For the first time in my life, I have made a sizable, life-changing resolution for the new year. This will be the year I take my health more seriously. Otherwise known as: The year I learn to love or at least tolerate exercise, or die in the attempt. Otherwise known as: The year I refuse to get my ass kicked in a friendly little competition just because I have all the willpower of a jar of mayonnaise.
Mmmmm… mayonnaise….
Wait. Where was I?
Oh! Right. The competition starts tomorrow. So today, Otto and I went out to lunch for my favorite food on the planet and I ate myself silly. And then spent the ride home commenting on how full and happy I was, and how I would savor this day in all its deliciousness on account of I’m about to be horribly deprived as we head into 2010.
The thing is, I have never felt LESS deprived of the good things in life, and although eating and being a slug are two of my favorite hobbies, I’m going to be hard-pressed to feel sorry for myself this year.
Life isn’t all roses and sunshine, it’s true. But it’s pretty damn good.
The kids are spending the week with their dad, but they’ll be back this weekend. Apparently at some point before they left, they decided to have a little bit of fun in my car. If you’ve been reading me forever, you may remember that I mentioned the ducks that ride on my dashboard in this post. [Side note: Something I didn’t mention in that post—partly because I was still completely wrapped up in our then-recent car accident—was that the ducks were actually given to me by Otto, many years ago.] Anyway, the ducklings fit inside the mama duck’s body, and usually they face outwards, like they’re watching the road.
I noticed a couple of days after the kids left that now the ducks look like this:
(I’m pretty sure that’s Monkey who’s hanging out upside-down, while the Chickadee-duckling is still looking at the windshield, probably enraged and embarrassed by her little brother.)
I’m ready to have my ducklings home with me. My silly, silly ducklings.
In the meantime, I’ve been meaning to tell you about my favorite Christmas gift this year. Ever since we got Licorice, we have been joking about an Emergency Backup Dog (ala Dave Barry). Chickadee has decided that Licorice, being small, should actually be the backup, and that we need a new MAIN dog. Monkey is just excited to think about having a second dog. And Otto STRENUOUSLY OBJECTS on the grounds that he’s pretty sure he never even agreed to the first dog.
Nevertheless, my husband loves me so much, he didn’t want me to go without. No sir. So on Christmas, I received this:
(Why yes, that IS a dog in a jar. Yes, it IS a little creepy. I also laughed so hard when I opened it that I nearly wet my pants. Just sayin’.)
I also think it’s worth noting this week that although we brought Licorice home with the full knowledge that older dogs sometimes don’t change as much after rescue, although we would’ve been perfectly okay with that, she continues to rediscover her puppyhood much to the delight and destruction of the household.
She got a stocking full of toys for Christmas, you know. While I worked this morning, she did this:
(In case you’re wondering, that’s a multi-incision squeakerectomy and a complete disemfuzzelment. Dr. Licorice wants you to know that everything went smoothly and she’s pleased to inform you that she’s quite sure the patient is now completely dead.)
In the next ten weeks I’ll be eating less and exercising more. I will be tired and cranky and will almost certainly whine about the marked lack of ice cream in my life. And I will be missing absolutely nothing, because I’m pretty sure I already have it all.
Happy New Year, and happy Love Thursday.
Happy New Year, Mir!
I will be reluctantly joining you in this resolution at my doctor’s insistance. So… um… that means I’d really better shape up, huh?
I’m glad to see Licorice is not the only dog who performs squeakerectomies. Abby the Wonder Beagle has made them her mission in life. That and becoming Snoring Queen of the Northeast, a title I believe she has all sewn up. Unlike all her stuffed toys…
LMAO – that is hilarious!! I love the dog in the jar!! It reminds me of how my husband was ALWAYS saying that he wanted nothing more than a bag full of money for Christmas, so last year I got $10 worth of pennies and put them in a bag and under the tree for him :).
Happy New Year. What a wonderful sentiment. Yes, I have everything I really need already and I’m not sure how 2010 could improve things for me. I will bask in that knowledge when we toast the New Year at 8pm (midnight in the South Georgia Islands!)
heehee – love the Dave Barry reference. His books and movie made me laugh out loud!!!
And, I bought a treadmill last nite with my Christmas bonus from work. I will be joining you in your challenge to lose some weight and become just a bit more fit!!!
Happy New Year!!
That doggy in the jar is hilarious!
I’m going to have a similar resolution. (although I don’t want to make it official, because then I’ll beat myself up over it too much. Just going to say that I’ll try to be less of a slug hooked up to the matrix all the time.)
Happy New Year to y’all!
Happy New Year! The dog in the jar is hilarious, but with the year you have planned, maybe some oreo’s need to be in there.
But what was the meal of favorite food? Come on, I need to know. It will help infuriate me with jealousy when I start my own purge tomorrow…or the next day.
Happy New Year, Miss Mir!
I applaud your efforts to make changes and have made the commitment to get on the treadmill at least five days a week. Happy New Year!
“that’s a multi-incision squeakerectomy and a complete disemfuzzelment.”
Thank you so much for naming that procedure, I’ve always just called it dog-toy-murder. I prefer your name.
2010 resolutions…copy and paste from 2009 list. Oh, I can add learn to use my new iPhone …squee!
I am right there with you- diet and exce…I can’t even type the word! Love your blog and wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy New Year. We can bitch about the lack of ice cream but stay focused on how good we will feel with the end result! We can do this!!!
Hey, Mir, you know what helps with eating less? Making such a pig of yourself with an entire slab of toffee on New Year’s Eve that come 2010, your jaw has seized up and you can’t chew anything at all. Apparently.
Happy New Year from someone who’s been there for a day already and can report that it’s looking good for all of us.
This year we’ll be seeing less of you, but I hope we’ll be hearing more from you. Please go ahead and have a Whine Festival – we love reading and commiserating. Happy New Year, Mir and Family!
Heck, I laughed so hard I nearly peed myself. You have AWESOME present givers in your family. And Licorice always makes me smile. Happy New Year!
Our first sheltie lived to perform complete disemfuzzelments! My best friend loved to yard sale in those days and she kept Katie stocked up on stuffed animals; she’d disemfuzzel a couple a day!
This post was absolutely a great way for me to start my year – dog in a jar was not to be missed, but duckies have a special place in my life. Happy New Year – Mir, Otto, Chickie, Monkey, and Licorice.
What a life full of blessings! I especially adore how Otto managed to make the stuffed dog look even cuter squeezed into a jar – paws pressed against the glass and head cocked to the side and everything. And the duckies? Too cute. Family that is constantly reminding you how much they love you? Yep, they’re keepers.
Happy New Year!
You do have it all. And thanks for reminding the rest of us. Love really is everything. (And you have that in spades.)