Discontinued

There have been many things over the years that I have grown to love and become attached to, only to find they are discontinued. The thing about it is that when something is discontinued, it's not like they put a big sign where it used to be in the store that says DISCONTINUED. You go, expecting to find what you want, and it's not there. So you think, I'll just pick it up next time. You go back a few days later with your hopes up, and still no luck. There's really no closure. You just have to one day accept the fact that you never got to say goodbye to one of your favorite products. Here are a few examples of my experience with this:

1. Morningstar Farms breakfast sandwich. It had a veggie sausage patty, egg substitute, and low fat cheese on an English muffin. It was healthy with lots of protein and I used to stock my freezer with them and eat one every morning, sometimes for lunch too.

2. Spree Hearts at Valentine's Day. That was my favorite candy, and I would always rush to Walgreens in mid-January when the Valentine's stuff went out. The little boxes of pink and white Nerds are a close second though.

3. Brummel & Brown Apple Cinnamon yogurt spread.

4. Skintimate Bikini and Underarm shaving gel. I thought I was so clever to use it on my legs.

5. Navy Glitter TOMS. They can pass as dark silver so I could wear them with anything. After over a year, they are finally wearing out and I can't find a replacement. Not even at Northgate Vintage, the ultimate source of TOMS.

6. S'mores lip gloss. They still make it but the texture and scent are different so it's just not the same.

7. Coming soon: Gossip Girl. I read that this is the last season. Does this mean that I have to get my own life instead of being wrapped up in those of Blair, Serena, and Little Jenny?

8. Sandlewood & Rose at Bath & Body Works. I loved anything in this scent - candles, shower gel, you name it. It doesn't come back when they bring back the old favorites once or twice a year, and they don't have some stored in a warehouse somewhere. I asked. Ranger loved this one too, and not even his mad e-bay skills could get some more for me.

9. HEB Cinnamon Hazelnut coffee. It may be a little premature to say it's discontinued, but the last two times we've looked for it, we couldn't find it. We shall see.

10. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. I got on a kick last winter and looked forward to it this year when the red cups came out, but they didn't have the salt. A close substitute is regular hot chocolate with toffee nut syrup and whipped cream.

11. Fra Guerau 2004 red wine. We got it at Specs from our favorite wine advisor and loved it. We went to buy more, only to find out it was a one-time shipment and they will probably not be getting any more. We'll keep checking though just in case!

So... my advice is that if you really really like something, keep your pantry, fridge, or shelves stocked with at least 10 of them. That way if it becomes discontinued, you'll have some time to wean yourself off before having to find the next best thing. ;)