Ms. Andrea Kinghorn is my hero

On September 8, it was Andrea Kinghorn's birthday. And I missed it. It's especially bad because I love Andrea. Seriously, this woman changed my life. Andrea is absolutely amazing and I learned so much from her. So partially because I have planning to this for a while, partially because I did not do anything for her on her birthday, and mostly because I absolutely love her, I am going to talk about all of the things I love about Ms. Andrea Kinghorn.

Andrea is one of smartest persons I know. But that is only part of the reason. I love how Andrea uses her intelligence. There were several nights in DC where Andrea and I would stay up talking about different political, social, and religious issues. We would always aim to go to bed and then end up talking for hours. I love how Andrea challenged the way I thought about things, but at the same time gave legitimacy to my point. See, Andrea could easily tear apart whatever point I made if she wanted to (that's how much smarter she is then me). But she never did. She thoughtfully pointed out new points, showed me holes in my argument, and pushed me to refine my ideas. She is so smart, but she did and does not hold it against me. Instead, she tried to bring me up to her level. I loved discussing things with Andrea for those reasons.

Andrea plays along with me. That sounds really stupid, but often times, I wanted to do stupid things or things she just did not want to do. But Andrea always came along and did them with me because she knew it mattered to me. One example is going to Serendipity 3 in New York with me. She only went because she knew I wanted to go. She does this not only with me, but with everyone. She eats crab. She talks politics when she doesn't want to. She plays Heart and Soul on the big piano because her immature friend insists.

Andrea's laugh. This seems minor or insignificant. But almost nothings brings me immediate joy like her laugh. She has this laugh that is so honest sounding. I love it because it is loud and nothing is fake about it. When I think about it, it actually represents Andrea herself perfectly.

Andrea's "sassy"ness. I'm a little worried that Andrea might take this as an insult, but I loved moments when Andrea's sassy side broke through. One of my favorite moments was when a certain someone said Andrea and I were liberals and therefore "not for the family." This could not be further from the truth, especially for Andrea who is an MFHD major. She shut down that comment in less than a minute. It was awesome. I especially like it because Andrea tries so hard to not let that side out because she is so incredibly nice and whenever it escapes, she always feels bad and apologizes. I never wanted her to apologize because I loved those moments so much.

(Connected to the last one). Andrea's loyalty. Andrea defends who and what she loves. I witnessed this for myself and others. There was one individual (let's call him Jeff K. no J. King) who kept bothering another individual. This other individual told Andrea that he was struggling with king because he did not want to react immaturely. Andrea came in and got king to back off (okay, maybe only a little, but it worked). For myself, there was a time in New York when a T-shirt guy was yelling at me because I said his shirts were too expensive. Andrea forcefully told him he made his point, to leave me alone, or she was not buying anything. I was so grateful to Andrea in that moment and there have been many more since then.

Andrea is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. Andrea once told me when she got a job, she wanted to have a desk she could stand at and she had to be in an office by herself because she worked better with no distractions. Andrea works hard in every aspect of her life. She organizes whole trips to New York. She loves researching and talking about things she learned in her classes. She loved studying for the LSAT and even misses it. The thing that gets me is that Andrea doesn't have to work hard because she is so intelligent. But she still does it because she wouldn't know what to do if she wasn't working hard. She pushed me to work harder just by being herself.

Andrea's friendliness. Andrea always went to the missionary Sunday school class in DC. She not only went, but met the people who were investigating the church. She not only met them, but actually befriended them. She always said hi to the homeless man we walked by everyday. She knew people in the ward when most people in the Barlow Center did not bother to reach out to others. Again, she got me to do the same.

Andrea's quickness to forgive, love, and apologize. There was a time in DC when I went through this funk. I was irritated with people for little things that did not deserve it. One night, it was Andrea who was the victim of my mood. Instead of pointing out my irrationality, Andrea wrote me a note apologizing and put it on my bed. She seriously had nothing to apologize for. But Andrea is always like. She is quick to try to see the best in others and put the blame on herself.

Andrea's spirituality. You know in church when they talk about people who you can just tell they have the light of Christ in them? Andrea is one of those people. You can tell; even if you don't really know her. She just reeks of a strong testimony. It was so great to be around her and learn from her. I loved talking about the church with her and hearing her insight. She is going to make an amazing missionary and I am excited for anyone who is investigating the church in her mission.

I could go on and on. But this post is already long enough as it is. Therefore, I am going to cut myself off now.

I love you Andrea and I am so glad I was your roommate in DC. Happy Belated Birthday.