Just call me a world traveler

WOW. What an adventure I had over the past two weeks. Africa.

This past fall, I was blessed with a scholarship to study abroad sponsored by my department in Ghana. I jumped on the opportunity as I have always wanted to travel the world. And who wouldn't take free money?! The trip was absolutely amazing. There is no other word to describe my experience. Kakum forest, Cape Coast Castle, the Buffet Foundation research facility, Parliament, and the Supreme Court are just a few of the places we went to while in Ghana. The professor leading the trip made sure that we got a good feel of the culture as well. Almost everything we ate was Ghanaian. I now love plantains and have a HUGE craving for palava sauce. Meeting people though was probably my favorite part. We noticed that most of people we met were soft spoken and incredibly nice. Everyone was welcoming and curious about our travels. I loved being asked enthusiastic questions about what its like living in the states and being from Texas. I also loved their even more enthusiastic answers about their country. Country pride was evident in almost every person we talked with. And the countrywide love of soccer could be seen every where. Whether it was the Coca-Cola billboards advertising the world cup or the pick up games at just about every street corner, you couldn't escape the excitement of soccer.

It is nice being back in Texas and starting my summer routine of school and work, but man do I miss Ghana. I was only there for two weeks and it felt like it could of been home. Any opportunity to go back,
I will jump right on because that was magnificent.

Also, paleo is going strong. I am on my 3rd full week of being paleo and feeling great. Now that I am back, I am starting my workout routine and hope to see results by August. I've never been more motivated.

Katie Lou Who
#TAMU17

Paleo....am I crazy?

College. That seven letter word just means no sleep, horrible eating habits, and a strong dependency on caffeine. I've always liked to think that I am a relatively healthy person but even if I did have good habits before, they have been long gone since I became a full fledged college student. That is until now. Looking into the mirror at how the freshman fifteen hit me, I decided it was time for a change. Not just a "watch my calories, 30 minutes on the elliptical" change that'll last maybe a week or two, but an actual lifestyle change. I am 19 years old, in the best years of my life, and it is time that I start treating my body as so. After seeing one of my good friends go paleo and fall in love, I started to do my own research. Paleo just makes sense. It is based on eating what cavemen ate, how we were made to eat. Nothing processed, no grain or dairy (depending on your source), and lots of meat and veggies. It isn't a calorie game because you are eating only things that are good for your body. Obviously you shouldn't gorge on one thing, as too much of anything is bad, but not watching my calories? Sign me up. Now the hardest thing about paleo is sticking with it. It is a hard change, going from eating whatever to only fresh, non-processed foods. Proper planning is going to be my best friend in this. Having a friend who I see every week, who is also a busy college student like myself to guide me is also a HUGE help. I have spent the past two weeks researching everything paleo and I am excited to say that I am starting this upcoming week. Sunday will be prep and Monday will start clean living. I have a feeling that my blog will start to be more and more paleo the longer I go, not only to share what I learn but also to help me keep going. Something about typing what I am feeling, even if the writing sucks, keeps me focused on my goals. 

Also, HAPPY PAY DAY. And I hope you have a beautiful Mother's Day weekend (:

Katie Lou Who#TAMU17

Second Go Round....

Over a year later, I've decided to start back on this blogging thing. I find myself ending my freshman year of college and in amazement at how fast it went. I am in LOVE with Texas A&M University. Over this past year I have met my best friends, been a part of amazing organizations, served the Bryan/College Station community, but more importantly, I've seen myself change into such a different person than I was 9 months ago. It's true, college changes a person. I'm not just talking about putting on the freshmen fifteen (which is NOT a rumor...and its sad when you realize this) but about how you act towards your peers, treat your parents, talk to your professors, spend your money, it goes on and on. I've found that even though in high school I thought I wouldn't survive without at least 6 hours of sleep, I can go without sleep for 36 hours with only a 30 minute nap strategically placed. Talking with my mom is something that I cherish now that I away from home. In high school, I dreaded having to answer the phone when I was away and listen to her drone on and on. About two months after I moved out, I realized that I found my mom's jokes funnier, I didn't think her 5 minute stories about our dog drinking water were boring, and I actually enjoyed just talking about random stuff. Is this actually possible? It is now that I am moved out and on my own. I miss my parents. And trust me kids, it will happen to you. 

This week I spent my first night in the apartment I am subleasing for the summer. My first night outside of a dorm. My first night with a kitchen. My first time feeling like I was actually in the real world. I am now planning meals for the week, tracking my expenses down to the penny, and constantly checking my bank account for my paycheck to hit. Do I feel like a grown up? Oh yeah. Am I a grown up? Far from it. I've come a long way this year, but I know there is so much more ahead. So here goes my *second* attempt at blogging my life. Disclaimer: no huge life breakthroughs are promised. Only that my stories and experiences wont be completely boring. And maybe you'll want to keep reading. 

Katie Lou Who#TAMU17 

Nom Nom Recipe: Vegan Brownies

Sorry to disappoint guys, but no, I am not vegan. Although, I did recently find out that vegan brownies are amazing. After being asked by one of my friends to make her vegan brownies, I started off on a journey to find a simple but yummy recipe for brownies that would fit a vegan diet. A few google searches later, I combined a couple different recipes to produce chocolately, moist brownies. Hope y'all enjoy as much as I did!

Ingredients

Dry:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Wet:

1 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions 

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F

2. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

3. Mix in wet ingredients

4. Stir until well blended 

5. Bake for 25 minutes 

6. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting 

-Katie

Live to Love, Love to Live 

Story Time Chapter: One Dollar Ice Cream

One of my closest friends, Chelsea, works at a nearby Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. This past week she posted on Facebook something that happened to her at work that truly touched my heart. After talking to Chelsea in person about it and seeing how her face lit up when she recapped the events to me over our own scoops of ice cream, I knew the story of the One Dollar Ice Cream had to be the first Chapter of Story Time. So it begins:
            
A little girl walked into Ben and Jerry's, went up the counter, and asked Chelsea what could she get for a dollar. Well, at Ben and Jerry's there is nothing on the menu for only a dollar, but not wanting to disappoint this adorable little girl, Chelsea scooped her up strawberry ice cream in a small sugar cone. The little girl in return handed Chelsea a sticky, wrinkled up dollar bill, licked her ice cream, smiled at Chelsea, then skipped out the door. About five minutes later, a man walked into the shop and asked Chelsea  if she was the person that gave the little girl her ice cream. Chelsea replied yes, and the man then said, "It is nice to know that there are generous and caring people in this world like you." He gave Chelsea a wink, put a 5 dollar bill in the tip container, and walked out. 


Moral of the story is that you never know who is watching you or how you will impact somebody else's life. By giving that little girl an ice cream cone, Chelsea gave that girl a smile and probably made her day. She didn't do it hoping someone would see her and give recognition or hope that a parent would wander in and give her a tip, she did it out of kindness and generosity. It made my week, knowing that someone so close to me made a great impact, by doing something small and not even thinking twice about it. 
-Katie 
Live to Love, Love to Live

Why Cindy Lou Who?

Almost everyone has a doppelganger. You know, someone that looks exactly like you to the point that it's scary. They can be celebrities or just some random person passing you by on the street...but in my case, it's a character from a Dr. Seuss book. Ever since I can remember, I've been told I look like the little girl that caught the Grinch stealing ornaments on Christmas Eve by the name Cindy Lou Who. There used to be a point in time where I hated the fact I looked like her, but as I got older, I embraced it. I mean who doesn't want to say that they resemble an adorable little girl. This blog isn't going to be about awkward moments I've had where people tell me I look like Cindy or anything, although I will write about those occasionally, but more about my day to day life of being a young adult and learning as I go. So welcome to "A Day in the Life of Cindy Lou Who" and I hope you enjoy!
-Katie
Live to Love, Love to Live