21 Day Vegan Challenge



I haven't used the blog in some time. With Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and all the other social tools, there hasn't been a reason to use it. Jenni and I have been so busy with work and with the boys that there hasn't been much to post either. But since we last used the blog I completed chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer. How I ended up with cancer remains a mystery. We have no history of colon cancer in my family and I have been a very healthy adult, an atheltic vegetarian for 16 years. It was an unweclome surprise in June 2012, but we made it through it, as you do. This year has been largely about putting that behind us, living for today and focusing upon tomorrow. Our sons are growing up and getting involved in their own things and keeping us on the go: football, soccer, swimming, school, birthdays, parties, etc. And for some reason we added a puppy to the mix. So we have a furry companion that adds a healthy bit of chaos on top of everything else.  Over the summer we visited family in Sweden. A dream come true for them and for us. Two weeks in beautiful Scandinavia. This fall found me traveling to Washington DC, San Francisco and Boston here in the States. 2014 will probably find me on the road a bit more as well. Jenni starts her new job at the start of the year and I'll be assuming a new role for my company as well. Well, what can a hyper active modern family do, but start the year off taking more steps toward better health and well being.

What I'm going to do over the next month is add information about the vegan challenge we've decided to do. We were vegan leading up to my diagnosis but went back to eating a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet afterwards. My diet during my cancer surgery and chemo was a mixed bag, spiked with supplements and as much fatty foods as I could eat to maintain my weight. This year we've found ourselves relying on too many on the go meals. I plan on documenting what we're eating, how we're exercising, and how it's going.

San Francisco, California

A view of the Bay Bridge from where I was working in October. I had a tough time finding vegetarian food in the port area, but I did get some decent dishes from the company I was working with. On day two there was a little tray that had a toothpick and a flag that said, "Vegetarian." A pleasant surprise.

Swedish Lucia For Dummies

Copenhagen canals.

I always find myself on canals with the old folks. I really don't know why. I get sea sick at the drop of a hat. This was pretty gentle though. This boat took us around some gentrified army barracks, past the Opera House and out to the Little Mermaid.

Red Rooves of Kopenhagen, Denmark

A view of Copenhagen from the top of the Round Tower.

Poppies, Skane, Sweden

Probably my favorite picture of the Skane countryside. My ancestors would've worked in fields of wheat just like this. When we were celebrating Midsomer with our relatives in Rydsgard we saw people gathering these red poppies to make flower arrangements to decorate the maypole.

Mossby Beach, Skane, Sweden

We took the boys down to Mossby Beach on the Baltic Sea just about every day. The water was cold and the sun incrediby hot, but the temperatures in June were a pleasant 75 degrees farenheit.

Skane farmhouse

We passed a lot of these farmhouses as we wound around the little two lane roads of Skane.

Abbekas, Sweden

Boats in the harbor at Abbekas, Skane, Sweden. While staying on a farm in Skane near Skivarp, I would jog through the fields and past the golf course to get to little Abbekas. There's a nice trail along the sea that runs all the way to Ystad.

Malmo, Sweden

The streets of Malmo, Sweden. This was the final destination of our Scandinavian summer trip. It was the final stop for my great-grandparents prior to coming to America. It's a port city so it has that feel to it. We walked through the squares in the old town, lots of foot traffic, with a very diverse population.