Two Challenging Events Down...

Well, I'm home Sunday night after a beautiful weekend at the spiritual retreat center I attend regularly. This Saturday was our Holiday party, and guess who was co-chair of the food committee? That's right...me! I went into the weekend afraid that I would be up to my elbows in cookies as I prepared serving trays, but it worked out that others stepped in to do that so I could pretty much avoid all of the sugary bits. As for the other food for the party, we included some healthy options and so my plate had some raw veggies, cheese, fruit chunks, a small spanikopita tart, and an artichoke crostini. Thanks to the turkey sandwich I brought from home to eat before the party, I was satisfied to eat my small plate and then go on to other activities. In years past I was one of the people who skipped dinner before hand in order to justify staying in the food room to graze and pick all night...especially the cookies. Sure, I could have allowed myself one cookie, but I know that would have made it harder for me. I'm so proud of me for my willingness to do that party differently.

The other challenging event was when my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew came over for pizza last week. I had two small pieces of pizza and a large salad...pretty good. But my s-i-l made brownies. Ugh. I know I could have asked her not to bring them, but I wanted everyone else to enjoy them. Well, when it came time for dessert (a la mode, of course), it turned out that I had the opportunity to feed it to my 2 1/2 year old nephew. (The brownies were both crumbly and chewy, so it was easier for someone to just feed it to him.) It was so neat to enjoy the dessert through every bite I gave to him! It was oddly and unexpectedly fulfilling to have that experience with him.

So two very new ways of doing desserts for me. : ) New, new, new!!!

So, the remaining challenging events on the horizon are: this weekend when my in-laws come to visit, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, day after party with friends, New Years Eve, and a big family party in January. Ugh...that's a lot. But I've done it twice now, so I know I can do it again. And I'm learning that it's easier for me to tell people about my Diabetes so that I can really get behind my saying no to certain foods. Some people need that extra info to stop hassling me into taking dessert. And it allows me to get suppport from them, and that feels good.