My Journey to Becoming a Non-Smoker

So my journey has begun. I finally took that monumental step to becoming a non-smoker. I slapped a nicotine patch on my arm today instead of sticking a smoke in my mouth. This is when my willpower really needs to step up to the plate. I have done a lot of reading, I've had lots of suggestions from my friends who have become non-smokers, and I also have a CD, which I haven't listened to yet, but I have a feeling I'll be listening to it very soon. I've been told to use suckers, chew on straws, and I have pamphlets that have suggestions of what to do when you 'feel the urge to smoke'. Suggestion #8 in one particular pamphlet actually says to put 20 cents in a jar for every cigarette I don't smoke, and count the money I've saved. Yeah, ok. Now I have about $14.80 in that jar, and I still need a smoke. Suggestion #9 says to buy something special. Ok. I know what I can buy to make me feel better that would be special. A PACK OF SMOKES. This pamphlet has to be a joke. Suggestion #19 says to take a nap. What? I'm jonesing for a smoke, and they want me to fall asleep? Oh for the love of all that is holy. Yeah, I'll get right on that. Suggestion #11, surf the internet. Maybe these folks should know that when I surf the internet, I have a smoke. Suggestion #20 says to sing. Really? Well, they maybe onto something here. I can definitely sing. Not necessarily on key, but I can sing. So if I want a smoke at midnight, I should start singing? I'm sure Alisa would LOVE that. Suggestion #32, wash my dog. Are they serious? My dogs have to be bathed everytime I feel the urge for a smoke? Those poor dogs, but they would be the cleanest dogs in the world. Just when they are about dry from the first bath, they would get bathed again.

But seriously, I have begun my journey to becoming a non-smoker. Will I fail? NO, I know I need to become a non-smoker. I know what happens to long-term smokers, I'm no dummy. Will I slip? I hope not, but that's all a part of becoming a non-smoker. If you slip, you jump right back on that wagon and go again. I know how hard this first day is. Why would I want to have to go thru this first day again? That alone seems to be enough incentive not to slip.

I knew I was going to become a non-smoker. I initially set my non-smoking date at August 4th. Unfortunately, I had to deal with the unexpected passing of our dog, Morgan, on August 3rd. Rule #1 of becoming a non-smoker: don't attempt to become a non-smoker when there are other 'events' going on in your life. So, my date was postponed. I didn't set a new date, I decided I would decide at the last minute. And that's what I did. I realized I had mourned for Morgan, and I was ready again to become a non-smoker. So last night, Tuesday night, I handed Alisa my smokes and told her it was time. She hid her joy very well, and was super supportive in spite of me chain-smoking for the last few minutes. I gave her requests to get rid of all ashtrays and make my smokes disappear. When I got out of bed this morning, all of the ashtrays were gone, and so were all of my smokes.

So here I sit, with a patch on my arm, strapped on with medical tape because it was lifting a little bit, and my brain saw that as nicotine trying to escape. Alisa strapped on the medical tape so all that nicotine can stay where it needs to be. I have 8 weeks of patches. EESH. Suckers. Suckers. Suckers. That seems to be my saving grace.

One day down. 4 thousand billion to go. Wish me luck.

And Alisa? She's my saving grace. Willpower? If my willpower fails me, all I have to do is think of her, and know how happy she is just knowing that I'm becoming a non-smoker. I get hugged more, cuddled more, and kissed more since I don't have the smoke smell on me. Hopefully she will never have to kiss an ashtray anymore.

Oh, and P.S. Notice I didn't use the words 'quit smoking'. I was told a long time ago that those were negative words and we don't quit smoking, we become 'non-smokers'. Sounds good to me. I'm no quitter.

Here's hoping I can become a non-smoker.

Me and my gang....

So we all figured the day would come when Tracey and I would decide to get another dog as a companion for Rascal.  Last Friday we welcomed a new member to the family....Austin.  He is a retriever mix (we suspect a Spaniel), 5 months old, and just as sweet as can be.  He has made himself quite at home since he arrived.  Much to our surprise, Austin and Rascal have become good buddies very quickly.  By Saturday they were chasing each other around the yard and playing with toys and stealing bones from one another.  Rascal can't wait for me to let Austin out of his bed in the morning so they can run outside and play before Mom goes to work.  

We have discovered several things about Austin over the past few days.....

1.  He loves to turn our kitchen floor into his own slip and slide as he likes to dive head and paws first into the water bucket and then attempt to swim which then causes water to go everywhere.  Thank heavens for ceramic tile!!!!

2.  He has aerodynamic ears.  Literally, when he runs, his ears go straight back and he looks like he has a swimmers cap on...that's how tight they are to his head.  Too funny to watch!!!

3.  He loves the cats.   Austin thinks the cats should love to play tag and be chased around the house just like Rascal does.  He gets very upset when one of the cats decides that vertical elevation courtesy of the coffee table or end tables is their best defense to his advances.  What ticks him off even more than that......when they dive through the cat door and go downstairs where he can't get to them at all.

Needless to say it is chaos per usual at the casa this week.  But I have to say....it is great entertainment!!!

I should not be allowed to go anywhere alone....

So this week is another local fair. Lots of good food, good family time, and a hot tub purchase. Yes you read that right...we went to the fair and bought a hot tub. Now this is not just any old hot tub...this is a portable hot tub.

Basically we were suckered in by two selling points....

1. We bought the tub from "family".

2. We are even bigger suckers for 12 months same as cash purchases.

I discovered this wonderful little household accessory first on Thursday and promptly told Tracey that I wanted her to check it out last night. Per usual, she was skeptical. But thanks to Ellen, the very nice sales lady, she too was sold.

It should arrive sometime this week and we are already in full landscaping mode to prep a nice area complete with walking pavers and new deck steps down to it. Good thing we bought a hot tub because we are going to need it to sooth those aching muscles from the new landscaping project.

I really need to learn to say no....my wallet would love me for that!!!

Time heals all wounds.......

Every pet owner knows the day will come when they will have to say goodbye to their beloved family member.  Unfortunately Tracey and I had to experience this very recently with our geriatric dog Morgan.  Morgan would have been 12 in September and I have had her since she was a wee little pup of 8 weeks.  When I first saw her I had to laugh because I swore she would never grow into her ears.  She was a Labrador retriever with the sweetest disposition you could imagine.  She loved belly rubs, being my shadow, and peanut butter.  

The first time the two ladies of my life met, let's just say it probably wasn't love at first sight.  Tracey was intimidated by Morgan's size (76 pounds to be exact at the time) and Morgan had no intention of sharing me with anyone.  Needless to say, after a few weeks of getting to know one another, they were friends for life.

You may wonder why we called her our geriatric dog.  Well for about the last year or so, our evenings consisted of "pill time".  Morgan had her own senior pill container.  You know the 7 day a week one with the little letters (M, T, W, T, F, S, S) on each section.  Each week Tracey would drop two pills and one joint supplement in each slot.  I am convinced those two bonded over cheese, peanut butter, and pills every evening.  It was their special time.

Morgan brought much joy to my life and for that I will be forever thankful.  Even knowing the outcome, I wouldn't give up that time for any amount of money.  Just like Tracey and I, Rascal too misses his companion.  When Rascal first came into our lives, he so desperately wanted Morgan to play with him.  However, when she wasn't in the mood to play she would certainly let him know....she would take her large paw and put it on the top of his head and hold him to the floor until he relented.  She was Queen of the Casa.

We are convinced when she reached the Rainbow Bridge, she gave the Master what for about her opinions on thunderstorms.  Long story short...she hated them.  So much so, that she turned into a rather large lap dog during such weather events.  Of course monkey see, monkey do...Rascal was soon to follow.  And who was the lucky recipient sitting in the recliner under that mound of fur...you guessed it....ME!!!  

Rest in peace my furry friend.  You were truly the best.

It's Fair time again.....

One of the perks of growing up in a rural area is the tradition of the county fair. This week is our local fair and Tracey and I have went the past two evenings to watch a couple of concerts there. Now I think all of us can agree that without a doubt the food is the best part of the fair. I mean you have cotton candy, caramel apples, dippin' dots, fried oreos, french fries, milkshakes, funnel cakes, hot sausage sammiches, fried pickles...and the list goes on and on. Of course one must plan out the eating schedule when attending the fair. For example, Tuesday night was burgers and funnel cake night. Last night was pulled pork subs and fried oreos. Saturday night will most likely be cheese steak sub, fries, and cotton candy night.

Looks like I need to join a gym this week......

One other weakness that presented itself at the fair this week....5 little black puppies who are rescue pups that need homes. All I'm sayin' is is that Tracey better not send me to the fair by myself on Saturday night or we will be sure to end up with yet another creature in the house. Next thing you know we will have to buy a farm to support our growing animal kingdom.

5 Years, is that all?

Apparently I have a few updates to make in this one post. I’ll try to do this in order.

First, my 4th of July fireworks excitement. Several years ago I was banned from setting off any fireworks because we have a dog (Morgan, 12 years old) who gets absolutely petrified by the snapping and whistling and popping of fireworks. So I have been lighting sparklers the last few years, just to appease my firework addiction, and to make the rest of the family happy. It was a nice compromise for everybody. But this year, I found a fireworks tent that had their fireworks rated in regards to sound. A rating of 1 meant it was very quiet, no big noise or whistles or popping or anything, so I bought a few. WELL…

I came home, and that night (the 4th) I set off one of these fireworks. It was a cone thing that was just supposed to shoot pretty sparks in the air, but after the prettiness it started whistling, and holy crap, did Morgan start shaking, and needless to say, so did I. Fortunately the cone fell over and put itself out, so it stopped. I was in the middle of the driveway and I looked up to the deck where Alisa and Morgan were standing, and I could tell I was in trouble. I learned a very important lesson that night. Don’t believe a word the fireworks people tell you, they only want your money. After that fiasco, I went and got my sparklers and stood on the deck and swirled them. I looked so cool. I’m sure people driving by were thinking ‘wow, I wish I was her right now’.

Ok, so next on my list is our anniversary. Yesterday. 5 years. Hard to believe. Alisa says she can’t believe I’ve put up with her for this long, but I think the same thing about her putting up with me. She is right when she says we have both grown a LOT. We have learned what takes precedence, we have learned what needs to just roll off our shoulders, and we have learned what needs to be addressed. Basically we are an old married couple. I’m not complaining at all, by no means. Comfortable is one of the best feelings I have ever had. Knowing I will come home to someone, and not have to hide anything or pretend to be something I’m not, is absolute heaven.

We both sort of slipped on the anniversary gifts, but we managed to come up with something at the last minute. Alisa got me a 4 gig MP3 player, which I absolutely love. I’ve never had one so I’m an mp3 player dummy trying to learn how to download stuff to it. I did a little research online and found what the traditional and modern gifts were for the 5 year anniversary. Traditional is wood, modern is silverware. I decided to give her a regular gift (something Craftsman of course) , and also add my own personal touch of the traditional/modern gifts. Since traditional is wood, I gave her a firelog. If nothing else, it got a really good giggle out of her. For modern, I gave her a voucher that said I am officially giving the go ahead to pick out new dishes. She has been after me for a while for a new set of dishes, and since I’ve had my dishes for 15 years, I figured it’s time. She was pretty excited about that. Besides, I like things to have meanings. When we use our new future dishes, we’ll be able to say we got them for our 5th anniversary. What she doesn’t realize is we’ll have those dishes for probably another 15 years. Shhhhhhhhh, don’t tell her.

I still think our 2nd anniversary is the one that we’ll remember forever. That’s the year we officially exchanged rings in the guest room that I turned into a beach paradise. I keep bringing that up because I am damn proud of that day. Blown up picture of the ocean we took, a baby pool full of sand, and beach music playing in the background. I don’t think I have ever planned for something more than I did for that day. I guess it worked, because we’re still together, and we still talk about it. She wanted to exchange rings on the beach, and I was able to make that happen. WooHoo for me.

Life is good. Very good. My relationship with her mother is even getting better. Who knew. I think her mother is finally getting used to the fact that I’m not going anywhere, and I honestly believe she knows I make sure her daughter is well taken care of. The last few visits have been very nice, hardly any tension. I guess it’s true, it just takes time for some people to come to terms with their own feelings. Maybe 5 years is the magic number.

I have a feeling I'll have to come up with something pretty special for the 10 year anniversary. Alisa is petrified of ships, but she said we can go on a cruise for our 10th. I think I better get that agreement in writing. If anybody out there buys stock, buy stock in dramamine now, because it will only go up in the next few years.

Later :)

Can you believe it has been 5 years....

So today is our 5th Anniversary....who knew she wouldn't strangle me by now...lucky me!!! Gotta give Tracey credit though as she manages to run the household and the animals while I am running off to here and there all the time. Yes I know...it is a miracle that she hasn't poisoned me, burnt the house down, or got us kicked out of the neighborhood, but I must say she has grown a lot in the last 5 years...actually we both have.

So what to get her for our anniversary. Now I must admit I am the Queen of airport gifts and yes I was traveling Monday and Tuesday and yes I did wait until practically the last minute to get her gift, but I think I done good. What is it you might ask....well right now I can't say because she hasn't gotten it yet. I am sure she will update y'all later on it. And for the record...no it is not arsenic...lol.

Happy Anniversary Pookie!!