Under construction!!

So I have been spending a lot of time recently thinking about my blog and YouTube Channel and what I really want my channel to be about. What do I really enjoy? What do I really want to let you know about the vegan lifestyle?

So I have come up with the answer and I am so excited I can't wait to roll out the Improved CrunchyandHappy!! Stay tuned and Thank you for reading :-)

VIVA La Crunch!

2011 Chicago Walk For Farm Animals/Native Foods Cafe-Picture Heavy!!!

The Chicago Walk for Farm Animals was held 9/10/11 in Lincoln Park. My hubby and I attended and had the best time raising money for farm animals and socializing with other people who support the Farm Sanctuary. The weather turned out wonderful so the rain gear we packed in my hubby's backpack was not needed. There was a raffle with awesome prizes from vegan companies, face painting, temporary tattoos, good music, and of course great food. Thank you to everyone who supported us by donating money (if you missed out on donating you have until 9/17/11 to donate on my fundraising page http://events.walkforfarmanima ls.org/participant/leolinl otherwise you are always welcome to donate money or learn more information about Farm Sanctuary and all the wonderful work that they do at www.farmsanctuary.org).

Also I couldn't finish writing the entry without telling you about the food. Some of the food donated at the walk was from a vegan restaurant in Chicago called Native Foods Cafe. They gave the walk attendees a $5 gift card to use so of course my hubby and I had to try them out. When in Chicago we usually visit The Chicago Diner, but we were very happy that we decided to step out of our food comfort zone this time around. Native Foods Cafe (http://www.nativefoods.com/) was founded in 1994 and they serve fresh homemade vegan meals daily. The atmosphere was comfortable and friendly and the menu was tasty and reasonably priced. While waiting in line we were treated to samples of their two drinks Lavender Lemonade and Watermelon Fresca. We ended our lunches with a chocolate love pie and cheesecake. We will defiantly be vising there again.

I wanted to give you some wonderful pictures to look at from our day at the Walk. Hopefully next year we can see you there!!

Stretching before the Walk

Gene Baur (President and Co-founder of the Farm Sanctuary) and I

Where there are vegans there is FOOD!

Great vegan minds

Vegan Army

Scorpion Burger/Portobello and Sausage Burger. Yummy!

After Walk Lunch @ Native Foods Cafe

No Longer a Pet Person

If you have read more than one of my blogs or if you know me personally you know that I am a true respecter (I know not a real word) of animals. I am a vegan, I write a vegan blog and have a vegan Youtube channel, I interned at the Farm Sanctuary, I have volunteered at animal shelters since grade school,  I subscribe to VegNews magazine, I am raising a vegan baby, and I turned my hubby vegan (at least for 2011). Everyday I strive to live a cruelty free lifestyle for all animals, not just the cute furry ones.

So you might be surprised to find out that I am no longer a "pet person". (Pet person adj: A person who loves pets, who always has a pet, who would do anything for their pet, and/or who can not live without a pet in their home). Yes I have had pets since I was a child and yes I currently have a pet kitty name Golden (pictured above), but once the day come when Golden goes to kitty heaven, he will be my families last pet.

So what happened you may ask? How can a bunny hugger no longer love pets? Nothing big happened, but my hubby and I have decided that we no longer desire the responsibility that comes with having a companion animal. Food, shelter, litter, vet care, shedding fur, time, attention, training, behavioral problems, pet friendly living, etc. and the list goes on. Also, I am a true believer in adopting an animal and caring for it from day 1 until death. I believe that if you want to have a pet that you should first research which type of animal that would be the best for you, your family and lifestyle, and that you should fully be prepared to care for that animal for it's full life (which can sometimes be up to 20 years depending on the animal!).

Now in saying this I do not want to discourage anyone from adopting a companion animal (notice I said adopting not BUYING-do you know that according to the Aspca approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized. 60 percent of of these animals are dogs and 70 percent are cats). Having a companion animal can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life.

Companion animals will always be a part of my families life. In the future we plan to continue to volunteer with our local shelter by fostering companion animals. This way we can enjoy the company without the long term time and financial commitment. Also fostering will give us the opportunity to help prepare a pet to enter into their long-term home well adjusted.

Are you a pet person? Why or why not?

o