Do you know where the power lies? I say it starts and ends with you. - NOFX, The Decline

I haven't written in a while, but I figure it's the new year and I need to start it right. A few years ago I started opening my eyes to a lot of things and starting to move over into a new area in my life. I started trying to figure out where my food was coming from and started looking at what kind of products I was buying.

When I met Cameron, I was immediately interested in his view and stances on topics like that. He's a vegetarian and has never forced his ideas on anyone else, but I've slowly been dealing with my own inner thoughts on vegetarianism. I've been able to see that there are so many things we can eat that don't include killing any living animal. The wheels are turning in my head and I may have a final decision to make soon. I definitely think that if you are not vegetarian, you need to be paying attention to where your meat comes from. Go to PETA's website and watch any of their videos or watch Food, Inc and you will also see how the meat industry is inhumane and disgusting! If you can, buy from farms that allow the animals to roam and live normally without being tortured and starved.

The other thing is watching where our goods were made. It was so weird at the NEX today! It was our first time really stopping to look at labels, but just the Hanes undershirts alone were made in Honduras, Cambodia and Vietnam. Isn't it weird that the same undershirts were made all over the place?? None of them in the US. None of them were made by US workers. As Cameron says, our dollar is our most important vote and we chose this year to not buy anything made in China. We're starting with the largest offender and then maybe we'll be able to cut out others.

When I was home, I had my mom help me sew Cameron a vest. It actually turned out really nice (I should get a photo of this!) and my mom sent me off with one of her extra sewing machines. I really hope that when Cameron is editing or off taking photos, I can sew or learn how to crochet. We stopped by Joann's and got me a sewing box for thread, needles, all my little tools and a learn to crochet book. The book and yarn was made in the US and the box in the Philippines.

I know I may not be sewing or crocheting all the time and I won't become a master seamstress, but I'd like to be able to know the basics so that if I want to make something, I can. Especially since we are cutting out a lot of things from the stores.

We put the lancer for sale up on base today. That means we are down to one car now and Cameron and I will try and work on going to work out after he picks me up from work.

2012 is going to be a great year! Trying some new hobbies, moving our lives to Japan and trying to keep our bodies moving as much as possible. I have trouble picking one resolution. Maybe in a few weeks I'll have settled on one so you can all hold me to it. :)

Happy New Year, everyone!