how i ate vegan at ihop. #beginnervegan

what's good my people.

was that too hip? 

should i tone it down a touch? 

probably. 

sorry.

anyway, in the past month I've decided to make some massive lifestyle changes, specifically with my health. for years, i have had a weird relationship with food. i went back and forth with eating "healthy" and then completely do everything wrong the next time. or i've even gone as far as skip meals, primarily because i forgot to eat, and with the work hours i keep, it can be very hard to keep a regular eating schedule. so, I've tried different methods of dieting.

but friends, 

DIETS ARE THE ACTUAL WORST THING. 

they are temporary and typically they go away when you've finally gotten the results you wanted. AND if not done properly, the results don't last. and in the end, it can be so damaging to your body.

so i came to a decision about a month ago. i had just returned from an overseas trip (one that i will hopefully talk about when i found what i can say about it and what pictures i can show) and i was ready to change many things. (i've found that i eat better on overseas trips or out of town trips than i do at home.)

i don't really know what prompted this, but i decided to look into a vegan lifestyle. 

crash course: being vegan is literally staying away from any animal by products. but here's the thing, there is so much crap out there that qualifies as vegan; oreos, for example, are vegan. (that's the only thing that comes to mind at the moment but there are many other junky things out there that are vegan.) the main idea is putting things in your body that are real-fruits, vegetables, grains, protein- but still staying away from things that are made of animals. the goal is putting fresh, real, whole things into your body.

disclaimer: the primary reason i am doing this lifestyle change is for my health. yes, i love animals; doggies, kitties, giraffes, llamas, and cows are all glorious creatures that my powerful God created. yes, the way A LOT of factories deal with meat is the actual worst. but my main goal here is to just be healthy. for me, this means lots of things that come from the ground. cooked or raw. and ya'll, ya girl feels great. 

another disclaimer: 

so with all that being said, welcome to something i am experimenting with eating a plant-based food choice. i'm still very beginner in it, because sometimes, I JUST WANT SOME BACON. but overall, i love this choice. the food is good and i'm happy with it.

tuesday night, my friends wanted to go to ihop. because i wanted to socialize as well, i tagged along, trying to figure out what i would eat.

 this is what happened. 

friends, if you ever want to eat vegan at ihop, order a burger without the meat or the cheese and ask for extra tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. it's so tasty! decided to be bad and get the onion rings. but fun fact! ihop uses either vegetable oil or canola oil to cook with. so it's safe.

please know, this is just a lifestyle change on my end. this isn't something to be forced on others. this is something i am doing for me, myself, and my health. i am doing/ have been doing much research on this. i'm not jumping into this with no knowledge. i'm easing my way in and loving every moment of it.

hey guys. i'm back again.

why helllllllllllllllllloooooooo there.

it's been a while since i've written, yet again.

as you can see, there's been a name change. yes.

 it's awkward. 

ba dum tsh.

but i've missed writing here. this space is where my love for writing started. 

and it's going to continue here. 

so in the meantime, here are some picture from my birthday/ labor day weekend. 

because turning 24 was wonderful.

excited to be back writing, my friends.  much excite.

-Caroline

this place is moving!

hi friends!

i have done a complete makeover and moved this here blog over here.

this is where i'll be writing from now on! to keep up, head over to the EBN facebook page and hit that like button. i have yet to figure out a way to let my readers subscribe to the blog on the page, but baby steps.

head on over and check out my newest post!

life update: this post will have many pictures. //summer 2014//

i live in a very beautiful place. 

and here we are again. more than a month has passed since my last blog post and another school year has approached. summer is basically over, minus the weather...but even the weather has shown itself to be changing earlier than normal. i'm not sad about that by any means.

(when i first started this post a couple weeks ago, 

the weather was showing some glorious signs of fall, 

but really it was just teasing us. we are back to hot. blech.)

this summer has been the best summer. as my friend, Cara, and i were reflecting, we classified this summer as being the one that most people hope to have while in high school. i am so very thankful to have had this summer during this time in my life, but also i now understand how great summer actually is- and i'm not talking about the weather, or the beach or ombre'd hair.

i'm talking about Jesus and friendships and the occasional caffeinated beverage.. that's ultimately what makes a good summer in my opinion.

so here's a recap/ life update for your reading pleasure:

the Lord has taught me so much this summer. I was given the opportunity to lead a bible study for some middle and high school girls, and in the midst of going through almost all of the book of Ruth with them, God taught me much about patience and waiting, and what do do while i'm waiting. He is also still working on me, as i am a continuous work in progress. i want to know so very much about what is going to happen, and where my life is going to go, but, as the saying goes, "patience is a virtue", and one that i am learning to use.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 has been my life verse.

this is how people usually remember this verse, but i love how the NASB puts it-
"He has made everything APPROPRIATE in its time."
emphasis added.

i was able to spend time with some stinking spectacular people. i have never been so happy, so pleased, and so very blessed with friendships as i have been this summer and this past year. but i know that these friendships are all from God, not of my own doing. i have these people in my life for a reason and i am so thankful. i have never had more fulfilling friendships. watch me say "friendships" one more time. i'm so happy to do life with these people!

reunited with our dear friends after almost a month of them being out of the country serving the Lord!

this isn't technically a summer picture, but these are three of my dearest friends and i love this picture so stinkin much.

God also called me in a slightly different direction (yet again) with my schooling. as you may remember if you have followed me long enough, last summer i jumped the gun, transferred schools, and changed my major. well, while i am still at the same school, i changed my major ONE MORE TIME.

psychology was NOT working at all. after three or four classes in my program, i saw that there was no growth, and i could not wrap my brain around concepts and theories from an area of study created by man.

 (please know that i am not dogging you should you choose to study/ are currently studying psychology. if you can understand it, more power to ya! you have a mental capacity that i lack. press on!)

i was frustrated. so very frustrated. i wanted very much to do well in school, but i didn't see it happening and, after a very bad semester, i basically went back to the drawing board in regards to where i wanted to put my focus. i knew that youth ministry was still a thing that was on my heart, but i knew the psychology route was not the way i needed to go.

back to youth camp i went (i still have yet to write a post for this year's flow, but it will happen eventually) to spend some hardcore, one-on-one time with the Lord.

back to the Lord i went, and shared my concerns and desires.

back to my people i went to get their opinion/ affirmation/ confirmation.

back to researching i went to read up on different options that still suited the area i was entering.

after much prayer and counsel, i went and changed my major. while i still have my focus/minor in christian counseling, i now am a student of religion! so far it has been very interesting and rewarding!

the youth group has started back full swing. i turned 22 a few days ago. life is good.

and now for a picture overload.

my dog ended up in the "cone of shame". even though it was pitiful, it was also kinda funny.

i decided that i would cut my hair some. so far it's been interesting.

so. . . how was your summer?

mary.

this girl's birthday was the same day that fireworks go off EVERYWHERE. 

lucky her.

mary is a new friend, but one whom you feel as if you have known for a life time. 

immediate kindred spirits. 

i had the privilege to meet this pretty lady about two months ago, through Cara, and it has been such a joy to to know her.

mary,

 bless your sweet, sweet soul. i love you so very much and am so happy to call you one of my dearest friends after only a short time. you have been such an encouragement to me. i am thankful for you!

cara.

this lady's birthday was almost a month ago and i have yet to write anything about it. 

so here we are. 

cara is one of my very very very best friends. she is one whom i go to to vent about things, she always has good advice, and she just generally understands me. we share a love of all things the office and parks and rec, oldies music, and having weird dance parties after 10pm. also, and something SO IMPORTANT in friendships: SHE LAUGHS AT MY JOKES. 

she thinks i'm funny, i think she's funny, it's a win-win.

Cara, you're so wonderful. thank you for being one of my oldest and dearest friends. i know we have talked about how blessed, grateful, and how much we love the friendships God has given us recently, but i have to say it again: I AM SO VERY THANKFUL FOR YOU. 

also i'm sorry your birthday post is so dang late. 

my bad.

luh you girl.

july.

it's july.

it's the middle of july. 

this month is already almost over.

this year is already over halfway over.

what.

it's also been over two months since my last blog post. but this is not a new thing, nor something to raise any concern. i've been seeing weird patterns in my blogging, despite the fact that even when i "regularly post" (regular for me is still sporadic, let's be honest.), it's not consistent.

here's confession time:

i'll probably never be as consistent as i want to be. 

i'm not the most consistent person in real life, 

so why be so on the inter-webs.

there. i said it.

FREEEEEEDDDDDDOOOOMMM.

i think i allowed myself to worry that i had to fit in a certain "blogging mold" for this whole thing to work. but if you have followed me long enough, you know good and well that isn't a thing here...but blogging is a form of expression. so it really shouldn't matter how one goes about it, regular or scattered. keep in mind that if you have the dream to blog as a part of your livelihood, inconsistency is not going to work.

but that is not a thing here at Everybody Behave Naturally. that wouldn't be natural behavior for me. inconsistency here is a thing and it's something that we will have to deal with.

so now that that's out there.......

nice weather we've been having, no?