A little game...

Outside my window...it's dark outside, and it's been dark for a while. The colors on the trees are more beautiful than I can ever remember them being before. There are signs of fall everywhere.

I am thinking...about how relaxed I am after a full day of pampering and relaxation. Oh, and about how much I wish I could go to J. Crew and buy 1 of everything!

I am thankful for...David and all my friends and family for bringing so much joy to my life. I am thankful for yoga. I am thankful for my health and for feeling refreshed and optomistic.

From the kitchen...organic chocolate chip cookies and milk. The cookies didn't smell the best when they were baking, but tasted delicious!

I am wearing...a white tank top, a gray wrap sweater and yoga shorts.

I am creating...a scrapbook to document my Day Zero list, baby blankets, and a photography website.

I am going...to watch The Office then go to bed!

I am reading...magazines and quilting books from the library.

I am hoping...to visit friends tomorrow and take some pictures!

I am hearing...the TV.

Around the house...tv is on (The Office), cookies are out of the oven, and I've been able to keep things fairly clean since last weekend.

One of my favorite things...yoga. I've only been practicing since May, but I am in love. I love the way it makes me feel and how strong I have become. It requires me to settle, breath, focus, stretch, practice and honor myself. It's changed my life.

A few plans for the rest of the week...tomorrow I am visiting with friends and Sunday I am going to attempt to play some indoor soccer! Other than that, I have nothing planned!

A picture to share...

from the pumpkin patch we went to last Monday in Kirkersville, Pigeon Roost Farm. For some reason this year I cannot get enough of gourds, pumpkins, pumpkin bread, farm animals and all things fall! I love this time of year!

#27...A trip to the Columbus Zoo

I've been wanting to go to the zoo for a really long time now. I go every year for the Christmas lights, but can't remember the last time I went during the summer- when the animals are actually out and it really looks like a zoo.

So today, we decided to go. I've been dying to see the baby elephant (hence #27 on the list) and it was wonderful to go on a Monday! No line at all...we walked straight up to see him. And here he is (with his mom)...all 847 lbs.

Now is that's not one of the cutest things you've ever seen??

We made it a point to see everything. It took a while, but it was wonderful. It was a beautiful day, and the animals were more active than I can ever remember them being. Here's a bunch of other shots from our day at the zoo.

Another baby...he was adorable!

I think stingray are the silliest looking things...they look like happy little clouds to me!

This is my favorite picture of the day...he was so sweet. I just wanted to climb in there and give him a big hug.

What a great way to spend a Monday. The zoo was followed by lunch, a nap, some cleaning and yoga class this evening. Now if only every day could be this enjoyable!

Second Sewing Project

Well, it took quite a bit longer than the first project, but I finally finished my second quilt. This time around I really wanted to play more with patchwork, which was a lot of fun, but definitely time consuming!

I am loving how warm this quilt is as well...and with the crazy weather we've had over the past few days we've been getting quite a bit of use out of it!

World Vegetarian Day

{Warning: This blog post is not only long, but also voices my personal opinion on a particular issue.}

As you know, one of my Day Zero tasks is to eat vegetarian for 3 consecutive months. Well, I am proud to announce that yesterday marked my 2nd straight week of no meat!

Now, most of you know that I'm not a huge lover of meat. I was usually the kid who chewed on a piece of meatloaf for hours before sneaking into the bathroom to spit it into the toilet. When my parents fixed steak, I usually had them cut me a piece that was about 3-4 bites, which I doused in ketchup to mask the taste. Hamburgers had to be covered in cheese, pressed as thin as possible, and I usually only ate the outside ring (the inside was still too thick for me). And I was never a hot dog girl. But the worst was beef stew. Oh, I can still remember that smell in the morning...waking up and knowing the crockpot was on and beef stew it was! Oh how I dreaded those days.

Now with all that being said...chicken was my best friend. I knew I didn't care for red meat, so as I grew up I went the route of the "no red meat" diet. I'd done a little research on the hormones and antibiotics that are fed to cows and decided to rule all red meat out of my diet for health purposes. But I've always been able to rationalize eating chicken and turkey. I married a vegetarian and so cooking has never been a big deal in our house. I don't prepare meat, as neither of us really eat it. And I've taken a particular liking to soy products. Strange, I know, since I'm the pickiest eater out there.

But something has always intrigued me about vegetarianism (is that even a word?). Dave has never pushed it on me or tried to convert me. In fact, we've even had the discussion of how we would someday raise our children, although there was never any conclusion to that as we hold different opinions. But I've always kept it in the back of my mind. I love animals, but I also love Grandma Mangia chicken, and Chicken Milanese Pomodoro, and the occasional Stromboli- not to mention a good chicken tender!

All that aside...I found myself wandering through the library about 2 weeks ago. I happened across a book that I thought was a certain health book that I had been wanting to read. Naturally Thin was the book I had intended to read, but picked up Skinny Bitch instead by mistake. I took it home and dove right in.

In the first few pages, the authors had me laughing so hard at their very point blank approach to convincing you to eat right. But underlying the swear words and humor is very real information about the food we eat. What's added to those foods, what they do to our bodies, what lies we are being told about the foods we need to be healthy. I read the first few chapters in amazement. I immediately put down the Fresca (aka "liquid satan") I was drinking and had an urge to empty my cupboards and head to Whole Foods.

But something else happened at Chapter 6..."You Are What You Eat". We've all heard it. But does it stop us from eating anything? No. But have we really, really thought about what it means?

I spent the majority of chapter 6 knelt over the toilet with tears streaming down my face. This is where I learned the truth behind what really happens in slaughter houses. Everyone knows it happens, and sure, you know it's not ideal. But imagine as bad and disgusting and inhumane as you possible can...and then double it. Or triple it. Or more.

It's still worse than that.

Imagine yourself eating meat that was condemned and then repackaged after the inspectors left. Imagine chickens beaks being sawed off with a hot knife so they can't peck at each other since they're raised in cages too small to even turn around. Imagine animals being skinned, burned, and cut up while they're still alive.

If it were up to me everyone would have to read this book.

I know what you're thinking...why would I want to read it knowing all this? You should read it because you owe it to yourself. You deserve to be educated about the foods you put into your body. You deserve to know the truth. And in our society, you have to seek that information out for yourself.

Please know that I don't expect everyone who reads this book will take away what I did. And that's alright. It's a personal choice. Maybe you'll read it and decide to rule out Trans Fats or buy Cage Free Eggs or to limit the amount of meat you give your daughters knowing now that the hormones in the meat trigger early development. Whatever the case may be, I promise you will walk away feeling empowered to make a better decision about the foods you put in your body.

So, after reading this book- it was without a doubt that my 3 month adventure into the world of being a vegetarian would be a cake walk.

In fact, I have no intention of eating meat ever again. Ever.

And that is the story of how I came to be a vegetarian. And I thought it would be appropriate to share today, on World Vegetarian Day.

I challenge you to go 1 day (24 hours) without meat in honor of today!

And in case you want to read the book...

Skinny Bitch

by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin