Woopsie Daisy...

11 months.

44 weeks.
About 340 days, my friends.
11 MONTHS.  I DIDN'T SHOP FOR 11 MONTHS!!!!
Yes, yes, I had set my goal for one whole year, and okay, I understand that in some of your eyes I may have failed, but it felt soooooooooooo good, you can't take that away from me.  I'm sorry if I let you down, but ELEVEN MONTHS!

Can you feel the RUSH!?

I felt myself starting to cave lately, detouring into clothing stores, (which I had avoided thus far, key to my success, and yes, that's right, I consider myself successful!), eyeing the racks, gently caressing the materials, fantasizing about what I'd buy in May.  Even my mother declared, "I'm not coming to town in May!"  (Smart lady, as she knew she'd be saddled with a huge bill.)  It was when I caught myself considering a hat purchase at the CAR WASH, that I realized, maybe this has gone too far, perhaps it's time I exercise my shopping muscle again.  So finally, one recent sun-soaked day at the Grove, I just blurted out, "OH 'EF IT!  How much can one consumer take?!"
In this voracious, vulnerable state I made the mistake, (or was it?), of walking into my go-to store, J. Crew, with my brother's amazing girlfriend, Lisa, http://lisachapmanfitness.com/, with whom I love to shop.  (My brother, however, was bored silly after talking to the geniuses at the Apple Store about, er, uh, whatever it was, I didn't care, I WAS SHOPPING!)  Lisa felt bad that I was falling off the wagon with her in tow, but I assured her that I felt A-MAAAAAA-ZING, and that my serotonin levels thanked her.  I had no regrets on this day.  It also happened that my main man at J. Crew, Max, was working that day, (that's right, I know the sales people by name, don't you?  It's about people, people!  Sheesh, reach out to your fellow human beings, why don't cha?!)
And Max knows me, I mean really knooooooooooooooooows me.  He knows what I like, what I should like, what colors my skin tone likes, and what I should stop liking.  I harken it to a good dance partner, you move together without talking, just the language of music taking you where you want to go....except, we do talk, like, a LOT!  He's my bud.  He knows my husband's name, he asks about Henry, he's HELD Henry, you get it, THIS is a good sales person, and, if you know me at all, I'm a sucker for good customer service.  I had a blast, it was a long time coming, and, frankly, I thought I had earned it.

All jokes (and pending credit card bill) aside, I learned quite a bit this past year.  For instance:

• I have a lot of clothes.  (I knew this, of course, but it was magnified in a different light.)
• Waste is not an option any longer.
• I need nothing, seriously, NO-THING.
• Embarrassingly, I spend much of my day in workout attire.
• I like cooking.
• I like reading.
• I love writing.
• I admit, I watch too much reality television.
• I love making a mean, healthy smoothie every morning for my family, as do they.
• I like the feeling of wearing out my clothes.  Seeing them fall apart is surprisingly satisfying.
• My friends and family are incredibly generous, supportive, and crafty.
• The most important thing to me is being the best mom I can be.  Corny sounding, yes, but true.
• I have a lot more to learn.  (Love you, Jere!)
• I can do better. 
• I love my life.

Smoothie Face