look back, Fall ahead...

   It’s always tough getting out of bed on a Monday after a jam-packed weekend, but there was something different about this morning. I woke up to the window open and a cool breeze blowing in on my face, and it felt so good. Usually, I would want to nestle back up under the covers and steal Stephanos’ body heat, but today, I wanted to jump right out of bed and scream, “Fall is on its  way!!!”, but I didn’t want to wake my exhausted boyfriend from his much needed sleep.

   There’s something thrilling about knowing that Fall is coming. Maybe it’s the excitement for cute jackets and tall boots. Maybe it’s because I’m anxiously awaiting the taste of pumpkin beer and the sound of leaves crunching under my heels. Maybe it’s the perfect hair days and the smell of everything autumn in the air. Whatever it is, I’m excited, and I wish every morning could feel like this one.

   As I was singing in the shower, I realized that summer really is slowly fading, but that’s okay with me. A lot of people get down knowing that they have to wait another full year for warm weather and beach days, but not me. I’m just happy that I have a lot of fun memories from Summer 2012 to reflect on. I began replaying this past weekend up at Old Orchard Beach in my head. There’s nothing better than sitting around a campfire with good friends, drinking delicious drinks, hearing your favorite songs come on the IPod, grilling up some tasty vegetarian burgers, getting noise control warnings, and dancing the night away at the bars on the beach. (the rest of the weekend is still being pieced together, ha-ha ;) ) Here’s a little sample of what the weekend looked like:

Nala tried to sneak her way into my bag...

I think she really wanted to come camping...

I started off with a Chobani before I left work and hit the road!

Who says you can't eat healthy when everyone you're with wants to stop at BK?

Men hard at work setting up the camper!

Livin the good life.

Kings!

A little rain didn't get us down!

We had beautiful sunshine on Saturday!

Drinks on the pier

Summer lovin' :)

Amusements :)

Cheers!!

 

Best friends!

We met Elvis ;)

Dancin' the night away!

So relaxed!

   I made certain to have an entirely full and fun experience on vacation, camping, while still eating 100% vegetarian food. I want you to know that it’s completely possible to maintain a healthy and happy vegetarian diet while vacationing.  Of course I may have eaten and drank slightly more than usual, but let’s face it, I was on vacation! You’ve gotta step outside the box every now and again, right?? Remember, it’s okay to cheat when you absolutely need to! Some people like to drink their calories, some people like to eat them, but as long as you monitor them and burn them off on the dance floor, you should be good to go! ;)

   If I’m vacationing or visiting some place special, I sometimes chose to drink my calories. Here is a list of many different vegetarian and non-vegetarian beers:  http://www.barnivore.com/beer# 

   Did you even know that many beers are not vegan/vegetarian? Neither did I until last year, but luckily for me, the beers I enjoy most just happen to be vegetarian. Like I said before, you learn something new all the time about being eating! That’s what makes it exciting!

   To wrap this post up, I’d like to ask you some questions What are your favorite vegetarian foods and drinks to have on vacation? What season do you like better, summer or Fall? Like I said before, Fall is only a beautiful month away, and I can’t wait to have a delicious Bluemoon Harvest Pumpkin (vegetarian) Ale in my hand!

Xoxo,

Holly