico, but thanks to Connie, my cute aunt who just loves me so much, I was encouraged to keep it going.

Can I just quickly say that these past few weeks have honestly been full of trial after trial. Worst part is really that I am not the one going through the trials, rather I am watching my friends try to go through these painful things. They are there and I am here and this has been the hardest time to be away from home. I just want my friends to know that I love them and I think of them each individually everyday. They are in my prayers.

BUT on a much HAPPIER note...random happening of today. Max Hall came into work today. For those of you who don't recognize this name, he is the BYU quarterback. I mean, athletes come in pretty often, but today was the first time I saw Max. He walked right up to my desk and stuck his hand out for me to pound it. hahahaa Sometimes I just love my job!!

life

I don't even know where to begin...

1. The Cougars need to be more impressive on the court for this a source of great depression.
2. BYU plays SDSU tomorrow - cross your fingers we crush them!
   
3. School has never been so hard but I have never loved it so much.
4. My job in the SAB is fantastic!
5. I went to Dan Peterson School today and I almost cried. I miss those kids more than I ever thought possible. I saw one of my students and the smile he gave me was priceless. He was so excited to see me. He touched my face and did the dance he knows I love.
6. I took a trip home last weekend with Kelsey, my buddy Sean, and his adorable cousin Lauren. We saw the temple, I went to anthropologie, and we spent a day in La Jolla. Loved it. :)
7. I got emails from 2 of my favorite missionaries this week.
8. Sunday night I will be making empanadas!
   
9. I am working on my Spanish and I am so excited about it.
10. My car got an oil change today.
    
11. Tonight I get to dance like never before!!

Starting the year off right

It is only January 9th. It has been 2009 for 9 days and between the holidays and now my life has been so blessed.

This break at home was everything I wanted it to be. Our house was full of family. Mike and his family stayed with us. Michelle was there for a few days. And then Gregg and Connie were there with there boys all of the time. I was home just about all the time. Mom had even decorated the house so pretty and the sun was out and I even got to wear a dress to the beach!

The Chargers won. That was a huge deal.

I threw one of my first bridal showers. I will get better at it....but this means it's almost time for Kelly to get married! I got to spend time with Lauren and Kelly and now Jason too :) We had so much fun. Spent a night in the hot tub and another night at the favorite KPFM.

Carly is getting ready to head out to England for 6 months! So that brought the girls back together and we did a CPK dinner one night. Life will be rough with her so far away but I am so excited for her to have that experience.

I then made a safe trip back to Provo. We beat the snow by a few hours and snowed for a few days. The night we got here I think the temperature in Provo made it all the way to 0°F. Ridiculous huh? Kelsey was seriously worried.

BEST NEWS OF ALL: When I got back to Provo I got an email about a job I had sent my application to. They wanted an interview. I interviewed on Wednesday and my first day was Thursday. This could not have come at a more needed time and it is such a fun job. I work in the Student Athlete Building. I just man the front desk on the third floor, make fun payments (because money is my favorite thing....not), make fun fliers for the elevator, and smile. I love it.

I also have a goal to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I hope I can retain some of what I learned this summer. Then dad emailed me and the family is trying to read it in 180 days, putting us at 3 pages a day. I am doing it with them just I am also reading in Spanish. It has been fabulous.

Once again, I am back to studying special education. My schedule is worked out just right. I have never had things just work out like this. I am definitely not saying it is an easy schedule because it isn't. I hardly have any free time at all - it is just so precisely made hour by hour.

I can't complain. 2008 was a fabulous year for me filled with experiences that really made me grow. I am so excited to see what this year holds.

Merry Christmas!

So, seeing as dad put a link to my blog on our Christmas card I figured it would be a good idea to do a brief recap of my life...for all of those who haven't diligently followed my blog or sadly, have never seen it before.

This has been quite the year. So much has happened, I really don't know where to begin. Last January I was living at Liberty Square and having a blast. School has been such a blessing and I still can't believe I am a student at BYU. You would think that after 2 and a half years (scary huh!?) that I would actually be used to it. In November-ish of 2007 I got accepted into the Guadalajara Intensive Spanish study abroad program. In February of 2008 I finally found out that I was accepted into the Special Education Program. Two of the greatest experiences of my life.

I spent 2 months of this last summer with 30 other BYU students and an amazing director and her family in Guadalajara, Mexico. That is actually why I began this whole blog, so if you are really interested or want to see all my hundreds of pictures, take a look around. I loved Mexico. Oh my goodness, I really loved it. I was thinking, speaking, and singing in Spanish. We spent 3 hours every morning in class and then another 3 hours doing service. I worked in an orphanage and learned what it really was to feel Christlike love for another person. I lived with the most amazing family in all of Mexico and they loved me and my roommate. They taught us a lot about their culture and made sure we ate only the best true Mexican food Yolanda could make. Guillermo loved that I was proud of the small Argentine heritage I have and would always talk to me in a true castellano accent. We visited all the major sites and even got to go to an Atlas futbol game. I also was able to have mini missionary experiences and caught just a small glimpse of the joy and the hard work that comes with missionary work. As I said before, Mexico was wonderful and I loved it. I loved what I learned not only about the culture but about myself.

During the rest of the summer I worked, worked, worked and made lots of new friends. I was social and let mom talk me into a hair cut. Yes, a real hair cut, not just some type of trim. It's been fun but I am waiting for it to be long again.

I am back at BYU and I just finished my first semester in the special ed program. I am more than half way done with my college career and I don't even believe it. I could talk about how much I am loving this program, but that would take up too much time. If you just check out my previous blog, I just about summed it up.

Well, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I love this season and I hope we all remember our Savior, not only just during Christmas, but throughout the year. I know I have been blessed greatly in this last year and I also know that it has been one of the most trying years I have had, but I would do it all again and not change a thing. I love you all.