{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

"There are no ordinary moments." ~Way of the Peaceful Warrior

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A photo (or few) capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . . 

Last weekend we had a fun day checking out the Kaslo May Days. Lots of fun with friends, watching skateboarders, logger sports, and just plain having some fun in the sun. :)

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

"There are no ordinary moments." ~Way of the Peaceful Warrior

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A photo (few) capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . . 

It's been a busy last couple weeks, but never too busy to stop and enjoy the moment. This week (since I also missed last week's "This Moment" post) I'm deciding to share a couple of my favourite moments lately. I deem this, a Collection of Awesome Moments! ;)

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

"There are no ordinary moments." ~Way of the Peaceful Warrior

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A photo (few) capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . . 

Spontaneous last minute plans with friends, leading to wandering, playing, watching a metal show. 

Good times. ^_^

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

"There are no ordinary moments." ~Way of the Peaceful Warrior

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A photo (few) capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . . 

[summing up a night of ridiculousness and fun ^_^]

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☺ Motivational Mondays! Earth Day Edition! ☺

. . . . . . . . . .

We're taking back Mondays!!!

"Motivational Mondays" are fabulous tips to get you excited and pumped for the week! 

Feeling low? Moody? Down on life? Well, that's what these posts are for! Time to feel awesome again and get some Positivity rolling! Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you can't have fun, smile, and enjoy Today! Apply these tips to your week and try to tell me that you don't start to see an improvement in your life! ;)

It's all about You! Change your perception, change your attitude, love your life! xo

. . . . . . . . . .

It's Earth Day today! Woohoo! Let's make it Earth Month! This Motivational Monday is a special Earth Day Edition in honour of our lovely planet earth. :) 

☺ Don't Drive! There are so many small but big-impact actions we can do, and not driving is one of them. Make it your point this week to not drive. Or at the very least reserve driving only for when you absolutely have to. Walk, bike, carpool, take the transit, so many options to choose from. ;)          

☺ Get Outside!  What better way to enjoy Earth Day then actually getting outside and appreciating this lovely planet. Nature is an epic wondrous thing far too easily overlooked. So reconnect. Get outside, get your bare feet it the grass, breathe in some fresh air and hug a tree! Your soul and happiness will thank you for it too!  

☺ Eco-fy Your Home!  Assess your home and see what you can green-ify! Replace paper towels with reusable ones. Replace plastic water bottles with reusable ones, and of course get reusable bags for your shopping. Opt for recycled products (especially toilet paper!), choose non-chemical cleaners. Turn off lights when you leave a room and unplug unused appliances and electronics.  

☺ Start a Food Revolution! Choose Sustainable Agriculture. Our planet depends on a better food system and so does your health and well-being. Earth Day is the perfect day to make the switch. Choose local whenever possible and always organic. Choose to cook your own food instead of buying processed packaged food. Go vegan, or cut back on your dairy and meat consumption (they're bad for you anyways). And if you complain because eating healthy is more expensive then instead think about what you're doing for your body and the planet and how much you'll save on medical bills. ;) 

☺ Get a new plant…  and keep it alive. I am quite terrible at keeping houseplants alive, I have somehow killed bamboo in the past and my current cacti are deflating (which I didn't even know was possible). So your goal, like mine, is to get a new plant and keep it alive. Learn about your new plant and nurture it and take the time to learn just how to do that. Spread the love, share the love, be the love, and be green! 

☺ Go watch the Meteor Showers! Tonight (April 22nd and until April 23rd) one of Earth's rarest meteor showers will be visible in the skies! Get out there and enjoy it! Get together with some people, or go on a solo mission, and lay beneath the skies and watch them. Be in nature, get somewhere away from city lights so you can see these beautiful falling stars. Take in the immense beauty of our universe. 

☺ “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ~ John Miur. Remember that everything is indeed connected. Your actions today affect your world tomorrow. There is always a ripple effect. Please think of this when you choose to buy cheap products you don't need, or when you choose non-organic food, and so forth. Your footprint can make a world of difference, so be aware of your actions and choices. 

I hope you have a wonderful green Earth Day and spread the love and hug a tree! 

Create a Nice Day!! 

Much Love from me to you! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ ReLove Plan.et's 2k Likes Facebook Giveaway!!! ♥

It's that time again! ReLove Plan.et hit another milestone, two actually: reaching 2000 likes on our Facebook page; and the blog reaching 30,000 page views (per/month) last month! Soooo, Giveaway Time!! :) 

I'll be making this easy like last time with the Rafflecopter giveaway system! 

----> please look over the details properly and make sure you include the right information for you entries to qualify. I do go through them all and remove those that don't. Since this takes a long time I won't be able to contact you if you're entry isn't done properly so please make sure you just do it right the first time. More details below. ;) <------->

*********************************************

***GIVEAWAY!!!*** 

Included in this giveaway will be a "Jungle Small Zipper Pouch" along with a surprise set of pins, a ReLove decal and some other random surprise goodies! :) 

This contest will close on April 15th at 12:00 AM PST. The winner will be chosen through Rafflecopter's randomizer. 

How to Enter:

Use the Rafflecopter below for all your entries. You Must complete BOTH of these TWO MANDATORY Entries to quality, so make sure you do them properly ;) 

#1 Leave a Comment on the blog to tell us which are your favourite ReLove Etsy items and how long you've been a fan! Be sure to include your username in the Rafflecopter entry form (this is the one people mess up the most so please do it right! ;p you can also leave your email in the comment to make it easier).

#2 Like our Facebook Page. Leaving Your Facebook Name in the comment (when you do #1 above) will help me know who you are too ;)  

Easy peasy! 

Lots of extra ways to get entries too, including some you can do daily! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!!! And Please Share with everyone you know (so we can have another giveaway soon!) ;)  

Thank you as always for all your love and support! xoxo

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ Earth Hour 2013 ☆

Hello Loves! 

So today is Earth Hour 2013! I decided I needed to do a quick post to remind everyone to turn off your lights and electronics at 8:30pm for an hour. This may seem like a small act, but every small act accounts for something bigger. In reality this is a huge movement and stands for so much more than just switching the lights off, it stands for our environment's protection and to show the world that we care and we are acting to protect it. 

So switch your lights off for at least an hour! Take the pledge at World WildlifeFund: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/PageServer?pagename=EarthHourPledge_2013_Individual

And to find out more: http://worldwildlife.org/pages/earth-hour

What are you going to do for Earth Hour? Our plans aren't set in stone, but will most likely include some boardgames in the candlelight, or stargazing under the moonlight outside (if it's not too cold), or whatever else we may feel like. Get creative! Get some friends together and have fun with it! Share your photos and experiences! Let me know how you plan to (or have already) spent your Earth Hour! :) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☼ Grow your own damn Food! ☼

. . . . . . . . . .

This is a new edition I'd like to start on the blog. Gardening! I'm really quite new to it but we believe so strongly in being self-sustainable, getting back to nature, growing your own food, and eating healthily so I decided it was about time I started these posts. I'll be sharing photos and our gardening experiments and will hopefully inspire you to grow your own garden too! :) 

. . . . . . . . . .

We started planning and getting our beds together this week, it's been a fun and busy week! Cory is awesome and went out and got the plywood and built the beds last week so we were all set to get the rest going this week. We went out to my dad's garden centre (Dig, at the junction between Nelson and Castlegar), as I mentioned a couple days ago, and got our manure and sea soil. We're starting from scratch this year which is quite the venture. It's more work initially but it's also nice getting to start from scratch because you can make sure your soil is super rich, not sandy, and free of weeds--which will mean hopefully less maintenance one the food starts growing because we won't need to weed as much. 

Cory took a permaculture course a couple years ago and so he learned a lot, although there is sooo much to know and learn and experiment through experience when it comes to gardening, it really is quite the little adventure. He's teaching me anyway, because I know practically nothing. It's exciting. From our last two years gardening, I can say there is nothing more rewarding then getting to see your little seeds grow into food and eating veggies fresh out of the earth. Truly amazing. Nature is amazing and absolutely under appreciated in our high-technology society. It's nice to get back to the earth, back to what we should be doing. 

I'm going to take a moment just to say that everyone should do what they can to grow their own food. Even if you don't have a garden where you are you can get creative. For instance, at our last place we weren't allowed to have a garden, but we found garden space from Cory's boss who had space they weren't using which we were able to take over. There are also community gardens you can contribute to and benefit from. You can even have little windowsill gardens and grow some greens. And if nothing else you could be sprouting and getting fresh greens every week that way. Do what you can. People are amazing and there are always options out there when you seek them out. So seek them out. 

Anyways, back to your 2013 Garden! 

We have garden space at the front of our house where there is a ton of sun exposure and soil already there for us, but it's small for all our needs which is why were built three more garden beds in the back. There used to be a hot tub in that space so it was already free of grass but there was sand that we first needed to dig out, so we did that. We also dug up the grass because you don't want grass beneath your garden beds or you'll get a ton of weeds. Because there wasn't much for weeds in the grass in this area we were able to turn the topsoil upside down and reuse it for a layer of our garden bed which I'll get to in a minute. For our largest bed we are experimenting with hugel-culture, a method of layering layers to maximize the soils' richness and water retention. Of course, like I said, I'm just learning, and Cory sort of knows what he's doing so this bed was a combination of cultures and is a bit of an experiment. 

So, the layers… 

Cardboard, rotten logs, upside-down topsoil, compost (with lots of wormies), straw, manure, sea soil, straw (to make everything else break down faster and to use as a mulch). 

The logs were hilarious to get. We walked down the highway to the woods and found all these fallen logs. We used Cory's bike hitch trailer thing and carried them along the highway the few feet back home. We felt like real hippies and couldn't help but laugh. Good times. ;) It was also fun playing in the straw. See, gardening is fun! ;) 

Cory finished off the second bed yesterday, while I finally did some work work… and took Lyla out of a walk to watch because it was such a beautiful sunny day. The second bed was a simple hugel-culture of cardboard, straw, compost, manure, and soil without the logs. We still need to finish the last bed and add some manure and sea soil to the front beds to make them richer, and the straw for mulching. 

We haven't started seeds yet but will be starting our indoor seeds this week to keep inside until they are ready to be transplanted. It's almost time to plant some greens as well. Although the sudden dump of snow today may tell us otherwise. We are planning on doing hoop houses, or at least one, in the large bed as a greenhouse as well which will mean an earlier start. We're close the lake so we loose the snow and frost soonest and get a ton of sun exposure so we're pretty lucky. 

Well, that's all for now! This is a long one as there was a lot of work in preparing the beds. Looking forward to sharing more! Send me links to your gardens and what you're up to this summer for eating healthily and growing your own food! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ {this moment} ♥

. . . . . . . . . . 

{this moment} - Joining Soule Mama, a Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . . 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ ReLove Plan.et's Etsy 1-Year Anniversary! ♥

While "ReLove Plan.et" has been running for some years now, our adorable Etsy shop is only just turning 1 Year on February 10th! It feels like I've been drawing these adorable little characters forever, hard to believe it's only been a year! And what an exciting year! I can't believe how quickly the store has grown and expanded and touched so many. Thank you so much for all your love and support! xo

Anyways, I don't want to keep you too long. ;) To celebrate I thought it would be fitting to have a GIVEAWAY! 

So, for this giveaway One Winner will get to choose a ReLove Plan.et necklace of their choice (as well as a few other goodies I'll be adding to your prize). This is the first giveaway I've ever done with rafflecopter so I hope you have fun with it! Don't forget that you can tweet and reblog on tumblr every day for extra entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ ReLove Plan.et's 1500 Likes Facebook Giveaway!!! ♥

Okay, so I meant to do this giveaway when I hit 1000 likes on my Facebook page about a month ago, but you know how I am sometimes, I get busy and well… yeah. BUT! I just hit over 1500 likes shortly after (which I'm super excited about how quickly ReLove Plan.et is growing!!) so now is the time for a big huge giveaway that I have been promising! ;)

*********************************************

***GIVEAWAY!!!*** 

What you can Win!

Included in this giveaway is a collection of some of my favourite products, finds, and goodies! Roughly what you'll be winning:

So Delicious T-Shirt (size M)

qutewear kitty aviator hat

Radical Uprise Zine and buttons! 

ReLove Plan.et Panda Balloon Necklace, stickers, and who knows what other surprises ;)

Enstasy Designs Skull hairpins

Herbolution trial-sized products! (one of my favourites!!)

100% Pure Lavender Body Lotion

Hair piece by Enfant De La Mer

Love Peace Vegan Wristband

HerbanLuxe makeup mirror

and moorrrrre! ;)

I will also have a runner up winner that will get a surprise goodie bag! :) 

This contest will close on August 7th at 11:59 PM PST. A winner will be chosen through an online randomizer.

How to Enter:

*Required* 

Leave ONE comment on the blog with...

1. Visit ReLove Plan.et's Etsy Shop and leave a comment (*on this blog!*) with which item(s) is your favourite!

2. Your Facebook Name: You MUST like ReLove Plan.et on Facebook--since this is a giveaway celebrating my facebook page it seems silly not to include this as a requirement. ;) 

Easy peasy! 

Now onto other fun ways to get extra entries ;) … 

Extra Entries: 

You Must post a separate comment for each extra entry in order for them to count! And you Must leave a comment in order for your entries to count!   

One Comment = One Entry! 

#2. On the Blog: 

- Follow this blog publicly – include your name in the comment for being an old or new follower of the blog. 

*please verify that you are publicly following as sometimes for whatever reason it doesn't show up. ;p

#3. On Facebook: 

- Leave a comment on the page just to say hi! :) https://www.facebook.com/ReLovePlanet

*please leave me the link to where you posted (and your Facebook name) so I can verify you left the comment. 

#4. On Facebook: Post a Facebook status update with a link to this giveaway.

*must (please) include the link to your post so that I can verify and so your entry can count. 

#5. On Twitter: 

- Follow ReLove Plan.et (www.twitter.come/reloveplanet)

Leave ONE comment and please include your Twitter name so I can verify. 

#6. On Twitter: 

- Tweet about this Giveaway from your Twitter. You must include these somewhere in the tweet for it to count: "RT @ReLovePlanet"  

*must (please) include the link to your post so that I can verify and so your entry can count. 

Also, Please REMEMBER to leave your email in at least one of your comments so I can contact you if you’re the winner!!! ;)

Contest will close on August 7th at 11:59 PM PST. 

GOOD LUCK!!! And Please Share with everyone you know! ;)  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☺ Motivational Mondays! ☺

 We're taking back Mondays!!!

"Motivational Mondays" are fabulous tips to get you excited and pumped for the week! 

Feeling low? Moody? Down on life? Well, that's what these posts are for! Time to feel awesome again and get some Positivity rolling! Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you can't have fun, smile, and enjoy Today! Apply these tips to your week and try to tell me that you don't start to see an improvement in your life! ;)

It's all about You! Change your perception, change your attitude, love your life! xo

☺ Appreciation Day! Dedicate one day this week to verbally express at least one thing of appreciation to every person you encounter. The more people you see the better, so get out there and spread some positivity! This practice is not only good for others, but it is great for You, because appreciation is a form of gratitude and gratitude is the best way to manifest good things. Pay attention to how you feel at the start of the day and then extra attention to how great you feel by the end of the day. Try to do this practice every week, choose one day and make it your appreciation day! :)

☺ Go on an Adventure! Hit up the beach, go on a mini road trip, do something spontaneous, maybe something you've never done before! Even if it's just exploring a part of town or somewhere close to where you live that you've never been, get out there and have some fun! 

☺ Use Pinterest…  To create your Vision Board! The concept of the "Vision Board" is used for Manifesting all your desires and making them a reality! Pinterest is just such a great tool, especially in today's day and age of technology and online everything. You can create different boards for different topics, for example… your dream home could be one board, materials things another, relationships another, travel another, and so forth. It's a great way to get your imagination rolling and have your desires visually presented to you. It's like a grocery list to the Universe. Take time every day to look at it and say "thank you" for all those things you're ordering from the Universe! 

☺ Be Happy for Others! Jealousy and envy do not serve you. Focussing on these negative emotions puts attention on You not having something, which will bring about More of you Not having whatever it is your jealous or envious of. On top of that, it's just plain selfish (and not the good kind of selfish I usually talk about). Be Happy for other people like you should be! The happier and more supportive you can be for another person the more good vibes you're putting out into the universe and the more you'll bring back to both the other person AND yourself. There is more than enough to go around for everyone! So drop the jealous act and learn to be happy for them.

☺ Make "Love Stones"!  Find some pretty rocks and decorate them with hearts and "I Love You" letters. Then, leave them all over town for people to find them. Bring a smile to someones day, shine some light into another's life, and bring on the love! ♥ 

☺ Work on one of your fears. Everyone has fears, whether it's something little or big. Take time this week to work on at least starting to get over those fears, even if it's just a baby step. For instance, I am terrified of water (I mean I won't go in water deeper than I can stand--I'm a terrible swimmer and I also am just plain unrealistically afraid of drowning), But, this weekend I went boating with some friends and it took some convincing but me and a friend went tubing as well. It was slower and we made sure our driver was being nice, but we did it and it was fun and felt good to get over the first little bump. Again, even if it is just a baby step. ;) 

☺ "Get out of your head and get into your heart. Think less, feel more." ~Osho. Yes indeed! We tend to over think a lot instead of just listening to and trusting our hearts. So learn to feel and be self intuitive. Have faith in the Universe. Trust yourself. 

Have a beautiful day, week, life! Much Love from me to you! 

Create a Nice Day! xo

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☺ Motivational Mondays! ☺

 We're taking back Mondays!!!

"Motivational Mondays" are fabulous tips to get you excited and pumped for the week! 

Feeling low? Moody? Down on life? Well, that's what these posts are for! Time to feel awesome again and get some Positivity rolling! Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you can't have fun, smile, and enjoy Today! Apply these tips to your week and try to tell me that you don't start to see an improvement in your life! ;)

It's all about You! Change your perception, change your attitude, love your life! xo

☺BE!  This week is a BE week! Change starts with ourselves, by choosing to Be all that we want to Be. So… Be amazing, Be Happy, Be Positive, Be Smiley, Be Awesome, Be Loving, Be Caring, Be Honest, Be Spontaneous, Be Supportive, Be All that You can Be! :) 

☺ Be Adventurous! And spontaneous, because this is always always always a good reminder and a good way to live life. You know, playing the "Yes" game. I like to throw in this challenge every so often because it keeps life interesting and you almost always end up having a super fantastic week! So be adventurous and be open to the fun of the world around you! 

☺ Be Clear!!! If you're upset about something, don't be passive or play the guilt-card on others, just be up front and super duper honest and clear about how you're feeling. Being passive aggressive gets you, nor those involved, anywhere and only creates a negative cloud. Communicate! I can't say it enough. And I feel like I have some good experience with this seeings as I've been with my hubby for eight years and we are always able to see eye-to-eye and work through things. Honesty equals resolve, silence (and the passive gestures and attitudes that come along with that) get you into a deeper negative state. So be Clear! 

☺ Be Smiley! Wear the biggest friendliest Smile and see what happens! People might think you're crazy, but they're just jealous, and you're guaranteed to feel awesome and attract positivity into your day. Smile at people like you've known them your whole life. It's an amazing feeling to spread that love and joy and receive smiles in return.  

☺ Be Brave! BRAVERY: thinking outside of the box! To listen intuitively to yourself, to trust yourself beyond trusting what others tell you and then to go with it instead of following the norm of society. For allowing yourself the courage to be taken a new direction, a new path, that could potentially change and shift the train of thought of the world. BE BRAVE!

☺ Be Yourself!!! And ROAAARRRR! Be the lovely person that you are and don't be afraid to use your voice, express yourself, and stand out in the crowd! Or be still in a crowd. The point is that we are individuals with different ideals and views and souls. And that's a damn lovely thing! So no matter who you are, be comfortable be yourself and always let your soul shine and your voice… well, Roaaaar! ;)

☺ "Be like little children and Make-Believe." Use this quote and apply it every day to your manifesting. Remember that the power of your thoughts will draw what you think about to you. The more you believe the more instant whatever it is you want will become reality. So make-believe to make it real! :)

Have a beautiful day, week, life! Much Love from me to you! And don't forget to Beeeeee! ;)

Create a Nice Day! xo

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☺ Being Me, Being Ageless! ☺

Okay, so this is really a super short post, but I began writing this out on tumblr as a little expression of gratitude that I had to get out, but then, as I continued to write, I realized that I wanted to share this on the blog after all. ;)

So, my expression of deep Gratitude today…

I just have to say that I love being ageless! And being the lovely person that I am today--accepting all parts of myself!

I can be an adult. I can be totally down to earth, intelligent, "wise", and full of life experiences that I've learned ridiculous amounts from. And I can continue to grow and learn from all the bumps along the road.

I can still be a child; playing, drawing, watching cartoons, rolling down grassy fields, loving cute stuffed animals and throwing pictures all over my walls. 

I can be silly and ridiculous; laughing and dancing in the pouring rain, running through sprinklers, be open to the moment, go on adventures. And I can poke fun at myself.   

I can sit and meditate... and do yoga. ;) And take peaceful walks or sit by the lake in silence, listening to the sounds of nature and reflecting. 

I am the healthiest I've ever been in my life and have way more energy than when I was younger! And I am the happiest I have ever been! 

I love music; from Machine Head and Slipknot, to Flyleaf, to Dub FX, to A Perfect Circle, to P!nk, to Die Mannequin, and everything in between!

I'm a dork, and I love that I'm writing and drawing again! And I love that I'm back to watching anime shows. ;) Like I said, accepting all parts of myself instead of shying away from them.  

Life is just beautiful, and I am so grateful to have accepted all the quirky and lovely parts of who I am that I denied for years. I hope everyone can do the same thing that I have, because life truly opens up when you do. ;) 

Much Love and Gratitude! xo

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ Meet Vegans! ❀

These lovely "interviews" are with other fellow vegans, to inspire and share their stories and lifestyles and love for all things vegan. Oh, and to prove we don't eat grass and have a ton of kick-ass fun! ;)   

***************************

Meet Nicole! 

Name: Nicole or Nixx :)

Age: 32

Country: U.S.

Vegan Since: May 2010

Pets? 4 kitties: Boris, Duncan, Sally (aka PeeWee), and Natasha (get it? Boris and Natasha!)

Website: www.eyescreamindustries.com

A bit about yourself: I rock. Sometimes I roll. I love food, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I am convinced someone in my family lineage was a vampire hunter.... :)

What did your diet look like pre-vegan? Crap. McDonald's, lots of mac-n-cheese, burgers & chicken, pasta with meatballs, Chinese buffet evilness, eggs, lots of processed crap...I didn't shop in the produce section very much, that's for sure!

What does your diet look like now? Any fun new foods you had no idea existed until becoming vegan? Lots of veggies, grains, beans, nut butters, and veganized versions of my favorites! And cookies. I love cookies. :) Nearly everything now can be veganized, and although it kinda weirds me out if it tastes too close to meat or dairy, I am thankful there are so many options out there now! A few foods that I had never tried or heard of before going vegan that I now love: kale, daikon, quinoa, brown rice pasta, agave, and all the awesome vegan milks and cheeses! 

What is your favourite food or meal to eat now? I love roasting veggies, and making yummy casseroles! Also, vegan mac-n-cheese, and vegan pizzas!! I also enjoy a loaded, kickass salad from time to time :)

What made you become vegan? Learning about the horrors of the meat/dairy industries...it's disgusting, cruel, and just makes no sense to me to treat animals the way we do. They are here WITH us, not FOR us. I love animals way too much I guess, and wouldn't eat my cats...so why would I eat a pig? They're no different.

How long was the transition, and were there any slip-ups? I started a vegetarian diet for about a month, then switched over to vegan...I donated stuff in my fridge and freezer to friends who needed it, then restocked with lots of vegan goodness :) There were a few accidental slip-ups, as I learned more about ingredients and realized my Veggie Slices had casein in them (grrr!)...and the time my stepfather made me meatballs out of vegan "meat" but used an egg to bind them together so they wouldn't crumble...The only intentional slip-up I had during my first year was on my wedding anniversary trip to Hersheypark on Halloween, where I spied a decadent chocolate mousse dessert and HAD to have it. (Hello, I was in Chocolate World!!) I fought with myself for a minute then decided to get it anyway. I regretted it. I had been vegan for 5 months at this point, and I got halfway through this chocolate mousse and felt so sick to my stomach. I let my husband finish it, and felt like crap (both physically and emotionally) for the rest of the day. I now bring my own vegan chocolate to Hershey when we go ;) 

How do you feel since going vegan? (changes in your health, mood, body, etc.)  Awesome! My body feels much lighter (and it is!), cleaner, less bloated, and I have more energy. I don't get breakouts nearly as often as I used to. And I generally feel happier, like I'm doing such a great thing for the world :)

Biggest challenge about making the switch? How did you get through it? Reworking routines & researching restaurants before going, creating more time in my day for preparing meals to make sure I get all the good stuff I need to stay healthy. I got through it (and still do) by telling myself I have no choice! :) The animals are counting on me.

Do you have any other vegans in your life? (family, significant other, friends, roommates, etc.) How do they handle your veganism and how do you handle them? My husband is vegetarian, so that's helpful. A co-worker went vegan for a little while after I did, and we had fun bringing each other goodies for lunch ;) My other vegan friends are far away, sadly.  But my Mom is now using soy milk instead of cow's milk, so that's a start! :) My family is pretty understanding and are used to it by now. Co-workers can be hard to deal with sometimes, but others are usually pretty eager to try the things I make. I am working on not being pushy about being vegan, and that helps people want to explore it further.

How do you deal with ignorant/annoying/difficult people and questions about your decision? I usually just try to be as informative as possible without being pushy...sometimes it's hard though. Sometimes I want to shake people and give them a smack to wake them up. I almost always include inserts of pigs being no different than dogs, and how wonderful it is to have the choice to change your life for the better.

Favourite Vegan product? (whether it's food, beauty, clothing, etc.) Food: Daiya cheeze!!! Good lordy, I love pizza. And So Delicious ice creams! YUM. Bath/Body: Deep Steep lotions & body wash, and Lush shampoo bars. 

Favourite part about being vegan? Feeling like I am helping the whole world!! (as well as myself!) Trying vegan restaurants when I travel.

Any tips for others thinking of going vegan? Jump right in! You CAN do it, as you can anything, you're just choosing not to. Find the one thing that makes you want to switch the most, whether it be health, animals, the world...and use that as your focus point to keep you grounded. Research! Find out what is in the food you're using to fuel your body now...you probably won't like what you find. Find others who enjoy being vegan, and share information. "Be the change you want to see in the world."

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ Meet Vegans! ❀

These lovely "interviews" are with other fellow vegans, to inspire and share their stories and lifestyles and love for all things vegan. Oh, and to prove we don't eat grass and have a ton of kick-ass fun! ;)   

***************************

Meet Kylie!  

Name: Kylie

Age: 33

Country: USA

Vegan Since: April 2011

Pets? Two rescue dogs: Henry & Willow

Website (optional): www.fabulouslyfierce.com & www.fellowshipofthevegetable.blogspot.com

A bit about yourself: I'm a happily married dog-mom living it up in Los Angeles. I like to embroider and make things. 

What did your diet look like pre-vegan? 

It was pretty awful. I ate too much fast food and way too much processed food.

What does your diet look like now? Any fun new foods you had no idea existed until becoming vegan? 

I still eat out a lot, but luckily I have a lot of vegan places nearby. I eat MUCH better, lots of fresh veggies and grains. Kale and quinoa were new to me when I became vegan and I love them both.

What is your favourite food or meal to eat now? 

I love sauteed greens. I use veggie broth and garlic to cook them up. soooo good.

What made you become vegan? 

A couple different reasons. One being that I have always loved animals and felt a connection to them. Once I took an honest look at consuming them and supporting the exploitation of them, I just couldn't do it anymore. The second reason was my health. Like I said, I ate like crap and I knew a vegan diet would be much healthier for me.

How long was the transition, and were there any slip-ups? 

There was no transition from me. I went from omnivore to vegan overnight basically. At first, I committed to trying it for one week. About half way through that week I decided it was something I wanted to stick to. I have not had any intentional slip ups, but I have eaten things that I found out later may have contained some dairy.

How do you feel since going vegan? (changes in your health, mood, body, etc.)

I absolutely have more energy. I used to struggle through the afternoons to stay awake, but now my energy levels stay pretty even throughout the day. My skin is also brighter.

Biggest challenge about making the switch? How did you get through it? 

When I became vegan I didn't live in a place where there were many restaurant options so I was still eating a lot of processed vegan food. Now I am surrounded by healthy restaurants and farmers markets, so it makes life much easier!

Do you have any other vegans in your life? (family, significant other, friends, roommates, etc.) How do they handle your veganism and how do you handle them? 

I have vegan friends, but they all live far away. My husband recently made the switch, so it's nice to have a partner in crime now! Luckily all my local friends are awesome and love eating vegan with me. :)

How do you deal with ignorant/annoying/difficult people and questions about your decision? 

I have yet to face any really ignorant or annoying people. I do get asked a lot of questions and I just answer honestly. 

Favourite Vegan product? (whether it's food, beauty, clothing, etc.) 

My sexy vegan boots!! 

Favourite part about being vegan? 

I feel good about doing something kind for animals, the planet and myself.

Any tips for others thinking of going vegan? It's not as difficult as it seems! With all the blogs, books and websites out there, anyone can easily become vegan these days! If you are toying with the idea, commit to a week or two of being completely vegan. You will notice that you feel so much better after only a few days and it makes the choice to stick with it that much easier. :) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.