The Cookout

Who am I? It seems likes a simple question that I typically give a two word answer to: Rachel Klenke. There are 7.57 billion people on earth, yet there is only one Rachel Nicole Klenke. I am so much more than just a name though, I am a daughter, a student, an athlete, and an avid cheeseburger critic. The question of “who am I?” deserves a deeper answer than a simple name, and although it cannot be fully answered in a single essay, it can be summarized by my interests, fears, experiences, and…

everyone’s favorite fruit pizza. My family often enjoys making the delectable dessert together. We often listen to music and dance around the kitchen consumed with laughter. My stepfather first introduced fruit pizza to me while attending a family cookout. He told my family, he made a special pizza for us. Fruit pizza, the first thought that entered my mind was pizza and fruit. This was a seemingly odd mixture considering I did not even like pineapple on a pizza. There was no way he could…

There was the normal Go-Carts and then there was ones that you could only drive if you had your driver license. Well all the kids were to young so we just did the normal ones, and had a blast. Then another night we had family cookout and camp fire. We cooked burgers and hot dogs, also had smores. We spent a lot of the time chilling out around the fire and tell stories from all different times in everyone’s life. The day after my uncles girlfriend was at the green kiddy lift, well…

As the nation observes Memorial Day this weekend, we should take a few minutes to reflect on the great number of American military cemeteries that span the far reaches of the planet, where boundless ranks of white stones stand silently at attention with few visitors to ever pay their respects. There were never any veterans’ reunions for them – not one. Well, at least not on this side of eternity’s threadlike veil. In what seems like a blink of the eyes, it was last summer that I was…

change. That saying made an impact on me because no matter how poor we were, how small our apartment was, how I had to eat scraps, slept on the floor, I still had a smile on my face. I had generous neighbors who were welcoming and would invite us for cookouts, and also friends who would play with me, “A pasar la pelota” Meaning kicking the ball to each other. One thing I can thank my neighbors for is for helping me speak the English language. As a Hispanic boy raised my Mexican parents, I did…

Drinking, under the age of 21, is outlawed throughout the United States. In today’s society, teenagers use alcohol more than any other drug, including tobacco. Underage drinkers experience a wide range of alcohol-related health, social, criminal justice, and academic problems. Some problems include risky sexual behavior, may impair brain development, violence, lack of awareness, and emotional satisfaction. Young drinkers report a range of negative effects from alcohol, all of which can lead to…

Behavior Modification Project I have chosen to target the behavioral excess of eating fast food. I have chosen this habit because I am getting married at the end of the summer and I need to lose weight in order to fit into my dress. I have gained about 50 pounds over the last four years of college due to my unhealthy eating habits. These unhealthy habits have been the result of my busy schedule and poor cooking skills. I do not think I knew how much of a problem this behavior was until I started…

Hot, dry summer days are what I yearn for. The scorching sun busting out from behind the immense pale clouds. The rays of light pointing to the top of the lush hillside behind my house. The main top of the hillside is covered in tall oak trees that are lined with paradise green leaves. Branches stretch out like long, thin arms. In the far background, the ancient oak trees split apart and provide a small opening. The opening covered with old, dry grass is home to a small log cabin. That small,…

chain with my name on it. There was also a huge chocolate store that we got to go to, it was a chocolate store but it also had Disney toys. My niece Rae loved the Disney stuff there. The day seemed to go by so fast. But that night we had a family cookout and game night at my brother’s house. I loved getting to meet his huge dog Max and his fiance's chinchilla…

As a child, I believed when two people got married, they found what people call “true love”. These people who found this never ending love got married. After marriage, they only had eyes for their significant other. Marriage meant you had someone who was reliable no matter what was going on in your life. Marriage meant teamwork; unfailing, never ending love. I was in 8th grade when I started to discover otherwise. People do not always marry for love. I went to a very small private school.…