My First Post

I'm not sure how this blog is going to finally take shape but I know it will center around my passion in life, which is a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle. I've always been an animal lover with a particular fondness for dogs (and dolphins!). It wasn't until my dog Buffy was put to sleep when I was eight, that I realized how much I loved animals and wanted to save them. Although, my eight-year-old mind was not able to make the connection between the food I ate and the welfare of animals. In fact, I didn't fully realize this until after college. I experimented with vegetarianism in my senior year of college at Penn State in 2002 but eventually went back to eating meat after graduation for no apparent reason. After moving to New York City by myself in early 2005 at age 24, I've been mostly vegan in my eating and clothing/household cleaning purchases since. I say 'mostly' because nobody is perfect. My experience with being vegan has been life-changing. I'm happier, more compassionate, and thoughtful in my life. I care more. I think more. And, although I've never preached about veganism, I've also been able to let others know about it and seen them change as well. That is the best part. I'm very hesitant to even bring up my beliefs to others for fear of confrontation, so I choose not to. But I'm so happy when someone asks questions in a genuinely curious way, rather than a defensive, ignorant way. The geniunely curious, I find, are also the nicer people to begin with.

So that's the (very) short story of me and how I've arrived at this place in my life. But there is lots more to share. I love cooking and experimenting with new ingredients and recipes. I love to test them on my boyfriend, because if he approves then I know we have a winner! I'll be posting lots of my recipes and any great new vegan product finds that I come across. Basically, this will be a journal of a girl who loves her life and lifestyle and wants to share it with whoever would like to read.