It's my Anniversary!
I have a program on my computer that keeps track of the time that I have been smoke free. This morning, it said this:

I have been quit for 2 Years, 4 hours, 52 minutes and 46 seconds (730 days). I have saved $6,014.19 by not smoking 36,510 cigarettes. I have saved 4 Months, 6 Days, 18 hours and 30 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 1/31/2005 6:55 AM

What it didn't say is that I smoked from the time I was 15 until I was 54. Some days I only smoked one or two, many days I smoked 40, some days I smoked 60!

I'm ashamed to say that I smoked while pregnant, even though it was only a few...but since they say smoking causes low birth weight and all three of the boys weighed over 9 pounds (some significantly over), I can't help but think that I might have given birth to adults if I hadn't smoked.

I know...it's nothing to joke about!

I'm ashamed to say that when Mark had a heart attack at 43 and the cardiologist said to him: YOU DO NOT SMOKE!, I said I am not ready to quit.

I am ashamed to say that I walked out of a SMOKE ENDERS class that the school district provided when they made all campuses smoke free.

I am ashamed to say that my younger sister's death from lung cancer at 45 did not shock me into quitting.

But I am proud to say I did it myself. I set a date three weeks in advance, bought a ton of sock yarn, a truck load of bubble bath (the only two things I did that I didn't smoke while doing) and quit with two cigarettes to my name.

I tried the patch for a few days, but it made me hyper. I did it cold turkey and alone. I had one bad day (the fifth), but as a rule, I was no more grouchier than I am usually (but it's hard to be more).

I told one friend in advance, but not my family. I didn't say anything to Mark until he asked, three days after I had become smoke free.

My house, my car, I...am smoke free.

YEE HAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!