Into my 8th month without smoking

I've gone into my 8th month without a cigarette. I've gone through autumn and winter and now we're into spring and for some odd reason, I want a cigarette and instead of smoking, I'm chewing gum from the time I wake up until I go to bed at night and my jaws are tired. It has to be the season, that I'm outside as much as I can be and it's without a cigarette in hand.
I see that $1,000 saved coming up and almost 4,500 cigarettes I haven't smoked (no doubt should be more than 5,000) and I know I'm not going to buy cigarettes to smoke. The urges come, the urges go and I'm getting healthier every hour that I don't light up.

Although the benefits to not smoking should be obvious, one of the biggest benefits is not so apparent and that's the friends I've made blogging when I first quit. Without these people I would probably still be smoking. These women were there when I needed support and encouragement and they are still with me now.
I Love You like you're my sisters!!

Do you hold back?

When you blog, do you intentionally keep a distance from posting on topics/issues that are controversial? Are there topics/issues which you have thoughts on and stay away from commenting because of what someone else might think? Are there topics/issues which make your belly burn, your heart race, and your eyes see red? What topics/issues make you mad, make you want to cry or scream, make you want to hit something or someone?

In all honestly, I started this blog with the intent of being able to speak my mind but I have to admit that I'm somewhat intimidated about speaking my mind. I don't know, maybe this isn't the forum.
What kind of topics/issues you say?

Pro-Life / Pro-Choice
Death Penalty
Judicial System
Social Services
Abuse / Neglect
Dead Beat Human Beings
Spoiled Children / Parents that don't parent
People that Spend Money they don't really have and then file bankruptcy
Politics and the asses that run for office

These are just a few of the topics/issues and I'm sure I'd come up with more with the help of each of you.
Seriously, wouldn't you love to voice your deepest feelings about these issues?

I want a (new, just out) iMac

I currently use a MacBook, it's 2 years old, there have been a number of updates to this machine. It's fine but the screen is only 13". I love the portability, mostly to take when we travel but when we're at home, it's wired up to external hard drives, card readers, ipods, blah-blah-blah and is not portable but the screen is difficult on the eyes for long stretches--damn I'm getting old! LOL

What I'd like is a 24" iMac, ooooooohhhhh, 3.06ghz, lots of bang to use daily and then still have my MacBook for portability.........come on, I need the Mac users out there to talk me into this buy :). It comes in different configurations and yes it's less expensive but the one I want has a 24" piece of screen real estate!!!

What kind of computer do you use?

Visit with Rudy

We're back and I have lots to say for such a short trip.......

First, as I told you, we stayed at LaQuinta and it's normally okay because we bring our dog Winston and they accept pets. This particular location stated online that they had a complete renovation done and the photos looked nice (first deception) - the place was a pit!! To follow are some photos I took of the condition of our room



These were the bathroom photos ah yeah and let me add that there wasn't any towels, no soap, no shampoo, no nothing except filth.
There was also discarded food in the trash can in the bedroom area and it was obvious that the desk and drawers area had not been wiped down - YUCK!!
I pulled the bedspread back expecting God only knows what and found very white and even pressed sheets, not a single stain or wrinkle in them except for the ironed creases.
Needless to say, we did not pay for our room.

NOW FOR THE BEST PART OF THIS TRIP.........We brought my Father-In-Law to meet his only Great Grandchild, Rudy (which is also Great Grandpa's name) and he shocked us in how much and often he wanted to hold the baby and how sweet and gentle he was, even when Rudy was screaming and making himself blue.
These are some of the photos



Then photos with regular Grandpa



And now you get to see one of MamaFlo kissing Rudy's feet ---- this is the only time you will see me kiss the feet of any man!!!!



Rudy smiled for his Grandma and I couldn't have been more pleased.

Still in Houston

Good Morning! It's a little after 7am right now and we're in a hotel (LaQuinta cause they take pets) in Houston. Woke up about 6:15 from small yippy dog barking, I'm supposing the owner had gone to the lobby for breakfast. We will be headed to our son's home around 8 this morning to have breakfast and then will get on the road to head back to San Antonio.

Yesterday was a glorious day as we introduced little Rudy to his great grandfather (baby Rudy's name sake). My father-in-law is 83 years old. I will post photos later when we get home but no photo will do this meeting justice. I think as we age not only do we become more patient, we become sweeter, and kinder. I wish my husband and father-in-law were even half as sweet when our own children were babies.

We will most likely be driving home in rain and hopefully we can dodge the more severe weather that's out there. I don't want to complain about the rain as we've been in a drought for almost a year now and the cooler weather (albeit short lived) is welcomed with the front. I just would rather now have to drive for 3 hours in poor weather conditions.

Rudy is growing like a weed and at about 7 weeks old, we were able to have him awake more (more time to give him hugs and kisses and bounce him around). There will be photos posted later today when we get home.

Friday Fillins for Friday April 25, 2008

1. When I fell in love I was young, dumb, and full of cum!
2. My spirits soar when the flowers bloom and it heats up outside!
3. Oh no! The internet connection is down, THIS SUCKS.
4. I don't watch much TV is the craziest tv show ever.
5. Cheese and Tortilla Chips along with chicken and avocados and throw in refried beans make a great meal!
6. Develop a garden.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to packing, tomorrow my plans include driving to Houston to see Rudy and of course my son and daughter-in-law and Sunday, I want to drive home from Houston!

13 Important Lessons Learned

1. I will get in return whatever I give. Is this what they mean by "whatever goes around, comes around", both good and bad.

2. Don't sweat the small stuff.

3. That I didn't know diddly before I turned 50. I have learned more in the last 3 years than I learned all my life up until this time.

4. Continuing to grow is essential to real happiness.

5. Smile often and long, it makes the people you come in contact with wonder what's happening in your life.

6. Tell the people that you love, how you feel, don't hold back your love.

7. You can't take back words you say in a fit of anger.

8. Every lie you tell will come back to haunt you.

9. You have the power to start or stop anything you want bad enough.

10. Children need more time to be children.

11. Every person has good within them. Every person has evil within them.

12. Taste buds are continuously evolving. What you don't like today you may love tomorrow so keep trying foods.

13. Life is an illusion and we make it what we want it to be, good or bad.

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31 Years of Married Bliss

Today is our 31st Wedding Anniversary. No one that knew us all those years ago would have pegged this relationship to last long enough to even get married least of all stay married for 31 years.
What I have to say to those people is "You didn't even know us".

We were an unlikely match, I was an anglo girl from the mid-west (I hadn't ever even dated a guy that wasn't a blonde or red head) and he was of hispanic decent and from here in San Antonio. We were in the military, stationed in Colorado and he was an officer and I was enlisted (a big no-no in what was the Viet Nam era).
I dated a lot, he dated infrequently. I was an extrovert and he was an introvert. He had gone to college and finished graduate school, I was lucky to have made it through high school. He came from a family of 3 kids, I came from a family of 7 kids. He had already seen the world and I had seen nothing.

Like any relationship/marriage, the "We" took practice, lots and lots of practice. We didn't always get it right, we fought/fight with a vengeance. His careers kept him away from home for about 23 years of our 31 years of marriage, he'd be home for a week maybe out of the month and sometimes not be home for a year plus at a time. Our daughter would scream when he came through the door because she didn't know who he was. This afforded me the opportunity to be a stay at home Mom. I kept an immaculate home, home cooked every meal, laundry was done daily. I volunteered with everything the children were involved in and even some that my absent husband needed me to be involved with.
Money was tight always and we moved frequently until it was time for the kids to start high school. It was at this time that our lives came together - Finally!
This unlikely pair managed to get two children educated in private high school, go to ivy league colleges on merit based scholarships, go on to get Graduate and MD degrees, and now for our son to be married (he's the MD) and give us our first Grandchild (Rudy), and our daughter is climbing the corporate ladder of success, not married yet but is happy and fulfilled.

We sacrificed long and hard to be able to retire early (and well), we travel when we can and enjoy everyday we have together.
Our Marriage actually is BLISS.
He is my friend, my lover, and the best part of who I am.

Load Times on the New Design

Please be patient while we work out the kinks (the page load times).

Thank you for visiting my site and check back as I'm certain this load issue will be remedied soon.

*****EDIT*****

Please let me know if you continue to experience load time issues but for now it seems they have resolved.

There is a credits area on my blog but I also want to APPLAUD my designer DOODLEBUG DESIGNS!!!!

HAIR LOSS

A few people have asked me about my 17 year hair loss.
I was shiny headed bald, nothing, nada, zip.
The loss wasn't so tough on me as I was home trying to raise to babies that were 12 months and 12 days apart in age. I didn't have time to have friends, or go out. I was about 26 years old.
I bought cheap wigs for when going out in public was a necessity and they looked like wigs. This is so unlike today with wigs being mainstream with chemotherapy, etc - shit, even going bald is more mainstream now than it was in 1982.

The person it was hard on was my husband and I can't say I could blame him. What man wants to make love to Kojak? I think you get my drift.

As my kids got older and public appearances were happening more frequently, the need to wear a wig was a bigger deal and it was hot and scratchy, I was miserable. Around the house I went bald and I felt free and felt like me.

I had tests run and even had my head highlighted in a medical journal as the medical community tried to find the cause and therefore a solution.
Nothing came, no reasoning whatsoever, only conjecture, NO HAIR!

I went through probably 2 wigs a year at 60-70 a pop (which was really expensive all those years ago).

The 1990's came around and my kids were in their teens and very self conscious of their wig wearing mother (I felt for them, this was a condition I had no other choice but to accept but for them and my husband it was another story all together).
In the fall of 1996 I started seeing fuzz grow and it would fall out and then actual hair started growing but it was patchy. I continued to wear a wig. I then started back to work after having been a stay at home mom for 18 years and that job was at an outpatient mental health facility. The therapists there were very understanding of my feelings about being bald, about wearing a wig and they encouraged me to cut the hair that was growing and start going without a wig. I did that and my hair started growing and I'd cut it and it would grow more and was filling in and before long, there was more hair than bald spots.

Today all my hair is back in, it's different, the hair is thin and grey yet requires cutting every 3 weeks. I color my hair the best I can but it's all grey and grey resists color. I don't want to make it too brittle so I space out the coloring.

The important part is that my hair is all I lost during those 17 years. My husband stayed, my kids loved me, and I became whole again.
The medical community never did find out what the problem was but if it ever happens again I know I'll survive.

The week ahead.....FIESTA, ANNIVERSARY, BLOG REDESIGN, & BABY RUDY

Spring is the time to attend FIESTA in San Antonio. It's 10 days of parades, food, drink, and community. If you've never attended, do yourself a favor and plan on visiting San Antonio during Fiesta.

Following in the footsteps of Fiesta, I have an unveiling of my own scheduled for later this week........a new look to my blog (I'm not getting rid of my bird avatar though).

Wednesday is our 31st Wedding Anniversary - I can't believe someone has actually been able to stand my company for so long - LOL!! It's been quite a journey and I feel privileged to have made this journey with my best friend.

This weekend we are headed to Houston to see our grandson and introduce him to his great grandfather. Of course there will be lots of picture taking.


*****EDIT*****
For those readers that come to visit daily, you will notice there is a change to my blog. My designer, Doodlebug was able to install me this evening (she's still working on it).
I'm very excited about this new design and hope everyone else likes it too.

MY Blogging: The Past, Present, Future

I first started blogging with Xanga and that was primarily because my DIL and her family had started sharing about her pregnancy which grew into something more. I then decided that as much as I liked reading their blogs that there were other things I wanted to talk about and felt I couldn't do that with them......so I started looking into other platforms and since I had so much going with Google already I figured I'd keep it all in the family. I quit smoking back in September 2007 and that seemed like a good topic to begin blogging about and I made "friends" and looked forward everyday to the sharing about our common goal to stay free of smoking.

Anyway, I've gotten involved with EntreCard, mostly because I wanted a venue to look/read other blogs and now it's become a job of sorts doing my daily droppings. On the up side, EntreCard has allowed me to start reading some very interesting and captivating blogs. In the beginning, I tried to add 5 new blogs a day and now I'm up to over 200 drops (nothing in comparison to some droppers out there) a day and finding it gives me little time to read all the great blogs I've come across and want to read and comment on and then spending time on my own blog. I almost wish that EntreCard had a drop system similar to Fuel My Blog where you can do all you have listed at one time, therefore giving you the time to go in and read and comment on the blogs you enjoy.

I've read on a few blogs where the blogger has decided to take a break, that blogging has taken over their lives, where they've been fired because of blogging, gotten divorces because of blogging.

I'm looking at the long haul, I'd love to still be doing this into my 70's (I'm 53 now) but not at the pace I'm going at today.

To the bloggers out there - keep on posting, I love reading about your lives and careers.

Life: 8 Random Things About Me

I was tagged by haleyhuges at The Beacon to tell you a little bit about myself.........

The Rules:

Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to read your blog

1. The housecleaning task I dislike the most is cleaning the bathroom. I gag the entire time I'm cleaning and you should see me with gloves and googles and face mask - I'm a site! I guess this goes from dislike into phobia actually.

2. I dislike wearing a bra (except in extreme cases).

3. I don't drink wine. The first time I ever drank alcohol (15 years old) it was Ripple and I drank 2 bottle, who the hell knew I'd get sloppy drunk and not be able to control anything about myself. I had a 2 day hangover and lectures forever from my parents and swore the stuff off - never again has it touched my lips and still to this day the mere smell of wine makes me want to hurl.

4. I ran a 9 provider mental health clinic for 7 years. I learned that you have to have a mental illness yourself to be a Psychiatrist, Psychologist, or Master's Level Counselor.

5. I had no hair for 17 years. After I had my children, I developed a condition that didn't allow hair to grow. After 17 years almost to the day my hair started growing back (it's been back for almost 10 years).

6. I love freshwater fishing. I love the time lost in thought and then the tug that pulls you back into the here and now and you reel in your catch (hopefully). I don't need to keep them and clean them as I enjoy the process more than the fish itself.

7. That I love everything Mac (although I can't afford it all).

8. That I loved smoking but that I gave it up almost 7 months ago for fear of dying.


I'm now tagging the following readers:
Maggie
Lynda
Diva
Klogger
Babs
Brandie
Jude
THIS LAST SPACE IS FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO JOIN IN

Today was a little of this and that

Today I scrubbed the interior of my car (yeah the one that I spent over 2k on earlier this week - it's a 12 year old Infinite that I love way too much to let go of ). Anyway, I haven't done a complete clean out since I quit smoking almost 7 months ago and it was way time. I was somewhat grossed out at the tar on the ceiling near the drivers door, YUCK!! I was able to scrub it out though and my car is like new in more ways than one.

Went to Whole Foods to buy some Two Bite Scones (both the lemon poppy seed and the orange cranberry) Mmmmm they are wonderful and they are what I had for dinner tonight - yeah yeah I know it isn't good for me but the taste was satisfying.

After the computer fiasco earlier this week I decided to purchase space on Picassa to store all my current photos plus what I take in the next couple years (10 gb). That along with my daily back up to an external HD should cover my butt. So, I copied 3000+ photos over to Picassa.

And now for my favorite part of today........a new photo of my grandson Rudy!
I do love computers though as my son puts himself and Rudy on the video cam with me a couple times a week and it keeps me feeling like I'm getting to see him in person. We're headed to hold him next weekend (and yes there will be more photos).

Thirteen Ways to Show Kindness

1. Yes Madam, Yes Sir

2. Hold Door Open for someone else

3. Allow someone with less groceries to get ahead of you in line

4. Give someone a compliment

5. Call an elderly person in your family just to check on them

6. Write a snail mail letter/card to someone that needs cheering up

7. Always say please and thank you

8. Volunteer

9. Do a chore that belongs to someone else

10. Offer to make a grocery run for an elderly neighbor or family member

11. Take the high road during an argument and just stop arguing

12. Make sure to tell those around you that you care about them, that you love them

13. SMILE

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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What a 24 hour fiasco

For many of you, issues with your computer may be easy to resolve, I guess I'm just not so bright. I had an issue with iPhoto and lost 3,000+ photos (precious and irreplaceable) and could not for the life of me find where in my back ups that file was located.
Anyway, after 24+ hours I have located the file (I get worked up and then my brain fails to work - at all), I've copied over the photos and now for some reason, I have almost 9,000 photos instead of the 3000+. DAMN! So I bought an app to aid me with the task of finding the duplicates (otherwise it would take me days and I'd again get so worked up that I wouldn't eat or sleep. Are you seeing a pattern here?

Well anyway, I won't be back blogging until I get this issue fully remedied and get my heart to stop racing.
This all happened because the HD on my MacBook was almost filled (to within 7 GB) and I thought I'd do some deleting..........Damn, never again, gotta find another alternative. Thank Goodness that I back up nightly.

It's 4:33pm and Ahhhhhh, I'm finally at a place where I can breath

New Photos of Rudy

I haven't wanted to bore anyone/everyone with more photos of my GrandSon Rudy but these two I just couldn't say no to............he is so pissed off in this one. My Son and DIL say that Rudy demands everything.....hmmmmm, I wonder where that came from?!



And calmer in this one (the pug is Bailey). Doesn't he have huge eyes?

The Cost of Retirement

When we started thinking about retiring, these were some of the topics we had to consider and discuss. Today is never to soon to start thinking about retirement because it takes that much forethought to make your retirement dreams a reality.


What are your plans for retirement? Are you content to stay put and just enjoy your home, or do you want to travel and see the world?

Will your home be paid off? What about the taxes and upkeep of your home and it's property, do you need to downsize as part of your retirement?
Are you considering the equity in your home to supplement your retirement?

What about your vehicles, will you continue to buy new vehicles when you retire, will you pay cash for them, what about maintenance on your vehicles? Will you even be able to afford the fuel to put in your vehicle, what if fuel is $8.00 or more a gallon by the time you retire?
How will you deal with transportation if you are no longer capable of driving? Who will take you to the grocery store, to medical appointments?

How will you afford Health Insurance? Will you have the money for monthly prescriptions, even copays can get expensive if you are on a number of medications. What happens if you are hospitalized, those copays or deductibles are expensive.

What happens to your retirement income if one person dies or becomes incapacitated and needs round the clock care like from a nursing home or extended care facility?

If you are fortunate enough to get a company paid retirement income, does that income stop or benefits change if the retired employee dies?

What about life insurance, if you have a whole life policy, is it enough to pay for what you still owe and help provide for those left behind? With Term Life, the monthly cost continues to escalate the older you get and can be cost prohibitive to keep for the long haul - can your family do without that term policy?

Many people need social security to assist them for retirement but how long is social security going to be around? Should you/can you count on it for income?


I hope everyone can make their dreams come true!

Sunday Afternoon

It's a gorgeous day in South Texas, about 76 degrees with no clouds in site, sunny with a slight breeze, I'm hearing the many wind chimes on my property and enjoying my computer on my patio.



I cleaned out and filled the 9 bird feeders I have in the yard. Even my dog Winston, and my stray cat Magoo are loving the day.



Then, what would the day be without my dear husband to enjoy the day with



It's this time of year that I love living in South Texas.
We're close enough to the gulf coast (2 hrs max), have the best Tex-Mex food this side of the border, have a city that isn't a rats race like Houston or Dallas..........and our Fiesta starts this coming Friday - VIVA SAN ANTONIO!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ME!!!

Today it's been 200 days since I've had a cigarette.
It's exciting actually and each milestone I come across makes me more determined not to smoke again.
I've decided to reward myself with a custom blog.......I've been doing some looking around trying to get some ideas.
If you have suggestions, I'm ready to listen until noon tomorrow at which time I need to turn in my paperwork.
I'm thinking something Texan, a little Texas, a little San Antonio.
This is something I've always wanted to do and it really isn't expensive so, this is my reward for 200 days without a cigarette.

I almost forgot as I've been busy today working outside on cleaning up from the oak dust.....people from Texas will understand what that gross yellow green haze of allergen is. My eyes have suffered for 2 weeks already and I'm ready for this crap to be gone.
I got new glasses and I've had a difficult time trying to get used to the new prescription. I'm not all together certain the issues I'm having isn't more to do with the allergens in the air than the new prescription.

My car is still in the shop, dropped it off Tuesday - yep, a great deal of major work, just the struts is a 7 hour job in replacing them (altogether, 2k worth of work) although I can think of other things I would rather spend my money on, the car is important seeing as it's 12 years old, has 130k miles and I want to keep it until it just can't be fixed anymore. I don't like the instant new car depreciation nor do I like car payments.
I'm not cheap, I just want to spend my money on other things I enjoy like computers, and travel.

I'll end this with another CONGRATULATIONS DEBBIE!!

Friday Fillins for April 11, 2008

1. I love springtime in the outdoors!
2. Eggs over medium and bacon are foods I love to eat for breakfast.
3. It seems I'm always searching for peace and serenity
4. Snuggling is a great way to end the day.
5. I think I am the happiest I've ever been in my life!
6. Travel is what I've been craving lately.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending time snuggling with my husband, tomorrow my plans include sitting outside somewhere to eat (there are lots of these places in San Antonio and Sunday, I want to wash and wax the floors I should have done earlier in the week.

13 Blogging Websites

Here are 13 sites that I have found helpful information (to me) about blogging. This is by no means even a meager start but the more we can share the more we will all learn.


1. http://www.benbarden.com/

2. http://mashable.com/2007/06/19/blogging-toolbox/

3. http://bloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/

4. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-blogger-hacks-and-tips/

5. http://www.blogrolling.com/

6. http://www.dailyblogtips.com/top-25-blogs-about-blogging/

7. http://sanni-licious.com/Pimp-Your-Blog/2008/03/03/how-do-i-favicons/

8. http://thedailymeme.com/what-is-a-meme/

9. http://www.blog-tutorials.com/category/software/tools/

10. http://www.widgetoko.com/

11. http://www.flooble.com/

12. http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/2007/04/chat-box-shout-box-and-google-talk.html

13. http://20stickyposts.blogspot.com/

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Questions To Help You Get To Know Me Better

I borrowed this list of questions from my DIL's blog:



1. I've come to realize that my boobs:
are just there to annoy me

2. I've come to realize that when I drive:
I'm pissed off at everyone else that are driving

3. I've come to realize that, when I love someone:
I grow immeasurably when I take my love and share it

4. I've come to realize that I need:
I need to continue to grow and evolve

5. I've come to realize that I lost:
nothing when my children grew up and left home

6. I've come to realize that I hate it when:
people refuse to take responsibility for their actions/words

7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk:
I'm not in control of myself

8. I've come to realize that money:
merely aids me to make life as perfect as I can make it

9. I've come to realize that people:
are afraid to get involved

10. I've come to realize that I'll always be:
unhappy with my upbringing

11. I've come to realize that I drink alot of:
Water (heehee, you thought I was going to say Margaritas didn't you)

12. I've come to realize that the last time I cried was:
watching the news tonight when they were talking about the courage of a Navy Seal

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone is:
an emergency necessity but otherwise a pain in my ass

14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning:
that I love sleeping until I wake up naturally (and didn't this morning)

15. I've come to realize that before I go to sleep at night:
to review my day, what I've learned, who I've met or spoken with, the beauty I saw, and feel blessed

16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking about:
how incredible it is to be retired and have the time and inclination to do whatever I'd like to do

17. I've come to realize that babies:
are miraculous

18. I've come to realize that when I get on Myspace:
I don't use MySpace

19. I've come to realize that today I :
have put in place spending a great deal of money getting electrical work done and taking my vehicle in for repairs

20. I've come to realize that tonight I will:
do what I do every night, sit at the computer and half watch television

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow I will:
repeat today

22. I've come to realize that I really want to:
live a long life with my husband

What was I thinking?

It's been almost 200 days since I quit smoking, Wow! Even now I'm flabbergasted to understand the significance of my quit. I had thought so many times about quitting, and even tried a time or two, pretty half heartedly I must admit, but it always felt so difficult and I just knew I couldn't do it. I still wanted to be a non-smoker though, on second thought I don't know if it's that I wanted to quit so much as I didn't want to feel like crap anymore, that I wish I'd never started smoking, that's bizarre as I look back on it all cause I gave no thought to how I could be a non-smoker if I kept putting those poison sticks in my mouth!

I remember going to my new PCP and him asking me if I had considered quitting, I said yes that I would someday really put effort into quitting, he told me I needed to quit soon because of the damage smoking was causing (yeah I knew that too but still I continued to smoke). He told me about a new drug that had more than a 70% success rate with his patients, I half heartedly agreed, he wrote the prescription and I continued to smoke without filling the prescription..........hmmmm, I wonder what I was really thinking. So anyway, I went back in for a follow-up appointment and he asked me how I was doing on my quit, I had to admit that I hadn't filled the prescription and he informed me that it was now critical for me to quit, stop soon or have a heart attack or stroke or both........I left his office and filled the prescription. Three days after starting the Chantix, I put the cigarettes down and haven't gone back.

It's now more than 6 months later and I haven't died nor have I suffered a stroke. I'm much healthier, and I'm moving into the much more happier mode.
I still get tuggings/urges when strong triggers smack me up side my head but I don't give in, I just don't light a cigarette, I'M A NON-SMOKER, I'm the person I've always wanted to be!!

If you are a smoker and you've thought about quitting and haven't moved on that thought, give it a whirl, ask your doctor if Chantix could help you become a Quitter.



QUIT SMOKING!!!

Clearing out the Crap

We've been working inconsistently over the last 12 months to rid ourselves of 30+ years of clutter. We've moved so many times and each time took all the clutter with us, yes we packed it up and moved the crap instead of throwing it out. We never knew what we may need in our new house, our new city, our new state. Was there another child to be born, etc.





We've spent the last 16 years in San Antonio. Our two children attended high school here, and went to college with this being their home of record. They studied abroad and again this was their home of record. At the end of each college year they brought home that years worth of Everything and returned in the fall leaving last year behind in their home of record. Our son then started medical school and again, San Antonio was his home of record. Our daughter graduated from college and went into the military (yes ROTC paid for an Ivy League education). Again her college stuff was left at home........"HEY KIDS, ARE YOU EVER COMING HOME TO TAKE YOUR CRAP?".

NO they didn't, it stayed here at their home of record and we've gotten tired of looking at it, shuffling around it, we want it out but it has too much identifiable information so it has to be gone through piece by piece and shredded. We're currently on our 4th shredder but this time we got smart, we bought a heavy duty sucker and it's been a dream come true.



We do our best to ensure that twice this amount goes out twice a week with trash and twice a year during brush pick up (where they pick up anything that's drug out to the street except for dangerous chemicals).



We are hoping that before the end of this year, 2008, that we can recoup much of our house space that's been taken up with the remnants of our children's lives.

Dysfunctional Family

For some unknown reason, my Flickr photos were erratic about showing up in this post so I just deleted the post, sorry.

Assemble & Connect Kinda Day

Today I've been busy......went shopping for a few items I'v needed (wanted) and spent the rest of the day assembling and/or connecting everything, well almost everything.....



This is the nifty laundry sorter I got (on sale) from Container Store, and then while I was there, I've always wanted a second one of these for our walk-in shower



Now we each have our own (we use different kinds of bath products).

Last weekend (I believe) we bought a new Apple Airport Extreme Base Station (not the one with the hard drive included) and if you remember, I cursed up a blue streak trying to get it installed and then my dear son helped me long distance (Rudy's Daddy) and we (HE) was able to get me up and running.
Well, I have an external hard drive and I wanted to set it up on the Airport Extreme (but needed another USB2 Hub since I already have my printer set up and using the only USB2 port on the AE).



I'm using this one for my MacBook instead and using the one I was using for the AE



Too bad I can't get the damn external hard drive to be recognized by the AE (airport extreme).
I get way too frustrated and that means, put it away for another day and another try.
For now I'll continue to do my back ups directly from my MB instead of wirelessly through the AE.

FRIDAY FILLINS for April 4, 2008

1. Tonight I saw Wow, Tonight hasn't even happened yet
2. Gypsy Kings makes me wanna dance!
3. Splitting a few appetizers between friends and including Margaritas makes for a wonderful time!
4. Barrack Obama is someone I'd like to get to know better.
5. The smell of Lavender reminds me so much of springtime!
6. Kiss and that made it all better.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cooking an old favorite, tomorrow my plans include trouble shooting my daughter's Mac and Sunday, I want to wash and wax my saltillo tile flooring!

COST OF GROCERIES

I've decided I'm going to keep track of a few food items over the next few months to observe how those item's costs are escalating.
We're fortunate in that we are retired military and have more than 2 installations in town where we can shop. I do fill in shopping at our neighborhood HEB during the month for fresh fruits and vegetables. I was in HEB the other day and was mouth hanging open shocked at the cost of coffee (almost $11 for a 2lb can - OMG)!
This is a random sampling of items I purchased today.


Folgers Black Silk Coffee (2lb containter) 8.99

Lays Kettle Chips 2.23

Large White Bread Loaf 1.25

Large Brown Eggs (dozen) 2.19

Sweet Onions (per lb) .50

Russet Potatoes (per lb) .39

24 Roll TP (Angel Soft) 4.79

Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins 1.89

Wheat Thin Veggie Crackers 2.24

Smuckers Strawberry Preserves 2.29

Thirteen of My Favorite Books

1. Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, MD

2. Through Time Into Healing by Brian L. Weiss, MD

3. Only Love is Real by Brian L. Weiss, MD

4. Same Soul, Many Bodies by Brian L. Weiss, MD

5. Messages From The Masters by Brian L. Weiss, MD

6. A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

7. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

8. At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks

9. True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

10. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

11. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

12. The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

13. The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

14. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

15. The Pact by Jodi Picoult

16. Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

17. Mercy by Jodi Picoult

18. Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

19. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

20. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

21. Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult

22. A Million Little Pieces (he may be a liar but he's a damn talented author)

The List Goes On and On and On and On.............13 books, OMG that's impossible!!!

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6 Month Anniversary QUIT

TODAY is 6 months since I QUIT SMOKING.
HURRAH FOR ME!!
Seriously, this is a major accomplishment in my life........I don't smoke anymore, I'm a non-smoker!!
My life, lungs and even my being are being repaired each moment that I don't smoke.
A fair amount of my success can be directly attributed to the Quit Buddies I met blogging, and of course to my family for believing that I could do this - Thank You!
Another part of my success was Chantix, I don't believe I could have done this without you.

I've never been impressed about the money I've saved in not smoking (819 my banner says but it's probably more than a grand), it's chump change next to the impact of saying I haven't smoked 3811 cigarettes (probably more than 4,000) - OMG! Now that I'm quit, I can't even imagine that I would have smoked 4 Thousand Cigarettes in this 6 months, and that pales in comparison to about 300,000 cigarettes I did smoke in the last 36 years.

I take this quit day by day, week by week, and month by month. I know I'm an addict and that smoking even one cigarette will take me back to my pack a day plus habit.

Springtime is for GROWTH (of all kinds)

Thanks to Ben and Brandie, I'm hooked up with two different HTML Learning Sites and I'm working at it, I so love the computer but I do light weight stuff with it and I'd like to be a little more proficient. I've always said that had I been younger and computers were the mainstream communication tool they are today, that I would have studied this in college or technical school. Anyway, I'm getting off the subject here....
It's a good thing that I'm retired and have the time to spend on the computer because you can quite literally stay up 24/7 reading and learning. My eyes ache and yet the ache in my being is worse, I'm hungry and I need to fill my head.
I believe everyone should strive to learn at least one new "thing" a day, it empowers you, lifts you out of the doldrums, makes you feel alive!

Learning HTML doesn't seem all that tough, just little details to remember to include but what intrigues me so much about computers is that it's all like a giant spider web where one issue leads to another and another - Amazing, simply amazing!!

This photo are Red Tip Photinia that grow at the front of our house, they know it's spring and they are sprouting their red leaves.

6 Word Memoir

I was tagged by Maggie to participate in 6 Word Memoir.

Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Friend

I'm tagging Jocelyn, DIL, and the people Maggie used (don't have that many friends to play games with)

1) Write your own six word memoir
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links; and
5) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play