The Farewell Tour

When you make a major life change, you have things that will inevitably be missed from your "old life". When you get to plan your major life change out a month or so, it allows you time to do your "farewell tour". The things that are included on your farewell tour are probably determined by the type of change you are making. People going in for alcohol abuse probably decide to go on one last bender. People trying to quit smoking will go buy a carton of cigarettes and smoke 3 at a time until they run out. When your big change is tied to fat camp your tour may include foods that probably won't be standard staples on your diet, and maybe having more cocktails than you are going to be allowed when you return.

That has been the last month of my life. I have referred to it as a "Bon Voyage to Delicious Things". It has included Carbone's pizza, El Loro, La Plaza, Buffalo Chicken Salad from Houlihans and Banana Cobbler from Doolittles (SO DELICIOUS). I even got to have my birthday dinner a month and half early (brats from Smokehouse Meats and chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting) I have recruited others to enjoy the majority of this trip with me - a group of us celebrated non-Valentine's Day (titled: What's Love Got To Do With It?) at our favorite bar (Coopers in Eagan) on Saturday night (lots of cocktails and some snacks). It has been fun, and the good news is - I am actually looking forward to doing some healthy eating, now.

I have also allowed myself to enjoy more happy hours than I had the last few months. I have done my part to keep Anheuser Busch in business. Ahhh - Bud Light, my old friend. I will probably miss you most of all. Not that I'm not going to get to have a few beers ... ever - - but I do understand it will be fewer (much fewer) and farther between. I am thinking it is worth trying to cut down on my alcohol consumption. It will save me money and calories - - double bonus!! Not that I haven't had some great ways of working around that in the past. I think it was back before Wendy got married, and I was trying Weight Watchers. I had the brilliant idea of saving all of my "points" for alcohol one night, so I at only carrot sticks during the day. Seriously. A group of us went to a beer bash, and then to the Wild Onion. After numerous beers, and a few jello shots for good measure, I FELL DOWN at the Wild Onion. Got off my bar stool, and fell in the middle of the bar. Awesome. Who can really make a great plan? I can. I should give seminars on smart living.

I am choosing to believe I'll actually be able to balance things out this time. I am older, which makes me wiser - right? So if you are out and about in Eagan over the next week, maybe I'll see you while finishing out my "Farewell Tour".

What is your favorite treat? Maybe I should try it before I leave?