My Precioussssss

Happy New Year.

I have a list this year about a mile long of resolutions I plan to keep for the new year (Doesn't everyone?) I have already decided I'll not bore you with most of them (Until another post at least), but I have a doozie that has already been haunting me.

This resolution is so big, and will be so hard for me to keep that it has me looking for loop holes in my rules. Loop holes, I tell you. But more on that a bit later.

I'm pretty sure a New Year's Resolution isn't supposed to cause panic attacks, but here it is January 1st (Due to computer problems and Child rearing duties, it is now January 2nd), and the thought of publishing it for the world to see has spent the better part of my day doing just that.

I took a long nap in order to avoid this post. The one I knew would have to happen. I curled up under my blankets and mourned the loss of a friend. A cool, creamy beautiful friend. I get a twitch in my neck every time I think of a year without it. I want to go find the empty cup from my "one last trip" in my van (if I didn't already throw it away) and hide in a corner caressing it longingly.

I'm giving up Starbucks. And I'm addicted. But as part of my New Years Resolutions, I have included two things that are not Starbucks Friendly. I need to put serious effort into living frugally- and no matter how I spin it, a 5 dollar frappucino doesn't count as a bargain. (Now a 5 dollar foot long, on the other hand...) I also need to become more healthy, and although the word frappucino sounds cool when it rolls off the tongue, it equates to "poundissimo" which is Latin for I gained weight over the holidays and the calories involved in this thing equate to an entire meal. Both of these things mean I must give up my true love.

I realized I had a true addiction when I started looking for loop holes in my resolution. My resolution is this: I will not buy a Starbucks drink for an entire year. So my brain starts whirring- I can still accept gift certificates and donations, right? Can I have my son hand over the cash? Does that technically count as "buying"? What about Cariboo, can I substitute? Do I have to include McDonald's iced coffee in the bargain?

I will not buy a Starbucks drink for an entire year. I will not send Smooch in to do my dirty work for me. I will not exchange one evil for another and therefore will keep my butt out of Cariboo. I will indulge OCCASIONALLY in an iced coffee from McDonald's, but no more than once a week. And when it comes to Starbucks, I will still accept gift cards and donations.

This will not be easy. I'm already shaking and in withdrawls. What oh what have I gotten myself into? This feeling greatly resembles the same one I had after signing my life away when we bought our house. Too late to turn back. I guarantee I am committed. I cannot, however, guarantee I will not whine about it.