Mmmm....Candy

     Halloween is slowly closing in on us and every year I am met with the same conflict.  Do I buy candy that I like or do I buy candy that I don't really like so I won't eat it before Halloween?  The smart version of me chooses the candy I won't be tempted to eat it.  This year, I was smart.  Actually, I went with the plenty pack from Costco that has a couple of candy bars I like, but mostly stuff I don't.   I do this because our first Halloween as a married couple, I had bought candy a couple of weeks early and put it in the cupboard in preparation for Halloween.  Halloween night I got home from work and went to get the candy to give out and it was gone!  I'm not quite sure who ate it, but his name might rhyme with Scott!  We had to leave the house and go out for dinner until all the trick-or-treaters had gone to bed.  Ridiculous.

     I just need to say the chocolate bars in Canada are soooo much better than the ones here in the States. Topping my list of favorites are Crunchie, Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp, Mr. Big, and of course, Smarties!  Smarties are technically not a candy bar, but candy coated chocolate much like a plain M&M, but 1000 times better.  (BTW, for my Canadian friends, the States have their version of Smarties, which are like a super cheap Sweet Tart).  You all from the US might not appreciate Canada's superiority in this area, but it's true.  The only chocolate bar that comes close to our Canadian versions are Symphony bars, preferably the kind with Almonds and Toffee.  Enjoy America,  you have 1.
     Doesn't thinking about candy take you right back to your youth?  Because when you are young, you can eat 5 different candy bars, a bag of licorice and chase it with a soda and you are good. Today, it would put me in a sugar coma and I'd gain 50 pounds.  But when I was growing up in Vancouver, we had a convenience store around the corner from our house called Hardy's that had the greatest candy in the world.  I swear they had every candy known to man and it was such a treat to go to Hardy's and pick out my favorite sugar fix.  I usually would go for the Fun Dip and Bottlecaps.  They also had something called the Ton-o-Gum that was just a big chunk of gum. Fantastic!!  A few years ago I went back to my old neighborhood and to Hardy's and sure enough, it lived up to my memories. There were rows and rows of all different types of candies.  It was amazing!
     When we moved away from that neighborhood we would still go back to get candy.  One time after getting candy one day, we were driving down the road and my sisters, Kerry and Kristi, started fighting.  After telling them to stop a few times, my dad finally lost it, reached back and grabbed both of their bags of candy and threw them out the window.  I was sitting in the back clutching my candy like my life depended on it and keeping my mouth shut.  Kerry started crying that she had all of her money in that bag, so begrudgingly, my dad turned the car around and marched into the median to retrieve her bag, leaving Kristi's candy there.  Talk about tragedy!  I don't think Kristi ever recovered. If you know her, ask her about it. You'll get an earful.
      But everyone has their favorites and their different ways of eating them.  Personally I prefer to let my gummy bears air out and get tough and chewy.  Then, when I eat them, I bite off the ears, hands and feet before eating the body.  It's a bit barbaric, but necessary.  Also, if you go to a movie, put the Milk Duds in the popcorn so you get caramel popcorn bites.  It's divine.  I've heard people do that with Junior Mints too, but it doesn't sound as appealing.  Right now you are probably thinking about your favorite candies and what strange ways you eat them.  It's okay.  We all do it.
     So I've mentioned my favorite candy is Smarties.  Ever since I was a kid, I have loved this candy and when my parents come to visit me they usually bring me a box or two.  A couple of years ago I was surprised on a Saturday evening by my friend Christy from High School.  We hadn't seen each other in years and she was visiting Utah with her family.  Seeing her was such a big surprise and we talked and laughed like old times.  And, being the true friend that she was, she brought me a huge Costco pack of Smarties!  I was so excited.  After she left, every time my family or I ate the Smarties, I thought of Christy and her generosity.  What an amazing friend!  I was shocked a few months later when I found out that Christy had passed away from cancer.  I am sure that during the time of our visit she knew her time here was drawing to a close, but she didn't say a word.  Her visit was all about surprising me and doing something nice for me.  I miss her and will never enjoy another box of Smarties without thinking of her and her big heart.
     So as you go to the store to purchase your Halloween candy which do you choose?  Are you giving away your favorites or not allowing yourself to be tempted into eating all your loot before you give it out?  Either way, enjoy it and enjoy your memories of your favorite sugary treat.  I know I will.

   

Diet Coke...A Love Story

     I grew up in a home where we were not allowed to drink caffeinated beverages.  No coffee, no tea, no Coke, or Pepsi.  This was a hard, fast rule that was not to be broken.  I even remember being out to dinner with my family when we heard the news that Dr. Pepper had caffeine.  I was devastated, because I knew it was the end of that deliciousness.  Once my grandparents came to visit and they had driven about 10 hrs or so.  I got in their car and saw cans of Tab and Pepsi!  I couldn't believe it.  Concerned that my grandfather had been doing something so scandalous, I asked my mom about it. She said that my grandfather had to drink it because it was too hard to drive all that way without it. I accepted that there was a need for him to have the caffeinated soda, so it was ok.
     So growing up, I was a pretty good girl who didn't like to break the rules.  BUT, at the end of my senior year, (and I'm not sure how it happened), I started drinking Diet Coke.  It started off slow, maybe a can at lunch once in a while because I clearly couldn't drink it at home.  But then I got a job at a restaurant/cafe the summer before my freshman year of college where we could drink all the soda we wanted.  I worked very long hours, 6 at night until 4 in the morning, so there was a lot of Diet Coke consumed.  Diet Coke with lime to be exact. I developed a great appreciation for my grandfather's willingness to take one for the team, in order to make it through the night.  And that willingness...it turns out, was delicious.
     College introduced the daily ritual of 32 oz Diet Coke with pebble ice from the Conoco. In fact, in a round about way, Diet Coke is what led me to meet my husband.  Scott's brother Rob worked at the Conoco where I made my daily stop and I got to know him, so then I was able to meet Scott...go figure.  Diet Coke quickly became my favorite part of the day.  Going to get a Diet Coke was fulfilling and just made everything better.  If I was sad, I'd go get a Diet Coke.  If I was celebrating, I'd go get a Diet Coke. If I met a new guy, I'd go get a Diet Coke.  If I was bored, I'd go get a Diet Coke.  And, if it was from Harts it was even better.  Harts was a gas station west of the dorms and I don't know how, but their Diet Coke was better than everybody else's.  Maybe it was the hearts on the outside of their cups, or their see-through lids and red straws, but get a Harts Diet Coke and a frosted pink sugar cookie and all was right with the world.
     I will now let you in on my greatest moment of shame associated with my Diet Coke addiction.  My Sophomore year at BYU, my parents bought me a cute little Honda Spree scooter.  It was a one seater, bright red and it was awesome!!  What was the 1st thing I did after my parents left town and I was on my own?  I rode down to the store to fill my Harts 44 oz refill mug.  The first part of my trip went just great.  I got my mug refilled and then held on to it with my right hand as I drove home. Everything was going fine until I had to get up the 1 inch lip to the sidewalk where I would park my scooter.  I needed to give my scooter a little bit of gas to get over the lip,with my right hand, while almost simultaneously grabbing the brake with the same right hand.  What could possibly go wrong?
     I tentatively released the brake and gave a little bit of gas with my right hand (still holding the beloved beverage).  Not enough gas. I gave it a little more...almost there..and then BAM!  up I went, over the lip of the curb.  So at this point, there was about 25 feet before the sidewalk ended and then there's a patch of grass and a fence.  I quickly reached with my right hand (still clutching my baby) to grab the brake, but as I did so, I inadvertently pulled hard on the gas and was suddenly hitting Mach 5, speeding toward the fence.  I tried braking again, and I accelerated again!  The only way to stop was to drop the prized soda, and that was soooo not going to happen!  So, right before the scooter hit the fence, I screamed (maybe cursed a little, loudly) and jumped off the scooter, letting it crash onto the grass and run into the fence.  I clutched my precious Diet Coke and ran inside to my apartment.  I couldn't believe what had just happened.  It was one of the scariest experiences of my life!  I'd almost lost 44 oz of my precious Diet Coke!!  I rushed to change my clothes, threw on a hat and walked back outside to where my scooter was lying next to the fence.  I exclaimed loudly "Look what my sister did to my scooter!  I can"t believe it!", just in case anyone had witnessed what just happened.  I picked it up, checked for damages (none, except for my ego), and parked it.  Then, I went back inside to enjoy my cool and delicious Diet Coke.  I actually thought I got away with it until the end of the year when a guy who lived in an upstairs apartment said to me, "Didn't you crash your scooter at the beginning of the year?".  I quickly replied, "No, that was my sister." Busted.
     My love for Diet Coke continued for 24 years.  I would quit only during pregnancies and would look forward to the end of my nursing so that I could start drinking it again.  It greeted me in the morning, it went to bed with me each night.  Diet Coke was more than a drink or a way to quench my thirst.  It was how I functioned every day.  But not for the caffeine.  I could drink 32 oz right before bed and fall quickly to sleep.  It made me feel great.  It relieved stress and made things right. I chose restaurants by whether or not they carried Coke products (and yes, I knew which ones did).  I couldn't start a project until I got my Diet Coke. I wouldn't sit down to read a book until I had my Diet Coke by my side.  Diet Coke got me through 2 years of Girl's Camp.  It was a part of me. For those of you who have the same addiction, you know what I'm talking about.  But with all addictions, admitting it is the 1st step, and I knew I had a problem.
     I had a Diet Coke in my hand or within 5 steps every moment of every day.  I didn't drink anything else except water with dinner.  Diet Coke makes almost everything taste better, especially Mexican food and In-n-Out Burger.  But I would drink Diet Coke right after finishing a bowl of cereal.  It was what I did.  Until this point, I don't think I've ever really admitted how much Diet Coke I drank, but I would guess easily 2, 44oz sodas each day.  I know, I know, I know.
     I happened to get a really bad flu about a year and a half ago.  The type of flu where you think you are going to die, but the doctor says it's a virus, so just wait it out.  I wasn't eating or drinking anything, even my precious Diet Coke.  I was unable to keep much down, so not much went in.   I had lost my voice for weeks because of dehydration, so as I started to feel better I just drank water. I took a look at my addiction to Diet Coke (because that's what it was) and decided enough was enough.  I didn't want it to rule me anymore. And, long story short, I haven't had Diet Coke since that day I got sick.  Wait--I did have a sip of Scott's about 2 months into my Diet Coke rehab and to my surprise, it didn't taste the same!  It was nothing like I had remembered.  Weird!  I was relieved, because if had been the same, I probably would have just kept drinking.
     But here's the thing.  When I tell people I quit they say "Oh, don't you feel so much better?"  NO, I don't.  I don't sleep better, I'm not happier, I don't feel different.  But I think my bones are probably thanking me. I didn't move on to caffeine-free Diet Coke (eeeuuuwwww!) or other soda.  I am now addicted to water, or rather, having a bottle of water next to me every moment of the day.  No wonder smokers have to chew gum.  The physical part of the addiction lasted for a long time.
     I still see Diet Coke commercials and feel a little giddy.  When I hear Scott open a can, it lightens my mood.  I know it's wonderful and I appreciate the love everyone has for it.  I read an e-card that said something like "When a waiter asks me after ordering a Diet Coke, "Is Diet Pepsi OK?"  I say, 'Sure, is Monopoly money OK?' ".  It's so true.  There is no substitute for Diet Coke.  It's fabulous.
     As I said, this is a love story.  But not all love stories end with the lovers riding off in to the sunset. Sometimes, you have to let something you love free.  So --Go Diet Coke.  Move on and share your love with the rest of the world.  I'll be here sipping my water, cherishing the memories of the  magical times we shared.  And remember, it's not you...it's me.