Jorge Garcia and I would like to wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Happiest of Halloweens to you my dears! 

In honor of the holiday, please enjoy a Halloween themed short I co-wrote with my dear friend and vegetarian, Jorge Garcia (yes, Hurley from LOST!). Many thanks to Jordan Epstein, Ian Woods, and Diego Giovanni Tovar for helping to make this a reality.

 May today be filled for each of you with yummy vegan goodies, costumes galore, and the childlike wonder that makes Halloween so special. :-)

A Thought As You Go Through Your Day.

My husband posted this passage of a story on his facebook wall this week. A FB friend of his had posted about a recent experience he had, and it definitely bears repeating. An absolutely lovely summation of the slow, but steady progress our movement of compassion is making. Read on:

"A beautiful moment occurred today. While standing outside my art gallery in California eating a sandwich, the elderly Brazilian landlord of my building stopped and asked what kind of sandwich I was eating. "Veggie patty and avocado," I said. He asked me if I ate animals. I said no. He said, "Neither do I." I said to him, "Really? Why not?" He said "Because I hate to see them suffer." Meanwhile a third person stepped up, overhearing our conversation - an Italian artist from Rhode Island, he said to both of us, "I can't believe people still eat animals." I said, "Are you vegan too?" He said, "Hell yeah." 

So there we stood, three men who barely know each other: an old Brazilian man, an artist from Rhode Island, and me, a California former stoner/skater - all with one thing in common: compassion for the oppressed. I thought to myself, is this really happening? I thought it was only on FB that three vegans would randomly intersect. Is the world changing? Maybe it is. At least in small moments here and there. Like the moment I experienced today." 

- Al Jackson, vegan activist

Farm Sanctuary's LA Walk for Farm Animals!

It's that time of year again! In fact, it's been that time of year for a little over a month now!  It's time to Walk for Farm Animals!

Every year, the leading farmed animal protection organization in the United States, Farm Sanctuary, leads Walks all over the country to help raise awareness about the plight of the millions of farmed animals who are abused, confined, and lose their lives every day for the food and clothing industry.  The Walk becomes a rally, a force of good, a massive community gathering to provide a voice for these voiceless beings and help others connect more closely with their values & beliefs (especially when 97% of Americans oppose cruelty to animals).  The Walk allows an opportunity to bring a visual of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, sheep, goats, horses all in an open, free natural environment - living, breathing, playing, thriving.  The Walk opens up opportunities to raise funds that go to rescuing farmed animals, providing urgent care and lifelong refuge, and education and advocacy efforts.

We've been a part of three Walks so far, in Rehoboth Beach, DE, New York, NY, and Santa Monica, LA, CA, and are excited for the possibility of our fourth!  Overall, we're excited to raise money for such a powerful, valuable cause close to our hearts.  The Walks started at the beginning of September and will continue through the beginning of November.  Our Los Angeles Walk is coming up just next week (yeeps!)                                      on Saturday, October 27th in Pasadena.

Team Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!/Ahimsa Life Coaching asks you, our lovely KMIV family, for your support and to please help us contribute to the animals. A sponsorship donation as little as $1 or $5 is amazing, and anything beyond is absolutely tremendous.  

You can check out our Walk sponsorship page here.  Please leave a note if you contribute so we can say thank you (or not, if you like the whole anonymous benefactor thing).

If you live in or around the LA/Pasadena area, maybe we'll get to see you!  As of this post, there are still Walks happening in Louisville, KY, Atlanta, GA, New York City, NY, Sacramento, CA, Phoeniz, AZ, Austin, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Philadelphia, PA, and Tampa Bay, FL.  If you don't have one in a city near you or you just can't make it, there's an even easier way to get involved with the Sleep In for Farm Animals on November 3rd.

Since its inception in 1986, Farm Sanctuary, headed by founder Gene Baur, has paved the way for opening the hearts and minds of millions of people to true compassion.  This year, Peter Dinklage, of Boardwalk Empire and other television/films, is the WfFA Spokesperson.  Please join Gene, Peter, the thousands of people walking around the country, and, of course, us!, in support and celebration of our beloved farmed                                        animals. 

Oh my gosh... it's been 4 years. And I almost missed it.

I've been out of touch. 

Winnie has forgiven me. Can you?

I've been really  ridiculously, shamefully, what's wrong with her? out of touch.

I know that some of your favorite posts on here are the personal ones, and they've been few and far between the last couple of months. Life has been a beautiful whirlwind this past year - of acting (check out my episode on HBO's Enlightened in January!), singing (yay open mics), working my butt off (i heart vegan kids), and enjoying family time whenever i get the chance (thank you iPhones and understanding husbands). All of this has made one of my favorite pastimes - blogging - nearly obsolete. With the exception of my hubby's stellar posts about vegan nutrition and food giveaways, I've been distant with you guys. Until today. Because today, I will share some stuff, hit "publish" and you, my kiss-worthy readers, will be able to enjoy a personal post from yours truly. And hopefully a little balance will be restored. 

So, what have I been doing with my little vegan self since I last shared? Well,I...

Farmer John's = obscene cruelty.

Visited Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres and snuggled with Winnie the goose.

Attended a protest at Farmer John's slaughterhouse (aka hell on Earth for pigs and piglets alike, unlike the mural to the right suggests). 

Helped a friend with some non-dairy alternatives so he could cut back on his cow's milk consumption (yay!).

Got interviewed for an upcoming article in Bazaar about vegan women.

Watched the vegan hubby run a 10K Gladiator Run. Alongside Positively Bliss yoga teacher Ashley Platz. Go Team V!

Enjoyed wayyyyy too much yummy vegan food with my now - you guessed it - vegan! - brother when he came to Los Angeles recently with his lovely GF.

Discovered The Sexy Vegan. Check him out HERE. 

Gave a vegan cookbook to a non-vegan friend.

Signed and shared petitions like this one from PETA. Thank you PETA. 

And hugged my cats. A lot.

And then there's the reasons to smile list, which I am bringing back today. You know, the one I used to write a while back every few posts? Here's a refresher for those who have no idea what I'm talking about.

Today, I only have one thing to list. Because my biggest reason to smile is... 

YOU GUYS. 

Thank you so much for continuing on this kooky, smile-inducing, humbling journey with me. Because it's been 4 - count em, FOUR - blissful years of living 100% vegan. Yep, that's right. Four Octobers ago I got the idea to fully commit myself to a lifestyle I am still head over heels in love with. Check out my 2010 post about the "vegan glow" to get an idea of the magic I've experienced since.

Thank you for being accepting, for being supportive, for being patient, and for being understanding. Thank you for being like my own little vegan family!

I love you and am tremendously grateful to have you as a part of Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!. Here's to many more years of compassionate blogging!