1 Week!

Oh yeah, I am damned proud of myself! I've never gone this long without smoking since I started when I was 15. The patches arrived yesterday and started wearing the first one today.

Today the cravings weren't as intense, but I was constantly going from point A to B to F since 830 this am. Yes, I got my walk in, 1.8 miles on the shell trail at the park. A shell trail is basically like walking on the beach here, it's still a bit tougher then walking on a paved surface but not like walking thru sand dunes.

After the walk it was off to our favorite hairdresser, Cindy at Sunmasters Salon on ISB for our monthly hair fix up then to Southern Title to pick up a beautiful Italian Cheer gift basket from Kat Davis to be used as a silent auction item for our Bikes, Blues & Bogey event to benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital. After that stop our hour long grocery shopping for the week then finally home to check emails and when I did I found out that Bike Mikes long time girlfriend, Miss Emilie secured a $2,500 sponsorship for us from Sharpie!

I'm so excited! What a great day! Now if I can just get rid of this muscle tension in my upper right shoulder area I'll be even better. Wondering if that's part of the non smoking stress or my new pillow. I hope its not the new pillow, I threw my old one away :(.

Tomorrow is Rue & Ziffra PA's "Grub Run". It should be a blast! Come on out if your not doing anything!

Bad Cravings Today

I was told and read that the 3rd day is the roughest on the Quit Journey. So far day 2 and today have been my hardest. Funny, I can sit in a smoke filled bar and not go really crazy, it's more at home or like today at the animal shelter.

Got to the park early didn't walk as long or far as I had to get home in time to get ready to take my MIL to her dr. appt. After her appt I went to a local animal rescue shelter (no kill) to begin my volunteering. When I left the house MIL said "don't bring any of them home, if you do I won't let you take them back!"

I walked 4 or 5 pups all different sizes and shapes, but for some reason the cravings hit hard there. I tried to keep busy by going in the kitty room and then visiting other kitties that aren't other kitty friendly but it didn't help.

I do have a favorite pup and his name is Chipper. He's a deaf catahoula shepherd mix who's so sweet and so messy! His food is all over the place! If I could have a dog, he would be my pick. They were supposed to get a bunch of dogs in today at noon but something happened and they are all arriving tomorrow. Tomorrow is a busy day for me and MIL so I can't go over. I told them I would be back bright and early Tues tho.

There is a chance that this could turn into a real job for me and those of you who know me know I love animals. I apply for 5 jobs a week and get a weird replies from some that say I don't fit the niche they are trying to fill (really? I've cashiered for years) because of the stupid online application questions that someone thought up that have nothing to do with the job. Damn I really miss the days when you walked into a place, filled out the application, interviewed on the spot and hired right there.

I was told when I went to the shelter yesterday that they only hire people that volunteer, if they see you actually working on a regular basis they may just bring you in. No internet rocket scientist type questions, just prove to them your not scared to change the litter box, pick up the poop, walk the dogs and show all the critters a little attention. Keeping my fingers crossed! I can't wait til I can back Tuesday!

Still Quit @ Day 5

It's amazing me that I have made it this far, I thought about getting a E Cig for myself but when I really thought about it I wondered if it will bring me back to smoking. So, no.. not going to go there. My patches should be here soon and I'm doing pretty good. Of course I did pick up more M&Ms for my night time cravings.

I have begun a new morning routine.. There is a park near by with 3 trails that go around lakes. The one I go to is .06 miles,  yesterday I did 2 laps today I did 3.

This am two escapees were running down the street where the park is and when I pulled in they were headed for the water. One was a Retriever (possibly a mix) with a E fence collar and the other was a beautiful Red Nose Pittie. There was a animal control officer there, she called them and they went running right to her tails just wagging. She put a leash on the retriever who had a collar on and I took the leash from her so she could leash the pittie. She then opened the tail gate to her truck and the crates that were in it and both dogs hopped right in!

They didn't seem to mind at all, almost like, yeah, we've done this before! Oh and yes the Retriever was soaked! He had been swimming :)

Hopefully their owner has picked them up by now.

Now it's the daily job search and some work for Bikes, Blues & Bogeys. Our event to benefit St. Jude's Hospital with our good friend Mickey Jones as our host and MC.

Yeah, it does feel good to Blog again! I think my voice is finally back.

Day 4, Ready To Walk!

According to the TV show The Doctors the lungs are the first to heal when we quit smoking and breathing is supposed to get easier after the 3rd day. Yeah, my lungs feel a little bit lighter, not a whole lot though. I also read that the cough will get worse before it gets better as the lungs try to get rid of the tar deposits. That happened last night with me, my husbands coughing got worse the day before. I am working hard to the day that I can inhale clean air without any heaviness.


It's funny, I used to panic when I was down to my last pack of cigarettes, Friday there was no panic. I panicked last night when I ran out of M&Ms! Oh yeah I love my M&Ms and they helped the first 3 days. I really don't want to buy anymore tho.

There is a nice park not too far from my house with a path around a lake. I'm not sure how long this path is but today I am going to go over there and explore it and walk to the beat of my iPod. My husband bought me a bike over the summer and I rode it a lot, but it's no fun w/o music. The path does go further then the around the lake. Today I will look to see how much is paved and how much is dirt and if it is good for my bike. There may be some great photo ops there too!

Had a small craving this am (or urge) but it has passed, last nite I had the typical urge to get up and go to the garage. I don't know if that is a habit, craving or urge? Am I just fortunate that I'm not going crazy?


I'm off!

Day 3

Waking up this morning with no issues, working on my new morning routine. Once again I can't access my favorite web support site, I really wish it worked better, they have so much to offer. Many people post there and give their support. There are people who have been smoke free for years and those who are new like me and those who slip. I was sent to another site yesterday which I have started to explore, it appears they have a area to "vent" but I haven't found it yet. I will look deeper into it today.

So far it seems the mornings are my hardest part of the day. I do ok in social situations and am pretty good at night. I get the "urge" to get up and go to the garage which feels to me more like habit then the actual smoking was. I am so very thankful that we didn't smoke in the house or my car. It makes starting a new routine so much easier.

I need to mow the backyard before the cold front moves through, I wish my ear phones for my ipod fit me better. Love listening to music when I mow or do any other exercise. I wish I could listen to it when I ride my bike, I'd ride for hours.

I just finished breakfast and yes I have the craving, the gum is very bland but it seems to do the job. I wish I knew when I will feel a difference in my lungs. They still don't feel "free". There is a commercial on TV here that says how fast things heal once a smoker quits, so far not believing it!

Day 2 Of Fresh Air

On Friday, 11/25/2011 at 6:15 EST I smoked my last cigarette.

I decided to make this change in my life on Monday, 11/21 after having a hard time breathing since coming down with bronchitis right after Biketober Fest. I was sick for a month but once I started feeling human again my lungs did not.

I decided to sign into the Florida quit smoking website and created an acct with my "Quit Date" being 12/20, I just pushed a button on the calender. I took my mother in law to the store later that morning and picked up a Sunday paper for the coupons, low and behold a $10.00 off coupon was there for the gum. If that wasn't a sign there will never be one. I ran back to the store got the gum, some straws and Crystal Light stuff to flavor the water. I read that I should drink a lot of water through straws and that will help the hand to mouth urge.

When my husband got home from work that nite I told him my plan, that after this carton was gone I wasn't going to buy anymore. We looked at our remaining packs and decided we would quit when they were gone, estimating that day to be Friday.

We have both been smoke free since Friday and have our hard candy supply (sugarless and fully leaded). The urges were quiet for me Friday nite, I was only up a few more hours. When I woke on Saturday morning I grabbed my coffee and proceeded to the screen porch which has been my habit since June. Steve had the tv on but I was so not comfortable out there, I went back inside and fed the cats. I changed my first AM routine.

I spent a lot of time on the webcoach site then we got on the bike and stopped at our hangout for a couple beers, really had no major urges until after dinner. I stayed in the living room most of the nite with my oldest cat crawling all over me while watching Home Alone 2. You see, this time of year I spend most of my home time outside, I guess my kitty misses me.

Today has been a different story. The new routine was blown out of the water and I got super edgy went to login to my web coach site and it was not working. By 9:30 I threw on some shorts and stormed out to the shed, grabbed the mower and cut the front lawn. I then ate my lunch while still trying to access the site with no luck. I tried a new site where somehow I goofed and it thought I smoked today. I sent them a polite email telling them their site is making my urges worse and I won't be back. 

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only edgy one right now so here I am back on the screen porch writing to my new blog to keep myself busy. I want to win this war against nicotine, I want to breath better, not age before my time and be healthy. I've made up my mind to be "Quit".