what's new, what's old

That's my Dad on the left.  Those big trees are marijuana. 

All 6 of our fish are alive this year.  Yay!

Some pretty spring blossoms.

They smell so good!  It's supposed to snow tonight... so stay warm little pink guys!

Tomorrow will be my 4th time in a row singing at church since I've been back, and the 2nd time on guitar.  I'll take some time off in May.  It's sad that Darryl has been gone the whole time I've been singing again.  He's been gone for almost a month now... I'm glad I've had the singing and playing to keep me occupied.  It does get pretty quiet and lonely sometimes...

food and family

So, I sang for the first time in 4 months yesterday.  Was I nervous?  Oh don't be silly, I was completely calm....and if you believe that, you don't know me very well.  I was nearly hyperventilating.  BUT, I was trusting God with all of it.  And I'm glad I did because I got GREAT feedback, even from one of my staunchest critics.  Shocking really.  Glory to God!  And I thank God for people like Gretchen and Corey who support me with kind words and encouragement!  Sometimes people have kind thoughts towards another person but never speak them.  It is the words spoken to you that make a difference.  For me on Sunday morning, Corey's words set the mood for my worshipful attitude and he gave me peace, comfort, and joy.  Words say a lot!  And also, words that are never spoken say a lot!  The folks around you who take the time to speak truth into your life - those are your real friends.

Well, Darryl's been gone for a couple of weeks so far, so here's a little of my life while he's been away.  I think he'll be gone for another 2 weeks...not sure.  It's strange not having anyone to talk to.

Nice salad with rice cake croutons...yeah, you know how yummy this looks!

Asparagus with rice noodles.... uh-huh!  :)

Kyle and Hilary took me out to lunch after church last week.  This is my Hippie Hash... (vegan)

The cuties who took me to lunch last week.

haha yeah...I ate less than 1/2 of that delicious lunch.

Got my hair cut last week.  I was upset because the lady did not cut it the way I wanted...I even had a picture with me!  She told me at the end she didn't cut it the same as the picture.  May I ask, "WHY THE HECK NOT?"  Oh well, I'm trying to make the most of it.  2 bad hair cuts in a row...what's a girl to do?

Yesterday after church all my guys came over for lunch.  We made an impromptu vegan feast, along with a couple of non-vegan things for Kyle and Hilary.  It was a wonderful day.

The newly weds!  Don't they look happy? :)

The old married couple, haha!  Living in joyful bliss.  :) 

Moo, Mom, Mum; Chef extraordinaire... 

We got lots of snow yesterday...no worries, it'll be near 70 this week!

I've lost 16 lbs so far, since going vegan.  Will keep you posted with my progress....

my new vegan life

Just over a month ago I went to the Dr.
I thought there was something majorly wrong with me.
Well, in a way, there was.  I was getting super overweight and became unhealthy.  I decided to make some drastic changes in my way of eating.  So I became a vegan.  I've gotten ALL animal products out of my system, including eggs, fish, and dairy.  I've eliminated all oil and cut back severely on any sugar.

Here is a small sampling of some of the things I've enjoyed eating for the past 4-5 weeks.

black bean pasta with tomato puree

cauliflower steak with carrots and asparagus

potatoes with vegan cheese, vegan bacon bits, and broccoli

cucumber and salsa wrap

cucumber and tomato open face sandwich with vegan cream cheese

potato and green lentil soup with gluten free croutons

grits with vegan butter and vegan bacon bits

rice pasta and veggies

oil free potatoes

pasta and salad

salad and potato soup

brown rice pasta and veggies

salad with quinoa

salad with rice

Yeah so this is going to be a great adventure for me.

Here's an interesting video for anyone interested in this topic.

Ryan and Janelle Vegh - wedding

Here are a bunch of shots of Ryan and Janelle's wedding.  It was truly one of the most beautiful ceremonies I've ever seen!
click on picture to enlarge.

There were a lot of great shots...this is only a handful.  BUT, I'm devastated that there wasn't ONE picture of the Mother/Son song that I spent months working on!!