Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I had spent nearly two days lying around recovering from a very bad half marathon on Thanksgiving morning. A friend called and tried to convince me to make the trip to see his new apartment. An hour later, I nearly had myself talked off the couch. About another half hour went by before I finally made it to the car and headed in his direction. I drove for about an hour and then decided that I had gone too far. I called my friend and he gave me directions back to where I should be, which was near a Chick-fil-a. I’m glad I called him because he had decided to make a quick run to Wal-mart. I drove all that way and he wasn’t even home!!

While I waited for him to return, I went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. I mean, I had only eaten once, maybe twice, or three times if you count the cookies I ate in between, and it was nearly 4 o’clock. I had to do something to fill the time.

As I approached the register, something caught my eye. It was tall and pink with dark pieces floating throughout, topped with whip cream and a cherry. What was this beautiful creation staring me in the face? Why, it was the new Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake. Oh. My. Goodness. I had to have one. I know the doctor told me to go an insulin resistant diet and I was quite sure this wasn’t on the menu, but it is only offered for a limited time. I wanted one. It looked delicious. I decided to indulge myself once more before I said goodbye to sweets for good…or for a while… a very long while.

My friend and his daughter arrived as I finished my meal. Little A went to order an ice cream cone for herself and her dad. I went to order the Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake. As they licked away at their cones, I patiently waited for my hand-spun milkshake to be delivered. When it finally came, I couldn’t wait to taste it. My eyes lit up. There were tiny peppermint pieces decorating the top almost as if they were cheering in support of the cherry. Little A asked for the cherry and I graciously gave it to her. Then I dove in with my straw and the merriment began.

It was delicious! Every sip was laced with tiny peppermint and chocolate pieces. It was a delicate balance of vanilla, peppermint, and chocolate. Each flavor melded together, blending easily with the other creating a superb combination. It tasted old-fashioned. It tasted like Christmas. It was amazing! And believe it or not, I actually shared it with my friend and Little A. It was too good not to let others join in. I was spreading the joy of Christmas, up until Little A started hogging my milkshake. Hello, you’ve got your own cone. She finally let go and returned to her own ice cream cone. All was well again.

I’m not going to think about the fact that I’m not supposed to have that much sugar. I’m not going to think about the fact that I had already hit my limit of sweets for the day. I’m not going to think about the fact that it had 930 calories. No, I’m only going to think about how delicious it was in that moment as I spent time with my special friends as we indulged in our love of ice cream. I had so much to be thankful for and the milkshake was like the cherry on top.