Summertimer.

I'm going to stop apologizing every time I leave a huge gap in between posts because I think it will always be so.  So, I am unsorry. This is me!

I have had a pretty good summer so far. I can't believe its August! I want to do so many more things before it gets chilly out. I better get moving! We're almost done with the yard, which means we can enjoy the yard, instead of work on it. I'll like that. The patio is going to be the worst part. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet...

Chase went to LA during the first week in June with Off the Cuff. They played in the LA Improv Festival. It was a big deal! Some of the biggest names in Improv know OTC personally. They were honored to go and had a great time. I was so lonely without him! We decided that it was better for me to stay home, so Chase and I were apart for the first time in a very long time! We always go on vacation together, and so this was a new experience for me. I missed and appreciated him terribly.

I love my dad on Father's Day. He likes to make the day about family instead of about him. It was so good to see and spend time with him. I love my daddio.

Then, mid-June, I decided that I wanted a lawn in my backyard. Well, of course this turned into a much larger and much more expensive project than I had originally intended, as always.  My grandpa came up and helped us put in a sprinkler system, which was totally worth it, and after we finally got the lawn in after raking and shoveling and leveling and excavating, it looks amazing. I'm so happy with it. I love my house more and more each time I do another project. It will never be totally finished, it seems, but maybe someday. (Photos to follow).

Another rather large decision in my life is the one I made to become vegan. I read a book called The China Study, and then one called Eating Animals. I decided that it was something that I believed in and was much better for my health than any other diet. I know that most people think this is extreme. For me, I compare it to reading the bible. You can read it, understand it, and take it or leave it. It is just something I believe. And really, what are the cons? It makes me eat extremely healthy things, and I have not missed meat at all. Now, dairy is a different story. I have missed dairy. But, in adjusting to this lifestyle I have been deciding what I am okay with eating and what is not okay. I know other vegans would not say this is vegan, but it's my type of vegan. So if you want to call it something else then you can. I just say vegan, because it is the easiest explanation. My ways of 'cheating' are: 1) eating only my own pet chickens' eggs, and 2) eating goat cheese made by someone that I know personally (I only found out he made cheeses after I had known him for a period). I know his goats are free-roaming and well taken care of, and I know they are grass-fed and loved. I buy his cheese on Wednesday's at the farmer's market. It's delicious!

I guess you could say vegetarian if you wanted. But which way is easier? Saying vegan, or saying vegetarian and then refusing dairy and then explaining why? No one knows that I only eat my own eggs and cheese at my house, so I think vegan is easier. As long as I keep those things at < 5% of my diet, I believe it is okay. For both health and humane reasons.

I have found that people become extremely defensive when you tell them what you're eating. I don't go out of my way to do so, but it comes up sometimes. And people think you're judging them, I think.

I'm not judging you. Just try not to judge me back.

In any case, I feel amazing. I've lost over 5 lbs without trying very hard. My body has changed so much. I never feel bloated or sick. I haven't had heartburn in 6 weeks. That is so unusual for me! I always get heartburn. And I haven't had an upset stomach or headaches (well, if I wear my nerd teeth {or night guard, as it were} I don't get headaches; I grind my teeth at night) the whole time. It seems like it has been much longer than 6 weeks. I did eat ice cream once, and I got a bad belly ache. Chase reminds me of this each time I want his salted caramel ice cream instead of my soy or coconut milk ice cream. I miss it, but it's worth it to me to stay away. He is a good husband.

We'll see what happens when I go to Disneyland in Sept. and I am faced with a cream cheese pretzel; one of my most favorite things in the world. Maybe I'll be vegetarian for a day. Cheater.

Happy June!