I'm definitely... on a kashrut journey. I stopped eating pork and other non-kosher species, and mixing meat and dairy (and not eating leven) when I was about 13, in a non-kosher family.
My observance of kashrut hasn't changed a GREAT deal since then. I feel very strongly that one (jewish or not) should only eat local grass-fed, small farm, pastured meat that is humanely raised. Unfortunately that is not availible here if it is also kosher. (well, at pesach, a group did arrange a shipment of kosher grassfed meat from NY, but A) shipping it across the country? major enviromental problems, and b) we can BARELY afford any grass-fed meat right now. The kosher grass-fed meat was half again as expensive, and you had to buy a large quantity. So I eat that meat. I would love to have access to kosher, grass-fed meat, but it's just not availible here. I can't bulk buy for the whole year, and that was a one time thing, not yearly. And shipping meat from ny is appaling to me. My meat comes from a 1/2 hour drive away.
Also, my DP is not Jewish, nor has plans to convert. We keep my level of kashrut in our home at the moment, though he might put cheese on his bowl of chili, for example. He already makes a LOT of compromises about kashrut. At the moment, I feel like I have so many other areas of mitzvah growth to work on, that I don't feel a need to become more observant in kashrut, but I've been looking ahead to whether I will feel a need in the future.
We're getting married soonish (not officially engaged yet) and I've been thinking about dishes for a wedding registry BECAUSE of the kosher issue. If I think I will want to become more kosher in the future, I need to either: register for a meat and a dairy set and more pans to have dairy and meat pans, register for cheapo dishes that I may throw out/sell and buy new ones if I become more observant, or reserve our nice dishes for only meat or dairy. All of these have problems. I can't register for two sets of dishes, I would not receive them, as no one would understand, no one is jewish, also then, we'd have to change our current kashrut standards at home (at least DP wouldn't be able to combine meat and dairy on the plates). I really don't want to not register for nice plates cause... I LOVE plates and flatware, and really want a nice set, and I find it unlikely I would be able to afford a full nice set or (TWO) in the next decade or so. And the last wouldn't work great either for the same reasons as the first. Besides, is it likely I would be "able" to become more observant? Maybe. Maybe not. I realize how much compromise DP has done for me, and to an extent, I think my kosher compromise line may be here. (maybe kosher slaughter meat as well as kosher species, we'll see, but for meat and dairy, I think the buck stops here. with seperate courses/meals, same plates) DP always jokes if he made a religion, the only rule would be you can ONLY eat pigs. That's how much he loves pork, so it's a huge sacrifice.
Sorry, that was a little tangential, I have just been thinking about this a lot. And goes to show, sometimes, keeping kosher is even more complicated than the rules. That said, for me, keeping kosher has been somewhat of a do and hear/understand. Not that I really started because G-d said so, but because my mom wouldn't let me have a bat mitzvah, and I could control my food, and exert my jewish interest in that way. However, overtime, I started to find spiritual meaning in it. (sometimes. Sometimes, like when I can't find good beef fat, but good lard is a dime a dozen. or when ingrediants for kosher charcoutrie are a hundred million times more expensive than pork, I just do, and wish I could eat pork.) I started to "understand" the littlest bit, by doing.
It sounds like you are doing a great job getting started. My primary advice would be to keep at it for a while, and to realize that you can still keep kosher, even if you aren't as strict as someone else, you are still keeping kosher more than you were. (I realize feelings on that as a convert, vs someone born jewish and unobservant (or... sort of jewish? my dad is jewish so I'm not really jewish yet but I feel jewish) many be different. As a born unobservant jew (which I realize technically I'm not), you are doing better than you were, but as a convert, you chose to become jewish and that includes mitzvah. for some.)
right, sorry it's... meandery.
When I began my kosher journey this aspect of Kashrut is what appealed to me.
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