For the last few weeks I have been musing over the last year and how fantastic it’s been.  Here are just some of the highlights:

I started the year with my first vlog and a road trip across the country with a friend.  Ate some incredible food, met up with fabulous people and saw a good portion of the U.S.

I was interviewed by VeganCulinaryExperience.com and VegetarianWomen.com.

Traveled to Phoenix and Seattle before heading out to Australia for the month of March.  What an experience that was!  I ate so much great food and met so many awesome Aussies and fellow travelers.  Check out some of my photos here.

In April I took a road trip from E. Lansing, MI to Oklahoma City, OK.  I was home for a day, then I went to Tahoe for a weekend getaway with my best girlfriends from high school.

One of the biggest things to happen to me all year was appearing on the cover of the Nashville Scene in May.  That photo opened a lot of doors for me and was so much fun!  I’m so thankful for that.

Speaking of photos, I went to Bonnaroo in June and ended up on the Maxim Facebook pictorial Babes of Bonnaroo 2.  My bikini photo from the Nashville Scene also earned the honor of one of the Hottest Girls on Facebook at Maxim.com.  Ecorazzi and Vegetarian Star picked up the story as well.  Fun!

My site was nominated for the second year in a row for a VegNews Veggie Award (Favorite Web Site) and was also named one of the Top Ten Vegetarian Web Sites.  Thank you, VegNews, for your continued support!

Summer also brought my second trip to Vegetarian Summerfest, where I got to speak about vegan travel, reconnect with old friends, make lots of new ones, and witness one of the best weddings ever.

AR 2009 was a blast too!  I met some of my vegan idols, had a great time with awesome folks I had met the year before and I interviewed my good friends Michelle Taylor and Robert Cheeke.

Michelle interviewed me for her online TV show, Vegan Break, and I also appeared on the Robert Cheeke Show.  I had the privilege of speaking with Ed Coffin on the Eating Consciously Podcast and Vance Lehmkuhl’s VegCast #70.

In September I was part of the Tennessean experiment Vegan for a Month.  I got to be the unofficial Vegan Lifestyle Coach for five members of the Tennessean staff as they ate vegan for thirty days.  It was a lot of fun, and great exposure for veganism.

September also brought me to Toronto for the 25th Annual Vegetarian Food Fair.  So much fun!  I got to hang with some of my favorite vegans as well as some old friends I have known online for years.  Great trip!  Toronto is a fabulous city and very vegan friendly.  Can’t wait to go back.

October was a busy travel month.  I went to Portland, where I spent time with family and hung out with my friend Robert Cheeke.  Robert and I saw Gary Vaynerchuk at Powell’s and of course ate some amazing food.  I also got to speak about Why It’s Easy to be Vegan at the Central Florida VegFest, which was a great experience.  VooDoo Fest in New Orleans during Halloween weekend was super fun too.

I came to Nashville in 2000 to pursue my singing career and this year I started working on my first album with Producer/Guitarist Extraordinaire Biff Watson.  Vance previewed my first single “Let Go” on VegCast #75 and I’ll be releasing more music via MySpace and iTunes very soon.  Yay!

November and December were pretty quiet as far as travel is concerned, but I found lots of amazing vegan food right here in Nashville, as you can see by my latest blogs.  Nashville is becoming more and more vegan friendly and it’s exciting to watch and experience!

I am so thankful for my life.  I get to travel all over the world eating great vegan food, I have amazing friends and family and a rich, full life in Nashville.  In just one year I got to eat in these forty cities:

Memphis, TN
Plano, TX
Austin, TX
Big Bend, TX
Tucson, AZ
Joshua Tree, CA
Palm Springs, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Tempe, AZ
Sedona, AZ
Asheville, NC
Seattle, WA
Sydney, NSW, AuS
Manly, NSW, AUS
Melbourne, Victoria, AUS
Brisbane, Queensland, AUS
Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia
Gold Coast, Queensland, AUS
Hamilton Island, Queensland, AUS
Hot Springs, NC
Knoxville, TN
East Lansing, MI
Joplin, MO
Oklahoma City, OK
Truckee, CA
Incline Village, NV
Oakland, CA
San Francisco, CA
Manchester, TN
Johnstown, PA
Santa Rosa, CA
Napa, CA
Toronto, ON, Canada
Atlanta, GA
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Orlando, FL
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

Thank you all so much for your continued support.  2010 is looking to be amazing and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.  Happy New Year!

There is just nothing quite like spending time with hundreds of like-minded people, sharing ideas and amazing meals, making and listening to music, finding creative new ways to spread messages of nutrition, cooking, animal rights, etc., and this year especially, celebrating LOVE!

I met Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran last year at the Pittsburgh Airport.  I was waiting for the shuttle to take me to Johnstown, PA and when I saw JC in a sweatshirt with VEGAN written on the front, I knew I had found my group.  I didn’t know any of these folks before, but they made me feel welcome right away.

Throughout the weekend I got to know them better by listening to Rae’s incredible talks and by visiting the Plant Peace Daily booth and chatting with them both.  I was struck by how Rae always seemed to address JC as “Mi Amor” or “My Love” every time she spoke to him.  Their love for each other was so apparent and incredibly beautiful.

This year I unfortunately didn’t get to share the shuttle ride with them, but as soon as I saw Rae when I arrived on campus, we exchanged hugs and kisses and I found out the most wonderful news:  She and JC were to be married on Saturday in the Adirondack Shelter on the UPJ campus.  They had met at Summerfest three years earlier, so it was completely fitting that they celebrate their love with their extended vegan family at the place where it all started.

The wedding was officiated by the amazing Howard Lyman, who is always an inspirational speaker.  Rae and JC wrote their own touching vows, which were heard for the first time by each other as they were being spoken out loud.

There was music, laughter, wine and a lovely cake made by the fabulous Dairy-Free Dessert Diva Fran Costigan, but even though it had the ingredients that characterize most weddings, this one stood out to me in so many ways from any I’ve ever attended.  Summerfest is an amazing family and I believe the love that Rae and JC share and radiate is enough to renew anyone’s faith in relationships and marriage.  It definitely had an effect on me and I know I’m not alone.

I am so honored to have been part of a such a beautiful celebration.  My very best wishes to Rae and JC, two of the most incredible people I know.

Peace.

I attended my first Summerfest last year and it definitely changed my life.  I blogged about it here.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the incredible people I met last year and it will be great to make new friends as well.  Let me know if you’re going!

I love being a part of the vegan community.  I truly, truly love it.  I don’t live in a place where there are a lot of vegans.  We don’t have any vegan restaurants here…yet.  I do know lots of fabulous, compassionate, wonderful people in Nashville and I’m not complaining, but going to festivals and events where you know most everyone there shares your knowledge and lifestyle is really an uplifting experience like no other.

For me, veganism isn’t about giving up anything.  Since I made this decision, I have only gained.  I feel better, I look better, I have more spiritual clarity and I’m part of a community that I absolutely adore.  What have I lost?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I eat amazing food that energizes me and tastes great.  I eat more vegetables and whole foods than I ever have and I feel vibrant, healthy, strong and nourished.  It truly is the best decision I’ve ever made.

I don’t think I’m better than anyone else.  I try my best not to judge those who don’t feel the same way I do.  I believe everyone is on their own path and we all need to discover our own truths on our own time lines.  At the same time though, I also know that the way we’re living right now, especially in this country, is not sustainable.

So, I want to help.  I want to help the humans, the animals and the planet by doing what I feel is best for all and best for my own person.  I choose the world I want to live in with every meal I eat.  I will not force my views on others, but I will always be here to answer questions.

Thank you so much for reading.  I am so grateful for all of you.  ALL of you.

I felt very emotional the last two days.  I was nearly brought to tears every time I thought about how beautiful it was to share this time with this group of people who are smart, compassionate, loving and friendly.  I never went to summer camp as a kid, but I now know what that must have been like for those who did.  Here we were, grown adults staying in college dorm rooms and tearfully hugging each other goodbye upon departure while saying, “See you next year!”  Every time I was asked if I will return to Summerfest, my answer was “Hell yeah!”  I can’t believe I have to wait a whole year.  If any of you are reading this, thank you.  Thank you for an incredible, inspiring experience.

See you next year!

Farm Sanctuary’s Gene Baur and me at Vegetarian Summerfest