bring joy

mormon + vegan (part 2) (joseph’s perspective)

from Jiri Zraly via flikr

Well, not literal lightening, the figurative kind.

I’ll explain in a bit, but first.

About six years ago, I wrote this post.

Since then, the google machine has brought many, many visitors to who were searching for anyone & anything related to being Mormon (ie. LDS or belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) AND vegan, because apparently, the two labels rarely coincide.

And because of said visitors over the years, I’ve received lots of emails & messages from fellow Mormons–

“Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone!”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one.”

“How do you handle church functions that involve food?”

And so on.

The other day I received one of the most surprising, I-can’t-believe-it-happened, “is this for real?” type emails I’ve ever...

green lemonade smoothie — should you drink it? {RECIPE}

slim + slender, cleansing

(Don’t judge me.)

Between pages of glossed up celebs on the red carpet or on the beach (it seems that they live perpetually in either place) & photos of the impeccable Kate Middleton & baby Charlotte, I noticed a section titled, “Celebs that love green juice!” followed by a half a dozen starlets shown smiling with a cup of green in hand.

I had to chuckle, because well, leave it to Hollywood to take something great & turn it into a flashy trend.

Trendy or not, there’s a reason why green juice is hot right now.

If done right, it can taste delicious AND deliver a load of refreshment, nourishment, & alkalinity (which your body loves).

Yes!

If you’ve never tried green juice, a green lemonade smoothie (my favorite form of green juice) is probably your safest bet.

It isn’t too green...

moving day (leaving Texas)

personal

originally posted in why parenting is easier than you think

Is it in the people you meet, the restaurants you dine, the parks you visit, the streets you drive, the paths you take that become your own?

Today is my last day in San Antonio.

This evening my babies & I will hop on a plane & leave this place.*

We have been here for 2 1/2 years.

In that time I have grown my brood from four to five.

I’ve become a military wife & have had my induction into the military life.

I have made dear friends & kindred spirits who have shown me that people are kind & good. And though our departure from San Antonio won’t be anything like our previous farewell, our friends & memories are none the less keen.

I gave up home school, then embraced it again (if only for a brief period, I can’t be sure).

I’ve...