Happy Birthday Sarah!

Today is my sister Sarah's 23rd birthday.  Woohoo!

Swinging

Doing Sweet Genius with me

 

Sorry, I couldn't get a lot of my pictures to load.  The last 2 are from after her mission, and the others were from right before she left.  Sarah is pretty awesome!  She is always joking around, cooking REALLY spicy food, and speaking in her mission language of Hiligaynon.  I love doing strange things with her like Sweet Genius, wandering around Ikea, or water wars when we are cleaning the kitchen.  She is one of my best friends and I am so glad that she is my sister!  Happy Birthday Sarah!

-Katherine Jan

Simple Kindness

I like my family.  I really do.  They go out of their way to do nice things.  Today I woke up feeling quite ill  (still got pneumonia) and Sarah came upstairs about to go to her class.  She asked me if there was anything she could get for me, so jokingly I said, "A chicken sandwich from JCW's."  I didn't think she would actually get me one, but when she came home, she had one for me on a tray with beautiful flowers, a peanut butter chocolate bar, and a drink.  It made me quite happy!  Now I am full and I have pretty flowers to look at, as long as my cat will stop trying to eat them :).  She is staring at them right now.  My family is pretty great!  They've done so much for me this past week, I feel spoiled rotten.  I hope you have family members as nice as mine!  Have a good day!

-Katherine Jan

Sarah is HOME!

Hey!  Sarah came home from her mission in the Philippines on December 20!  Sorry I haven't put this post up yet!  But here is the day in pictures (and a few captions.)  I would suggest that you look at all the pictures!  It is pretty great!  And yes, some of our facial expressions are extremely strange, I know.

Waiting

Still waiting

THERE SHE IS!  (the closest escalator, first person)

The first hug.

I like Nate's smile a lot!

Saying hi to Grandpa

The VERY happy parents

 I love seeing my mom smile like this!

Hi to Grandma

 

My sign

Ug.  I look so bad in these pictures.

 Sibling group hug

Uncle John 

 

  Haha!  She had the funniest tan line ever!

 Discussing the greatness of the day

 Unpacking

 She went through six umbrellas

My terrorist sister!

 By all the flags of everyone's missions

Sigh.  Do you know how great it is to get your siblings back?  Words cannot describe that amazing feeling!  Even though we did this 12 days after Nate got home, the feelings were just as strong.  I love having Nate and Sarah back!  They have amazing stories to tell, and they have grown up so much.  It is fun to have six people home, but we're still one person short.  I can't wait for the day that Jake comes home and we are all back together.  Oh man, this has been such a crazy month!  I can't wait until I am old enough to go on a mission of my own!  I want to be able to have the experiences that my mom, dad, sister and brother have had, and that my brother is having.  Becca and I are both looking forward for that day!  I'm glad there will be a few years in between Jake and Becca's missions.  We can have our family together (and probably plus an in-law or two, maybe a kid thrown in too.  Who knows)  Anywho, Sarah is home!

Wow.  This post is ending right at 12:00 on 1/1/12.  So I'll say "I hope you had a good year, and that the new year to come will be good too!

-Katherine Jan