Another year older. 37 years. A whole lot to be grateful for. When I was a child my birthday was so exciting because of the party and the cake and the presents. I remember the anticipation of the surprises to come (and a touch of discomfort about being the center of attention). Now that I’m a little bit older it's not about the presents and surprise (still digging the cake, though, I’ve got to be honest ;-) )… I feel like it’s a new beginning, another fresh start. Another Ne

*There are tons of amazing books on veganism and going vegan, these are just the ones that came into my life at just the right time. Documentaries Forks over knives Food, Inc Fat Sick and Nearly Dead Vegucated Earthlings** Cowspiracy** **These I watched more recently. Highly recommend. Books Main Street Vegan by Victoria Moran Skinny Bitch Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverston Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn Finding Ultra by Rich Roll No Meat Athlet

When I was in my late teens (1996ish) I watched a 60 minutes segment on how chickens were raised and kept and killed on factory farms. It affected me immediately and I swore off meat. Over several weeks, maybe a few months, my resolve began to fade. I didn’t know any vegetarians and I really had no idea if it was even possible to live without meat long term. A moment of weakness with my dad’s cooking on the grill and my brief vegetarian phase was over, what I had seen on the