Hey folks!

I changed the name of my blog…not sure how I feel about it yet but any feedback is welcome.  I really liked a happier human but people have started to call me by my Facebook handle Wild Flowers Lori and I think I kinda like it.    As I sit typing I am eating a veggie hummus bowl from my favorite coffee shoppe!  Yep you guessed it, Erie Island Coffee 😀

Okay dudes (ladies and gents)… so on April 25th I decided that I wanted to go vegan again.   Again meaning I was vegan for a while when I lived in San Francisco.  I had already been vegetarian for a bit and after not too much time and thought I decided that I wanted to go vegan.  IT WAS SO EASY TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO!!!! Almost every place is vegan friendly and you can find great variety of veggies and fruits ALL year long!  Plus people out there are totally accepting of your dietary choices. I could take “ribs” to a BBQ and no one even blinked an eye or grilled me with tons of questions.  Number one question here in Ohio is, “Where do you get your protein?”  California is pretty progressive when it comes to healthy living and I miss that sometimes when I am grocery shopping back here in the mid west.  I heart CLE though!  😀  I will say this though, I can go to ANY restaurant and find something to eat on the menu.  Even a steak house.  I am not preacher nor an “Eeew I can’t eat there” kind of gal!  We all make lifestyle choices that suit us.

When I was vegan living in California I was in the best shape of my life, my climbing progressed as did my swimming.  Mental clarity was DA BOMB!  I was never in a fog nor did I have days where I felt like I was dragging butt.  Sure I had days where I was tired from working myself too hard but normal days were AWESOME!   So I kept with it…until I moved back to Ohio.  Then it was just soooo hard to maintain.  Dairy is the basis of every food family and friend get together.  Appetizers, main dishes,  desserts, breakfasts etc.  It wasn’t long before I was eating my way through all of it.  I felt overloaded and defeated and bloated.  So I gave in for years,  4.5 years to be exact.  I tried to go vegan about a year ago and it wasn’t the right time for me I guess.  I was taking on a lot of things and being vegan wasn’t at the forefront of life.

There are a few different types of veganism.  Here is where I am at.  I don’t eat meat, dairy or eggs. I used to eat the eggs from my friend Ginger’s pet chickens but I don’t anymore.  For a while she was known as my “egg dealer” as I would slip her some cash in her pocket at work all incognito! Hahaha :p  I don’t buy leather goods whenever possible.  (A lot of tennis shoes have leather accents.  So if you know of any vegan running shoes let me know!)  I did not throw out any of my leather goods I already had.  I paid the money and will get my use out of them.  I am not going to beat myself up if I have a cannoli once in a blue moon from Gallucci’s Italian Foods and Market on E. 66th and Euclid.  I have been going here with my family since I was in diapers and somethings are sacred…like fresh filled cannoli’s.  (I will thank and pay homage to the animals before I eat it.)  I am not a crazy hard core vegan.  I know I will have slips and cave in at some point.  I am doing what I feel is the best thing for MY body, mind, soul and welfare of the animals.

The reason for this post is because as I emerge as a vegan people are asking questions.  They hear me ordering no dairy at a restaurant and want to know why.  So in following posts I will be talking about animal welfare, nutrition and cooking.  I am not a nutritionist.  My views, thoughts and ideas are mine and mine alone.  You should consult your physician before making any major dietary changes.

I hope you all have had a great week so far!  Tomorrow night my best friend Sara and I are going to a Cinco de Mayo (yes I know it’s a day late) wine tasting and food testing at a local health food store.  I am so excited as all the food featured will be vegan!

Let me know your thoughts and opinions about the blog name change and veganism!

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow