Room 201

I won't lie, going back to school after a break makes me a little nervous. I have a flood of emotions the day or two before. Anxious. Excited. Nervous. Overwhelmed. Our behaviors and memories just aren't the best after 17 days of no school! And we were getting a new student that I knew nothing about.

But guess what!

My class is the best. They were perfect today, and I am not even exaggerating. Everyone went where they were supposed to. They all did what I asked. Everyone participated. Everyone worked hard. They were so much fun. I could not be more proud of them! I sure missed their sweet faces all break long.

And my new student? Well, he is just the most polite, friendly, social boy I have ever met. He has a great little sense of humor and follows my directions as fast as lighting. He is a wonderful addition to my classroom and I cannot wait to get to know him better.

I could gush and gush about my kiddos forever. Gosh. I am so lucky to be their teacher. Now, I just hope this perfect day can be repeated over and over again (which I am sure it can be, right?).

Also. I went to a jazz game tonight with some of my most favorite people in the whole wide world. I loved every minute of it.

Happy New Year!

Here is to 2012! Yaaaaaaa!! It's going to be a good year.  I can just feel it.  Can you?

Because I am so nostalgic and a lover of photos, I have been going through all of my 2011 pictures, over and over and over again.  I have lots of memories from 2011.  Some of them hard and heartbreaking, but those have definitely been good experiences that have helped me grow.  Most of them are wonderful and make me feel so accomplished, because I did so much over this last year!

So just some tops of 2011:

My top song(s):

• Domino by Jessie J. I only heard this one in September, but it flew to the top of my most played list on itunes.  Makes me dance in my car every time.  Not kidding.
• Next2You by Chris Brown with Justin Bieber.  Yes.  Love them both, and combined, this song came in a close second.  Love.
• Angel by Cody Simpson followed in third.  Cody Simpson might be my fun discovery of 2011.  He is young and fun and great to dance to.  Angel is where I get most of my great lines, like, most of the ones mention at this post.  "You're the jam, baby, I'm the toast.  It's so sweet when we're together."  Don't worry, he has plenty of good one liners.

Top food:

• Chicken.  Not just any type of chicken, but chicken strips.  I ate a whole lot of chicken this year.  I would crave protein and chicken is just my favorite.  I have no idea why I craved it so much.  The sad truth is though, that I have really cut back on my chicken intake the last little bit...I miss it

 Top movies: This is a hard one, because I love movies...

• Rio - best one to watch with my students.  They know all of the words and the soundtrack is the greatest for our dance parties.
• Thor - Cami and I saw this in St. George.  He be fine = super fun to watch on the big screen.
• Hugo - just came out around Thanksgiving and I wish people enjoyed it like I had.  We went with a very large group to see it and most weren't so impressed.  I LOVED it.  A lot. Original plot.  Good characters.  Beautiful cinematography.  I really enjoyed it.

Top book:

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I really don't read as much as I would like (it's one of my new year's resolutions), but this one was sooooo good.  You love the characters.  You laugh with them, cry with them, and feel their fear.  Absolutely recommend it. 

Top TV show:

• Friday Night Lights.  No doubt about it, I loved this one.  I got way hooked on this one this summer and finished all four seasons in a ridiculously short amount of time.

Now to the fun stuff.  I did a lot this year, especially when it came to traveling.  Constant road trips here and there.  Some favorites were:

• LA for the NBA All-Star game to visit Aubrey in February
• Vegas for the MWC Tournament in March
• A cruise through the Mexican Riviera with Cami in April
• Lake Powell TWICE this summer
• Three visits to San Diego throughout the summer
• Following the football team to Texas in September
• Traveling to New York, Connecticut, and Boston in October to see Aubrey
• Disneyland and San Marcos right before Christmas with Cami

Now, that is not bad!  

I also started my second year at my school and earlier this year, I watched 5 of my 6th graders move on to middle school.  And this school year has been fantastic.

I hiked Timp.

I was all up in the action of Jimmer's final season at BYU.

I taught my first summer school class.

Kelsey got married!

I moved home...looking for a place though, so if you hear anything, let me know.  I really can't decide if I want to go back to Provo (it would have to be south Provo) or stay here in Draper, so anything helps.

2011 was good to me.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for so many reasons.

first, I just want to thanks my parents.  Dad gave us a Christmas thought tonight that really brought the spirit into the holiday.  We have gone through a lot as a family over the last few years and it has taught us so much.  It is amazing to see how we have grown.  Dad said the closing prayer after his thought - I am so blessed to have such a wonderful priesthood leader in my life.  And my mom.  She gives everything for us and doesn't receive half the recognition she deserves.  I wish you could all feel the Christmasy of our home because she does such an amazing job bringing the season to life.

Now, to the meaning of Christmas.  On the last day of school, right before our Christmas break, on of my students said, "Christmas is about family, friends, and Jesus's birthday."  Coming from a kid, this is pretty profound and he isn't just a typical 6th grader, he is one who has special needs.

I am so grateful for my Savior.  Here are some amazing videos that the church has recently made about Christ's birth.  You can also read the stories as they are written in the New Testament.  Either way, take the time to study out the wonderful reason we celebrate this time of year.

I have such a strong testimony in my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ever since I was a girl, I always felt a close relationship with him.  I have no doubt in my mind that he lives.  I know that he suffered through the atonement so that we could return to live with him and our Heavenly Father again.  He made it possible for us to not only repent and be freed from sin, but he also gave us life after death.  He suffered, not only feeling the pains of our sins, but all pains. Alma 7:11-13 talks of all that he went through for me and you.  He is the only person who truly understands all that we feel, whether it be heartbreak, loneliness, or just having a bum day.  I rely on him so much and I am so grateful for the love that I feel from him and the way I have learned to love through him.  I love my Savior.  I know he lives and I know that he loves me and you.  I know that he is "my kind, wise, heavenly friend" like it says in the hymn I Know That My Redeemer Lives.  I cannot wait for the day when I will see him again.  I cannot wait for that reunion.

What is Christmas with no snow?

No white Christmas with no snow...  And that is exactly what we've got in Utah.

I am watching White Christmas.  My third time for today.  AND I still can't get enough of it!

Last weekend, my default best friend and I took an adventure trip to San Diego, Disneyland, and Vegas.

Nick (that lucky man) caught a ride down with us.  We surprised him by getting him to Irvine in just over 8 hours!  The kid thought we'd be driving for 12 hours since he was with girls...ha!  We sure proved him wrong.

We were driving down the 5 and the beach looked amazing.  We stopped in Oceanside to take pictures.  It was close to 4, so not quite sunset, but the colors, rays of sunlight, and big dark clouds, made for a beautiful day on the pier.

 I told you.  Isn't it stunning.

When we got back to my car, we were reminded of the ginormous tumbleweed that Cami had driven over as we were driving in the middle of nowhere.

My poor baby had tumbleweed all up in his grill!

Of course, we had to get dinner at my favorite KILLER PIZZA FROM MARS.

sooooo good!  Love me some Cluck Rogers!

Jackie was our host.  I am just the luckiest girl to have such a wonderful friend in my life.  Jackie just moved into her new apartment and it is looking so cute!  Sadly, we didn't take any pictures together - something we used to do nonstop.  But we did make a quick stop so that we could buy our favorite game...

Love Sequence.  Jackie kicked our trash all three rounds.

The next day, Cami and I kept it pretty laid back.  We went to the Palomar ward and got to watch their Christmas program.  Then we visited with Jackie's family.  They are so sweet, loud, hilarious, and honest.  After lunch, we took Sunday naps and then made another stop at Killer Pizza just to visit my high school friends and watch the Chargers win!

love them.

And of course we had to get my favorite Mr. Taco...

sopes sopes sopes!

Monday was our designated Disneyland day...those pictures are coming soon!

another Thork Christmas card.

Check it!

tis the season

So, if you don't know already, Utah hasn't really gotten much snow for this time of year.  It doesn't even feel like Christmas and it is just around the corner.  School also gets out a lot earlier this year than it did last year and I am definitely scrambling to get everything in my class ready for a TWO WEEK Christmas break!

It started to hit me this weekend, so...

I remembered how I have been listening to Christmas music since November 1st when JB's Christmas album came out.

I remembered how I have visited Temple Square approximately three times already.

Then I...

 made a gingerbread house/castle

and I...

decorated my classroom with snowflakes.

I also...

made lots and lots of toffee,

followed by...

a few batches of oreo rice krispies (or santa's coal as Brady so cleverly named it!).

While watching White Christmas on repeat.

Now, if those things don't just scream Christmas, I don't know what else can!

P.S. I am going home to San Diego for a few days on Saturday! yayyyyy

sisters and brothers

Words cannot even start to express the love I have for my siblings.  I am so very grateful that I have been blessed with such wonderful, loving sisters and an absolutely adorable, sweet, and cool brother.  Oh my goodness!  I can't forget Scott!  That lucky boy became my brother-in-law this summer and he is the perfect match.

All of them are examples to me and I could go on forever talking about what each of them has taught me/ continues to teach me.  They are constantly loving me - more than I deserve.  My favorite though, is when they come visit my classroom.  Thinking about their amazing hearts working with my students really makes me cry...There is this light that shines from them and I am so proud to call them my brothers and sisters.

We are the masters of spontaneous dance parties and we rule on road trips.  Together we have created memories in Honduras, Egypt, Argentina, Chile, and everywhere between San Diego, Shaver Lake, Salt Lake and Yellowstone.  They can make me laugh like no one else can. . We play charades like pros.  We have hidden numerous items in mom's hair during our games of "boolah boolah".  All of us had parts with dad in the Thorkelson Circus.  We know how to watch scary movies and then scare Porter later.  And I love it most when we pull out old family videos.  We could watch those for hours. They really make me smile.  I wish I could tell all of the stories I thought of while looking for good pictures (which took forever AND was soooo fun btw)

I remember how hard it was to say goodbye to them every time I would leave for school.  It would break my heart and I would always cry as I drove away.  Now, though, I think they wish they could miss me again!  But, I love living with them and watching them grow up.  Hannah was only 8 when I left for BYU...and now, five years later, I am back at home, seeing them everyday.  I love getting to spend all of this time with them.  I have been able to take each of them on dinner dates since I have moved home.   And even though she is married, Kelsey and I now work at the same school so I see her more than ever before.  Scott will come visit the school at least once a week and they are at the house at least every Wednesday for Modern Family.  It's family time all of the time!

To the world's greatest sisters and brothers,

I look up to you guys more than you know.  I am so proud of who you guys are becoming, for the goodness that I see in each of your hearts.  I admire how strong each of you are and I hope you know that I love you with all of my heart.  I would never want to dance with anyone else.  I never want to play charades without you guys.  I have loved being your older sister.  I am grateful that I got so blessed to have you as my siblings.  I have loved changing a few of your diapers, taking care of you on road trips, and lugging you around like my own kids (remember when that one lady thought I was Port and Hannah's mom and I was only 12?! haha I am even thankful for that).

Thank you for being patient with me and thanks for loving me no matter what.

Love forever,
Your big sister.