13th Annual Library of Congress National Book Festival

((STILL SCREAMING))

 

I GOT TO MEET THE WOMAN WHO MADE MY CHILDHOOD AWESOME!!!
(and then went to work and sobbed about it 3 hours later)

 

Jess got to meet the man who wrote The Pendragon Adventure series, the "Harry Potter books" of her childhood.

 

THEN I GOT TO MEET TAMORA PIERCE AND HAVE HER SIGN THE FIRST BOOK OF HERS I EVER READ!!!

STILL CRYING ABOUT IT!!!

Important Tidbit On What I've Been Up To

((SCREAMING)) #mac&cheese #dairyfree #vegan
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You're probably wondering what the above picture means other than to show a box of Dairy Free Mac'n'Cheese. Well, that picture was taken 2 months ago on August 3, 2013. Since then, I've been pescetarian/vegetarian.

I know, right? "Why?!" I blame my mom. She watched a vegan documentary that was blunt in what goes on in the meat and food industry, and then decided to show me those sections in particular. That night, all we had in the house was rotisserie chicken and felt physically ill just thinking of eating it. And I'd thought Forks Over Knives had been eye-opening. (>_<)

At that point, I had every intention of going vegan. I'd already been 96% (-ish. it's hard giving up the M&Ms and chocolate chip cookies) dairy free for a year, and I wasn't a fan of eggs outside of fried rice, breakfast sandwiches, or my usual "Fruity Tooty Fresh and Fruity" order at IHOP (of which I'm trying my hand at the syrup, soon). So that was it. Vegan I would become.

Then I remembered we were going to Virginia Beach for vacation. I'm not sorry, but I love me some shrimp. Maybe one day I'll fully give up all meats, but until that day, I'm content with the occasional seafood. And I found it harder worrying about eggs, or honey, or milk being in the majority of the baked goods I'd be eating when I wasn't in a place I was familiar with. At least here in Northern Virginia I know where I can easily score a vegetarian or vegan meal. Two-hundred plus miles from home? Wasn't adding that to my, or my mother's, plate....pun not intended.

In any case, I'm proud of myself. I'm the only one in the house that's pescetarian and I've been cooking more. We have about 3 new vegan/vegetarian cookbooks on hand and with the commissary carrying vegetable protein meat, it's been easy on when my mom cooks instead. I was even able to join in on the family dinner when my mom, using the aforementioned chicken, made a pot pie from scratch and I found a single-serve, vegetarian one at the store while getting the crusts. :)

 

So that's that. Biggest "What I've Been Doing" update at the moment. :)