Turkey

"Turkey" photo and culinary skills by Kirk Rasmussen

A new life goal: I will get a “turkey” in bowling. Three strikes in a row can be that hard can it be?(Maybe impossible for a girl like me. But here’s to: hope for the hopeless.) This will have to be in real life bowling. I will have to practice more, that is for sure. I tried to do it last night and failed but decided it would be some thing to keep me going.

The date went really well for a first/blind date. My bowling skills were not atrocious. I was not last place which might have been a first. It seems I do better if nobody is watching. So maybe I should go bowling alone.

I forgot my house keys though, so when we got back I was locked out. This something that has happened before.  The four of us stood around my door, just wondering what to do, awkwardly. It was suppose to be the doorstep scene but was more confusing.  The guys wanted to help but weren’t able to. Luckily, I got a hold of my locked-out-Angel and she let us in.  It took several phone calls and knocking extremely loud on the door.

The night ended with two stroppy hugs and expressed gratitude for the night. Us, girls topped the night off with a mango shake and girl talk.

Bowling blind date tonight!

Bowling blind date tonight. I am not sure what to expect. I love to bowl though. I am not good at it. I still love it though. I took a bowling class in college once. The teacher listed the class in rank, worst to best. Everyday I walked in right there front and center was my name. It never was a surprise. I improved but I doubt my date tonight will know that.
One time I was on a big group date and we told some of the guys that I was a professional bowler or perhaps it was that I was just really amazing at bowling. They believed it, why wouldn’t they. Anyways, we had them so convinced that I was awesome at bowling, that they wanted me to bowl with my right hand not my left hand. (I am so right handed but they thought I was left handed.) We told them that I would do them a favor by not using my left hand. They were so impressed with my bowling skills. The hardest part of the trick was keep up with the left handed hoax, all night I had to eat drink and write left handed while I bowled right handed. It was worth it though, us girls laughed so hard.
I guess I could try that one again. Nah, I’ll play it for real. I’d rather use the up, down, back, swing method anyways. At least I won’t be bowling alone.

My Mission

My mission is to guide you in discovering who you are and to inspire you to reach your full potential I have been placed here to improve the lives of those I encounter, and this will be my measure. My life’s journey is making a difference on individual connections that create change in the world. My most important future contribution to others is love, attention, and kindness. My mission is to serve God by being: a source of light, a path of understanding, a stronghold of integrity, and a castle of realized dreams.

I am here:

• To enjoy every moment along this journey finding laughter, love, and happiness with each day that passes.
• To be adventurous. People need new experiences to expand your knowledge of reality.
• To serve others and show compassion for others in need. “When you share with others you are blessed with things to share”
• To inspire others.  People shine when they believe they can make a lasting impact, this may be the core of everything we do. To remember where I have been and where I will go through maintaining positive relationships with family and friends. People will know who you are by the way you make them feel.
• To find purpose in life and help others discover their purpose.
• To use an eternal perspective through humility, hope, and faith.
• To look for strengths in others, and the good in every situation.
• To find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts; listen, laugh, be kind, write, and teach.
• To take care of myself through exercises, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and implementing good personal habits into my daily activities.
• To choose the ethical way by making a personal commitment to honesty and integrity.
• To find peacefulness within myself by looking inward while using my heart to guide my dreams and desires, and my mind to pursue knowledge, creating balance among all of my obligations.
• To content myself in my surroundings so I will always know where security lies within my life.
• To build a reputation of being dedicated to every goal I choose to pursue while having successes in both my personal and professional life.
• To find happiness, fulfillment, and value in living, I will seek out and experience all of the pleasures and joys that life has to offer.

• To enrich the relationships I make to a deeper individual level where in I am able to see the true them and I can share with them who I am.

• To perfect the little things; prayer, church, scripture study, temple worship, and most importantly growing to know my Savior
• To exercise the abilities I have to read, study, apply, and use my knowledge to gain more continually.

The greatest joy of all is being worthy of the respect and admiration of my loved ones.

“Cross your roads carefully, remember who you are, remember I love you.”

Photo by Jen Clark

 

“A Days End, with the Apartment View”

"A Days End, with the Apartment View" Photo Taken in Sao Jose de Rio Preto by TeAnna Rasmussen

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator”~Mahatma Gandhi

Everything that is or was begins with a dream

 

Or at least that is what Shark-boy and Lava-girl told me. (Yeah, yeah I always say I am 13 at heart in this case I was 8. I love me some Disney Chanel.) Just for your information, you can find the greatest inspirations anywhere. You just have to be open to it and let it inspire you.

You and me against the world.

“You get the car,  I’ll get the cash, we’ll take the money and run.” When the world comes running, do you know who would be you sidekick? I am not sure, during life’s phases, I have auditioned some people. BUT I think this is a crucial thing to plan out. In the action films there is most likely a meet cute where the main couple meet cutely, then later become the biggest asset to surviving. I think that in those last crucial 10 seconds before the bomb explodes or whatever the end scene is, you have to have the right person.  In those 30 seconds post bomb we find out we do have the right person.

We can learn from children/ preteen action movies that this person doesn’t need to be a romantic interest. It could be our best friend and our best friend’s other best friend who we are jealous of, a sibling who for some reason just doesn’t understand our perspective, a grandparent that we just don’t understand due to the generation gap, or it could be our best guy/girl friend that we have only seem in a platonic way until the bomb is about go off and then well everything changes. That brings back to the romantic interests though.

"The fog sits like blankets" by TeAnna Rasmussen

If you had one minute to save the world who would help you?  If you had to hit the road and hide out for a while who would be in passenger seat? This is serious. It couldn’t be just anyone. It might be the person that you start your new life over with. For me it has to be someone with spy skills like Jason Borne, detective skills like Veronica Mars, adaptability like Sam Flynn, humor of Jim Halpert….wait humor doesn’t really need to be there for this. I am going to have to work on this list a bit more. What skills do you have to offer?

“If it were you and me against the world”  how would we do? Just curious.

Building a fence to shield off paradise

Right now in my life I feel as though I am building a fence to shield off paradise. I think this picture describes it better than my words. Who lives on a beach like that and builds a fence to keep that out?

I am not sure what this means, or why I feel this way. I have just been thinking about how some times in our lives we ourselves are things that we do to build the fence that keeps us way from the beach. I have built several fences lately to keep me from the beautiful white sand shore and cool blue waters. Why would I build a fence that keeps me from my dreams?

I love that the focus here is the beach while the picture of what is right in front of us is out of focus.  That is how my dreams are, the long term goals are as clear as that ocean water, while it is what is right in front of me that is out of focus.

What fences are you building?

Shopping for one.

I am not use to it. I went shopping today and I am just not use to shopping for one. See “She is out the door but she hasn’t left yet” (Parachute, White dress.) my little sister has moved out but  not really. She up and went to Africa for the month. But our contract is up before she comes home. She moved out most of her stuff but left just enough to somehow allow me to think she’ll be back in a few hours.

So I bought two gallons of milk. Will I be able to drink it all? I got a case of mangos. I already mixed up an awesome mango smoothly.

I remember the day in the courtyard, we were homeless and there were little treats to entice people to walk up to the booth. They got me. But it didn’t take much for me to walk up to the study abroad booth. We heard about Africa and I said, “You’ve gotta go.” I am so glad she is on her way.

“I would have let you leave.” (live because of the mood I am in this fine evening alone. It is just like the time we saw him and Allen Stone on your birthday.)

Silence , Tears, and a lone soccer ball.

It is quite here now, just the empty typing of my blog and the clicking of someone else’s mouse and quite chewing of gum. Okay, Silence was an exaggeration because there are several noises but in comparison to what is was before it seems like silence. There have been some tears shed.
Not mine, but I am a robot when it comes to some emotions. And there is the soccer ball you left behind. No one is kicking it around anymore. I am not the sentimental fool this post makes me out to be, I enjoy change.
I like shaking it up. I tried to make light of your departure. I didn’t loose my closest friend for the past year but she did. I have to remind myself to be sensitive.

Avocado Mango Salsa

1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 peeled and diced avocados
2 chopped mangos
Combine ingredients in a bowl and use as dip of topping. Great over fish ( wouldn’t know) , burritos, chicken, etc.
I like things with a punch of flavor so I would kick the cilantro and lime up by adding more, when I had it just wasn’t enough.