Why hello, friends!  Welcome to my my blog!  I’m pretty excited about this blog  and I promise that I’m going to try really, really, really hard to take good care of it and not neglect it.  So let me tell you a lil bit about myself and what kinda things I”ll be blogging about. 

1. I’m a relatively new vegan – as of December 2009.  I have been a vegetarian for roughly 6 years so making the transition to veganism wasn’t  TOO daunting or difficult, but it did – and still does! - require some extra time/work.  Going vegan was the best decision that I’ve ever made in my life, but as we all know, every good has some bad.   How can saving over 100 animals per year, decreasing my risk for scary health ailments, and saving the planet possibly have any downfalls?  Trust me, the downfalls are extremely minimal compared to all the positive aspects veganism brings to my life, but I just want to be honest and let you know that being a vegan is not all sunshine and roses.  People think we’re weird hippies who should just shutup and eat a steak.  I hear the dreaded questions ”Where do you get your protein?  What do you eat?” over and over and over!  Waitstaff gets annoyed when we ask too many questions or make too many ”special requests”.  And, unfortunately, most restaurants (in Wisconsin, at least) still do not offer vegan options.   I try not to let others opinions’ influence my life, but sometimes peoples’ comments can be disheartening.  I’m trying to make this world a kinder, healthier place and constantly being criticized for caring – because god forbid humans have hearts! –  is a big fat bummer.  It’s all good though.  When someone judges my lifestyle I just smile and think to myself – yes, I am weird….and AWESOME!    I will try my hardest to clear up some common misconceptions about veganism and show the world that being a vegan rocks.
2. I love animals – a lot.  Which means that I also like to talk about animals.  A lot.  :)  I’ve always cared a great, great deal about animals but ever since I adopted a vegan lifestyle I’ve become interested in actually DOING SOMETHING to show my love for animals.   This means that I try to educate people about the cruelty that occurs in factory farms and why we need to work together to do something NOW. This also means that I’m becoming more involved with animal activism and have got big plans for the future.  :)   More on that later!
3. I’m somewhat of a fitness fanatic.  I went through a “fat phase”  a few years back and since then I’ve really learned to respect and take care of my health.  We’re only here for a short while and I don’t want to waste ANY time being uncomfortable, fatigued, or sad about something as silly – and preventable – as being overweight.  So I like to talk about exercise – primarily running.
4. I love food!  I’m a big eater and I love experimenting with new recipes.   If I happen to stumble across a recipe or make something that is absolutely delicious I’ll make sure to post the recipe on here.  And maybe I’ll even share some things that didn’t work out quite like they were supposed to – like the chocolate hummus I attempted just the other day.   Blech!
5. I’m a nursing student, which means that I’m interested in health and would even consider myself somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to the human body.  I say somewhat because I’m not a registered nurse yet and because let’s face it, no one is an expert.  Except maybe Dr. Oz, because that man is amazing!

That right there basically sums up what this blog will be about – veganism, animals, fitness, food and health.  Sounds like a great little mix to me!  :)

What are my hopes for this blog?  To have fun, share information that I find important, interesting, or fun, connect with like-minded individuals, and maybe ( hopefully ) even convince some people to try out a vegan lifestyle.  I also hope to inspire people to go after their passions in life and to, as my buddy Gandhi said, “be the change that they want to see in the world”.