Disneyland Dapper Day and hubby turns 40

I've decided to catch up on my blog writing and what better way to start than posting my first time at Disneyland's Dapper Day as well as my hubby celebrating a milestone birthday this year! Below are some photos from late April our trip as well as hubby with his specially made Star Wars birthday cake.

Me in Dapper Day outfit

Me, hubby, and sister-in-law in front of Disneyland Main Street

Me, sister-in-law and hubby on teacups ride

Running friend, hubby, and me at Dapper Day expo

Me and hubby in front of Dapper Day expo sign

Hubby's 40th Stars Wars birthday cake

Hubby cutting his birthday cake while nephew watches

Yosemite Rural & Small Library Leadership Institue

I've decided to start back to blogging again and plan to more consistent posting at least once a month. My post today is about a professional development event I recently took part of in Yosemite which involved teaching storytelling and advocacy skills those working at small and rural libraries. It was a very informative 2 days in a beautiful setting.

Villa at Rush Creek Lodge

A session of public speaking

My with friends Patrick and Vanessa

Me with friends Kate and Sharon

My roomate and me with our husbands

Start of day 2

Learning about library impact stories

Special guest speaker Greg Lucas, California State Librarian

Session on using social media to engage community 

Lunch of portobello mushroom burger and slaw

Session on creating and distributing library impact stories 

Storytelling by John Muir interpreter

Delicious avocado toast

Hubby celebrating Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) with a smore

Playing blog catch-up: Our ten year wedding anniversay trip to Canada

I have neglected this blog for far too long and what better time to restart writing than now? Since my last blog post in May, lots of fun and exciting things have happened.


Let's recap starting with June 2016 shall we.....




Me and hubby celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary at the end of June by taking our first international airplane trip to Canada. I'm a big library nerd so of course I had to go get a Canadian library card.

Canada library collage

We also were able to meet the Canadian Olympic rowing team at the airport on our way back to the States.

While in Canada, we also ate at some delicious vegan restaurants such as Mo:LE and the hotel where we stayed at Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa in Sidney, British Columbia. If you're a books lover, definitely visit Sidney because they have a total 8 eight bookstores with walking distance of each other so there's a book for what type of thing you like to read. I'll post again soon to cover other exciting things such as my best friend having her first baby and me wining a local boot camp weight loss challenge. Thanks for reading!

Curry tofu scramble with pesto hash browns

Falafel burger with fries and ketchup

2015 Vegan Oktoberfest

Me and hubby were lucky enough to attend the Vegan Oktoberfest in Los Angeles on October 3, 2015. It was a day filled with good vegan food, running my old friend Bad Ass Vegan and made some new vegan friends. Here are photos I took at the event.

Me in front of Vegan Oktoberfest sign

Vegan German sausage with cabbage, sauerkraut and stoneground mustard

Special Oktoberfest donut from Donut Friend

Coconut bacon and dark chocolate brownies from Charlie's Brownies

Vegan funnel cake topped with powered sugar and strawberries

Vegan mac and riblet grilled cheeze sandwich from the Grilled Cheese Truck

A tale of two buffaloes: buffalo tempeh from Clean South on the left (too spicy for me but great for hubby) and buffalo cauliflower from Sage Bistro on the right (perfectly cooked and ranch was awesome) 

Me and my friend Bad Ass Vegan

Me and new vegan friends Tunsia and her mom Betty

Fried chickn tempeh from Clean South

I've been featured by Black Vegans Rock website!

Hiya! I've decided to restart posting to my blog on a more regular basis and what better way to start than by sharing that I was recently chosen for a feature article on the website Black Vegans Rock! Below is the article I wrote for the website:

My name is Tamara (rhymes with camera) and I have been vegan since August 2009. Being born and raised in the Huntsville, Alabama, I grew up on a diet of fried chicken, hamburgers and other unhealthy animal based foods. When I started dating my boyfriend in 1998, although he was vegetarian his entire life, I still ate chicken because I felt it would help me lose weight. At the time, I was at my heaviest weight of 298lbs. In early 2007, I transitioned to a healthier lifestyle which included changing my hair from permed to Sisterlocks and looking for a way to eat healthier and lose weight.

On August 28, 2009, I read Diet for a New America, and after this, I immediately became vegan. As I read the book, I thought about how my food choices impact animals and realized that by eating animals, I was ingesting their pain and suffering and I didn’t want that in my body so I cut it out completely. Although my boyfriend was against it...over time my (now) husband has embraced the vegan lifestyle as well. He enjoys experimenting with tofu & seitan to create yummy foods that I post on my Instagram account. I love being vegan and breaking the stereotypes that vegans only eat salads and berries. 

An unconventional way I do vegan outreach is through my job as a librarian. As a librarian, one of my jobs is to purchase library materials for seven library locations and I make sure to purchase books and DVDs promoting vegan and plant based lifestyles. By putting this material in the library, I can plant seeds which can help people become the healthiest best versions of themselves.

My family in Alabama has embraced my vegan lifestyle and I was surprised a few Thanksgivings ago when my mom surprised me with a vegan field roast and other vegan foods. Since I live in California, there is a wide variety of places to find vegan food from vegan soul food, to upscale vegan food. Although I live in rural Central California, I am still able to find vegan options.

Since becoming vegan, I feel like I have more energy and don’t get sick as often as others around me do. The biggest misconception I’ve seen is that veganism is expensive and not for black people but what I’ve found is that you can be a 99 cent store vegan, a Whole Foods vegan, or somewhere in between. I am so happy that I live in a time that social media provides a way to contact and meet other black vegans and spread the word about getting healthy through food. Veganism to me is about making healthier plant based choices to honor your body, mind and spirit!

LINKS
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/bamalibrarylady/
Instagram: glassesgirl79
Twitter: glassesgirl79
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaradevans
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/tamaradjohnsonevans

Reading Goal for 2015: Complete Popsugar's 2015 Reading Challenge!

For 2015, I plan on accomplishing several goals such as traveling outside of the US, getting my weight down and increasing how many books I read in a year.

I don’t think it’s a secret that I love to read. And I love challenges! PopSugar just published their 2015 Reading Challenge, which includes a list of types of books and not a list of specific books. I’ve decided to take it, and I’ll update the blog as I read with the book I read as well as the title.

1. A book with more than 500 pages: Grey by R.L. James
2. A classic romance: Anne of Green Gales by Lucy Maud Montgomery
3. A book that became a movie: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. A book published this year: Holy Cow by David Duchovny
5. A book with a number in the title: Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
6. A book written by someone under 30: Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman

7. A book with nonhuman characters: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
8. A funny book: Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants by The Oatmeal
9. A book by a female author: The Misadventiures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
10. A mystery or thriller: The Rope by Nevade Barr
11. A book with a one-word title: Courageous by Randy Alcorn
12. A book of short stories: Gross: A Paramedics Story by Craig A. Mills and Justin J. Miller
13. A book set in a different country: Train and Lovers by Alexander Macall Smith
14. A nonfiction book: Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute

15. A  popular author’s first book: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
17. A book a friend recommended: The Stranger by Albert Camus
18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: Olive Kitridge by Elizabeth Strout
19. A book based on a true story: Jubilee by Margaret Walker
20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Black is the New White by Paul Mooney
21. A book your mom loves: Living Courageously by Joyce Meyer

22. A book that scares you: The Conversation by Volandes, M.D.
23. A book more than 100 years old: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
24. A book based entirely on its cover: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t: The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
26. A memoir: Weightless byGregg McBride
27. A book you can finish in one day: Saga Volume 3 by Brian Vaughn and Fiona Staples
28. A book with antonyms in the title: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristen Cronn-Mills
29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: The Blue Notebook byJames A. Levine
30. A book that came out the year you were born (1979:) Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
31. A book with bad reviews: Girl Cook hy Hannah McCouch
32.A trilogy (1:) Claim Me by J. Kenner

33. A trilogy (2:) Complete Me by J. Kenner

34. A trilogy (3:) Release Me by J. Kenner 
35. A book from your childhood: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
36. A book with a love triangle: The Klone and I by Danielle Steel
37. A book set in the future: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
38. A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
39. A book with a color in the title: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flag
40. A book that made you cry: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson
41. A book with magic: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
42. A graphic novel: Gunslinger Girl Omnibus by Yu Aida
43. A book by an author you’ve never read before: Au Revoir Crazy European Chich by Joe Schreiber
44. A book you own but have never read: I Run Because He Said I Couldn't by Nathan Skipper
45. A book that takes place in your hometown: The Melody of  Secrets by Jeffret Stepakoff
46. A book that was originally written in a different language: Things Fall Apart by Cinua Achebe
47. A book set during Christmas: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
48. A book written by an author with your same initials: The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
49. A play: The Tragedy of Mr.Morn by Vladimor Nabokov
50. A banned book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine Enngle
51. A book based on or turned into a TV show: You're the One Thst I Want bu Cecily Von Xiegesar (Gossip Girl)
52. A book you started but never finished: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Scenes from my first ALA Annual

Life has been so hectic lately I'm glad I have a chance to catch up and write about all the fun I've been having at my new job. Although I've been working at my new job since April, I've been blessed to be able to represent my library on a professional level at the highest conference for librarians, the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas from June 28-July1. 

Although me and Den have been to Vegas more times that we can count, it was a totally difference experience going there for a conference. The first day at the conference was busy because I hard to register as well as figure out where all the sessions I wanted to attend were located.

Me at ALA Annual Conference

The registration line at ALA Annual

 In addition to the sessions I went to regarding librarianship, technology and other library related topics, I got to meet a lot of cool people I've admired over the years such \as Bill Barnes author of my favorite library comic Unshelved, Naomi House, creator of the I Need A Library Job (inalj) blog and.actor/author Erik LaSalle! I also met tons of other awesome librarians from around the country and made new professional contacts.

 Unshelved author Bill Barnes and me 

Me and INALJ creator Naomi House

Me and actor/author Erik Lasalle

Banned Book booth

Ice Yeti and me at Minus 5 Ice Bar

After the conference, I was super hungry so me and Den went in search of a new vegan restaurant to try. We decided to go to Veggie House in Chinatown right down the street from Ronald's Donuts and I'm so glad we decided to stop there to eat. Below is a vegan tuna sandwich I had when we went there.

Vegan tuna sandwich from Veggie House Restaurant

We also did something different this time when it came to breakfast and instead of getting donuts, we went to yet another new restaurant called Sunrise Coffee. We went there for breakfast twice and both times I was really impressed by their vegan food. Below is a pic of the tofurky 'wich which was filled with tofurky, tomato, daiya, avocado and lettuce. I was super yummy and we'll definitely go back there again in the future.

Tofurky wich from Sunrise Coffee

I really enjoyed my time at the ALA Annual Conference and super excited that I applied for and have been given the opportunity to attend another library related conference on behalf of the library at the 2014 ARSL (Association for Rural and Small Libraries) Conference in Tacoma, Washington from September 3-6!