Kaia’s vegetarianism:  Absolutely no meat unless it is “happy cows” (grass fed beef), “happy chickens” (cage free chicken), or seafood.  To outline what this looks like I eat stuff like shrimp and fish but I only eat beef or chicken if I’m over at someone’s house and they happen to be serving from happy animals.  Does that make sense?

I have been a vegetarian for one and a half years now.  Two Decembers ago it started with a big idea from Josh to give it a whirl just for fun.  He now eats meat again, I stuck with the veggies.

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the same time and after several months of prayer and staying away from meat my body leveled out and I have been problem free since.  I can’t say it was not eating meat that did it but I do know that I feel great.  I also can’t say everyone has to be vegetarian because I really think that everyone’s body asks for and needs different types of nutrients and that they function better without certain things being ingested.  Since I made the switch I have never felt so light and healthy and my body is so grateful for the greater consumption of veggies and fruits in place of the meats. That being said, I move on to my next reason for living life meat free.   

As some of you have guessed by my definition above, I also choose to live meat free for animal rights.  Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been head over heels for animals of every kind.  So when I learned just how awfully chickens and cows are treated on giant stockyards the choice to be vegetarian stuck.  To say the least, I watched Food Inc and decided I did not want to contribute to the repulsive way they treat animals.

My final reason for being vegetarian is that with the exception of burgers and hot dogs (I know, hot dogs of all things) I really didn’t enjoy eating meat.  Josh and I didn’t buy it with our groceries before my diet change and I usually preferred to opt out of any meat when we went out to eat.  So as soon as he mentioned cutting meat out all together I realized I really liked the idea simply because I really didn’t like it in the first place.

Saying I’m vegetarian is, by no means, my snobbish way to get out of eating something I don’t like.  I know my body runs better without and I know I love animals way to much to be putting them through the torturous life they are given in stock yards.  Sometimes I wish my conviction weren’t this strong just so I could not be an annoying house guest, but I also don’t require anyone to not make meat while I’m included in the dining.  I simply ask that I am only given the things on the menu that don’t have meat or meat products in them (potatoes, salad, bread, veggies, etc).  So for all of you who ask the question “what do I feed a vegetarian?”  Your answer is:  everything else.

Josh and I had a date with Erin and Ian Philpot last night at 8 pm at an outdoor DQ in West Dundee.  It was exhilarating watching the storm roll in with it’s fantastic lighting dance.  We had the dogs with us that that made for a tousle when a couple dogs passed by.  Haley’s initial response was a robust guard dog barking and when we persuaded her into silence she was all eyes alert and fully body quiver.  Sam’s continuous response was his painfully shrill defense barking intermixed with his chimp sounding talking noises.  Meanwhile I’m trying to tackle the largest medium chocolate dipped chocolate ice cream cone.  The shell not only didn’t harden completely but it was oozing chocolate ice cream all down my hand – apparently it was not only too warm out for the ice cream to harden the shell but it was so hot that the shell actually melted a mighty outer layer of ice cream.  So while that is oozing out the cracks in the shell it is also melting at the top where I started to nibble away.  Every time I got a hunk of shell the freed melted outer layer splooshed onto my hands.  I was a mess but it sure was delicious.

An hour and a few minutes later the storm cracked it’s first thunder and sent Haley into a whole new and different wave of full body convulsions.  She made it onto my lap and I comforted her with a vice grip until we all realized that crack was only the beginning and it was probably time to move.  We stood up and, literally, as soon as we did the wind became a violent torrent of dust and intermittent raindrops.  We rushed to the car and I scooped Haley up along the way because she was clearly looking for any means of escape.  Again, literally, as soon as we all threw ourselves into the car the downpour crashed upon us.

The worst of it was the drive home.  I played the role of terrified passenger and spent most of the ride envisioning the ways we very well might get into an accident and severely injure ourselves.  We slid through puddles and around unknowing drivers.  As we neared home my less freaked out fear was that in the last stretch of probably my most terrifying car ride we would crash the only car we had.  (Side note:  our truck was recently diagnosed “totaled” so we are once again a one car family.)  Then I prayed with all my might that God wouldn’t take away our last mode of transportation when home was in sight.

The story ends safely at home with me yanking the rain petrified dogs out of the car, through the pelting rain, and through the front door for a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory with the hubby before bed.