White Elephant X-mas Party

So this year with Mom & Dad down as a regular snow bird activity, we decided to throw a little social gathering. It was a White Elephant gift exchange / potluck. We had Shannon's Gramma, Uncle, Great Aunt & Uncle, along with Amber's future in-laws, and Dad's Cousin & wife (and Sammy their dog). The gift exchange went very well considering the host ended up with the gag gift, a rubik's cube. The joke though will be on the one who brought it, as I gave it to Adam, to wrap and give back to him as his Christmas gift.
A great time was had by all, and we are looking forward to doing this again next year.
Thank you to everyone for such a great time, and Happy Holiday's to all!

Had a great week, all except for my weight loss, or should I say, weight gain! I gained back 3 lb's, and I can attribute it directly to my weak spot for Nalley's Chili. I had three, yes three can's over the past week, all on late night chili cravings! Damn you Nalleys, and Damn me for my weakness. I have hardened my resolve to loose weight, and haven't even looked at a can of chili this week! I will win!
Shannon gave up her ticket so I could take Dad to the Succaneers game, and we had a blast!
We tailgated, then climbed up to our nose bleed seats. The flyover was the Clearwater Coast Guard's plane and helicopters. That alone was priceless!
Now it's get ready for Thanksgiving.
This year we have M&D, the boy's, and Amber, Mark, and Pat over for an early dinner. With the diet kept in mind, we are not going to deep fry the green beans, just the turkey's, yes, turkey's as in two of them so we have left over turkey!
The boy's are each bringing or making pies, and we are very excited to get into our Turkey Triptophan coma's!
The only down side to this Thanksgiving was it was going to be Larry being down here for his first deep fried turkey, and unfortunately, he decided to join his departed wife. OK, wipe a tear away, and move on!
Shannon spent a good portion of today making the bread crouton's from her home made bread, for her stuffing. OMG, I am oh so going to have to eat as small of a portion as possible, but eating early on in the day, just means I can have two dinners!
Back to the fun, just finished baking the yams for the twice baked sweet potato's!

Yesterday Revisited

OMG, note to self, a pork loin roast meal serving has more than our 19 grams of fat. Sub note, do not eat two more servings later on in evening unless you can stay close to your bathroom... So good tasting, but so bad on our system!

11/14 update

OMG! Mother made a 8 bone pork loin (I've never ate one before), that knocked what had I had socks on, off! WOW! The flavor was outstanding, and now I have to believe that her claiming her oven sucked, was only a feint ploy!
Now I will have to look into my personal recipes to come up with something for next weekend.
Seafood is my thought for now.
Dad is going to go with me to next weekends Buc's game, while Shan and Mom are going shopping. So looking forward to that, but need to rest to get ready for next Saturday night. Cannot let mother feel she has taken the lead for more than a week.!

11/14

Another beautiful day here in South Florida. My weigh in yesterday showed only 1/2 pound loss, but it is nonetheless a loss. Heading to M & D's soon for dinner. Wondering what she has in play this week. In M's mind, it is still a contest, but, there is no contest.
Still not smoking. Not sure why I even bother to say that, but the blog is called a Verity quit's smoking after all. This past week we had our surf n turf dinner, and had both boy's home at the same time.
Aaron is going in Monday to take his ASVAB testing to see what the Navy will offer him training wise, and if it's good enough in his mind, he may be joining up. We have our fingers crossed, as age 21 is going to get here quicker then both boy's realize, and when that happens, if they are still here, I am packing them up myself.
OK, back to some stuff, then off to M & D's

November 7

Wow! Woke up to a nice 65 degrees. This is more like our fall again!
I spoke the bad juju yesterday when I mentioned to the wifey that we were already into November, and hadn't had any storms. So of course today we have one moving into the gulf of mexico, and they think it could be near us by Thursday. I say bring it on!
Going to see if M & D read this blog. Today is our turn for dinner, so we are throwing a curve ball at them. Shannon is cooking a delicious creamy ham & potato soup, and yes, it is low fat! Not going to tell them that Shan cooked it, and see what Mom says! I'll bet dollars to donuts that she thinks I cooked it unless she reads this beforehand!
Going to be a great day as I have a few honey do's to take care of, and the convertible is acting up. Sounds like the power steering. Oh well, going to take it to my pro Salvador to have him check it out.
On the weight loose, I am now down 15 lbs, and Shan is her lowest weight since starting the dieting. Loving the food I am cooking, and feeling the effects of the weight loss!

10/30

Wow, end of October already!
Made a fantastic dinner last night, new recipe turned out real well, I've got to start writing down some of these so I can make my millions publishing cook books!
Have to back up one blog. Dad is enjoying getting to wear shorts every day, and no, we haven't gotten any complaints from your neighbors saying he's running around without his pants on!
Looking forward to Mom's dinner tomorrow. I know she has Bing and Google on her laptop, so I'm sure she will surprise us with a great dinner!
Back to work. I have to go cast my vote for best baked goods at my branch on Fruitville Rd.

10/28

Another day in paradise. Temps are staying in the mid to upper 80's, and before you start complaining about how cold it is up north, tough shizzit! We moved here for this, and you can too if you want to pay exhorbarante taxes and insurance!
Ok, got off track a bit. M&D are getting themselves settled back into a routine again, and Dad seems quite happy to not have to put on pants each day.
Looking forward to my weigh in Friday, as I am close to moving to a new notch on my belt. That is a very good feeling.
Looking forward to Mom's attempt to cook a better meal than me on Saturday. Already know it won't hit my caliber of kitchen dominance, but enjoy getting a night off from cooking none the less. Shan and I are getting more excited about our August trip up North next year. I don't think there is a day go by that we don't discuss more things about it.
Ok. It's time to wrap up for the day!

10/24

Had Dad & Mom over for dinner tonight. Had alot of fun hearing about thier travels.
Mother in her competitive nature has decided we are in our cooking forays, it's going to be who can cook the best low fat meal. This does give her the edge, as they have done many a diet, and I'm sure she has recipe's dating back before Microwave dinner's.
On another note, we discussed next years family reunion, and are going to start making our plans for a vacation to the N.W.
Get ready!

October 19th

Ok, quick check in. M & D are on their way here from the NW, and we are gearing up for a great six months.
I notice on their blog though that my little bro is now sporting a goatee, and a rather impressive one.
Little did he know that I knew he would some day try to imitate me, so in a pre-emptory strike, I have changed my looks.
Part of the change is of course working on loosing weight. At my last weigh in on Friday, I was back to 12.5 lbs lost thus far. The second change had to do with facial hair. After a 4 day weekend, I decided instead of just shaving back down to my goatee (I hate to shave on my off days, and look rather scraggly after a 4 day), I would go for a more contemporary look.
I took this photo with my little netbooks camera, so it isn't very clear, but it is of me sitting in my hotel room (yes I cannot fall asleep yet after driving over this evening), and the lighting isn't the best.
Shan and I had a great weekend, getting lot's done, then doing our tailgating at the Succaneers game. We were surrounded by our friends, and even though we are now one of the few 0-6 teams, we still root the local team on.
Ok, no jacuzzi in this room, so guess I'll go read my book in a hot bath, and hope to fall asleep soon.

October 8th

Holy Crimenie's! It's been 3 weeks since I last put anything on here, so I better let you all (all two of you) that we are still alive!
Last Friday's weigh in has me down 12.5 lb's, and I have to weigh in tomorrow, and know I've lost a lb or two.
Went on my first road trip for work since my dieting started, and packed my full cooler with food for myself to eat rather than going out to eat. I know there are things I can eat at restaurants, but haven't really looked into it too much. Wasn't bad though, as I ate fruit for breakfast (did buy myself my spicy V-8), then ate sandwiches for lunch with my low fat stuff. Didn't bother me in the least.
Now it's off for a four day weekend. Shan and I have a lot of stuff to get done around the house, and it will be nice to just cut loose for a few days.
Mom and Dad leave I think next Monday to begin their trek to the S.E., and should arrive around the 23rd I think. We are excited to get them back down to the 90+ degree weather we are still having. This will be their first true "Sno-bird" trip coming down in October. They will see that it doesn't cool down here till late November, and then we have 2-3 months of weather that some days doesn't get above 60 degrees.
Ok, off to get dinner started.

9-18

Ok, here we are a week later in the diet, and I'm only down 1/2 a pound? The Alli plan told me not to get discouraged, that some weeks I will loose 1-4 and other's I won't. Gee, that gives me alot of hope of hitting 200 by end of year!

We had a great weekend last week. Went and tailgated with our friends at the Buc's home game, even though we got our a$$e$ handed to us. I have to say, I cannot stand our new coach. He has this Meadowlark Lemon grin on his face all of the time, and that isn't how you whip a team into shape. He's probably grinning like that due to his salary being over 1.2 million a year! That will buy a lot of toothpaste!

Anyways, we have our rally hats on for this weekend.

All have a great week!

9-11

Well, life is pretty nuremel around here. I did my weigh in for my dieting, and I am down to 236, so a total of 8 lbs so far, but nothing else. It fluctuates so much, and me being "new" to this dieting thing, can be a bit frustrating. Shan and I are loving the meals I'm cooking though, as they aren't so "heavy". We both feel we are doing better, as we feel better. I know that I'm not getting that "ugghh" feeling, where I knew I was getting heavier, and it makes me feel better.
We are going to spend tomorrow getting ready for our first regular season game for the Buc's against the Dallas Cowboy's. We are also heading back to M&D's to keep the foliage in check. (Thank God I kept beer out there)!
Anyways, M&D are going to Seattle today or tomorrow for the Rotten Apple Cup, UW Huskies against WSU Cougars. Should be an interesting game, as neither university has a football team that could polish any of Florida Universities football gear. Sad, but true....

Go Buc's!

September 5th

Well, yesterday was a good day!
Wifey, #1 son, and I went into the gulf to do a little fishing. We had a good day, seeing a couple of pods of dolphins playing and eating at the entrance to New Pass .
In this picture, you can see them circling what must be some grunts (one of their favorite fish). While they circle, one will then shoot up from below and grab a meal.
We went out to the reefs after this, and caught a good number of red grouper, which let's just say we released them all to help improve the fish population, but in reality, none of them were large enough to keep.
After an early afternoon of fishing, we came home, unloaded the boat, then proceeded to the Buc's game. It was dissapointing to see them loose their last pre-season game, but oh well. It was a good training lesson of Welcome to the NFL Rookie!
Well, got to get around here so I can get the rig cleaned out, then I get to relax, I think....

September 3rd

Not overly happy today. Did my weight check, and it shows an even 239, up 1/2 a pound. Going over it in my mind what I did, or didn't do. Had our first "Meatless" dinner last night, having bean and cheese burrito's. Not happy with Ole El Paso either! They put chunky salsa in a jar that was nearly identical to my taco sauce (no chunks). Poured the rest of my jar, opened the second, and dab nabbit if I Shannon didn't have to tie me down to eat it. I wonder where the pickiness I have came from? Couldn't be the fact that my parents didn't force me to eat (albeit they tried a few times), everything on my plate, or they would make two pans of dinner, one the way I liked it (usually sans cooked veggies), and one the way they liked it? On that same note, why do I have kids who will eat anything put in front of them?
Oh well, tonights dinner is a one pot shrimp dinner. I'm getting hungry just thinking of it, as my low fat turkey/swiss/bread/mayo sandwich and a pear didn't fill me up. Guess I should have ate breakfast, but just didn't feel like it.
Ok, back to work!

August 31

Well, down another 1/2 pound.
This diet is definately showing me that my shiz don't stink!
Back to work, this taking three days off last week, left me a few fires to put out!

More great stuff at einsteinshrugged.co.uk Ok, I scored pretty good on this one, but my gosh, some of those would have made good racks! Oh yeah, I'm down 1/2 a pound, so not jumping up and down. Have to travel next week, so am going to pack stuff to eat.

Father / Son Day

OMFG! It feels like my thighs are on fire, and my hip is killing me today. Let's back up 24 hours.

Aaron and I got the boat in the water and did some fishing, catching a few red grouper's, but they weren't keeper size.
We then came home, unloaded the boat, then loaded the Durango for a run to Raymond James Stadium for the Buc's home opener pre-season game against the Dolphins.
I forgot how high up our seats are, but was reminded by the people sitting by us when they asked me for a tissue, as he had gotten a bloody nose!
We were a little into the second quarter, when I noticed one of the Ref's running down the field, pointing at the opposite endzone, where lightning was visible. All of a sudden the field was being cleared of both teams, and the fans were leaving their seats.
Aaron and I decided we would leave, as the rain wasn't showing any sign of letting up. We listened in to the sports channel, and about 45 minutes later, the game started back up. We were able to watch the third and fourth quarter from the comfort of home.

Now let's come back to today. Note to self, get healthier, and keep on loosing weight. I weighed in at 240.5 this morning, although standing up straight was a problem!

Cod for dinner tonight, as we decided we want fish in our diet (even if I can't catch enough of it), at least twice a week.

Another fun day is ahead of me!

August 24

Well, here we are, another Monday morning. I've already done 30% of my work for the day already, so am taking a quick break. Figure I'll keep weighing myself each morning, and see how it fluctuates. Thursday I was 244, Friday it was 244, Saturday it was 243, Sunday 241, today 240. I have spent alot of time reading lately (wink wink, nudge nudge), so am thinking that may be a good portion of the reason. Our diet's are definately changed for the better. I smoked turkey legs for 5 hours yesterday, then had a baked potato with low fat sour cream, and steamed beans for dinner last night. Actually filled me up!
Today I get to make shrimp grits for dinner, haven't made that in the past, so am kinda looking forward to it!
OK, breaks over, back to work.

August 22nd

Spent the morning out looking for manatees, to no success. We did manage to see a few dolphins though, so it was well worth it.
Didn't have to spend any extra money to go out today, as we planned on just a few hours out due to not getting too far from a bathroom.
No real bad side affects yet, but this is only my second day. We are being very concientious *I know, I spelt it wrong!, about what we eat. Just switching habits has caused me to loose one pound in the 3 1/2 days I've started eating better.
Shan is going to the grocery store to pick up more stuff we can have to eat, and she put together a very nice care package of the stuff we couldn't eat, and sent it with Adam over to his friend Harry's. They partied like it was 1999 last night, ok, they ate like it was, well, like there was more to life than top ramen!
Gotta go wash the boat. Going to take most of next week off as vacation, so will take the boat out for a few mornings of fishing, who knows, maybe I'll catch dinner!

A Verity Starts Dieting

Just a quick update on things in the full time Verity Household.
After a visit to the doctor, I found that I have gained 12 pounds (24 over all) since quitting smoking. So after doing some research, Shannon and I have decided to begin the Alli Diet. For those who do not know what that is, it is a lower fat diet (you don't have to change your eating habits, but it's reccomended), and you take a pill which stops a lot of the fat your body would normally absorb, and it passes through your system rather quickly. Some people call it the "Keep a clean pair of undie's handy" diet. For the first week, they reccomend you don't get to far away from a bathroom :-)
My goal is to loose 25 pounds minimum, and it can be done in six months, as long as I get more active which means we will be using the bikes more, and I have already started cooking a lower fat diet for us. Shannon is going to do the diet also as my support person!
OK, I have a conference call to lead in a few minutes, and I haven't typed up what it will be about, so, wish us luck!
Love from the Full Time Florida Veritys

8/18/09

Here we are, August 18th, 2009.
Thought I'd give everyone a quick update on what has been happening in the Full Time Florida Verity's household.
Aaron has taken on a second job, due to a mean, harsh, slap in the face called Reality stepped in!
He spent his summer having fun, and decided he wanted to take the fall off from school. Rent begins September 1!
Adam has registered for Manatee Community College, but won't be starting till Spring quarter. We are very happy that he has decided to do this, as we firmly believe you need some extra schooling outside of high school to get farther in life.
Amber and Mark are planning their wedding for November of 2010. We never realized how much goes into planning for something like this!
Shannon and I are plugging right along with business as usual.
We are anxiously awaiting Wells Fargo's move into the East coast, and what it brings, no one knows.
OK, I can't sit here typing all morning long, as I have 18 accounts to finish typing up to send up to Corporate.
Love from the FTFV's

July 24th

Yesterday and today have been tough to cope with, but don't worry, I didn't start smoking again.
The Verity Family Wednesday night lost their long time friend, Larry Bell to a fast acting, cancerous tumor.
Today & yesterday were very difficult, but each day will get better.
We can all be happy that we had a lot of time with Larry and his family over the last 39+ years.
I am very happy that I got the chance to take Larry and Dad out boating, which in my opinion was one of the highest ranked things Larry loved to do.
Shannon, the kids, and myself are still wishing we had more time with him, and the last two conversations I had with him were talking about his getting down here for a Thanksgiving, and enjoying a deep fried turkey. We will have an empty chair at our table in honor of him this year.

He will be forever in our memories.

July 17th

After being harangued by family members, I have a quick update for everyone. In the Verity household, I am still smoke free.
This picture was taken over the July 4th weekend where we were anchored off of New Pass for the Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix boat races. It is considered the Indy 500 of the super boat races. That weekend we also saw Captain Keith & Deckhand Travis from the Wizard on America's Deadliest Catch. What was fun was they actually remembered us. Amber & Mark joined us for that outing, and we built a beer pyramid, and no, we did not drink all of those. It was a great weekend.
Ok, I'm back to working now, so will fulfill my monthly duty to all of you!

Phew! Another Graduation!

So it finally has transpired.
Let me start by saying, it started on a cold day in March 1991, when my Ooops baby was born. Yesterday, we had his graduation party, and sat through an abbreviated version of a graduation ceremony. I can honestly say the cartoon in today's paper should be the grads name being announced, then Principal Hradek Kicking them in the arse off the stage. They were in such a rush to make sure they got the ceremony in in case it rained that as they called off the names, they would have to stop every 20 or so students to let the stage clear enough to call off the next 20.
We had a great time yesterday with a great turnout. Tim, his son, and son's girlfriend showed up, and we were able to catch up on alot of things. Unfortunetly Lynette had to watch another friends house and pets, so was unable to attend.
Our friend Brian showed up from the other side of the state, and brought us up to speed on what was going on in his and his fiance's life.
All of the kids were there, and Amber's future in law's came over, which was as always a great visit.
Shannon's Mom, and her friend Carrie (I hope I spelt it right) were in from Spokane, WA.

We were able to do the BBQ, graduation, beer pong, yes I said beer pong, all in a 24 hour period.

This morning, Mom & Dad, picked up Aaron to drive to Miami to begin their 7 day cruise in the Carribean. Aaron called from the ship before the left, and you could hear in his voice the awe of how large those ship's are. We'll have more from them upon thier return.

Today, we spent almost all day with Shan's Mom and her friend Carrie. We went to City Island, had lunch at O'leary's (yes Diane, Tequila does taste horrible in my opinion also)! We then stopped by our local hangout, and just all around had a great visit. We hope to maybe get a little more time before they head back to the great N.W.

OK, I'm sure I've missed some of our fun, but it's been a long 24 hours, so I am going to get something put together for dinner, and pick this up later.

Full Contact Boogie

Here we are on another great Friday night.
I spent the last two weeks traveling 8 out of 10 business days. Thank goodness for the weekend.
My trip to Chicago this last week was productive, and I am ready for vacation next week for Aaron's graduation. We are all getting excited to see April's family, and Shan's Mom is coming down for a few days also.
Mom has scoured the internet, looking for a recipe that will "One Up" me, and I think she has found it.
I stopped by for a few minutes yesterday on my way back from Ft. Lauderdale, and she had a mischevious grin the whole time, so I'm pretty sure she thinks she's found it.

Who Cares How Many Days!

Here we are at the middle of May, and I have to actually think about being a non smoker, as it doesn't cross my mind unless someone brings it up.
Aaron received his last report card, and he has passed (we already knew that in December), and will be off to college in the fall. He is wanting to attend culinary school in Tampa, so he needs to get ready for being a free bird. Momma Crow and I are taking bet's.....
We are having Mom and Dad over for dinner tonight. I am making a nice Chicken Picatta, with fresh green beans from our garden, and some baby red potatoes with herbs. I already am expecting to hear that I have "One Upped" her. One of these days, she will realize that it isn't a contest, but my enjoyment of cooking a nice meal.

We had a great visit with Shannons Dad, Larry, while he was down here. He spent alot of time fishing with his cousins, and playing cards with his Mom and aunts/uncle.

I had to put a picture up of our jack russell, Boozer. This is an all to familiar sleeping pose she likes to do. She claims that her cousin Maggy cannot do this as she has balance issues, most likely brought on by her master smoking 3-4 packs of ciggerettes per day. We only wish her the best, and hopefully when her master quits that nasty habit, she will once again be a semi-normal dog (as normal as a dog can be when not allowed to be the alpha in the family).
Love from the full time South Florida Verity's.

So we are into May, and what a beautiful month April was, with more to come!
Still smoke free, but I have now stopped taking the Chantix. Spent part of yesterday in Clearwater visiting Shannon's "Grammie". It was quite fun seeing her again, and catching up on who has had what child, and who will be visiting in the next few months. When we left her house, we went to have lunch, but could not find a parking spot. The nearest to the restaurant wanted ten bucks, so we decided to bite the bullet. When we pulled up, I asked if there was any special, as we were only going to be there for an hour while we had lunch, which the person said they couldn't change the rules. I then pointed out that Grammy Marion's grand-daughter was in the car, and lo and behold, the person went across the street to the restaurant, and as soon as a car pulled out, held the parking space.
Once we got in the restaurant, we were told that it would be at least a 25 minute wait, so we went to the bar to get a beverage. I went back out front to let the person know where we were sitting, and casually mentioned that Grammy Marion's grand-daughter was in our party. Amazing how quickly we got sat down.
We then went to Tarpon Springs, which is a greek village of sponge fishermen, with assorted shops & restaurants.
Grammy Marion's reputation doesn't go that far north obviously, as we had terrible service for our dinner!
Anyways, I'm posting a couple of pics of our pets, as a lot of you asked about the shaved cat pic, and one of you had your dog post to my blog about it.
Hope this finds everyone in fine spirits, or the spirits make you fine!

Another Week Down!

Well, this past week has been quite the eventful one. As you can see, we took Jade in for his annual shave down. Usually you will not find this cat for 2-3 days after he suffers the humiliation of being shaved, but this year he came home, knocked down the front door, and said "Feed Me"!
Speaking of feeding. We had dinner over at Dad and Mom's Saturday night. It reminded me of when I smoked a chicken all day, and it wasn't close enough to the coals. When it came time for dinner, the ham and bean soup Mom had slaved over for 18 hours, the beans weren't done. At least we didn't go without. We ate a Vegan dinner of salad and corn bread, with Flan for dessert. Unfortunetly for myself, I can't handle almond extract, so had to skip the Flan. Who came up with "Flan" as a name for a dessert anyways? It's a Latino dessert, that is what is left over from making goat cheese I think. Then they put extract of Almond over the top to disguise what is congealed underneath. At least the Latino's, unlike us Americans, well, isn't that kind of an oxymoron? Most Latino's are American's now, but anyways, they know how to use Flan!
We went to the dog park as usual, and the group who is there were all happy that I am still a non-smoker.
Oh well. I have to go get some lumber so that I can build a new set of steps, as Tiny, our Min Pin won't use the shorter one I built awhile back.
Have a great day!

Here we are on April 13th, the day after Easter, and the day I have to call my therapist after the conversations going on in this Verity Household.
There wasn't anything mean, or anything said out of alcohol, but let's just say that if I ever hear the sentence involving "spit", or hairy Europeans, I'll be in therapy for alot longer!

The meal went off very well. We had Smoked Ham, Smashed Taters, Fenel & almond green beans, and buns. The piece de resistance was desert though. Shan one upped Mom with a bannana cream pie.

I think that puts us at what? 45-45 in tennis speak?

Still a non-smoker, and frankly have to think about being a non-smoker to realize I haven't been thinking about smoking. I spoke with one of my bank partners today who told me they were quitting for their kids. I told them that they would probably fail then, cause in my opinion, which some of you think I'm a little too fond of, you have to quit for yourself, not anyone else.

On religion, I've decided I'm not overly excited about Easter. I mean, come on, if he died for our sins, then rose, couldn't he have done it on a Monday so I could have a three day weekend?
Mom and Dad brought over eggs which we hid for them, plus they brought over chocolate (like my fat butt needs any of that to take up good beer space). Mine they took their time to locate, it is a #24 Jeff Gordon Nascar made out of chocolate!

Don't care how many days!

Here we are the day before Easter, and I'm a little peeved at this man up stairs. If he died for our sins, couldn't he have done the rising on a Monday, so I'd have another three day weekend?
Jeez! Oops, I mean, Jesus, I mean, Jose Christo?
Anyways, we got a lot of things done today in preperation for tomorrows Dinner. Invited the kids, and Mom and Dad, but the kids are going to eat at his parents, so they will come over on their regular time, and miss out. That's what we have to become accustomed to. We need to swap holidays with the future in-laws for the kids.
Our buddy Brian A. was over yesterday on his way home from Tampa, so we had a few coctails, and went over our plans for the offshore grand prix this year. He and his better half, are getting married a year after, so we have to decide if we forego the races, or go to Tennessee for their wedding. Hmmm, maybe his parents will move to Florida, and they can get married at the races...
Anyways, not alot on tv tonight, but am watching Deadliest Catch, as the next season starts next Tuesday.
Alright, still not smoking, no desires to smoke, and just thought I'd drop a quick note on how things are going!

2 Full Months

Well, it's officially two full months, and no problems. Still smoke free, no thought of smoking anymore, still able to go to the bar, and am on my way there in a bit for a coctail with wife.
Gotta run!

Day 42

Happy Spring & Birthday to my youngest! He can now buy his first lottery ticket legally. I know he's excited about it, as he's already showered, and is heading out the door! Got back yesterday from my touring the Naples region, and this was the first time I didn't feel the urge to smoke while I was driving. Didn't have to click my pen time and time again, so that is a great sign. Driving back, I saw a strange sight in my rearview mirror. As I was driving along the highway, the T-Birds aerial team were practicing for an air show this weekend, and they did a fly by a bairly 50 feet off the ground. Gave me a bit of a shock, as you couldn't hear them till they flew right past you. Got my heartbeat up for sure.
Well, back to the grind!

Day 38?

Well, I think it's Day 38. Am not totally sure. This medication has caused me to undergo subtle changes. I don't mind the hair falling off of my head, or the nasal congestion, or even the heart murmers, but I'll be darned if I can stand the explosive diareaha! Oh yeah, it also makes you not enjoy cig's!
Another busy weekend. Dad, Larry, and myself went fishing on Saturday. I brought home another beautiful speckled sea trout of the 17" variety. Amber & Mark are going to cook it up. We then had dinner at M & D's house, which was exceptional, considering it wasn't cooked from a box! Shannon made a Strawberry pie, which all enjoyed so much that there was a minor altercation when Mom tried to send home the last two pieces with us!
We then had a wedding to attend on Sunday for our friends Dale and Angie. It was very nicely setup in a short three weeks, and pulled off quite well. We wish them only the best!
All right, it's back to work for me, grab a quick bite to eat, then back on the road I go!
Still Smoke Free~!

Day 30?

Wow! Been so busy, haven't had time to post! Friday was a great day! We went to the Strawberry festival over in Plant City with Dad, Mom, and Larry. Before we went in, Mom and I tried to donate blood. She was successful, I wasn't. My pulse was too high, so they passed on me. Anyways, we walked around for a few hours, ate food we really shouldn't, Mmmmmm, Turkey Leg..... anyways, I digress. We then went to our hotel and checked in, then went our to dinner, then on to the Jeff Foxworthy show. He made Shan cry, actually she was laughing so hard at times that she had to wipe her tears on my shirt! We had a great time there with everyone. When we left, we purchased, yes you guessed it, a flat of Strawberries, which Shan turned into jam & canned up on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, Dad, Larry, Aaron, and I went out fishing in the inner coastal. Dad had the first catch of the day, landing a respectable sized cat fish. Unfortunately we cannot eat those. The rest of the day was spent drinking beer, no Aaron wasn't drinking beer, and drowning shrimp. I ended up the winner, as I landed a 20 inch speckled trout, and a decent sized Sheepshead. I kept the trout, and threw it on the BBQ last night, and Shan and I had our fill, with enough left over to feed both boy's when they got home.
OK, time to get back to work, and oh yeah, I'm still not smoking!

Day 26

Another day, another $.73, in debt! :-)
Woke up a little groggy this a.m. Had Shan's dad Larry over last night, and we sat around after dinner chatting till late. It was so nice to get some time with him, as he's been a very popular visitor, with a whole slew of his relatives making it a point to see him, so he's been on the go quite a bit.
Beautiful day today, as we are supposed to finally get back to normal temperatures. Great day to put the top down while I get myself back to work.
Still not smoking, and am planning an intervention for my little brother to get him off of his 3 pack a day habit!

Day 25

Boy, what a busy last couple of days it has been! Seems like there is no time to breath, let alone blog! Am getting ready to head out for the day. I see my mother has updated their blog, so nice to see information for all, so thought I'd quickly update mine.
Still not a smoker. Was talking with Shan last night, and I think I'll do three months of the Chantix, as I've heard a few horror stories about people thinking they had it kicked after two, and falling off the wagon afterwards. My thoughts are that I've got this pretty well kicked, but I know there are still a few times a day that the thought creeps into my mind, and I know that whenever I have to drive for longer than 20 minutes, it doesn't creep, it Elephant Walks right in. I won't kid myself, but I know there is still a battle that will continue to rage on.
Oh well, time to go work my magic!

Day 23

Yes, I know, keep it up, ect...
What a great weekend we had! Everyone was over for our BBQ on Saturday, and no one went home dissatissfied! There was only one bite of potato salad left, so it didn't make it to the fridge, straight to my BELLY! There was so little turkey left over that it fits in a small zipl0c, and won't make a decent pot pie! We had so much fun catching up with our old neighbors, and our family.
Shan asked me yesterday if I was tired of Deep Fried Turkey. My response was the day they plant me is when I'll be tired of anything deep fried (I only hope that isn't what kills me)!
Home on lunch break, and good thing, as I spilled on my work shirt, so must change then head back out on the road.
Still smoke free, and am looking forward to spending Friday with Jeff Foxworthy!

Day 20

Sorry for not posting sooner, but was out of town, and my work laptop gives me the finger everytime I try to post. Very funny on your comment little brother! I got back into town late last night, but stopped first at Mom & Dad's to say hi to Larry. Went to Tampa today, and am just finishing up for the day. Realized I hadn't even checked my email at home, so thought I'd jump on for a minute.
Everything is going great with my not smoking. Got my second month package last night, and am starting my third full week without smoking. My drive over to Boca and back was a little difficult, but I'm feeling pretty good. The mornings are just a haze to me now. Every morning, I am purposely changing up a little, and the mental urge to go outside is now just a memory. I need that same thing to happen soon with the driving aspect of it though. I went through two more pens in two days :-(
Anyways, have alot to do around here to get ready for tomorrow feast with friends and family.
Ciao for now!

Day 18

Just a quick note to let all know that I am still a non-smoker.
Took Dad and Mark out on the boat for a test run. It picked right up, and is ready for a new year of fun.
I'm off to Boca Raton to meet with clients and partners, then will hopefully be home in time for survivor tomorrow night.
Off to the races I go!

Day 16

Oops, didn't get around to posting yesterday. No real reason, as it was a lazy day for myself. I had planned on getting alot done on the boat, but with people coming over unannounced (you know who you are :-), I found it easier to sit on the couch and watch TV. I have a busy week ahead of me. I have to give a presentation in Boca Raton to the President's Group. It will be a short presentation, but none the less, still have to do it. The last week of the month is usually the most hectic. My not smoking is getting easier, as I don't find myself thinking about it as much. I'm looking forward to getting my next month's supply of Chantix. I am thinking it will be my last also. I think I have this thing kicked, and am just going to keep chugging along.
The only side affect I've found so far from this, is that I find I want a bag of microwave popcorn before I go to bed. Hmmm.....

Day 14?

Mom and Dad are back from Orlando, having spent the last few days Bryan and his family were down here for their vacation. I believe next week, Larry Bell arrives. Shan's Dad Larry, came over today to visit, and we sat around talking about how it would be nice to hit the power ball lottery, which is at $125MM, and how we would spend it.
I replaced the ignition switch on the boat today, as it was only working to turn over the engine, but not in the auxilery position. Tomorrow, I plan to spend the majority of the day cleaing it up, and putting in the last few screws to get her ready for her first field run. I will go down Monday, get her liscensed, and a new plate for the trailer, as we are missing ours???? Will probably get Dad to go out for our first sea trial next week sometime, he can come in handy if I need someone to use the other oar, should she decide not to run at some point.
It was funny today. Shan and I went to our hole in the wall to replenish my keg, and we were talking to our Friend "Kat", the bartender. Her daughter, who's name is the same as my niece, but pronounced differently, finally made a "Poo" in the toilet! It brought back memories of Bill Cosby talking about "Poo". I wander too much sometimes, where was I...
Anyways, we are putting together a fine to do, for next Saturday. We will have about 20 people over for a deep fried turkey, smoked chicken, potato salad, and what everyone else brings for a pot luck dinner. It has been so long since we did this, that I am very anxious.
Anyways, I have to go get dinner ready, so will sign off for the day. Another day, smoke free!

Day's 11, 12, 13

Due to the increasing demand that I continue my blog, after a few day's hiatus, I am at the computer to let everyone know that yes, I am still listed among the non-smokers. I've just been so darn busy, that I didn't have time to write.
I had to reserve my hotel room for my trip I was on the last two days, and when I was talking to the clerk (they all know me there, as I stay there every few weeks), he had the room all booked and confirmed, and read back to me what I would have. It took me a moment to realize, "WAIT", I'm a non-smoker now, and don't need a smoking room!
Needless to say, yesterday & today were very trying on my Mental aspect.
My behind the wheel time is usually every other week, and involves me driving anywhere from 2-4 hours at a clip. Whenever I've made these trips, I've smoked endlessly to keep doing something while I drive. When I hit the freeway, it hit me before I even got to Venice. So, I took out one of my pens, and clicked away. I have a little calus on my thumb now, but I over came the mental urge!
Everyone I spoke to in my working, I was proud to say that the reason I was chewing gum this time wasn't to cover up the smell of smoke on my breath, but to keep my mind off of smoking.
Well, I start the fourth week tomorrow, and will get my prescription filled for the second month. I'm fairly confident that I can knock this out in two months, but will be ready for a third if necessary.
Shan's Dad arrived from Spokane sometime yesterday, but we haven't heard from him yet. I'm sure we will try to see him before this week's out.
Tomorrow, the mechanic is due to put my boat back together. We are getting real excited that soon we will be on the water again!
Ok, enough for tonight.

Day 10

Well, here we are. The last day off before I have to return to work. The boat mechanic came over this morning, and between the two of us, we have it tore down, and parts ordered so we can get out on the water. Amazing how expensive boat parts are, and I got to see his cost, not what is normally passed on to the customer. It's nice having clients in most industries :-)
I've been in the garage most of the morning cleaning off gasket material, and breaking down the manifold & carbuerator. It feels good to get my hands dirty.
Thought I'd come in and get a bite to eat for lunch, and then thought that I should get this done first, so now my stomach is grumbling a little. Think I'll have a can of chili for lunch! That ought to make for some down right nice company tonight!
Watched the first episode of The Amazing Race last night. Talk about spirit. There is a mother/son team, where the son is a deaf mute. They were inspirational as all get out. They came in first last night, and it was great to see someone not complain about having a "handicap", or letting it hamper what they do!

Day 9

Well, you can tell by how late I am in my writing how much stopping smoking has affected my life!
Shan and I went to our favorite bar which we go to once a month or so, and sat there for an hour. Shan was a little worried how I would react to being around so much smoking, and the only affect it had, was I wanted to get a shower as soon as we got home.
This afternoon, Amber and Mark came over, as they normally do on Sunday's, and I kinda felt sorry for Mark, as he and I always sat on the lenai, smoking and drinking beer chatting about guy stuff. I stayed inside most of the time, but went out and sat down, and soon Shan and Amber came out also. We had an enjoyable visit, then watched the Daytona 500, which rained out with 48 laps to go :-(
We got a call from Dad's butt I think, as all we heard was him calling out to Bryan. So I called back, and asked for his butt, but it was busy going through the haunted house at Disney World.
It was great seeing Bryan and his family, and I don't feel sorry for being a little childish in picking on him the first night. It is a big brother's right to always pick on his younger siblings, but I did go a little too far I think, and I did apologize to him, UHM.... :-P Actually, as I said earlier in this blog, I picked my timing to quit smoking to coincide with his being down here, I just hope uncle "Buck", didn't say too much in front of the kids, as they are amazing to be around, just happy I don't have the bills for raising them! Maybe I'll nickname them Hertz and Enterprise, like the car rental companies. Nice to have for a day or two, but wouldn't want the payments!
Shan was so happy finally getting to meet Michelle.
Well, get to hopefully finish working on the boat tomorrow. I have a boat mechanic coming over to help me finalize getting "Anxiety Release" ready to go out.
Shan's Dad, Larry is arriving Wednesday, and is going to be here for a couple of weeks, before he has to have surgery on his shoulder. Unfortunatlely the timing is so short, that we are unable to take time off while he is here, but we will make the most of the time we have with him.
The last week of this month will find us with two Larry's here. My Dad's best friend will be down here for three weeks. I'd love to see his kids again, as we kind of grew up together. We spent a lot of vacations together. Boating in the Straights, going to California, all of the camping trips, and it developed a bond that will be in my mind forever. It was Larry who got us into boating, and it's been in my blood ever since.
I forgot to say one thing about boating from the other day. We were at Dad and Mom's, and Mom had a missed phone call from someong in Washington. When she googled the phone number, it came up someone who had posted a boat for sale up there. Sorry Dad, Busted! :-)
I'm looking forward to taking

Day 8

Another day, another $7.00 saved! Well, actually it's costing about the same amount for the Chantix, as it does for my cig's. The nice thing is that within a month or two, I won't need that either, so the savings really begin.
Spent the morning at Dad & Mom's. Little brother, made breakfast burrito's for all of us, then we sat around chatting. They are heading out to Orlando in a little while, and probably won't be back this way, as they have to fly out of Orlando. I can't see driving two hours each way to save on a night in a hotel. It was really enjoyable getting to see them. As we were saying our See You's (I hate goodbye), my niece Maya told Shan that the next time they see each other, she will probably be taller than her auntie.
All in all, it was a great time. We cooked a deep fried turkey for them, bacon wrapped green beans, then I smoked a pork roast, and made pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad for them. Sorry for the pork being a little on the spicy side, but I do love my southern cooking, even if I have to say so myself!
Still noticing that I am not coughing up garbage like I used to, and am wondering when I will begin clearing out the junk in my lungs. I'm sure it will take awhile, but I remember when I quit before, it seemed to be in the first week.
Oh well, have to go work on the boat for awhile, then watch Nascar!

Day 7

Well. What a deep thought, eh? What a day we had yesterday. Spent a lot of time with the family, had a lot of photgraphs taken, rushed to get dinner ready, and got to watch the beginning of Survivor (DVR'd).
My attitude isn't the rosiest on the planet. Am pretty sure it is from quitting smoking, as I am crankier than usual. I spend a lot of time thinking of not thinking about smoking. The physical side is easy to handle, and the mental side is getting easier.
I am going to work on the boat today to get it tuned up. Just wished the boat mechanic would call back, so I can get it finished. Getting excited to eventually get back out on the water.
Going to be another fun day!

Day 6

Just a couple of quick thoughts this morning.
It wasn't as bad this morning, as it has been previously. Sitting inside drinking my coffee, I only once looked outside. I am making an effort each day to do the things I normally associated with smoking, and working my way through them. Yesterday I sat outside with my book and read for awhile, something I would have done with a smoke in hand.
We had a great time yesterday at Dad & Mom's. All but Aaron attended, as he had to work, but we all got to visit into the evening with Bryan and his family. My niece and nephew are growing like weeds! They are full of piss and vinegar, and it was a lot of fun being around everyone, and not having to step outside to kill myself!
Today, we are doing a family picture at Sears, then I am deep frying a turkey for dinner.
It will be Bryan's family's first time, and I'm pretty sure he will rush right out and buy a deep frier once they get home.
Last thought this morning deals with the lungs. What started me on the path to stop smoking was the fact that almost daily I was coughing up nicotine colored flem. Only on the first full week of no smoking, and have had very little coughing spasm's like I did. It feels great!

Day 5

Here we are at day 5! No physical problems to deal with, just the mental aspect of it. I still am catching myself looking at the lenai, and thinking I'm supposed to be sitting out there instead of inside, because I smoke.
Shan finished planting the new gardens yesterday, so now it's the time honored tradition to wait :-)
Today we are going to Dad & Mom's, as little brother and his family are supposed to be there, having arrived early this morning.
I haven't shaved since I started vacation, so I think I'll do that this morning, as I'm starting to look like someone you wouldn't want to take home to mother.

Day 4

It's hard to believe that it's day 4 already. Yesterday, Shan, Dad, Mom & I went to the State Fair. We had a very enjoyable day outing, seeing all of the sites, eating the standard fair food (including trying chocolate covered bacon). Througout the day, I had the mental urge's, but not the physical. I waited till Shan was in bed late last night to test my theory, and I'm right. I lit up a smoke (I had a pack for emergencies), took a few drags off it, and got nothing. If you think I was sneaking around to have a smoke, your wrong, I just didn't feel like testing my theory in front of anyone else. After a couple of drags, I put it out, took the back up pack out, and destroyed it.
Now the fun part continues. There is going to be the mental urges, which I am battling, but in my mind, I also know that I don't get anything from it, so it is going to be easier.
Little Brother and his family arrive late tonight, so we are getting anxious to see them.
Today, I have a few more honey do's on my list to get done, so am going to get myself around, and get started!

Day 3

Wow, I made it through day 2, and I only had one smoke all day. The doctor said while taking Chantix that it was normal to see a weening period of a couple of weeks, and I was actually quite surprised that I only had one, compared to about 40 per day before.
This morning was again a rough one. I had to take the rototiller back by 8:30, so I got up, around the house, then on the road to drop off that monster. My body feels like I rode a wild bull, but I'm sure it's nothing to do with quitting smoking!
Shannon spent the day working in her new garden, and it's fun to watch her, as she get's so excited with each plant/seed that goes in the ground. She wondered if the neighbors would notice if we put a chicken coop back there, to which I chimed in that the city might not appreciate our desire to be as self sufficient as possible. We will wait till we get our property farther east before we do that.
Today we have the State fair we are going to with my Dad & Mom. Having stuff to do, keeps the mind off of the regular routine, and I believe choosing this week, while we are on vacation is perfect. The big plus is my little brother and his family will be here in two days, and I'll be in my prime mood :-)
Off to shower, as M&D will be here soon, and off to the fair we go! MMMMMmmmm, Corn Dog's!

Day 2

Oh how much fun this morning has been. Woke up, took the dogs outside to let them do their dooty, and first thing in my mind was to light up. Ugghh! To answer a little pain in the ass brother's question with a question, why does a bear Sh*t in the woods?
Kept real busy yesterday. Shannon, Boys, & I made two new raised garden spaces in the back yard. Thank goodness for teen age boy's, as close to a ton of dirt was moved yesterday!
Didn't have it too bad yesterday. Found myself wanting to keep up my normal habit's, such as going out to the lenai to smoke, but whenever the urge came at me, I just relaxed a little, and told myself it was only the brain telling me this is what you usually do, so why aren't you doing it?
This morning is by far the worst though, as I'm so programmed to have a smoke, do a little "library" time, then have another smoke. That is why I'm up here typing away, to keep my mind from taking over.
We have a busy day planned for today, and an even busier one for tomorrow. Mom, Dad, Shan, and I are going to the Florida State Fair! I can feel my arterie's clogging already, as they have highlighted the strangest new food there. Chocolate covered Bacon. Yes little Brother, we do love our bacon!
They say it takes 28 days to learn a new habit. They never really say how many days it takes to unlearn a bad habit.

Day 1

After loading my body with Chantix for the last week, today I will quit smoking. I have two cig's left, and they are sitting on the lenai, and will be gone before lunch time.
I am overly confident that I will succeed, as I have a lot of clickable pen's at my disposal, which is what I used when I quit smoking over 14 years ago. It may be a little annoying, but it worked then, and I know it will work now.
Shannon and I are getting things ready for when my brother and his family arrive from Seattle next week.
We are looking forward to seeing them very much!
Today, we are going to get a rototiller, and prepare two small raised garden's in the backyard. Shannon has such a green thumb, and it is so much fun watching the excitement she get's when we eat something she's grown.
Going to get the boy's around to help with this chore.
So, here's to day 1!