Veganism 101

Omg, epic fail.

I appologize, yet again, that I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I had initally planned. And I feel super bummed about it.

When I started this whole project I thought that I would have all the time in the world to work on it but it seems that life has gone and gotten in the way as usual. And, I'll admit, when life isn't being a pain in the ass, I'm usually procrasinating. Stress does that to me. = /

But!

I don't mean to kick off this blog with my whineyness, excuses, and negative energy because so far, this expierence has been anything but!

Unfortunantly I don't have as much time to spare on this blog as I had hoped so I'm going to do a crash course and whip right through some things.

And I ask that you keep in mind that I am obviously no expert on anything. All my information has been taken from the web and various books.

And also, you should always talk to your doctor before going on any kind of diet or new meal plan.

But I strongly suggest giving veganism a try or at the very least cut back on the meat.

Ok, let's get started...

Vegansim!!!

So what the hell is it?

Basically, due to health, religious, or for personal reasons, a vegan is someone who doesn't consume or use animal productes in any way, shape, or form. i.e. Someone who doesn't eat meat, eggs, dairy, wear leather or fur, or use health care products that include animal or are tested on animals.

Well...that doesn't leave you much.

Wrong!

I think that a lot of times, perhaps because it's how we were raised or we're all just brainwashed by society, that people forget that isn't just ONE absolute to anything in life. There's always an alternative, we always have a choice, and to go against the majority isn't always a bad thing.

Some examples of that are:

Soy, soy, soy!

Soy is a GREAT alternative and substitute used in a ton of vegan and vegetarian friendly foods and products. It taste great and is really healthy for you!

Hemp and cotton.

Hello, this is the 21st century! Not the 1st century! Fur and leather are no loger a nessicity! You can buy vegan alternatives to almost anything fur or leather you can think of AND not only did poor, sweet, helpless, inoccent animals not have to die to make it, but vegan alternatives are just as fashionable and comfortable if not more so! And not to mention usually more affordable!

Natural ingrediants, not chemicals.

Um, hello, if you're willing to cake your face in mud in the name of beauty and everlasting youth, then I think you can sacrifice all your expensive hygine products that contain animal products and/or were tested on animals. You can buy everything from vegan toothpaste to vegan cleaning supplies. And it's easy to do so! All you have to do is look on the packaging and if it's vegan friendly then it'll say so. And not only are vegan hygine and cleaning productes better for you and your family but they also are excellent for the enviornment.

Unfortunatly, this is all I have time to post for today. But check out the links I've provided to find out more!

And I'll be back asap for some recipies and shopping tips!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean

http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_facts.html

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/vegan_clothing_1.php

http://www.ehow.com/video_2335257_buying-vegan-hygiene-products.html

Apologies, Updates, and New Beginnings!

Apologies:

Ok, so far I'm totally failing at this blog thing and I'm really sorry I haven't posted in forever! But July has been a pretty hectic month for me what with all the moving, family visits, college paperwork, and job hunting I've been doing. Plus I didn't have internet access until a little over two weeks ago. My timing couldn't have been worse. Lol. But things are finally getting back on track! Which brings me to...

Updates:

Get all moved in: Check.
Get internet/phone/TV hooked up: Check.
Have Zoe (my niece) visit for a week: Check.
Visit second cousins and family: Check.
Fill out FAFSA and Admissions Application: Check.
Rewrite resume and cover letter: Check.
Get job interviews: Pending.
Blog about veganism: FAIL.

New Beginnings:

Ok so here's the thing. As I didn't have internet until over halfway through July I've decided to start over and shoot for starting the first of August. I've already done a bit of reasearch and I'm really excited! I think it's going to be a really fun topic to blog about and a really awesome expierence! So make sure to check back August 1st for a new posting!

Peace!

Slight delay!

Ok, so I know there's two more days left to vote but I'm moving tomorrow and I just found out that I won't be able to get my internet hooked up until the 8th. So I decided to go ahead and close the poll since I haven't gotten any more votes since yesterday and claim cooking vegan meals the winner!

The results of the first poll are:

Learn how to speak Russian-6
Learn how to cook vegan meals-8
Learn how to DJ-5
Learn how to ride a unicycle-0
Learn how to sail-2
Learn how to sculpt-4
Learn how to build my own bedroom furniture-4
Learn how to swing dance-5
Learn how to play the drums-7
Learn wilderness survival skills and then go camping Man vs. Wild style-3

Making for a total of 44 votes altogether! Way more then I though I'd get the first time around! Haha.

Thanks so much to everyone that voted and for all your feedback! I really appreciate it!

Like I said before, I won't be getting my internet or TV and phone hooked up until the 8th so I'm not sure when or if I'll be able to get to a computer before then but I'll go ahead and start with my first project!

I'm really actually very excited to do this one because I'd like to start eating healthier anyways and I LOVE cooking! Plus, it'll be something I get to do at least three times a day to pass the time. I don't know how I'm going to live without the instant gratification the web provides though. Lol.

So my plan for the month a head is to blog about what it means to be vegan, recipes, health benefits, history of veganism, shopping tips, things I've tried and that I like and/or don't like, and anything else I can think of!

That's about it for now. Thanks again everyone for voting! I can't wait to go grocery shopping now. Lol.

See you in 10 days!

Peace!

-Kelcie.

Introductions!

Ahhh! I love the feeling of a fresh, crisp, innocent new blog! Haha.

Well hello and welcome! For those of you who don't know me my name is Kelcie, I'm 20 years old, and I reside in the Pacific Northwest. I decided to start this blog because I'm constantly surrounded by amazing artists, athletes, and musicians and I've always been jealous of their natural talent and I've always wanted to be like them. But unfortunately I lack any natural talent for anything but clumsiness and have never been able to really explore my creative side. So since I'm moving and starting over in life in one way I thought that I might as well forget my past failed attempts and start over with a clean artistic, athletic, and musical slate.

The purpose of this blog is to document my adventures, share tips; ideas; and experiences with my readers, and hopefully connect with and inspire people to further explore something they've always wanted to try but never thought they could.

My goal is to pick one activity a month and focus solely on it. I want it to be something new I've never done or heard of, something that I've always wanted to do, or something that I'd like to improve on. It can be anything from learning how to paint to making my own outfits, learning how to play golf to learning how to cook vegan meals, and anything and everything in between!

Once I've picked my activity I'll learn everything I can about it, practice it, and do it as much as I can and then document it all here on my blog along with pictures and hopefully one day video as well.

I'd love to have your guys' help! Any ideas, input, advice, stories, etc. would be much appreciated!

My first order of business is to pick an activity for July. And that's where you guys come in!

If you could please vote on which activity you think I should do first I would greatly appreciate it! I'd love it if you'd also leave me some suggestions as to what I should do in the future as well!

And yes I realize that most of them sound pretty lame but hey, that's all I could come up with for now! That's why I need your guys' suggestions!

So again, if you could please vote and then leave me a comment with any stories; suggestions; or questions, subscribe to my blog, and pass this along to your friends then I'd greatly appreciate it!

I promise that this will be a fun and interesting blog to follow and I encourage everyone to either try what I'm trying or get out and do your own thing because life is just too short! Lol.

Anyways, I look forward to seeing what you guys pick!

Peace!

-Kelcie