Operation: Hot Tub

With Thanksgiving and Iron Bowl festivities behind us, my attention has moved onto one of the many adventures I have planned for my winter break: New Year's Eve.

Now, I understand that I have a project and three finals standing between me and my break officially beginning, not to mention a trip to Dallas and Christmas, but my New Year's trip comes with a few "needs" that must be handled with haste. Allow me to explain with a few visual supplements.

Every time I've talked to Clay about my trip to Dallas, his agenda has included mainly one thing: eating. Awesome; I just so happen to be a huge fan.

Next up: Christmas parties.

I don't know what your Christmas parties entail, but mine consist largely of treats. Lots and lots of treats.

On top of Christmas parties with friends, you have, of course, Christmas dinners with family.

Yes, a smorgasbord of delicious Christmas goodies, and if your family's Christmas dinner is anything like mine, there aren't a lot of "lite" options floating around on the big day.

Now, why am I complaining about all this deliciousness soon to be coming my way? That's where my little New Year's trip comes into play. This year, I'll be ringing in 2011 high up in the mountains of North Carolina with 9 of my best friends. Total, that's five guys and five girls. Cute, isn't it? What fun! you might say... Well, sure it will be loads of fun. Two tons of fun, in fact, as I expect to weigh approximately two tons when we depart for our holiday destination.

You may be wondering what's the big deal. Winter is the perfect time to splurge a bit and hide away your holiday muffin top under layers and layers of cuddly clothes. You'd think.

Ladies and germs, I give you the highlight of our New Year's retreat:

Ahhhhh, the hot tub. What a delightful way to warm up in the snowy mountains. But who needs that when you've put on a thick layer of holiday "warmth," like a bear heading into hibernation??

So, you see my dilemma. In less than a month-- that's right, a month from today we'll be starting a new year, friends-- I'm going to have to shed all my layers of warmth and slip into hot tub appropriate attire: aka, bathing suit. Most people will start a tireless workout routine on New Year's Day to begin gearing up for Spring Break. Not I. I have less than a month to be bikini-ready.

Thanks to last night's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, I have a little inspiration:

I'm sure this is a look that can be easily accomplished in just 30 days... even with all the Christmas goodies... right?

And so, Operation: Hot Tub has commenced. Every time a caramel brownie crosses my path, I'll picture that roaring hot tub and my VS Angels to help keep my eye on the prize.

I just won't count the brownie I ate on the way to work today...