To whoever is out there...

When I went to my doctor in July of 2013, she suggested that I consume a gluten-free and vegan diet. I had just come from studying abroad in Germany (which was just about the best time of my life!). I went through my study abroad experience living in the motto "When in Rome!" I indulged in the most delicious and amazing food that one dreams about when thinking of European food. Going to my doctor was the wake up call that I needed to start taking better care of myself. And what an amazing journey it has been! I never thought that one visit to my doctor would completely change the way I eat and reignite my passion for cooking, baking, and searching for new recipes to try. I have been so inspired by the blog Oh She Glows, and I have Angela to thank for my easy transition into a primarily vegan diet. Eating vegan does not have to feel depriving, boring, or tedious; some of the most delicious recipes that I have come across are vegan! I know that telling people that you are vegan does not result in the most warm responses. Friends often look at me as if I have three eyes and wonder why I eat the way I do. I do it for no one other than myself; it makes me feel so much better to know that what I am putting into my body is nourishing and is providing my body with the nutrients that it needs to function. This journey has been an interesting one to say the least, one that I never thought I would experience, but it has been a great one that I want to share with others.

Eating healthy does not have to be difficult; it can be fun!

My life before integrating a more vegan diet into my life consisted of anything and everything unhealthy for me. Give me pasta, sausage, a great mixed drink or German beer, and I am there. Little did I know that all that indulgence would catch up with me. Now that I eat a primarily vegan diet, I feel so much better knowing that I am taking care of myself, and I want to share that with you all! So join me on my journey of vegan baking and cooking experiments and finding the vegan food gems around town. Hopefully my new found love for vegan food can inspire you to make some healthy changes to your own diet and lifestyle. I know how much it helped me :)

Week in Colorado

As soon as I could I went to Colorado for Beth's funeral and everything else. I went May 6-12. I woke up super early to catch the bus to the train to the airport...fun of course. The flight was long so I watched some movies and then arrived in Colorado when I realized how depressing this trip was going to be. It was nice to see my dad and Mary though. We drove back to dad's house and saw Grandma. Walking into the house was really weird and overwhelming and I started to cry. We talked a little bit about Beth and our childhood which was nice but made me sad. We just relaxed and talked and I saw Julie too.

We went out for some Mexican food and went to the liqour store and Uncle Steve and Grayson came the next day. It was really weird to see Grayson because it had been years.Mary and I talked with uncle Steve and told him our concerns about how Beth felt and all of that stuff, and we all drank a lot of wine. Talking about that stuff made me sad so I started crying.  Uncle Steve came over and helped me feel better and then we helped Julie with her homework to distract us and then I walked over to my dad because he was crying looking at pictures that Beth had taken of herself on her computer before she died.

I think the next day Uncle Steve and Grayson came over again and his nephew came over too. The wife was really nice and I had met them before when I was really little.We talked a lot with them and then we ordered pizza for dinner for everyone. We put together the photos for the service also.

Thursday we picked up Celina from the airport (listened to yodeling!) and got stranded at the airport because she got picked up before we could pee...We drove back to the house and stopped at the grocery and then the liquor store that day again because we went through so much wine! I was going to go to Italy on Thursday but ended up not going which I was happy about, but not happy about losing the money. We put together the music for the service which was bittersweet because the music reminded me of her but also made us sad. Uncle jeff and aunt terri were there too which was so nice. It was really nice to see them. Celina and I also made Grandma's chocolate pie.

Friday was the day of the service which no one was looking forward to. That morning I felt really sad and angry and cried in the car and when we got to the service place because everything became real. It was really depressing. A lot of the neighbors came which was nice to support dad and stuff. Julie's classmates made her a little gift and card which was really sweet. The service was really nice and sad. The pastor read a few things about our letters and read a card given to Grandma. Uncle Steve and Celina got up and said something which was really nice. Grandma took home the ashes and Julie was the comic relief the whole time. After that we had the reception at dad's house with a ton of food and wine. We all drank a lot again and talked. Grayson drank too much and got sick. We talked to the neighbors and then cleaned up everything. That day we also went into the room and talked about our anger issues and what we thought of everything and then Julie came in to be with us and we were all together as sisters. It was really nice. She was so cute because she wanted to prank call people. She called dad and then made a fart sound into the phone and then hung up. It was so cute. I think we tried to prank Andy too. I think it was that night that we watch the Punisher with dad which was sick. haha. but I got really into it.

The next day we went to the coffee shop that was Beth's favorite and ordered the drink that she normally gets. It was really good and a nice way to say bye to the place now that Beth is gone. Everyone was there which was nice. After that we had to go through Beth's stuff which was weird. Dad got really sad because it was like everything was final. My stomach was bothering me that day too so Celina took my coffee away from me. After that we all just relaxed and talked and dad and uncle Jeff told stories about their trouble-making days. After that they left and i think I went to bed because I was really tired and had to wake up ealy for my flight back to Marburg.

Sunday I left really early in the morning which was weird because it was Mother's Day.
It was a really long journey and I was really happy to be back in Marburg. The flight was really crowded which sucked and I had the layover. I was able to watch a lot of movies though. I stopped in Atlanta this time and Detroit before. It sucked though because I didn't even get to my dorm until like 1 so I missed class and slept and then had to leave the next day for Paris!

-learned that I like a lot of types of wine!

Amsterdam

So it has been like 3 weeks since Amsterdam...I am so behind blogging!
Amsterdam was really chill and fun. We took the train there which was really long because we had to transfer like 3 times. I did a lot of homework so that was good though. Kara, her boyfriend, Ashley, Han, Sam, Charlie, and I went. We got there and walked to our hostel which was basically in the Red Light District. It had a bunch of coffee shops, a cheese place, and sex shops close by. Sam and I went exploring right away because we didn't want to waste time sitting around. We walked into the cheese shop and tried some cheese and then met up with Ashley where we got the coca shots which was really good. After that we met up with Han and Charlie and got some food and then went on the boat tour with everyone. It was really nice and relaxing and we were able to see a lot. It was a really long tour though. After that I think we went to a coffee shop and then walked around and chilled by the train station and got a couple of beers. Ashley and I shared a brownie and after that we went and walked around the red light district at night. It was really surreal and strange to see the girls in the windows. Saturday we got coffee and then we walked a lot trying to find and went to the Anne Frank House which I am really glad I did. It was chilling when I first walked in and I learned a lot. It was devastating. We got lucky when we got there because Ashley just happened to see some of her friends so we were able to join the line with them which saved us a lot of time. After that we went to get food at a hostel restaurant which was chill. We drank a lot there of course because there was a deal on drinks. After we went to relax and take a break at the hostel ( that is when I called Mary and found out that Beth had passed away. I had a feeling it would happen while I was there and talking to her and my dad was really sad. I walked up to the room crying and told Ashley what happened while she was talking to some guy in our room. I told her and my dad that I would go to Colorado as soon as I could. I didn't want to stay inside so Sam and Ashley and I went to get some ice cream and then back to the hostel) and then met up with Kara and her bf and Han and Charlie for drinks again. That night we also went to the coffee shop where I asked the lady if there was stuff in the brownies..like an idiot. haha and then we went to get waffles which were really good. There was also a moment of silence for the holocaust victims that weekend so there was a city corner cornered off for that. We did not go though.
Sunday we woke up and got some coffee and then walked to the Van Gogh museum. We took pictures in front of the I Amsterdam sign and then killed time by buying our postcard and shot glasses and Starbucks. Sam and I went back to the museum while Ashley shopped. After that we got some food and then headed back to the train station to head back to Marburg. It was a fun weekend but stressful because of the bad news I got. When I got back to Marburg I Skyped with Mary to book my flight for the next day and got very little sleep but was relieved to know that I was going home.

creepiest moment in Amsterdam: the sketch people staying in our hostel with us that were obviously on drugs and the hostel location...no modesty and Ashley making me laugh by asking me if I wanted to laugh and then seeing the guys in the bathroom.

Week before Amsterdam

Nothing happened this week really except for Tuesday night because it was the night before Erster Mai (May Day). That night (Tuesday) I Skyped with my mom to figure out my school stuff and then we pre-gamed in Kara's room and then went out to the festival in the Oberstadt. Everyone was there which was really chill. People bought some beer and I got a drink from a guy. I tried some of the beer too. We talked a lot and chilled and listened to music and I smoked again :/ After that we went to Sudhaus with a bunch of us. It was really fun and I asked a ton of questions as always. We chilled there for a while and then Rolando fell asleep and I laid next to him as a joke. We got some doner and then took a cab home where everyone talked about Emily and how she was so upset about Jordan. When I got home I heard some interesting stuff and then talked to Brooks and he invited me to chill with Katie and Lea, which was really fun. They were smoking while we talked and then I told them about my step mom. Brooks gave me a book that he said would maybe help me, which I really appreciated. They all seem like people who would really be there for you. Earlier that day I had had a dream about Beth dying and woke up crying and then he told me about his friend dying, so I had had a really shitty morning. Talking to my mom made me feel a lot better. Anyway, after chilling with them I said goodnight and then went back to my room and Skyped with my sisters and my mom and we all laughed a lot. It was really nice. I was still drunk though! After that we Skyped with my dad for a little bit. He seemed so sad, but he asked us all how we were doing and asked me about school and Celina about wok. He didn't want to talk about Beth which is understandable. It made me sad to hear him that way; he seemed different. my sisters and I talked after that and wondered how this death would affect him. We don't know, but he cant go downhill because he has Julie. After that I went to bed, which was like at 7 in the morning. I woke up the next day at 11 feeling like shit and just had a lazy day watching Friends since it was a holiday. After that Brooks messaged me about breakfast so I met up with them for it. We had a nice breakfast with coffee, breakfast sandwiches and waffles. It was all really good. Lea, Brooks, Katie, Matthew, Yuri, were there. It was nice to chill with new people and talk with them, although I was super tired so I didn't talk much. After that I came to my room and chilled again. I wathced some tv, but my computer was slow so I just went to bed.

This morning ( May 2) I woke up late and cleaned my room and then ran some errands in town and ran into Kara and ket her boyfriend. After that I met up with Katie, Callum, ROlando, Georgie, Courtney, and Kai for dinner which was really nice of them to include me. We had a really nice dinner with german noodles, pizza, enchiladas, and green beans. I had fun just talking with them. After that I came to my room and started packing for Amsterdam tomorrow which I am stoked for! We are going with the "quad pod" and Charlie and Han. It should be fun..update to come!

Springfest in Munich

This week we had like no recovery time from Dublin. We had school Monday and then that screwed me up for the rest of the week after getting pretty much no sleep. I napped but was still exhausted as usual. We left for Munich early Thursday morning. It was about a 7 hour bus ride but it was really nice because we all had our own seats. We got to Munich and got to our hotel (Econtel?) which was really nice, probably the best one we will stay in while here. They had free tea, croissants, and coffee! After we settled into our hotel we went into town to meet Courtney and Katie in the Marienplatz. We chilled for a little bit and got some ice cream and then walked over to the English Gardens to meet the guys. It was so beautiful there. We found the guys and then walked over to the Chinese Tower ( I think it's called) and we got Apfelwein and shared a pretzel. We relaxed for a little bit and then walked over to the guys' hostel and they got some soda. After that we went back to our hostel because we were exhausted. We went to bed so that we would have energy for Springfest! The next morning we got ready and pre-gamed for Springfest and had Coffee with Baileys which was really good. We had other drinks too and then took the train over to Springfest. We had a table outside and we met up with everyone else. We ordered some beers and pretzels to share and took a lot of pictures. We went inside eventually and that is where the drama went down. There were people who told us to leave because they had the table first and then they said this isn't America you cant just take our seats, which isn't really what happened and then a guy was trying to push Kara off the seat because he was an ass hole. I tried to make the peace but Sam and I got in a fight kind of and I ended up leaving before I got food or anything. I also smoked that day which was weird. After that I left with Courtney because we both were ready to go and we walked out into the carnival part and got some nuts and saw the rides. After that we headed over to where they were staying and we peed in the bushes lol. Second time that weekend. Then we had some food and headed over to a bar. I was really tired so I was ready to go home and took the train and bus home after they finished their beers. The other girls went to the guys' hostel while I did that. I kind of wish I had been there but that's okay. Saturday we didn't do much. We just met up with Courtney and Katie at a beer garden and I got a pretzel. We stayed there for a little bit and then walked to Marienplatz and got ice cream. We bought some souvenirs and then went back to the hotel to get ready to go to Springfest at night. We were all really drunk and the bus driver didn't let me on the bus with my drink. When we got there it was really fun and we went on a lot of the rides. We went on a spinning one that was the best one I think. Then we went on one that swung back and forth and then the carousal last. We took a picture with some cops and then chilled. The view from the carousal was really beautiful. After that we went to a bar and Ashley and I got a pitcher of cider. We drank way too much that night and I was flirting with some random guy just for fun. Two guys came and sat next to us and we talked to them a little bit. After that we took the train home and I tried to apologize to Sam but it kind of backfired and she yelled at me and it just was dramatic on both of our parts. it was awkward for the rest of the weekend after that. After that we went home and I got sick and don't fully remember that night. I woke up in the morning and was confused about how I got home and didn't even know I was. It was fun though because I was like half asleep while they were talking about Degrassi and how Liberty sucks. It was really fun they were talking about Degrassi for like the longest time. The next morning we just went into town and got some food. I just ate the food I brought and took a nap. I felt really hung over. On the way home it was way more crowded but it was an okay ride, just seemed really long. When we got back it was nice to get back early and actually have people at the train station. We got some food and then got on the train home (where my luggage almost got away from me) and then the bus actually came on time. It was great transportation which was a first for us. I just relaxed when I got home and got ready for school the next day. I really liked Munich and would like to go back for Oktoberfest one day.

Dublin

I'm doing this post about 2 weeks late so I might not remember everything but here it goes:
We left for Dublin on April 19th and stayed until the 21st. We took a Ryanair flight into Dublin which went smoothly. We arrived and found our bus into the city and the people were really nice and helped us find our way. We went to Starbucks and then arrived at our hostel ( Isaac's hostel) which was in a really good location but kind of in an alleyway. It was dark inside but had a cool atmosphere. The receptionist was really funny and made fun of my email address from middle school. We showed us some stuff to do in the city but we couldn't check in right away so we locked up our stuff and then did the hop on hop off bus tour. The tour was cool because we pretty much saw everything that there is to see the first day. We saw the Guiness Factory from the outside, Trinity college, the cathedrals, etc. That day we hopped off at the Kilmainham Jail which was really cool. It was really old and falling apart and our tour guide told us about the history of it, which was interesting. We got hot chocolate there too. After that we went got food and went back to the hostel and got ready for the pub crawl. It was fun but not as good as the London one. We got shots mostly of Bailey's which is really good. This bar crawl was less social and we kind of just hung out with each other. It was such a big group that we split in two groups and then met up at the last bar. I met a guy studying in Spain and his two friends which was fun. I met a guy from France too. I love the pub crawls because you gt to meet a lot of cool people.After that we went home instead of going to the club. I wanted to stay at first but was glad we went home instead after getting some food. The next day we went to the Guiness Factory which was awesome. It had about 7 floors and each floor had a ton of info about Guiness and how it is made and anything else you would want to know. We stopped at the Gravity bar to see what was there and it was a gorgeous view over Dublin. We left soon after that though becayse it was so crowded. We ended up going back down to the floor where you can learn how to pour your own pint of Guiness. That was my favorite part I think. It takes almost 2 minutes for the beer to settle until you can top it off. We chilled there for like 3 hours, and then the other girls went to buy Guiness souvenirs for their family while I waited for them. After the Guiness factory we got some fish and chips but I didnt like it that much.We didn't really have time to do much else. After that we got ready to go out and just went to a bar in Temple Bar. I finally had Irish coffee and it was really good! We chilled there for a while and met a really young couple getting married so it was fun to talk to them. After that we got food and went home. The last day in Dublin we did the walking tour after Kara and I left the hostel to get some breakfast and talk about drama going on in the group. The tour was really good, but really long and a lot of history. We started at the main bar that I cant remember but we had free coffee and tea. We saw the Dublin Castle, Trinity College and pretty much everything there is to see in Dublin. It was cool to walk around and learn about the city, but by the end of it I was ready to go! After that we got some traditional Irish food and then got ready to go to the airport. There was drama that day but once we got to the airport it was fine. We got home really late and had to wait in the train station again. It was freezing but we made it throguh and then went to bed and then class the next day.

April 15-18

This week was the first week of regular classes. I ended up switching classes and dropping the conversation class so my schedule is pretty relaxed. I don't have school Thursday or Friday which is really nice. I like both of my classes but the structure is a lot different here. We had our tutorials and we all commented on what we miss from home and what we don't like here or what the cultural differences are. The people are a lot different, kind of standoffish and don't say excuse me. It sucks that stuff is closed on Sundays, but it is also pretty relaxed here. It is going to be nice going home and hearing English everywhere, but everything also looks so ordinary in California, where everything is so much more beautiful in Europe.
Monday night we went out and pre-gamed in 15 first. We were going to go to the big party for the new students but the wait was like over an hour so we ended up at Sudhaus. I ended up leaving early because I was tired while the others stayed. We also went out Wednesday night. We went bar hopping with Charlie and Han which was actually really fun. It was just a chill night and the weather was perfect. We went to about 4 or 5 bars and then got Doner of course. Drunk food. Always. And we got some really good drinks at Paprica, Plan B and another 2 I cant remember. We went to Sudhaus for like 2 seconds, got food and then called it a night. Tonight we leave for Dublin which I am really excited for. I hope it is more organized because in London we ran out of time to do a lot. Everyone was so nice and helpful in London so I hope that they are the same in Dublin.