I’m a strong believer that food can bring people together. Family dinner happened every night at my house growing up. Even if we were just ordering pizza, my mom, my dad, my brother and I would all sit around our kitchen table to share the meal together. While I’ll admit that there were times I wished my mom would let us sit around the TV while we ate, I’m now thankful for the memories I have of all of us gathering together.

I’m also thankful for the Christmas cookies my mom and I used to make and for all the pies and cakes my high school friends and I used to bake. Some of the best memories I have from growing up take place in a kitchen. I’ll never forget baking with my grandma in her old house or laughing because I accidentally put all the ingredients for the pumpkin bread in the flour jar. It’s simple things like that that can bring people together.

Even now that I’m in college, I’ve found that food still brings me together with my closest friends whether we are all waiting anxiously for OrderUp to deliver our food or if we’re sitting down to share a meal we’ve prepared together.

It may be important to mention that I’m not necessarily a skilled cook or baker. But you don’t have to make the food to appreciate it, right? Fortunately, my favorite food comes in a variety of ways and sometimes requires no cooking or baking at all.

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a sweet tooth. Some fun chocolate facts about me are that my favorite candy is Reese’s, my favorite desert is brownies, and my favorite kind of ice cream is Death By Chocolate. On my first birthday I had my first piece of chocolate cake. My mom says that’s when my chocolate obsession began. But by the looks of this picture it seems that I probably got more on me than I actually ate.

I’ve created this blog not only to celebrate my own love of chocolate, but to celebrate it with all you chocolate-lovers out there. However, chocolate is about more than just the delicious taste, but about who you share it with and how it makes you feel. If you’re like me, chocolate is your go-to therapy. If you’re having a bad day, it makes you feel better. If you’re stressed about school, you may snack on a candy bar. If you’re watching a movie with all your friends, you may make a trip to the closest convenience store to pick up your favorite Ben & Jerry’s. Like any good friend, chocolate will be there for you when you need it, the good times and bad.

That’s why this blog is not only about chocolate, but also about feeling positive, spending time with loved ones, and living a happy and healthy lifestyle. I hope it will make you smile, laugh, and feel good about yourself and those around you. Life’s too short so live, laugh, and love chocolate while you can.