"What are you? A goodie two shoes Catholic girl now?"

Since getting married, I have tried - somewhat unsuccessfully- to make an effort to attend church every Sunday with my husband. We finally sat down with a priest at St. Gregory's and joined the parish. I love the idea of belonging to something and being known as parishioners. (That and I love that we have little donation envelopes with our names inscribed on the front.)

So Lent is fast approaching. The good ol' forty days of the year when Catholics every where decide they are going to "sacrifice" something for the greater good. So, this year I've decided that I am going to take on the challenge. I am going to go and entire forty days without my two most favorite things in the world: 1) Alcohol and 2) Pasta. (I was going to say that I would give up carbs completely, but let's be real people. That is not going to happen.)

From Ash Wednesday, February 25th to Easter Sunday, April 12th I am going to commit to doing this... with two exceptions:

1. Clemencia & Ajay's Wedding- February 27th, 2009:

I cannot possibly attend a wedding of this caliber without having an alcoholic beverage. To go to a wedding and not sip champagne and toast the newlyweds is something awkward and foreign to me, and I refuse to do it.

2. Girls Weekend in Boston- March 20th-22nd 2009:

This has now become a yearly tradition. One weekend with my favorite girls Julie and Michelle. It's a weekend full of of dinners, dancing, drinking, laughing and getting into serious trouble. I cannot possibly go to Boston and tell my girls that I am not drinking because it is Lent. They'd laugh me back to New York.

If I can make it the entire forty days (well actually, it is thirty seven days) without having a drink, I will be ridiculously proud of myself. Add to that the fact that I cannot eat pasta?! I mean seriously, how much more of a sacrifice can I make for forty days?