Halloween scares me!

I have two true loves… my husband Neal and a quiet, though fiery, love affair with chocolate.

With Halloween approaching, I am having that second love shoved in my face on a daily basis. Every vendor at work seeking more business brings in baskets of candy, each one trying to out do the other. At first, some would bring in hard candies. You know… mints, caramels, etc. I have no problem passing that up. But the vendors who really care about our business bring out the big guns… for instance, Hershey’s, Snickers, Butterfingers and my two favorites – Reece’s Cups and Dove chocolates (preferably in dark chocolate.)  

There is candy everywhere I look. In the Kitchen, where I refill my 32 oz. water bottle often. In the Tech room, conveniently next to fax machine. At the front desk where I drop by often to chat with Judy, the New Orleans native, "mom" of the office who asks me every Monday if I went to mass, like every good Catholic mother should. And Sally, the red headed “tell-it-like-it-is” Grandmother and receptionist from Detroit.

I’m just waiting for them to put a lil’ bowl by the bathroom sink as an incentive to wash your hands.

It makes me a nervous wreck, but so far, so good. I haven’t had one piece of candy since I started my weight loss journey almost 3 weeks ago. But the real task is making it through Halloween next weekend.

Our Halloween ritual for the past 3 years has been to meet at my in-laws house who live in an established family-neighborhood in Hendersonville. “Ballentrae” is known for having the best candy in the city. This year is no different.

(Sidenote: If you’re like me who grew up in the ghettos of Clarksville, you NEVER Trick-or-Treated in your own neighborhood. Hells no. We loaded up and drove out to Sango to beat on the doors of the rich folks. Everyone knows they give the best candy.)

Ballentrae does a wonderful job at making it a festival of sorts for the night. Most people bundle up and sit outside with a fire pit in front of them to watch all the babies go door to door. There is someone who pulls a hay ride up and down the streets. It’s an event.

My in-laws, like every abiding homeowner in that community, buy the good shit. (If not, egging ensues.) There’s no telling how much money they spend on candy for Halloween. And like a respectful daughter-in-law, I do not come empty handed. But I do come prepared. My attack plan this year is to buy candy I KNOW I won’t eat, not even when I’m desperate. (Sweet tarts, anything with caramel or malt, suckers, or anything strawberry/raspberry/lemon/orange flavored.

I’m realistic, though. I know it’s not practical to make it through that night with a lil’ sumthin sumthin. So maybe instead of 6 Reece’s cups, I’ll make it 2. (Small ones, mind you.) And later that night, if I’m really good, I’ll just treat myself to a lil’ cup of Neal instead.

Oooo yeah…. ;)

Halloween 2009. I was a leopard. He was a...??