Wine tasting....

Hello…my name is Kristen and it has been almost 9 months since my last drink.

Now don’t get me wrong…Alcohol made a swift exit in my life when i decided to have this surgery.  The fear of “dumping”  (which I haven’t really had yet, knock on wood)  kept me far far away from my martinis…and vodka tonics…and tall glasses of shiraz.   I remained painfully sober through birthday parties, weddings, and dinners out.  And didn’t really mind…too much.

But nothing was going to keep me away from a drink while I was at my sister’s wedding. 

The experts tell you to have your first drink at home…just in case it makes you really sick.  And it was difficult for me to find a time where I felt like sitting at home by myself drinking wine and waiting to be sick.  It just didn’t sound very fun at all.

So, a couple of weeks ago, my really good friend, Lindsey, came up for a visit from California.  We sat down and started to chat.  And I did something I hadn’t done in a while. 

I opened a bottle of wine. 

It was a dusty bottle of cabernet sauvignon.  A REALLY good bottle I had received as a housewarming gift when I bought my house about a year ago.  Something I was saving for a really special occasion.  And this night seemed about as good of an "occasion" as any I could think of.  I mean, if I was going to “dump,” I might as well do it on a really good bottle of wine, right?

It also made it a little easier knowing that Lindsey is also a nurse, so I knew that if I got sick, she would understand.  So I poured…we drank…and talked and laughed until the wee hours of the morning.  Besides the fact that the girl who used to drink 4 or 5 martinis and still be sober as a brick, ended up pretty tipsy on a half of a glass of wine, I had no ill effects. 

I was so happy I could have cried that night…well, maybe it was the wine.  But still…it was awesome. 

Rehearsal dinner!

So at my sister’s rehearsal dinner, I downed a couple more glasses, just to be sure.  (Also, to help me ignore all of the delicious italian food that was there! Yum!) 


Bingo…no dumping.  I felt great.  I felt I was totally set for the wedding. 

I’ve decided that I’m going to stick with wine for now in order to avoid the sugars in the juicy sweet drinks and the bubbles in the ones mixed with sodas…and this suits me just fine!  I can have 1 or maybe 2 glasses, but I won’t overdo it because I know there are A LOT of calories in that little glass. 

Regardless of the restrictions I’m giving myself, I’m glad to have alcohol back in my life.  I know it will definitely help me fell a little more “normal” in the social situations a girl in her late 20s is exposed to…it will also help me get back to seriously busting a move on the dance floor! 

Me, my wine,  and my dad!