Too much of a good thing can be wonderful...

I am going to preface this post by saying this is a judge free zone.

I am about to admit a few of my biggest downfalls...I can neither decide if I am happy or sad that Murcia seems to cater to them all; however, I will just start my confessions--

 #1 CHOCOLATE! One word says it all.

I have an addiction...a horrible, terrible, wonderful sweet obsession with dark chocolate, light chocolate, milk chocolate--the pastries with chocolate, the sponge cakes with chocolate--basically anything, and everything that has chocolate to go with it. I am sure it is genetic considering my Grandma is also a lover of chocolate, but I know whatever it happening with me here, in this place, is unnatural. I have literally had to swear myself off of chocolate for seven days just to test my control. I feel like a kid on crack (not that I know what that feels like) needing my fix. I wish I could give you the words, but instead I will just show you the beautiful array of chocolate here in the region of Murcia. Of course this is not everything but you will all just have to use your imagination for the rest!

This is a chocolate chain in Spain...that's right you heard me, a chocolate chain!!!! This is not your average See's candies people. They have chocolate tastings, of course, I only found this out after I had sworn off chocolate for seven days. But, don't you worry, you can rest assured I will do a chocolate tasting before my time here is through! They also have a chocolate fondue with fruit. Great, two of my greatest downfalls at one little eatery.

Here is just a small glimpse of all the bountiful, chocolaty goodness this place offers.. I enlarged it for your viewing pleasure:) You can thank me later!

And now a small quote that made me feel better about my chocolate addiction:

Seize the moment.  Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert.   – Erma Bombeck

*I know, I know its a bit in bad taste but it just felt so right.

#2 Fruit

Murcia is known for their fruits and vegetables because the soil here is apparently God's gift to man. Its been called "the crop garden of Europe" and it should give you "gastronomic pleasure." I don't know about "gastronomic" but it sure brings me pleasure. I am telling you... I don't like oranges all that much in the U.S., but here I am popping these puppies like potato chips (you just can't have one). The fruit here is beyond delicious and goes straight into my "sinfully" delicious category. If I wasn't having to fight off my chocolate cravings I would be having fruit for desert. As it is I have fruit cups in the morning for breakfast and generally some during the day. I could also live off the fresh squeezed orange juice here. Basically, I enjoy the fruit almost as much as I enjoy the chocolate or equally as much and thats saying something. All I can hope, at this point in time, is that you can't overdose on fruit. I am quite sure, if you can, I am going to die a very happy woman.

Oranges, Kiwi, and Banana fruit plate!

Some of you who are on a diet will be happy to know that I have some non-food obsessions. Now you can stop reading about all my food obsessions (trust me there are more, but I just didn't have the heart to divulge) and we can leap right in to my money spending ones...

#3 Shoes

Oh jeez...where do I start with this one. There are just a few things in stores that I tend to buy more than the average person. One of them is shoes and another is lingerie. On the lingerie front I will just defend myself by saying it is not that I wear it for anyone in particular, because I don't. It is because it makes me feel confident and beautiful! and so, I'm afraid, do shoes. Now how does a woman say no to things that make her feel confident and beautiful...apparently, when she's this woman, she doesn't. In a two day period I have bought four pairs of shoes. Gasp! I know, this is so bad. All I can say for myself is that they are having sales until the end of February and I was compelled, I dare-say forced to do my civic duty as a shoe-a-holic and purchase these beautiful babies. Now, when you see them, if you have any love for what you put on your feet, you can't say I did wrong. Here is my shrine to the shoes that leave me breathless...

Well...this is the shrine...and you thought I was joking! And down below are close ups for you to salivate over.

That, my friends and family, is all the dirty laundry I can air in one day. I am sure you are as exhausted as I, but I am also just as sure you can feel better about all your little sinful delights because of the sheer proportion of mine. Large! I never did learn how to do anything in moderation...its all or nothing with me... and in this case it was definitely all!