Chrysalis

Wow, Crhispy, you're the only person I know other than me who likes the smell of gasoline! Cool! I like the smell of burning tobacco, too. Are you my doppleganger?

That's a gorgeous cat! I bet he's as sweet as can be, too. What a lovely present for you. Enjoy!

I just finished eating the last of my first batch of pickled eggs. I have been tasting them every couple of days and decided that they really do taste best when you leave them in the brine for 3 weeks. Today's eggs were really, really good! I will definitely make those again soon. Meanwhile, I am going to try a different recipe that calls for mustard seed and dill weed. I'll let you know how it goes.

It helped me a lot to hear over and over again, "The misery doesn't last forever. Your quit will get a little bit easier every day." It helped a lot to have experienced quitters tell me that and it helped a lot to see all the celebrations for long quits. The other thing that made this quit possible was having a list of 3 or 4 major reasons why I chose to quit in the first place and to keep reminding myself over and over again that I wanted these things more than I wanted to smoke. Oh, and "one day at a time, one hour at a time, 5 minutes at a time if necessary" helped, too.

REZ, your post reminded me of a very good movie I saw starring Anthony Hopkins. It features an Indian motorcycle. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World's_Fastest_Indian and it's available on Netflix.

Ross, "vanity plates" are license plates (or car tags) where you request what is printed on the plate. So a trophy wife might have "BARBIE 1" as her plate, for example, or a chef might have "CHEF 1". You can request vanity plates in every state. However, you have to pay extra for it and you might not get what you requested, in which case the state just gives you a random variation. So "BARBIE 1" might get delivered to you as "BOOBIE 1". :P

Action, I think that if you just delete Mamma Doreen's mash notes there should be plenty of room for the rest of us to send you messages. :)

I'm just trying to imagine what it would be like to pretend to be Mrs. B a few days a year. Oh, my! :lol2:

I think that Jess is communicating with some people via PM. As far as I know, she's hanging in there and looking forward to the Packers game this afternoon.

You both look wonderful (if somewhat looped :P ). Thanks for the photo.

Last night was our wedding anniversary-- 32 happy years. As for every anniversary, we got all dressed up and my husband took me out to the best restaurant in town. At the restaurant, he gave me a card. I don't know how he does it, but he always finds terrific cards, but this one was so extra special that I want to share it with you. So there's this guy. Meets a girl. (Great girl. REALLY GREAT girl.) Somehow wins her over and convinces her to marry him. It's a HAPPY day. One of the happiest of his life. But the BEST thing is-- the happy days keep coming. Week after week. Year after year. And even when life isn't perfect and wonderful, somehow she makes it better. Just by being herself. Just by loving him like she does. And one day, it hits him. That whole happily-ever-after-thing? Maybe it's not just for fairy tales. Maybe it does happen-- even to average guys like him. He may not own a white horse but he got the girl, the BEST girl. And somewhere out there there's a sunset with their name on it. I love our story and I Love You! ---Hallmark Expressions Well, this card made me cry in the restaurant. It still makes me cry as I type this because I know that he means every single word of it. So men, show your wife that you love her. Treat her like a queen on your anniversary. Make a big fuss and put some real effort into finding a card that expresses how YOU feel. Women really love that crap and you will be rewarded many times over during the months and years that follow.

Oh, Bakon! That's gorgeous! What a sweet ride for your big road trip. I'm so glad that you caved into Mrs. B's demands. ;)

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Would you like to PM? Or chat? What's going on with you?

We just got in, Jess. What's happening??!!

Oh, that's wonderful news, MQ! Thanks for letting us know. Welcome home, Beth!!

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Hey, REZ, I love your new avatar and your title, too! :D

Oh, Oneistoo, I can see you growing such a strong, healthy quit right in front of my eyes! You're doing smashingly (is that a word?). You recognized that you were facing a trigger situation, you sought out some support and reinforcement via Joel's videos. Then you went ahead and completed the task without smoking AND you recognized that from now on you do NOT have to smoke to face that task. That's perfect! Give yourself a big pat on the back!

Jess, there is an Allen Carr channel on Youtube that has a bunch of "Easy Way" videos and interviews. In addition, somebody put an audio version of his book on Youtube; Part 1 is here: You ask for videos? You got videos! :)

Hi, Wendy. Joe is absolutely correct. Chantix helps ease the physical withdrawal symptoms and it can lessen the pleasure you get from smoking but it does NOT make you quit smoking. Just like everybody else, you have to want to quit more than you want to smoke. Even with Chantix, you will have to deal with a lot of physical changes and you will struggle to keep your quit through a lot of jittery days and restless nights. Just like the rest of us, you will have days when you would KILL for a cigarette! And the best way to handle those feelings is by educating yourself about the nature of nicotine addiction and how to overcome it. Read "How Do I Quit Smoking" and "Your First Days, Nicotine Free" pinned to the top of the Discussion sub-forum, and watch a lot of Joel Spitzer's videos (also pinned). I took Chantix and it did help me quit, especially for the first couple of weeks. But to make my quit permanent I had to learn more about this addiction. I also read a lot of posts from the long-term quitters here-- their advice and support were crucial to my success. So don't sit around wondering when the Chantix will start to work. Assume it is working. You spend your time reading and posting and preparing yourself for your Quit Day and getting mentally ready to ditch the cigarettes. Get excited about this opportunity because that is what it is-- an opportunity to escape from this expensive, toxic addiction! Won't that be wonderful??!!

Scott, I'm so glad you got your Photobucket fixed-- I was missing your photos. You London broil and twice baked potatoes looks wonderful. Why do I never think of making twice-baked?? I think I'll put them on the menu this week.

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Good choice to stay away from the vending area, Laura! Yes, you are now a non-smoker. Wooo-Hooo for you!! :)

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