WOW GUYS... Thank you for so much support. It is going pretty good. I got back from church and the store with my youngest daughter and boyfriend. We did church, breakfast and shopping...and neither of them smoked in front of me. HMMMM wonder why. I was glad they didn't. I feel confident I will be fine. It isn't my best weekend ever..but certainly not my worst. The actual watching people smoke doesn't bother me. I see them differently now. It looks so foolish and silly. Standing there "sucking paper sticks!!" ;) I really think it is more my brain chosing to remember pleasurable summer times.....and forgetting to remember what it should remember.......how aweful, stinky, dangerous and smelly smoking really is. Now...Mr Ed.... the only butt you'll see is my cute little butt in my picture...."never" one in my mouth.....LOL Laughing.... I LOVE MY LITTLE DOG...and your right. I'm never alone with her. She is where ever I am. You wouldn't believe how cute she is. I wish I could attach a picture to these posts so you could see her. Legend... thank you for your positive attitude. I'm sure it's that thought process that got you to your impressive 91 days. Phil, Now that you noticed, I'd really never do anything to ruin my smell!! ;p Unhooked.... wow...what meaning your story had for me. My little 1/2 piece of gum is just like that security blanket. I bet if someone gave me a placebo piece of gum I wouldn't notice the difference. Aloha... funny you should mention the binoculars. LOL That is just what I did. I saw a HUGE WILD TURKEY.. fly way up high and land up in the tree. Two giant crows landed on branches next to him. I never knew turkeys could fly up that high. Now.... I surely would have missed that turkey if I had been busy puffing away instead of watching the woods. Penquin... I love your picture. Thanks for reminding me to have faith that I can do this....and do my vacation without it. Faith in God...who gives me faith in me is huge. Nonic..... I needed to be reminded that to blow this quit would be the saddest ever. Thankyou... I know that 126 days is huge!! I treasure it. You should know.... look at your 152 days!! MomMom, As a mom I should be thinking about the example I show others. I often think of those I know who quit at work and the impact it had on me. Our example is bigger than we think. Just because we don't see results right away doesn't mean it doesn't work. Kiwi, You can come over and take a walk in the woods with me anytime!! we can go look for that cougar I saw last year. You game?? :8o: Martha, Thanks for getting me excited to actually make it through awhole year. It truly is my goal. I really want to do it. I will live this summer, and by george, I will enjoy everyday. I won't let cigarettes take that away from me. Lainy.. Your so right. We really are creatures of habit. All kinds of habits. Some bad..some good. Isn't this what it is all about. breaking BAD habits. And Bear..... do bears eat little goats? Thought I should ask! LOL Hope I didn't miss anyone. If I did...I'm so sorry. When I logged on and saw so many responses my "heart" was touched. Danielle.... I need to get rid of the gum. For sure. Have a great smoke free Memorial Day Mercy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/21/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 126 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,520 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $563.22 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 39

Mercy, Have you tried substituting or delaying those last halves with regular gum? Danielle ______________________ The SSC Support Team

good job mercy... sounds like you're making it!! Being alone is tough...but if you have that dog of your's, you're not alone. keep up the good work. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/19/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 38 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 950 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $171.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 24

Wow, Mercy, I am totally impressed. You came really, really close to the edge, and you still had the strength to do the right thing. Wow!!! I used to like to smoke alone, too. You know what? Cigarettes make really lousy companionship. I'd rather be by myself enjoying the view than dying or dead. Because those are the alternatives, live smoke free or die. Legend [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/25/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 91 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 546 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $113.75 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 25 [B]Seconds:[/B] 32

Mercy, are you OK today? I do like your picture by the way, but you wouldn't look as glamorous with a cig in your month.. :p your support of others is much appreciated here - and yes, it is a two-way street - you are entitled to and deserve our support all the best :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/13/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 468 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 14,040 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �3,510.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 75 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 37 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17

Well done Mercy You are right about your hair......... Me xx [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]8/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 292 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 6,424 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1,533.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 56 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 1

omg..too funny, unhooked! Glad you rode it out mercy : ) Maybe this vacation time is a good time to try flying solo...at least you could try to nap through some of it. No matter what you decide I am proud of you for not smoking yesterday! NOPE -aloha [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 65 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,600 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $442.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 29 [B]Seconds:[/B] 0

Mercy, when my son started kindergarten, he had to leave his blanky at home. It was a filthy, smelly old thing because he wouldn't give it up long enough for me to wash it & he'd had it since he was 9 months old. He was so beside himself over giving it up that I cut a little piece of the satin binding for him to tuck in his pocket so he could still feel it and just know it was there. I transferred that damn thing from pants pocket to pants pocket until he was in grade 2. Exasperated, I finally asked him if he still really needed it. He was completely flummoxed, had not idea what I was talking about. Turns out he hadn't even known it was there since the second week of kindergarten. 1/2 piece of nicotine gum, Mercy, do you really need it? [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 13 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 260 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $143.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 20 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

Mercy, All you have to do is change up that routine a bit so that is it different. Ole Nick, he ain't too smart, if you change your routine just a bit, he is totally screwed. How do I know???? I am a total creature of habit and what has saved my ash many times this quit is that I changed my routine, knowing full well, Nick would be screwed, and so He was every time! Try it! It's almost evil how well it works! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 82 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,050 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $865.10 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 10 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 37 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

Don't ever, ever feel bad about coming and asking for help. It is exactly what you should be doing, and exactly what many people don't do before they smoke that first one. Congrats and having the strength to use the support site for the exact reason that it is here. As far as your vacation at home...I sense your thinking is that smoking may have helped you relax during previous home vacations, and also gave you energy to get all that yard work done. Funny, how it could have done both those things relax and energize. You know that it didn't do either of those things. Lie #1. Remember when you first quit, you had to do things in baby steps. That's where you should go with this. Sit on the deck for 5 minutes. Then go do something else. Then try another 5 minutes on the deck, and so on. Just take it in little bits. Yes, this at home vacation may not be like the others, but that's OK. By the end of the season, you will be spending the whole day on the deck. Personally, I think you should lose that piece of gum. I know you can do without it Mercy. You know you can do it. Have faith and believe that it will be OK without it. I know you are ready because you are already contemplating it. When you are ready to go nekkid, we are all here with you. This is just a phase of the quit. Keep walking forward and stop chatting with the devil. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/30/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 26 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 520 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $299.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 2 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25