11,144 Cigarettes NOT smoked, $2,005 not spent on Cigarettes

I have a statcounter that sits on my desktop that is kind of like the one across the top of this blog. It is nice enough to tell me that I have not smoked 11, 144 cigarettes, and I have not spent $2,005 on cigarettes. Isnt' that amazing? I have supposedly saved 5 weeks, 2 days, 1 hour, and 30 minutes of my life. Pretty interesting. When I first quit, I made fun of the life saved part as it seemed soooo slow to add up. You hear all of the bad things and how it is taking years off your life, but as you see after a year and almost 4 months, it is just 5 weeks of time. However, today I started thinking that 5 weeks is longer than a month. It is longer than I get in vacation in a year. It is longer than Morgan is out for Christmas in school. Soon, it will be a whole summer. :) I still can't believe how hard it is to stop smoking. For anyone thinking of quitting or trying to quit, it really does get easier and it really is worth it. It is all mental. Trick yourself through the first few weeks and then really believe that you won't ever have another one. One day, you will believe it and it will seem odd to think that you didn't believe it before. :) Mike used to say things like that to me, but I always believed that was for people who didn't smoke like I did. Trust me, I was as bad as they came. YOU can do it!

I talked to Ivan today and he went to Iowa this week. He said that it was 53 degrees when he got off the plane. That seems insane for anyone in Florida. How could it be 53? It is September the 8th! It is so funny how your brain just can't understand that kind of stuff after living here.

I also talked to Phil today. He did a 100 mile bike race in the mountains over Labor Day weekend (with a new baby at home!!!!!!!). Amazing stuff. He always motivates me to get moving after talking to him. What strong mental and physical determination is required for such a feat. Congrats Phil! Also, congrats to Ashley and Phil on their new baby boy!

This Friday we are having a tailgate picnic at lunch at work. I am excited. Each department is decorating a table and tailgate. It should be lots of fun. I need to start recruiting Tennessee fans now. :)

Morgan bought Rock Band for the Wii tonight with her birthday money. After playing with Michael's, she was ready to fork over the money. She is so funny about spending money that is hers. She will spend mine in a second, but she will think long and hard about hers. :) So, tonight, I played guitar and Morgan sang. What fun that game is!!!!!!!