Amy

I found this website http://www.powerwalkersworld.com/index.htm I found this link to a very funny/stupid video on powerwalking http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1242775/real_power_walking/ I am amazed at the lengths people will go to to make videos. LOL

Welcome! We are happy you are here.

Welcome! There are many people on Vegan Body Building that can help you. I have learned so much from just surfing all of the different posts and asking questions. Enjoy your time here! Oh, and Happy Birthday (in a few days)

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sad. I just found out yesterday that LeanandGreen and thedanisays were coming through Illinois. Had I known sooner I could have met up with them today. No matter how much guilt Giacomo is gonna give me for not meeting up with him and Dani, I am standing by the fact it is not my fault! LOL

I am really impressed. I placed my first order with Vegan Essentials this past weekend (Saturday evening). I received confirmation yesterday that it was shipped. I received my items today!!!

Erik, Welcome! I'm glad you found VBB!

So far this year, Jars of Clay, Skillet, Barlow Girls, Mandisa, Mercy Me, 10th Avenue North, and Casting Crowns. (there are many others that I can not remember right now). In May of next year I am going on the Music Boat cruise to the Bahamas. I love music.

Welcome!!!

I love the word "y'all". Welcome!!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!! Enjoy the day!

I LOVE it! LOL I have 4 little ones in the family. I have my work cut out for me.

Thank you to everyone who read my post and expressed support. I don't have any local vegan friends. As to the previous post, I am 36. I have not lived at home since I was 19. My brother is 2 1/2 years older than I am. We live about 20 minutes from each other. My parents live in Kentucky (6 hours away). My family has always been close to each other. We do tease each other on occasion but recently I feel they have ganged up on me. I do care what my family thinks about the decisions I make in my life. When I became a vegetarian my mom was more supportive than my father or brother. When I became vegan, nobody has been supportive. I was even at my brother's house babysitting last weekend. My 12 year old nephew was making comments to me about my food choices. Children soak up so much information from their parents. My nephew is now expressing concern. I guess I need to sit down with my brother and have a talk with him one more time. If I don't soon, I feel that I am going to show up somewhere only to find out that I am in the middle of my own intervention.

My brother just called me on the phone from his car a few minutes ago. He and his family had just been to a dairy farm in central Illinois. He wanted to let me know how they (him, his wife, and their four children) got to milk a cow and see how cheese was made. He wanted me to know that the animals were not being treated bad at all. He also suggested that I go on the tour of the farm since it was inexpensive. I don't know what he expected me to say. I am ticked. My family has not been supportive of my choice to become vegan. My brother goes out of his way to prove me wrong about my decision. I have shared with him videos and my concerns that have lead me to making the decision to become vegan. He just laughs at me. He will call me from a restaurant and let me know how good the steak is that he is eating. He thinks it is a fun way to tease me. When I get upset with him and let him know that I am upset about what he is doing, he then gets angry with me and tells me that what I am doing is unhealthy. My mom was here visiting this past week. I suggested we get a pizza for dinner. She said I couldn't eat pizza since it had cheese. She then paused and said "You mean you want to order pizza without cheese?????? Amy, why are you doing this to yourself? Can you please explain this to me?" She was furious with me. I offered to show her materials and videos that have helped me to make this decision and she ignored me. My family treats me like I have an eating disorder!!!!!!! I do not force my family to eat what I eat. I do not make them feel guilty for eating meat. I want to scream and cry at the same time. I don't understand why my family can not be supportive. Thanks for letting me vent.

An organic food store just opened up where I live. I went last week to check it out. I was also like a kid in a candy store. I just bought some Veganaise for the first time and absolutely fell in love. LOL Anyway, enjoy all of the goodies.

PETA asking Ben & Jerry's to use breast milk instead of cows By John Curran Associated Press WATERBURY, Vt. -- Mooove over, Holsteins. PETA wants world-famous Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream to tap nursing moms, rather than cows, for the milk used in its ice cream. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking the ice cream maker to begin using breast milk in its products instead of cow’s milk, saying it would reduce the suffering of cows and calves and give ice cream lovers a healthier product. The idea got a cool reception Thursday from Ben & Jerry’s officials, the company’s customers and even La Leche League International, the world’s oldest breast-feeding support organization, which promotes the practice — for babies, anyway. PETA wrote a letter to company founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday, telling them cow’s milk is hazardous and that milking them is cruel. “If Ben and Jerry’s replaced the cow’s milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers — and cows — would reap the benefits,” wrote Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the animal rights advocacy group. She said dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies and obesity. Ashley Byrne, a campaign coordinator for PETA, acknowledged the implausibility of substituting breast milk for cow’s milk, but said it’s no stranger than humans consuming the milk of another species. “We’re aware this idea is somewhat absurd, and that putting it into practice is a stretch. At the time same, it’s pretty absurd for us to be drinking the milk of cows,” she said. It takes about 12 pounds — or 1½ gallons of milk — to make a gallon of ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s, which gets its milk exclusively from Vermont cows, won’t say how much milk it uses or how much ice cream it sells. As a standardized product under federal regulations, ice cream must be made with milk from healthy cows. Ice cream made from goat’s milk, for example, would have to be labeled as such. Presumably, so would mother’s milk ice cream. To Ben & Jerry’s, the idea is udderly ridiculous. “We applaud PETA’s novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother’s milk is best used for her child,” spokesman Sean Greenwood said in an e-mail. He didn’t respond to requests for an interview. Leon Berthiaume, general manager of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, which provides milk products to Ben & Jerry’s, called the dairy products “among the safest in the world.” “Milk from cows has long-term health benefits and has been proven to be safe and healthy and an important part of the American diet for generations,” he said. “I’m not ready to make that change.” Cow’s milk and mother’s milk aren’t interchangeable, according to La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse, who says breast milk is a dynamic substance that’s different with each woman and each child and might have difficulty being processed into ice cream. Then there’s the question of who would provide the milk, and whether they’d be paid. “Some women feel compelled to donate milk to a milk bank for adopted babies, or for someone who’s ill or unable to breast feed. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence about sisters who nurse each others’ babies. There’s a population of women very willing to share their milk. Whether there’s enough to do it for a commercial entity, who can say?” she said. At the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, consumers gave a collective “Ewww” to the idea Thursday. “It’s kind of creepy,” said Jeff Waugh, 42, of Dayton, Ohio. “I think it’s a little nutty,” said the Rev. Roger Wooton, 83, of Malden, Mass., finishing up a cup of Heath Bar Crunch. “How would they get all that milk?” said his wife, Jane Wooton, 77. Jen Wahlbrink, 34, of Phoenix, who breast-fed her 11-month-old son, Cameron, said she wouldn’t touch ice cream made from mother’s milk. She remembers her nursing days — and not that fondly. “The (breast) pumps just weren’t that much fun. You really do feel like a cow,” she said, cradling her son in her hands.

Welcome! We are glad you are here.

Welcome!

My absolute favorite is Qdoba Mexican Grill. I get a Veggie Burrito (rice, black beans, salsa, lettuce, and guacamole). YUM! I also like bean burritos (no cheese) from Taco Bell.

Since you will be traveling with a dog you might want to bring wet wipes and cleaning supplies if there are any car sick accidents.

I read the forum daily and I post on occassion.

Hi and Welcome to the group!

Hi and Welcome!!!!

Hi!!!!

The longest move I have made was from Illinois to Georgia and then back again. Both times I used a UHaul truck. If you are driving a truck and another person driving a car, it is a HUGE help to have walkie talkies. They are so cheap now to buy and you have at least a 2 miles range. Every now and then you may get feedback from someone else on the highway using them. They are awesome to use for a variety of reasons. When you are backing up the truck to load or unload it helps the driver. They save on cell phone minutes, and your cell battery. Some areas you drive in might not have great service. It keeps your cell phone charged just in case of an emergency. If you are moving over 50 miles to relocate for a job it is tax deductible. Save EVERY receipt you can. Save all of your gas, truck rental, food, packing supplies, etc. expenses and take them to a tax person next year. Even though you may be spending some money now, you might be able to get quite a bit of it back. Check with a tax person before you move. Ask them what can be deducted from the move. I know tax laws change each year but I was able to get some of my money back when I moved from Missouri to Illinois a couple of years ago. A new type of moving service is something called Pods. If you haven't heard of it you can go to www.pods.com to see what it is. You load all of your belongings in a temporary storage box and a truck comes along and moves it for you to a location. You keep the pod (and you don't have to unpack it) until you are ready for them to pick up the empty pod. I don't know how much the cost is, but I do know it is cheaper than paying a moving company to move your things. If you get a Uhaul truck, get a size bigger than what you think you need. It may cost a little more money, but it can save a lot of stress on moving day. Most people underestimate how much they own. It is amazing how much crap we can get in an apartment or house. If you are driving across country, check with your insurance company to make sure you have road side assistance on your vehicle. If you don't, add it. You can always take if off later. You never know what can happen as you are driving long distance. Also, some insurance companies give away a free Atlas to their clients. Mine does and I always make sure I have a new one before a long road trip. I would discourage getting travelers' checks. There are so many bad travelers' checks floating around. A lot of businesses will give you a hard time or they will have to call them in before accepting them. I would try to use your ATM/Debit card as much as possible and have cash on hand in case of an emergency. Keep in mind that you will also need a stash of coins for toll roads. If your bank is a national chain, go online and see where there are locations throughout the US. You may need to stop at one on the way. Before you leave on your trip, make a photo copy of your drivers license, insurance card, credit cards, etc just in case your purse/wallet gets stolen. Have your family keep it for you just in case you need it. They can always fax it to you. It isn't something fun to think about, however it helps you to remember exactly what you took with you so you can cancel cards and checking accounts right away. If I can think of more, I'll post again.