My Life Mission Statement

Our government has one, Stephen Covey has one, and after 3 hours and 29 crumpled pieces of pink paper, I do too. It still probably needs work, but for now it will do. 

To live a purposeful, principle-centered life guided by my Christian faith and articulated by clear goals. These goals will be accomplished through a well-thought out, running plan suited to my strengths and weaknesses.  The daily execution of this plan will allow me the freedom to live a content, healthy existence while passionately pursuing my dreams. I will gain an optimally functioning life and the capability to inspire, encourage, and energize those in my circle of influence, ultimately leaving a lasting and measurable positive impact on my community. 

Homeade Pizza

In my journey of learning to cook, I'm not sure anything I've made is quite as easy and satisfying as a homeade pizza. It takes around 5 minutes to craft your perfect pie, and not long to cook. I use pre-made Boboli pizza crusts, through on some toppings, bake, and presto! A perfectly delicious and fulfilling one dish wonder to impress your friends and family (or just yourself- making a personal pan pizza might just be one solution to that dreaded "cooking for one" problem I think we all experience at one time or another). 

My favorite pizzas include: 

Pepperoni with premade sauce and mozzarella cheese

BBQ chicken with bbq sauce and the addition of red onions and cilantro

Pesto sauce and banana peppers (inspired by my friend Kasey- she's a great cook)

Be sure to drizzle olive oil on your crusts and cheese before baking, and enhance the final product's flavor with some sprinkled parmesan. 

The Coolest 15 Year Old on the Block

Alright, George Sampson is officially my hero. This adorable mini Justin Timberlake danced his way right into Simon Cowell's heart last year on Britain's Got Talent, taking the top honor and becoming an unstoppable force ever since.

He literally made it rain on the during his "Singing in the Rain" routine with a creative idea to have a simulated rain storm onstage.  I have absolutely no idea how the designers did this, but it sure was neat! 

Once you hear his story, you just can't help but root for him.  Check him out if you haven't already! 

Click here to see his audition

Click here to see his dance in the finals

Perez Hilton Really Grinds My Gears

Okay, I just really have to get this off my chest. "Perez Hilton"- which from this point I'll be calling Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr., his actual name- is un-American. Why? He makes a living riling people up through the controversial inane garbage parading as his 'opinion' on his website, but the second he is presented with a dissenting view, he cries foul like a little baby. His "website" is actually little more than a blog with inappropriate doodles over photos of people who have achieved a much higher level of celebrity than he has, sort of what we did in middle school to yearbook photos of the boys who broke our hearts. It makes sense that he would revolve his entire life around bullying actors given that he spent 5 years trying in vain for an acting career of his own before finally settling for a job as a receptionist for a gay club (since when did clubs start hiring receptionists??).  I guess Lavandeira's elementary skill of drawing curse words on photos and posting them on the world wide web was the only way he could receive a taste of the attention he so craved.  

Why the organizers of the Miss USA pageant would choose someone as emotionally unstable as Lavandeira as a judge is beyond me. The worst part is that he completely undermined the value of the scoring system.  The onstage question is meant to test a contestant's ability to "think on her feet" and give a taste of her public speaking skills (the bulk of Miss USA's job is to make public appearances and speeches).  Lavandeira totally lost sight of the fact that it isn't the contestant's opinion that matters- its the fact that the contestant has an opinion and is able to articulate it. An America where it is acceptable to penalize its citizens due to their dissenting opinions is not an America that I am proud to be a part of. Lucky for me and those who agree with me, there are public figures who will defend this right publicly like Bill O'Reily and Sean Hannity. I hope Miss California sues. 

A person like Lavandeira who spends his days posting controversial opinions alienating another for voicing her own is hypocrisy at its finest. What is sad is Lavandeira's desperate quest for acceptance coupled with his with his inability to accept others. I'd hate to hear his reaction if he were to be personally attacked half as bad as he attacks others. 

I take it back, Lavandeira doesn't grind my gears, I just feel incredibly sorry for him and his misery. 

**I am aware that posting about Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. goes against the theme of my blog, All Things Bright And Beautiful, and I apologize for the temporary diversion**

I see the kids in the steet, without enough to eat. Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their need?

What's worse than losing your job in the recession? 

Being an orphan in a third world country

In 2008, UNICEF reported that there are an estimated 132 million orphans in the world.  Most of us feel compassion for these children, but how can we make a difference? 

My freshman year in college, I volunteered at Bellewood Home in Lexington, Ky-- an emergency home for abused, at risk, and homeless youth in Kentucky. I'm not sure if anything has ever touched my heart quite like Michael, the young boy who befriended me that day, did.  Michael and I really connected when I first arrived, and throughout the rest of the day he was by my side, holding my hand. I could tell he was starved for affection.  At the end of the day, we were winding down our activities playing Bingo and Michael crawled up into my lap.  His big brown eyes looked at me and he said 'Kara, I wish you were my mom.'  I remember promising to myself that for the rest of my life, I would try to help children like Michael find hope and opportunities.  

The first step in helping another is to first identify a need, and sometimes this is the hardest part!  We do have shelters and orphanages in America (another great place I have worked at was the Monarch School in San Diego- its a school for homeless children and does amazing things in their lives), but I also feel a desire to help children outside of the United States.  Without government help like we have here, their needs feel even more desperate and more pronounced. The AIDS epidemic has claimed so many parents in Africa, leaving children without parents or homes.  

I recently went to an informational meeting for a mission trip to Niger through my church, Living Hope, in Bowling Green.  The trip would focus more on evangelism in Niger than helping orphans, but it is a worthy cause as well.  However, there aren't very many spots for the trip so I may not get to go... If I don't get to go on this trip, I'm going to try to go through another organization. If anyone who reads this can recommend a good organization or has experience with this, please let me know! I'd love to hear your stories.

In the meantime, I really encourage everyone to find a way to make a difference with something they are passionate about. If you're looking for a way to help orphans in the state of Kentucky, the Bellewood home is an amazing place to start. Go to www.bellewood.org and click on 'Make a Gift'- you can help through volunteering your time, monetary donations, or helping 

with their wish list. Good luck! 

My Favorite First Dogs

One of my favorite things about a new President is that usually with it comes the excitement of new White House pets. I can't wait to see the Obama's puppy, but for now lets take a stroll down memory lane with a few beloved First Dogs:

Who could forget Barney and Miss Beazley Bush and their Christmas WH videos? Each time I was in the White House while living in DC, I was on the lookout for this dynamic duo, but unfortunately I was never able to catch them.  Once while walking by the White House at night, I was so excited to see a shadow darting across the front lawn, then realized it was a police's german shephard. Bummer. 

But did you know that before Miss Beasley, Barney had another companion- Spot, a Springer Spaniel? The interesting thing about Spotty was that he was born in the White House to Millie, who was Bush Sr.'s dog. The photo to the left shows Millie with her litter of puppies. Spot is the only dog who was in the White House for two adminstrations and lived for 15 years. 

This is President Clinton's adorable chocolate lab Buddy, who helped Clinton pick up chicks.  

 

Franklin Roosevelt's Scottish Terrier, Fala, was his best friend and also one of the most iconic and celebrated White House Dogs. He even had his own Press Secretary!  Fala was also the first Presidential Dog to be memorialized with a statue. 

Perhaps the saddest story of a Presidential Dog is that of Feller, a cocker spaniel who was an unsolicited Christmas present to Harry Truman. President Truman is known for his famous quote "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog"- however ironically he was not a good friend to Feller.  He gave the dog to the White House Physician, and Feller in turn was passed around to 5 or 6 different families before finding a home. Forever in history as "The Unwanted Dog"- and Truman paid the price by having one of the lowest Presidential approval ratings in history. I'd like to think our friend Feller may have had a thing or two to do with that. 

Abraham Lincoln's dog was named Fido (a retriver/shephard mix)... President Lincoln had a soft spot in his heart for cats, but he loved all animals... In fact, the tradition of the Presidential Turkey Pardon began with him... His son Taddie befriended the White House Turkey and when Thanksgiving Day came, Lincoln couldn't bear to let Taddie lose his pet and gave him a pardon.  Fido actually never lived in the White House- he was very scared of the canon noises and of trains (part of Lincoln's election celebration) and Lincoln didn't think Fido'd make it on the long train ride to the White House... Reluctantly, he gave Fido to a local family with strict instructions that he would remain an inside dog, would always get treats from the dinner table when asked, and would never be scolded for muddy feet. Fido outlived Lincoln. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Try the grey stuff, its delicious- don't believe me? Ask the dishes! 

Recently I have been on a cupcake kick and my family have been the guinea pigs of this experiment.  At times I've felt sorry for them to have to try a recipe gone horribly wrong.... But this time I've come up with a recipe that I think I really like! 

I started out with a basic white velvet cupcake recipe, then spooned frozen balls of cookie dough on top of each cup of batter before placing it into the oven. I also sprinkled mini chocolate chip cookies around each cookie dough ball.... When the cookies came out, the dough inside the cupcakes tasted like refrigerated cookie dough!  

For the icing, I mixed cookie dough with store bought vanilla icing, and piped the dough/icing mixture with a pastry bag.  These are (weirdly) best served chilled, and you'll need to keep them in the refrigerator due to the raw cookie dough.  

                                         The end result: