Our Holiday Album Cover Photoshoot...

This is one of the images. I'll probably have the site up sometime next week!

I can seeeeee!

I got my new glasses today and WOW. What a difference. I've never worn glasses before, so it's taking some getting used to, but I am so glad to have them. (please ignore my sick face, I'm still pretty under the weather)

I mean, little things that I'd gotten used to being blurry (like street signs etc.) are clear as a bell. It's fantastic! I seriously just thought the Rockies were foggy all this time, and this afternoon I saw them so defined as I was driving up north. It was astonishing.

Anyway, I also picked up my Christmas tree today, so I'm going to try to muster the energy to set it up tonight. If I do, I'll post some pictures...

~e

Recipe for Company Potatoes (Omnivore)

This recipe has been in my repertoire for years. I learned how to make it from a coworker while I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB back in '99. There are lots of different ways to serve it. I usually do it as a side dish, but lots of people make it more breakfast-y by adding sausage or bacon. It goes great with a fried egg. It is totally delicious, and TOTALLY sinful. You can cut the butter in half, use low fat soup, cheese, and sour cream to bring down the calorie count, but if you do that, you're sort of missing the point. :) So make it for your next potluck and I guarantee it will be a HUGE hit.

Erin’s Company Potatoes

Thusly named because you can only cook them for company. If you had them every day, you’d die of a butter overdose.

(also dubbed "Crack Potatoes" by my good friend Charleigh. It's so true...)

1 2lb package of frozen hashbrowns (grated style)
2 sticks of butter
1 can of cream of chicken soup (cream of celery or mushroom also works)
1 pint of sour cream
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
2 cups of corn flakes
salt & pepper
optional ingredients:
bacon bits
green onions
cooked ground beef
ham
sausage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thaw hashbrowns. Melt 1 stick of butter. In large bowl mix hashbrowns, 1 stick of melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, grated cheese. (You may also add in any additions you choose at this point)

Spread mixture in greased 9“ x 13” pan.

Melt 1 stick of butter in medium sauce pan. Pour in cornflakes. Stir gently to coat. Sprinkle cornflakes on top of the mixture in pan.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees uncovered.

Updates:

Well, I have summoned what little strength I have to share with you my FIRST finished knitting project. See Below:



Tim's Toasty Scarf was a BIG hit. :) I am trying to decide what my next beginner knitting project will be. It needs to be something easy. Any suggestions?

The trip was fun, see pictures here. As usual, there was a TON going on so I kept forgetting to take photos. Thanksgiving was a great time. I was on Turkey duty, but I am happy to report, that somewhat unwittingly, Tim's parents purchased a free-range, organic turkey for me to prepare. I stuffed the bird with apples and pears and seasoned it with sage and basted it with butter every half hour. It came out LOVELY. I did have a little nibble (I know, I know, but I am technically still flexitarian, so I made an exception) and it was very moist and juicy. Then I loaded up my plate with stuffing, potatoes (2 kinds), green beans, and cranberry sauce and it was wonderful.

We proceeded to visit and visit and VISIT family. We had a little bit of down time, but not too much. The trip ended on a flat note unfortunately, with Tim and I both suffering from wicked colds. We are so GLAD to be home today and are trying to medicate and rest our bodies.

We are also glad to report that little Noah Wills is finally at home. Jeff and Jackie are busy settling in and I'm sure we'll have photos soon. We want to make sure we are in good health before going anywhere near that sweet little guy.

Flying the friendly skies...

We are heading home to Denver tomorrow morning. We'll have a bit more baggage, a few more memories, and a crapload of cold medicine. We're both a little under the weather and it may take a few days to get back in the swing of things.
Sniffly Yours,

~erin

Update about Baby Wills

We've been in contact with our friends about the status of little Noah and it appears that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Here are some details. Please remember the Wills' in your thoughts during this Thanksgiving Holiday. I'd also like to second Gillian's motion about sharing with those less fortunate. There are donation places all over the city for under funded families and I urge you to consider making a donation of a jacket, food or even toys. Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Friends and Family,

I would like to first start out this message by saying thank you to everyone for their support and prayers. These past few days have been very difficult, and the kind words and support we have received have been very helpful. We never think that these kinds of things will happen to us, and when they do it is a shock to the system. During this week of Thanksgiving, I have been truly blessed with the knowledge of what is important in life, and that we really can’t let the small things get us down. I keep each of you in my thoughts as you spend these next few days with your families, and hope that you have the most wonderful time together.

Noah Robert Wills was born on 11/18/07 at 5:42 am. He was 7 pounds 8 ounces, and 20 inches. The delivery went very well, and was one of the most touching moments in my life. We were with him until about noon that day when he started showing signs of breathing problems. Luckily our nurse recognized this and took him to the monitors and to give him oxygen. During the hour that he was in the nursery he had another attack that caused him to stop breathing, and was brought back by stimulation and oxygen, and was immediately taken to the NICU. For the next 10 hours he had regular attacks that caused him to stop breathing. The doctors immediately administered antibiotics for possible infection. The doctors also completed XRAYS which showed no problems. At about 9 at night the doctors decided to do an MRI to see if there were any brain problems. Originally the first diagnosis was that he had a subarachnoid hemorrhage above the tissue of his brain believed to be the cause of the breathing spells. We were hopeful at this point. It was not till after further study on the MRI that we discovered an ischemic part of the brain caused by a small stroke. The affected area is in his right front temporal part of the brain and is currently believed to account for about 5% of the total brain. For the doctors to be sure an EEG was administered to check brain activity. The EEG turned up seizures happening regularly. Noah was immediately put on seizure medication to stop the seizures. The good news is that since 1pm yesterday Noah has not had a seizure and has resumed normal breathing and is off oxygen.

Currently this is where we are in terms of information that we can share. Noah has been nursing regularly, pooping, peeing – all in all acting like a regular baby. The doctors will be trying to stabilize his medicine to ensure that he does not have any more seizures. As for now the doctors expect that we may be going home with him by the end of the week or early next week. He will continue to stay on seizure medicine, and we will be following up with a neurologist soon after to determine next steps. We feel better about the progress he has made thus far, and look forward to giving him all the love he deserves. It will be time and follow up visits that will help us determine what the next steps will be.

Jackie is doing much better, but is running off very little sleep at this point. We were both up for almost 48 hours during the initial troubles, and she has only found a few hours here and there to get rest. Emotionally this has been very tough for her. She has been so thankful for all the kind words and messages she has received and apologizes for not returning calls and messages. We both know how much everyone is thinking about us, and we will definitely reach out to each of you when we are in a place to think straight. Once again, THANK YOU. We love you all very much.

Please feel free to forward this message on to anyone asking any questions. We apologize if we missed you on the first loop. Jackie requested that this be sent to the entire birth center staff at University.


-Jeff Wills

Style Advice

So, I've had a few people email me and ask me how I get my look. (Okay, 2 people) I never really though too much about my overall "look", but I do follow some basic rules that work for me. I have a few style icons that I admire, but mostly I admire people who look simple, elegant, classic and fresh.

I don't wear a ton of prints or bright color. My personality is loud enough, I don't need a fuschia dress to stand out. I like all my outfits to be a basic with a colorful accessory. I typically wear a lot of black (duh),cream, white, grey, and dark blue. I've also branched out into warmer colors like gold, beige and brown.

I never splurge on shirts or even jeans. Pretty rarely though, I'll buy a expensive pair of jeans that are great for going out and I hang on to them for a while. I prefer to spend money on great bags (which I firmly believe pull an outfit together like nothing else) and of course, shoes. A good pair of heels is the foundation that a great "look" is built on. I also splurge on event dresses, but that's just my thing. I was never that in to dresses or skirts, but in recent years they have become pretty ubiquitous.

I'm not that in to the latest trends. I keep an eye on what colors are in style and I try to work them into simple and classic looks that never go out of style. Some of the things I wear are vintage pieces and I freshen them up with jewelry or scarves. I think that there is something so classic about clothing and accessories from the late 50's- early 60's.

If I do see a trend that I like, or I think will work with my body, I'll pick up a few keys pieces at a less expensive store like Forever 21 or Target and work them in. You should NEVER splurge on something that will look outdated in 3 months. I think the other important thing with trends is to not wear too many at one time. Also, be conscious of what works on your figure. Everyone can't wear Empire waist shirts, or skinny pants.

When it comes to actual clothing favorites, I couldn't see not owning these core items in neutral colors:

Pencil Skirt
A-Line Skirt
Slim Fitting and SIMPLE little black dress - it should be able to be dressed up or down
Pashmina scarf in your favorite color (or one that matches your eyes! These are a great way to add color to an outfit, or even dress up your jeans and t-shirt)
Tailored Capris
Well-Fitting Blazer in a casual fabric (I've had this one from the Gap for 6 years and every time I wear it, people ask me where I got it)
V-neck light Sweater
Sequin Tank Top (something that shows off your shoulders, or your back, nothing too flashy)


So, last but not least, my tips for wearing clothes are mostly just about balancing skin. When I was younger, ALL of my outfits showed cleavage. ALL of them. It took me a while to understand about the balance that has to happen if you want to look classy, and not trashy.

1) If you are wearing something that is revealing on top, make sure your knees are covered.

2) If you are wearing something short, make sure your cleavage is covered.

3) Don't wear anything too tight, especially if it's in a bright color. Whichever part of your body is swathed in bright colors will be the focus of your outfit. This is why I love scarves so much. It just draws the attention to your face.

I've never been a fan of heavy makeup (although I'm not opposed to some liquid eyeliner on occasion) and I rarely wear foundation. I generally wear a little cover-up, a light dusting of mineral powder, pearl eyeshadow in a champagne color, and sometimes a little black eyeliner. A touch of mascara and that's that. Oh, and I ALWAYS pencil in my eyebrows, otherwise I look like I have none at all.

So that's my style guide. :) Here are a few pics of some of my favorite style icons.

As I contemplate the future...

I am thinking about holidays to come. I am keenly aware that my next birthday will likely be my last before I am swept away on the tide of motherhood. I am planning a "Party like it's 1929" party. We are actually going to hold it in a building that is believed to have been a speakeasy during the prohibition. Anyway, planning for my next costume got me thinking about all the costumes I've done in the past (at least that I have photo record of... There was this one year that I went as a pregnant Prom Queen and I NO photos of it.) So, I thought I'd share this little slide show with you.

Click HERE to see all of my costumes from 1999 until present. FYI: I am only including photos of me dressed as characters. Although my vintage outfits could be categorized as a costume, I am saving those for another slide show.

Noah Robert Wills is OKAY!

Thank you all for your support and prayers. The doctors think he is going to be okay. Here is an update from his proud parents!


Just wanted to keep everyone updated on our newewst addtion, Noah. Yesterday Noah had to go the NICU for repetitive episodes of apnea that were taking a long time for him to recover from. After a series of tests, it was found that on the MRI Noah has a temporal subarachnoid hemorrhage that is causing the apnea. He had a rough day yesterday with apneic periods every hour but has been stable on a nasal cannula and has not had an episode in 12 hours. The doctors are reasurring us that Noah will be fine and come out of this without any complications or long term damage. He had an MRI last night and the neurologist is supposed to meet with us today to go over the MRI in detail and what to expect in the days to come. He is doing much better this morning and was even able to breastfeed. We are very suprised as we had an uncomplicated delivery without any complications that would cause such trauma.

This has been a rough 24 hours for our family. We appreciate all of the emails and phone calls, your support has meant so much to us. We are pretty exhausted and trying to rest when we can so that we can be strong for Noah.

We will keep you updated as we know more.

With Love,

Jeff and Jackie

P.S. Noah Robert Wills was born at 5:43 am on November 18 and weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 20 inches long. He has blonde hair!

pray, send positive energy, whatever you do...

Send good energy to the Wills'. Their baby was born this morning and is in NICU having trouble breathing. We don't know the current status...

Lost & Found

Here is a slideshow of the all the things left behind by people who attended my Halloween party. Email me to claim them if they look familiar.

Picking up the slack...

Well, I just returned from my eye exam. I've had exams in the past, mostly when I first joined the AF, and each time they surmised that I had perfect vision. Since my 28th birthday, I've had a hard time focusing on things that are far away. In my line of work, it's not too much of a problem, but it is a bit irritating while watching movies. Also, driving, especially at night, is more and more difficult.

So, we went to see Dr. Sumner today and they did all kinds of wacky things to my eyes. Blew air in them, follow the red dot, which is better etc. etc. In the end they said my right eye was much worse than my left, and sent me out to the lobby to pick out some frames. My new glasses won't be ready until next week sometime, but I'm looking forward to having better vision.

I'll be sure to post a picture when I get them.

In honor of upcoming Holiday events....

My fancy dress slideshow. View HERE. (click on the big "i" in the center of the image to view the captions)

Coming soon... Vintage Dress Slideshow.

Sometime after that... Erin Has a Shoe Problem Slideshow.

*** Slideshow updated per Echo's request ***

Gifting Season...

So, unlike the rest of the normal world, I have already but up my holiday decorations. Since nobody is coming to my house for Thanksgiving, I wanted to get a jump on the holidays. Let's face it, when it comes to holidays in general, I like to get as much out of them as possible. Some people think I'm crazy, but most of my friends get it and love that I always go all out.

I've also been preparing my Christmas list for Tim. I already know that my big gift is going to be a new camera, but I added a bunch of other things to my list, just in case my parents or Tim's parents or whoever decides to spoil me this year. ;)

Click HERE to see my list.

And in other news, my veggie lifestyle is going well. I'm surprised at how easy it has been. There have also been added benefits. I've lost 6lbs (with out really trying) and I haven't had a headache in over a week and half (usually they are a frequent occurrence). Not to mention, I'm discovering all these different new foods. I never realized that without the obligatory "main course of meat" how much variety you can really have in your meal. Highlights of this week:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with a little Pumpkin Spice Butter
Sauteed Mushrooms and Spinach
Split Pea vegetable soup
Green Bean casserole (made from scratch) with Haricot Verts, Portabellini and Pan Fried Onions

Needless to say, more recipes to come!

Erin's Recipe of the Week (Vegan)

Tofu Scramble Wrap

1/4 cup thinly sliced leeks
1/5 package of firm tofu - crumbled
1 Tbsp of peanut butter (the natural kind, not the corn syrup flavored kind)
1 Tsp Turmeric
Salt & Pepper

Flavored Hummus (I prefer Red Pepper)
Veggies (You can do lettuce, tomato, whatever)
Whole Wheat Tortilla
1/4 Sliced Avocado

Saute the leeks on medium heat ( I used olive oil). Once they get soft, toss in the crumbled tofu, the Turmeric, and peanut butter. (Sounds strange, but stay with me...) Season with Salt & Pepper. Cook until ingredients are mixed and heated through (about 1-2 minutes). Spread Hummus on warm tortilla, and assemble remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

I meant to take a picture of it, but I ate it already. :D

It's my lucky day!

When I was a little girl, every year at the holidays, our family would watch Bring Crosby's "White Christmas". That movie was amazing to me. At the age of 10, I was pretty sure that at some point in my life, I'd be whirled around the dance floor by some handsome man, just like Vera Ellen was whirled around by Danny Kaye.



Well, it may finally happen. I was listening to Martini on the Rockies today and they had a contest to win 5 free dance lessons from the Arthur Murray School of Dance. You had to be caller number 10 and I was! I won! I won! And now Tim has to come dancing with me. Even though he may protest the entire time. I happen to know that he had to take Ballroom dancing when he was a boy, which may have scarred his mind a little, but I think this time around we will have lots of fun.

I don't mean to brag, but I am a pretty good dancer (which is astonishing considering how klutzy I can be), and I LOVE to dance. I took ballet and tap when I was little (and sometimes I really wish I'd stuck with it). But nevertheless, I dance A LOT. All by myself, with friends every now and again, and I'm looking forward to Viva Las Vegas, just so I can have the opportunity to break it down to swing and rockabilly.

So, I'll keep you posted on how it goes....


*twirls off stage left*

Vegetarian Question!

I need some ideas for everyday meals that can easily be cooked and served with optional meat. I don't want to have to cook two different meals every night. Tim has been pretty supportive, but I need to get organized about our dinners. I usually cook every night, but since "the switch" we've been fending for ourselves.

So, anybody got any ideas?

FYI

I look forward to the Holiday issues by Martha Stewart. Every year I buy the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas issues. I have to say that this year... All the issues were weak. The Christmas issue especially. VERY disappointing! The low points being:

1) Hanukkah Potato Chips - Cut out like stars of David and Dreidels. huh?

2) Lighting Scenes - Merely ordinary. Nothing you can't buy at Target.

3) Tree Designs - Uninspired. BORING.

Which brings me to my next point. I REALLY should have my own magazine.

Treasures of the Louvre (pronounced Loo-vee-ray if you wanna be cool like Tim)

Well, I am one step closer to sending out my website link to the whole world. Since, unlike many famous bloggers I know, I don’t get thousands of hits every day, I considered the posting of the link here to be a mini-open house if you will. I’ve gotten lots of feedback from folks. Some of it good, some of it infuriating, but hey, I gotsa lotsa designer friends, I guess that’s to be expected. I’ve got a little list of changes and Tim has agreed to help me come up with an easier way of updating my site. Right now the method goes like this.

a) decide to make a change
b) tell Tim about the change and send him the updated files
c) tell him about it again over breakfast
d) tell him about it again while he is pooping in the bathroom (captive audience!)
e) tell him again until he finally gets so tired of hearing about it, he updates it.

I’d like my future method to involve less nagging, so we’ll see what happens.

Today was a busy day for me. I did a little work this morning, came up with the concept for our holiday website, and got so into the holiday spirit that I went to Hobby Lobby for the early-bird holiday décor special. I’m keeping my tree concept for this year a secret until after Thanksgiving, (then I’ll post a photo) but it will be GAWGEOUS!

I also bought two skeins of yarn and some sustainable bamboo knitting needles. I got my beginners knitting DVD a few days ago and am dying to try it out. When I was younger I learned how to crochet and have always done that, but I never felt like I could get anything done very fast. I am hoping that knitting will be a little easier… We’ll see. I am totally kicking myself for not taking advantage of Heatherfeather’s super awesome knitting skills whilst she still lived here. I guess I’ll have to meander down to The Lamb Shoppe by myself one of these days.

After my crafty morning, Tim and I met Danestrom (.com all day long) for lunch at Steubens. That place used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but now with Veget-erin, it’s just a very short menu. I had grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was great, and somehow, even though I miss meat a little, I am also relieved when I don’t have to order any. I always spend time wondering if it’s organic, was it happy in it’s life, and will it have gristle, too much fat, not done enough? Bleh. Being veggie is a lot easier in some ways.

After lunch, Tim and I went to the Denver Art Museum to see The Treasures of the Louvre. It was AWESOME. I totally recommend checking it out. Just some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and it was sort of thrilling to see plates that Marie Antoinette ate from and chairs she sat in… Also exciting was the life size Louis XVI bust (as well as many others). The only part that was disappointing was that the life size bust of Marie Antoinette wasn’t there. They had a smaller one, but it wasn’t the one I thought we would see. I guess I’ll have to wait until Paris to see that one.

Anyway, it was a wonderful day. Tim and I have started taking Thursdays to have a date night. It’s easier for the days to run together now that we are both home all day, so it’s nice to have a little punctuation like this to break up the week. Last Thursday we went and saw Across the Universe, and the week before that we went to the Organic Banquet at Strings. Today we bought tickets to see White Christmas at the Buell Theater on December 6th. So, lots of fun things to look forward to.

We are heading to OKC on the 20th of this month and will be gone for nearly 6 days. I’m excited to go though, because I have a project! Tim’s parents are having their 50th wedding anniversary this summer and I am in charge of the memory video. When I was in the Air Force I used to handle quite a few retirement videos. Basically I take a bunch of photos and make a fancy slideshow set to music. It sounds simples (and it is…) but I do the History Channel type of pan/zoom/fades and I’m good at setting things to music. So, I’m glad to have something to do while I’m out there. Also, it looks like I’ll be helping out with the dinner quite a bit this year. Tim’s mother is recovering from a bout of pneumonia, so we’re trying to do everything we can to take some of the pressure off her.

We also bought our tickets for Christmas in Oregon, so that promises to be a wonderful time. My Dad and I have already been working on our dinner menu! mmmm!

Well, that’s all for now…

~erin

P.S. I almost forgot! Tim and I jogged together. It was pretty fun actually... We're trying to do more work-out style things together. Next on the list, YOGA!

Cranky List:

So, yeah. I feel a little cranky. Most of the time I have these moods, I generally try to talk myself out of it because, hey, being cranky isn’t very productive. However, these past few days have just rendered too many things in my path for me to ignore. So, I thought I would share them with you. Then we can all commiserate on what idiots people are, and then move on.

1. Creative people are a pain. I know, because I am one. We all have opinions. We all think we’re right. I am only going to say this once. ART IS SUBJECTIVE. You may agree, you may disagree, but in life (and in work) we need to learn to share our opinions in a positive way instead of dragging others down.
   
   
2. Demanding people are a pain. What gives ANYONE the right to demand things from anyone else. You ask for a service, you pay for the service. Does this make the person providing your service you SLAVE? Let’s all practice saying things like, “Please” and “Thank You” and “I’d like to have x done by x date. Let me know if that is possible.” Remember, you get more flies (designers) with honey (politeness). Being creative on cue is difficult and a little understanding can go a LONG way.
   
   
3. Whatever happened to manners? My parents always taught me to do the things I committed to doing. You don’t ditch people if “something better comes along”. You don’t act ungratefully if someone does you a favor. If you are invited to someone’s house, you don’t give an “Iron Chef” critique about the meal being served to you. Let it be known, that even though I hate olives, if they were served in a dinner that a friend made for me, I would eat them anyway, because it’s polite. (Of course, if you have an allergy or a serious food issue such as vegetarianism, you can politely make that fact known to your hostess ahead of time, who would likely make adjustments.)
   
   
4. Oh, and that brings me to the last thing. Why do people say they don’t like something if they’ve never tried it? (I’m talking about food here, not kinky sex practices…) I get that most of America would be happy with their lifetime supply of macaroni & cheese and ranch dressing. But, don’t you think it’s possible that there are millions of other wonderful flavors and taste combinations that are unknown to you? Don’t you think life would more fun (and more exciting) if you opened yourself up to new flavor experiences? (This could just be the Taurus in me talking… but to me, life without flavor and richness isn’t a life worth living.) So, put down your cheerios and your buffalo wings. Try an aged cheese, try a fruit whose name you can’t pronounce, try a meal from a country you’ve never been to. I promise that even if you don’t like it, it will be a great story to share. And if you do like it, it might open up even more wonderful food experiences in your life.

Okay, I do feel better now. : )

And as promised (albeit 5 months late)...

The Pacific High, Class of 1997 Senior Video




Wow. Our PHS video class skills were AWESOME. ;) I have to say, now that high school seems so far away, all the shitty stuff is harder to remember and all the fun times (like senior skip day, and our senior trip, and camping up the river, bonfires at the beach, etc...) seem to take on mythic proportions.... Good times. :)

Memories...

Since Tim and I were wed on a shoestring budget, we left most of the photography and videography of the event to our friends. Sometimes that works out better than others. Most of our actual ceremony video is far away and the sound is awful... But this is a clip from the end of our reception where we were dancing with our guests and my Great Uncle Bill and his wife Joyce break it down to "Little Red Corvette". It was was of many great memories of that night and I just wanted to share it...

Lurkers invited to comment...

Sometimes it seems like I am writing this blog for my best friend and her mom. Which is great. They are both wonderful people and when I write, it feels like I'm writing a letter to them, letting them know what's going on in my life. It feels like we're more connected.

BUT... I know from my page stats that there are a LOT more people reading who don't comment. I wonder if it's because of the captchas, or if they just aren't sure what to say most of the time. Either way, if you are reading this post and you are a regular or semi-regular reader of this blog... I'd like to know. I'm going to turn of captchas and invite you all to say hello...

Oh and if you'd prefer not to post a comment, you can always email me directly.

love,
~erin

And in other news...

See the new villanovababy.com layout! Also, click on portfolio to see my finished ecooperdesigns.com website!

Veget-Erin

I have decided to become Vegetarian. No more meat of any kind. (I’m still trying to work out my stance on eggs, milk, cheese, and honey so I’ll have to let you know how that ends up.)

This has been a long time coming and it may shock some of you, but I’ll explain why in a moment. I’ve talked a lot about my feelings about food recently and it has come to this. I really can’t see my way to consuming meat any longer. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to reconcile my desire to be healthy and responsible about food with my desire to eat steak tartare and carpaccio. It’s a rough decision for sure. I don’t think this choice is for everyone, and I am not going to preach about it to any of you. I just wanted to let it be known, so that people don’t look at me as though I’ve grown another head.

Basically, it comes down to this. I don’t need meat to survive. If I eat meat, that means an animal has to give its life for me to have something that is unnecessary. Even if an animal is organic, it still has to suffer in the end and that alone is reason enough for me to make this choice.

I do have other reasons as well, but for now I’m going to leave it at that. The dilemma of my omnivore status has been reconciled.

Questions & Comments?

Oh and P.S. Tim still eats meat every morning, has a tall glass of organic milk (thanks to me), and drinks non-organic coffee with chemical filled sugary creamer. BUT, he has agreed to eating vegetarian meals 3 times a week. It’s a start…

PPS~ Also, I am easing my way into this new lifestyle. I will likely be Flexitarian through the holiday season. After the new year, I will become totally vegetarian.