Change.

The school year is almost over, and I am in a bit of shock. I can't believe that I'm at the end of my freshman year. I mentioned to my roommate on a camping trip this weekend that we were only going to be living together for less than two weeks, and I almost started crying. I almost cried again when I thought about not having the same corefas (small group leaders) next year. That's the problem with me. I just want to hold people close and never let anything change. But change is good...right? I mean, you never get to have new experiences if you hold everything tight to your chest.
Next year I'm rooming with a girl on my floor who's too awesome to describe in a blog post, but I'll just say that she's a lover of Jesus, a resident of Alaska who's moving to Montana this summer, and an eater of meat (she assumes that I always describe her as a meat eater since she always tells people I'm vegan, so I just had to put that in there). But anyway, she's totally awesome and I'm excited to get to know her better through living with her next year.
And apparently God has called me to be a corefa next year, which is still kind of crazy to me. I'm not exactly the most qualified person for the job, but I guess God wants me there so I'm sure it will work out.
I know that God has grown me in myriad ways this year and I shouldn't just stay where I am, but I am going to miss the way things are now a lot.
Sorry for the sentimental post. To make up for it, here's a joke:

A man walks into a bar...
...
...
...
...
...
OW!

That's the best I've got. What, you're saying I shouldn't go into stand-up comedy? But this is America--what about my dreams?
Heh-heh. Enjoy the summer (or the remainder of classes), and DFTBA.

Vegan Cookies! Yay!

A few weeks ago, I found out that I am (possibly) lactose intolerant. And I'm already a vegetarian. And eggs are pretty much the grossest thing ever. (Do you know what they are, people?) So...I guess I'm more or less a vegan by accident. Which is fine, since I'm pretty much forced into eating healthy, but what is there for vegans to eat? I'd always assumed a typical vegan diet consisted of a) fruit, b) vegetables, c) beans, and d) nuts. That wasn't exactly appealing to me. And although I'm certainly not a die-hard vegan (I eat little to no dairy or egg products), I had to get a little creative. Using my own--cough cough--baking expertise, vegan recipes, and good ol' common sense, I created the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted! I swear. They are better than regular ones. (Okay, so the chocolate chips had milk in them, but that's only because I didn't want to go to the store and get vegan chips.) So...in case you were looking for a healthy, vegan, sinfully delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe, you came to the right place my friend! Here we go... Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup applesauce (Yes, applesauce! Trust me on this one. It's good) 1/3 cup olive (or other plant) oil 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 4 tablespoons corn starch (or other egg substitute) 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 tablespoon soy milk 2 cups vegan chocolate chips Directions: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the flour and baking soda. In another bowl or electric mixer, beat applesauce and oil together until mixed well (it won't be perfect, but make it close). Add sugar and mix. Add the corn starch by tablespoon, mixing after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and soy milk. Finish by stirring in the flour mix and then the chocolate chips. Sample dough. (Of course that's a legitimate step. After all, there's no eggs, so what could it hurt?) If the olive oil seems to dominate the flavor, feel free to add a little more vanilla to even things out. (This will depend on what type of oil you buy--light or extra-virgin.) Drop tablespoons of heaven (oops, I meant cookie dough) onto baking sheets--assuming they've made it this far--and bake them for about nine minutes. Allow cookies to cool for a minute or two, then transfer them to a wire rack or plate (they will stick to the pan if you don't). Enjoy, and tell me what you think!