Soda purge

This photo right here is my last soda for the year 2012.  Due to the healthy juicing influence of my mom, Caryl, and the strength of Joan’s soda give up, I decided I can do it too.  Well, I have decided (hash tag) that I drink a load of soda.  So I started thinking, why and when? I will tell you.

Okay, I grew up NOT drinking any soda.  Sugar never touched these lips.  My mom made wheat crackers with cream cheese colored with food coloring for Valentine’s parties at school.  And that’s what I called a “cookie”. But seriously, mom, can you make those again cause I did love them.  They were good.  So if we never had a cookie, which may have had some sugar in it, there is definitely no way a soda would be allowed in the house.  I don’t remember my dad or mom drinking soda even.  I remember our treat would be like the small Sprite at McDonald’s (which was part of the treat) because we got A’s on our report card and they had the free meal deal.  I liked never having soda; I never knew the difference of not having soda. Maybe a Slurpee every now and then…  I don’t really remember my dad drinking it (oh, believe me, he does) and I only remember my mom having Diet Coke Big Gulp later in my childhood when she worked with a friend cleaning houses.  It was a big deal to go 7-11.

In junior high, I discovered that at lunch, you can put your $.50, yes only $.50, in a machine that delivered crappy food to you.  I, and I hope I have admitted this to mom already before she reads this because I am sorry if I didn’t, spent my extra quarters that I didn’t use on the pay phone- cause pay phones were cool and I had lonely lunches so yeah, I called home, whatever- and put them in these machines.  And out came…. Mt Dew.  Ahhh, Mt Dew was my first love.  Now, I didn’t exactly sneak it, but I knew that I should probably not be drinking this sugary, and CAFFEINATED, beverage.  I also discovered the student store, where you could by two sodas with your student points.  What in the world????  Of course this was a deal! Mt Dew was my go to vice at school then.  Plus, you get involved in after school stuff and what did they do?  Order you pizza and more soda.

Then, in 8th grade, the cute boy in my classes got us all to try JOLT.   Talk about a caffeine high.  Now remember, I would drink tea, summer tea especially with my dad, but soda caffeine is another story.  Then they invent a drink called Jolt, advertising more caffeine than your average soda?  I was hooked.  Man.  Look at that.  A cute boy tells me to try something, I do, get hooked, and he never even sat next to me at lunch.  That’s the start of most Lifetime movies.

So I rode the wild ride of soda and secret vending machine purchases til sophomore year.  Then my first boss, a family friend, got me coffee!!!!!!  That’s an entirely different story and I will never give that up.  But I can argue the health benefits of that and all.  So anyways, sophomore year, I got in pretty good, albeit spaghetti shape.  I looked like a noodle on the volleyball team.  Soda ran rampant freshman year, and sophomore year I decided to quit it.  So I did briefly.  For swimming.  Cause we were like using weights, and swimming all the time and I was eating vegetarian.  So yeah, I could quit.  Then our coach told us that soda helps when doing sprint races because it gives you a boost right before the race.  Too bad I did long distance.  I didn’t drink it I think for that entire season and most of the summer.

The next heavy use period of my life would be when I got a job at the library.  Right across the street from the magical place my mom got those red and white Big Gulp cups.  And guess what?  15 minute break meant my best friend Nicole and I could get (I am not joking about this) a bag of chips each, a candy bar each, a soda each, and usually some more fattening snacks for later.  We did Slurpees for a long time.  Then, we fell in love with Dr. Pepper.  Now, when someone you are as close to as I am to Nik, drinks the soda with you, you aren’t going to give it up.  You don’t want to look like a loser when I get a bottle of water instead.  Right?  Right?  So I drank Dr. Pepper pretty much daily.  Work required this of me.  I was on my feet in the bustling world of shelving.  I had to stay on point.  I had to be alert!

Then, we ventured out, and Vanilla Dr. Pepper from Sonic.  My goodness.  Nothing better.  Then Nik decided to get pregnant after nine years of soda break time (with a few weeks of “let’s switch to ice tea!”) and we quit the soda again.  This time I did really well.  I only drank every now and then and even was off it for months two years ago.  Then the stress of life turned me to the Dr. Pepper again which actually changed to Coke Zero. I have ever since been sucking down the Coke Zero like I can’t function without it.  Some days I feel like that.  I know that if I can make it through work, I have a soda waiting in my fridge.  I bought the little cans so I could keep them in my purse.  I bought cases of it just to have under my desk.  Coke Zero, you helped my headaches!  You made me wake up! You were so refreshing!  I loved you Coke Zero! But you are wrong for me.  I can’t believe I drink soda after my mom did such a good job of teaching us that it’s not so great for you.  I counted on it to make my day better, clear my thoughts, and even sometimes declared it my entire lunch cause I just wanted a Coke!

But no more!  2012 will be soda free!  I think.  No it will!! If Joan has made it 17 more days than me, I surely can do the rest of the 348.  Oh wait.  Oh no, it’s leap year, so add a day.  Okay!  Tomorrow will be my last soda!  No, I am joking; it’s today.  I don’t have any more so to justify it being tomorrow I would have to buy a six-pack at least, and then that would be six more days…

AND NO!  Today.