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!!!!!!!

One Year Smoke Free

WOW....what a difference a year makes. A year ago, I wss off to volunteer as the camp nurse for the second year. At camp, you obviously cannot smoke. As I did the year before, I quit for the week. The first year, I actually thought I would quit for good. I didn't make it but 4 weeks. Last year, I planned to just make it through the week. However, I kept going. As soon as we finished the NINE hour drive, we met friends at a bar (I was childless for the week). I remember crying because I wanted one so badly. I kept thinking that if I made it on that long roadtrip, I could make it longer. How crazy is that. I cried in a bar because I wanted a cigarette!!! Today, that seem crazy, but at the time it took everything I had to not smoke. For the next 8 weeks, it was really, really hard. Every day brought struggles. Once I made it to two months, I knew there was no going back. I still had occassional times where it was hard from monthss 2 - 4, but it lessened every day. Months 4 - 6 brought odd urges and weird dreams occassionally, but it wasn't hard to keep going. Month 6 - 12 were a breeze. Never even struggled. Yes, sometimes it smelled good. Yes, I occassionally walk outside for no reason and then realize why. But, the effort required at this point is NOTHING. If you are trying to quit, just focus on the first 2 months. Patches, gum, food, drink, whatever, just make it for the first 8 weeks. Get a counter and see how fast the cigarettes not smoked and the money saved change. I cannot believe that I would have smoked over 8500 cigarettes in this last year if I had not quit.

I feel SO much better this year. Obviously, running and exercise is easier, but it iss much more than that. Life is more relaxing. I can sit and watch a whole movie with my daughter cudding with me. I am not constantly worrying about it. When we went to Busch Gardens, I am not alway thinking about when I can have another or about getting them wet.

of course, on the day that my quit counter flipped to a year, my computer died. I was bummed, but my co-workers went to happy hour with me to celebrate (it was childless week 2008). We went to Friday's and had a really cool waiter a great time.

1st Place and 2nd Place

Poor Morgan did not feel well today, but she was certainly a trooper because she didn't want to let her teams down. We started the morning with Advil, and we alternated Tylenol with Advil all day to try to help her feel better. The mini team rocked and got 1st place again (undefeated at 3 for 3). The youth team did well, but they had 9 girls with strep throat and Alexis hurt her neck and couldn't perform. A girl from a different team filled in for her and learned the whole routine in the morning. She did amazing. Morgan got a little dizzy during her tumbling, but she did really well. She wanted to go straight home, so they let us leave early. I was shocked to see her temperature was 103.8 when we got home. That was AFTER a lot of tylenol and motrin. I got some fluids in her, some food, her next dose of antibiotic, more motrin, and more tylenol, and I finally got it down to 100.8. Crazy. Needless to say, she will be home from school tomorrow. After the run in about the antibiotic I sent to school with her last time, I can't even imagine the school nurse's call if she went to school.

It was so nice to walk out of the fair with Morgan wearing two medals and a trophy. Last year, her team was in 5th or 6th place. What a nice change.

I finally got my Mardi Gras posts and pictures in, so go back some posts to catch up!

As of my counter, I hit some big milestones this week. I have now saved over $1,000 that I would have spent on cigarettes. I have also added 21 days to my life and chosen to NOT smoke over 6,000 cigarettes. WHOA. That is a LOT. I am so proud of myself. 8 months, 35 lbs, exercising, big changes.

Football, Cats, Children

This weekend was spent watching most of the top 10 teams lose in college - oh the glory of watching Florida lose to Auburn. Mike hit rewind 4 times in a row just to watch the kick sail through the goal posts. :) I guess if it can't be Tennessee, the Auburn is a good replacement. It just shocks me to see South Florida ranked SIXTH in the AP poll and KENTUCKY ranked EIGHTH!!!!! What is the world coming to? Mike keeps saying "Parity. I love it" over and over and over. It definitely looks like an odd football season. The family was happy over all this weekend though. Tennessee didn't play so they couldn't piss me off by losing. Auburn beat Florida. Georgia beat Ole Miss. Miss State lost to South Carolina, but my Dad was happy enough since Ole Miss lost. :) I almost hope that Tennessee loses all of the remaining games so that we can get a new coach. Sorry Fulmer. I have loved you for years, but we need new blood. Check out the firefulmer blog. I am scared that someone the Vols will do well for the rest of the season and we will be stuck. However, I want to see them win, so I am torn. Ahhh....the religion of football. Nothing like the SEC baby...

I now know that God is very smart. To know this, you only have to be around kittens for a weekend. They are SO adorable with those little sweet eyes looking at you. Their tiny little ribs shake gently while they purr. They curl up on your lap one minute, and they play in the cutest way the next minute. They look so cute as they arch their backs and play with a string. Yes, God is smart as he makes creatures so cute so people just can't resist taking them in. Of course, cats are nice too, but they are never as much fun as a kitten. :) Of course, if you look around, most animals are like that, and you can argue that people are too. :)

The kids had a good time this weekend. I went with the kids to see The Game Plan movie. It was very cute. I was in pain for the second half of the movie, so it was about an hour too long for me. However, it was very cute. I keep thinking that I have seen another movie that has the same basic plot before (little girl sneaks to another city while her mom is on a trip abroad so that she can find her biological father). The kids loved it. Michael said it was a "Must See Movie." Katie has also joined the blogosphere. Morgan is still writing in hers (check it out to see cute kitten pictures. I am so excited as it seems I find out about a new friend's blog every day! If you tell me about them, I will add them to my links section.

Unfortunately, I have a fever, so I guess I will have to suck it up and go to a doctor tomorrow. Not sure if it is kidney related or cough related...ick...Tuesday, Morgan and I go to the dentist. I hope I don't have to cancel as I have rescheduled too many times. I think the hygenist might hunt me down if we cancel again.

I haven't updated the stats in a while. It seems like the life saved part is creepy crawly slow. Come on, only 10 days?? It seems like when I was smoking, everything said I was killing myself much faster than 10 days after 4 months!!!

Amy - smoke free for Three Months, Twenty Eight Days, 8 Hours and 7 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 10 Days, by avoiding the use of 2888 cigs that would have cost me $493.42.

Ode to Kidney Stones and Quitting Smoking

We arrived home last night around 10:30. Morgan was pretty good about going to bed even though she was excited to see us and to be home. She was happy about her pink clogs I got at the Limited Too in Raleigh. We have no mall close to our house. So, we got our yearly shopping done on Sunday. Mike said it was the most shopping he had done in years. :) He carried a pink bag around the airport from the Limited Too. He looked so sexy with his bag. I think he might still have a dent in his shoulder where my forehead turned to concrete on the ride home.

I am so excited about being kidney stone free for the first time since 1998 (March to be exact). I was training on Medic Vision at the time, and I was 20 weeks pregnant when I had the first stone. I still remember the first time I had the knife through the back experience. I couldn't figure out what was happening and of course thought it was all to do with the pregnancy. I tried to make it go away by sitting in every position possible (including finally just laying down on the floor). Jennifer found out that the practice had an urgent care clinic, so we went there. The doctor told Jennifer and Mark that I needed emergency surgery. A kind woman from the practice took me and Jennifer in her car to the emergency room. She drove at least 110 mph through a construction zone to get me there. They take my information and tell me to have a seat. The woman from the practice isn't having ANYTHING to do with that, and she forces them to get me back immediately. I get to have the loevly pelvic exam, and a doctor (a pediatric surgeon) pops his head in to see if I am ok (courtesy of the practice). Uh, yes...I am great. Thanks. They do an ultrasound and quickly determine that it is a HUGE kidney stone. They give me demorol which completely freaks me out. I don't want it. I say I can take it. Finally, I surender.

Meanwhile, the guy next to me in the ER attacks the doctor who comes flying through the curtain and lands on top of me. They move me to the other side of the ER so I can be "safe." I later find out that Jennifer and Mark witnessed a fight in the waiting room as well. I am not sure "safe" is possible there. Regardless, the doctor tells me that he wants to keep me in the hospital. Of course, I am stubborn. I know this shocks you, but I am. So, I ask if there is any way I can fly home to Nashville where I can be in the hospitals I know with the doctors I know and the family I love. He says I can but he wouldn't recommend it. Ok, great. I quickly tell him that I am leaving. So, they sign me out and call Jennifer and Mark to come get me. On the way home, I need something to drink and eat so I can keep from getting sick. The only place we can find has the security window that prevents you from going inside. So, there I am on demerol trying to explain to the guy that the crackers I want are the 3rd one down on the second row in the middle of the store. It didn't go so well, but I finally got them. I took a cab to the airport at 5am and flew through Pittsburgh to Nashville. Of course, I thought I was going to die on the plane, and I kept hearing the doctor saying that he wouldn't recommend it. I do survive however and make it to Nashville. I get admitted and hope I pass the stone. 22 weeks later (after a stent that I insisted be removed after 2 weeks) I delivered Morgan. As they went in to remove the stubborn stone, they realize that it had broken up in labor. FIGURES... Anyway, that was in March of 1998. I am very hopeful that removing the ONLY stone I have in September 2007 will end the kidney stone nightmare of the past nine years. I am getting a little worried because I seem to be coughing (ok hacking) quite a bit. I am pretty sure that the anesthesiologist won't like that. I hope they can still get rid of my stone. I thought you weren't supposed to get the cough stuff after you quit smoking? Bummer.

Speaking of stopping smoking, I had a long conversation with my friend Lee about stopping smoking today. We were talking about how many people stop and start back. I shared my theory on the mental piece of it. I think you have to decide that you will never have one again. Until you decide that, your brain will deterimine at least 5,489 excuses as to why you should just have one. You are having a stressful day, your boss is mean, your football team lost, you are drinking with friends, everyone you are with is doing it, one can't hurt, right? I have played every game in the book. I have plotted and planned for hours on how I could just sneak one. Of course, once there was one, then it was ALL OVER. This quit, I truly understand that I can never have a single cigarette for the rest of my life. No matter what my brain says or what creative excuses I can come up with, if I have one it will all be over.

I was telling someone else over the weekend how it is so interesting how the things you do will make you want one. For example, when Mike returned from a trip recently, I had gotten up from the couch and walked outside without even thinking about it. Mike was standing there looking at me like I was nuts. As another example, I went to visit a prospective client, and I was digging through the glove box and my purse without even realizing what I was doing. All of the sudden, I realize what I am doing. It is an amazingly powerful drug. I also think you have to do everything at least once as a non-smoker to calm the urge. Silly things like going to happy hour, watching a football game, leaving a movie theater, and other common activities will give you a craving so strong that you feel like you are having an anxiety attack. To those who are trying to quit or who have just quit, hang in there, take a deep breath, rub your patch. It does get better. I can't say the cravings go away at 3 1/2 months, but I have a lot more experience fighting them than I did two months ago or even one month ago. :)

I had a great time in Raleigh. I forget how beautiful it is there. As much as I like living in Florida, it isn't nearly as pretty as North Carolina and Tennessee. Add to the flat scenary the boring same color stucco block houses, and it can get kind of old. I guess you adapt though because I notice the water everywhere here and don't really notice the trees and houses. When we were driving through Raleigh, I noticed the trees and the houses. :) We did a quick drive by of the old townhouse. I really liked that place. It was a great location with work and Morgan's school all within 5 miles. You didn't really need to leave that 5 mile area to go to work or school, to grocery shop, go to a bookstore, go to a nice restaurant, go to a movie. It was all right there, and the traffic wasn't bad either. We are getting this enormous mall by us, but I am worried because I don't think the Florida road crews have figured out any tips on smooth traffic flow so far. They seem to be really into the "thousands of people going in on a two lane road and thousands of people going out on a two lane road." Wouldn't want to have alternate routes!!! That would be convenient. :)

It pains me to say the word Florida. Even though I didn't expect Tennessee to be any good, I am distressed about the awful game (if you can call it that) on Saturday. For the first time in my adult life, I didn't even want to keep watching. I usually won't take my eyes off the game until it says 00:00. Hey, I lived through the 1998 championship run. I know miracles can happen. However, I think this year is going to be a complete disaster for Tennssee. Bye Bye Fulmer. It has been a great time(has it really been 15 years?).

Multiplication and Rice Creeper Treats to e-Prescriptions and Consultants

Ahh...multiplication tables. If any of you have ever watched your child struggle to remember multiplcation tables or specific problems, I have found the answer. I found the book, The Times Tables. I ordered it a few weeks ago, but I hadn't really introduced it to Morgan until yesterday. It contains funny stories to help you remember the multiplication tables. For example, each number has a picture (two = shoe, three = tree, four = door). Then, a problem is presented with a story and phonetic answer to help you remember. As an example, Morgan's favorite was 4X4 or Door X Door. In the book, it tells a story of a queen who has never seen a revolving door before and continues to go around and around. She gets sick so door x door = sick queen. Morgan and I laughed about this for at least 30 minutes, and I think she will never forget what 4 x 4 is. She went through the WHOLE book yesterday. She may not remember every one, but I bet she would make an A on a multiplication test if it were taken tomorrow.

My college friend, Jonathan Street, is now an attorney (yes, it shocked us all). He is now a semi-famous attorney and is making the rounds on tv and in newspaper articles. Click here to learn more. Make us proud Street!!!

Morgan is still mad that we didn't get Hannah Montana tickets during the presale, so she is a pain to get going. Did you know that you can join the fan club to buy tickets early? We did that, and we still didn't get tickets. :(

I went to Tampa Bay Urology. Dr. Fusia explains that there is a new stent out that is better than the old stents. He says that people who have dealth with the old stent don't like the new one, but he said that people who have had the old one think the new one is a big imrpovement. Additionally, it can be done as an outpatient. :) So, next Thursday it is. According to the CT scan, this is the last stone I have. I can't even imagine life without ANY stones. So, next Thursday, it will be history! Thank goodness my deductible is met for my HSA policy. So far, I love the HSA/ins policy from United Healthcare. I am interested to see if HSA's catch on. Anyone have good or bad experiences with HSA plans?

We come a little closer to the release today. We assigned 3 issues today to be investigated and/or fixed. Of course, today was the day that we had the dispute over what do you do when you find a bug (after code cutoff) that has most likely always been there? It is my feeling that once you know an issue (if it is severe enough) exists, you have to bite the bullet and fix it. Of course, priority became the next discussion. :)

A HIMSS study discussed staffing challenges in healthcare. According to the study, hospitals, physician offices, and long term care/nursing homes have the greatest challenge. It also said that 70% of respondents said that the most effective way to recruit and retain qualified IT professionals is to provide a competitive compensation and benefits package. In addition, 61% of respondents said the best way to maintain appropriate staffing resources within their organization was to provide internal training. 31% said they would use consultants when possible.

Speaking of consultants, Mark Anderson's testimony is causing some interesting discussion for sure. The transcript can be found here. I think this underscores the state of the market. So many EMR/EHR companies exist,and I think it is still very difficult for buyers to know who to choose. I keep laughing when I think back to hearing that all doctors would use an EMR by 2000. :)

Finally, all 50 states allow e-prescribing. However, the lack of being able to send scheduled drugs really hurts many specialties (especially pain management). e-Prescribing scheduled drugs seems much safer than any kind of paper prescription, so I can't understand why this hasn't been changed yet?

Only 3 more days until the Tennessee-Florida game. GO VOLS!

Still smoke free...Amy - smoke free for Three Months, Ten Days, 10 Hours and 6 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 8 Days and 12 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2458 cigs that would have cost me $419.64. Congrats to Kelly for making it 5 months!!!!!!

By the way, Bond is hiring. Click here for openings.

Don't forget to leave a comment!

Beach Day

Morgan's cheerleading group, the Florida Wilcats, had a Beach Party today at Fort Desoto Beach. Nothing like 100 cheerleaders running around!! Of course, we were late. I don't think we are ever on time. We went to Pubix on the way to get chicken, fruit, potato salad, chips, and drinks. I think our checkout girl shared a brain with a gerbil. It was painful, but we finally made it out of the store with our groceries.

Mike brought his big canopy to the beach which was wonderful. I just can't get used to the beaches here. They are beautiful to look at, but the sand isn't very soft and has shells all in it. Then, when you get out into the water, there is seaweed stuff all over the place. ICK... We had a great time though. The cheer coaches flipped the girls into the water, and it was amazing fun to watch them flip and twist through the air. Of course, quite a few girls smacked the water pretty hard. OUCH...that leaves a mark!

At one point, there were 7 girls under our canopy building a big mountain. I just couldn't understand why in the world they were there since none of the girls were Morgan. Then, another mom told me that Mike said it was ok. Mike swears he didn't say that, but regardless, we had a mountain. I was just amazed that people would just go under someone else's canopy and build a big annoying mound. We moved the tent after that to get back on flat land, and all was ok again.

They assigned big sisters to the smaller girls at the picnic (known as Big Cat/Lil Cat). Morgan looked forward to it all day. She even made prepared pages in the car on the way there that just needed her big sister's name filled in. So, they announce them, and Morgan's is named Klarissa. She is 16, and she was NOT excited about having Morgan as her lil cat. In fact, she didn't even say a word to her until she told some other girl, "I didn't want a 9 year old. I wanted a little kid." Poor Morgan. She was so disappointed. She tried and tried to talk to Klarissa, but she just didn't want anything to do with her. So, being the cheer mom, I went and asked for another Big Cat for Morgan. She said she would see what she can do. I really hope she gets another one.

I logged onto Histalk tonight, and I noticed that pictures of the t-shirt are now posted. Mike says I should sell the shirts with different companies on the back. :) Anyone interested? :)

Leave me a comment...my counter is going up but I have no idea who is reading...You can also use the Chat box...:) GO VOLS! I am filled with glee that Michigan lost again. Now, if only my Vols can win it will be a great day.

By the way, I haven't updated the stats in a while...
Amy - smoke free for Three Months, Six Days, 4 Hours and 34 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 8 Days and 4 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2357 cigs that would have cost me $402.24.

Sicko

Thursday 5pm - we get the demo script for the biggest demo of my career.

4am Thursday - Morgan says, "Mom, my stomach hurts REALLY bad." Mom says, "Ok, go to sleep and hopefully it will feel better." :)
7:45am - Mom is brushing teeth and notices Morgan stomach contents are covering the bath mat and she is still emptying them on the rug. ICK...

By noon, I am wondering how in the world she can get sick that many times, so I call the doctor. Of course, they say that they are closing for the weekend (uh....it is noon???). So, they say to go to the urgent care or the ER. Off we go to the urgent care. They check her blood count, seems ok, so they give medicine to keep her from getting sick and we go home.

Saturday, she is still sick. Sunday, she is getting worse. She is crying and keeps telling me how awful she feels. So, off to the ER we go. At this point, I am so tired of cleaning puke bowls, doing laundry, cleaning floors, and sleeping on the couch that I am not even making sense. I keep thinking about the demo script and wondering how I am going to get it done.

So, we drive to UCH with bowl in hand. She has puked 3 times by the time we arrive, and I am so glad that we decided to go. Thankfully, the ER was empty and we were taken right back to the back. She is having pain on the right side, so they think it is appendicitis. Off she goes for an ultrasound. The results are "suspicious but not confirmed." So, we have to get a CT scan which means she has to drink 3 large cups of the "dirty water." I am thinking that the "dirty water" is going to cause a "dirty floor" when her stomach empties on the floor, but thankfully they gave her "magic medicine" (Zofran) to help. They are also pumping tons of fluids into her which is good since she hasn't been able to keep any sips of water down. She managed to keep it down, and the CT didn't show her appendix at all. Since her white blood cell count was elevated, especially the bands, they were stil concerned. After a conference (isn't that always nice when all the doctors are discussing what to do), they decide to give IV antibiotics and to let her go home.

Mike is leaving to go out of town in a couple of hours, but he comes to the ER after he is all packed. He is taking my car to the car wash (I will skip the details but it is nasty and my mom is coming to visit later in the day). When he gets in the car, the gas light comes on. Great, wonderful timing. I go pick up the "magic medicine that melts" at the pharmacy while he takes the car to the car wash. When I get there, Mike tells me that my car battery died while it was inside the car wash! No way...what else can possibly happen to make this day even more fun is all I can think of. Of coure, there is nowhere open to get a new battery and my mom is going to be at my house in a few minutes (lovely, my house is a wreck). So, we chance it and go home. I am trying to figure out how I am going to leave town on Tuesday (less than 48 hours and counting) for the biggest demo of my career. Ugh...

I realize that I am never going to get set up for this demo by myself, so I send out a plea for help that night before I collapse on the couch with Morgan (downstairs is hard floors and upstairs is carpet - hard floors are much easier to clean).

Thankfully, the Zofran dissolving tablets (also known as magic medicine that melts) turned out to be a life saver. By Monday morning, she looks like a new kid. Whew... I start cramming for the demo. 24 hours before we leave. How much have I done? All of one scenario out of nine!!! Thankfully, my wonderful team has started getting ready for the demo and they have all started entering patients and helping me prepare. Uh oh, why do these scenarios keep talking about Attachements? A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K??? What is this thing talking about? We email the author, and they realize that they forgot to send the attachments. Lovely...I see no sleep in my future. I would have gone insane at this point but I am feeling much better as I see how much work my team has done. I think that it will be ok. At least my mom was in town to keep Morgan. It would have been much, much worse if she hadn't been there. By the time I get home, I realize that she is well enough for me to go on my demo trip. Phew!!! Maybe I should write a movie called Sicko....nah....:)

Somehow, I managed not to smoke during the ordeal...

Amy - smoke free for Two Months, Eight Days, 6 Hours and 54 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 5 Days and 18 Hours, by avoiding the use of 1663 cigs that would have cost me $283.50.

Two months smoke free!

-------------- smoke free for Two Months, 7 Hours and 18 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 5 Days and 2 Hours, by avoiding the use of 1471 cigs that would have cost me $250.75. Need some motivation to quit smoking? Try a quit meter and the About.com Smoking Cessation Forum.

WOW... I made it to 2 months! For some reason, this seems like a big milestone. I am continually amazed at how hard it is to stop smoking. I consider myself to be a strong person who is pretty tough, but this stop smoking thing is ROUGH. Even after 2 months, I will stand up to go outside to smoke before I remember that I quit. I will get anxious every day at 3:00 when I would go smoke with my buddy Tony. When I get upset, it is the first thing I think of and I have been reduced to tears on many occasions just knowing that I can't have a cig. All of this, and I have been using the patch! There is something very, very wrong with this. I do not want to smoke. It is horrible for my health. I don't want my children to smoke or to be around it. Yet, it is still the most difficult thing I have ever done (no matter how many times I have quit in the past). However, the one thing that is different this time is that I don't ever think about just cheating and having one. I know that if I have a single puff, I will be right back where I was and will have to start this nightmare journey again. I believe I can do it, and I know that I must. I do have to say, thank GOD for the Nicotine Patch. I don't know if I would have survived without them. Can you just stay on the patch forever? :)

At gymnastics, Morgan now has to wear a sports bra. I was so not ready to purchase a bra with her, but I guess it all begins. Soon, my sweet (sometimes evil) daughter will be all into boys and will be a teenager on her way to college. I can't believe that she only has 2 more years of elementary school. I still think of her as a little girl, but I guess I need to get used to the fact that she is growing up. Try as I might, I don't think I can stop the process. She is thrilled with the sports bra though, and she can't wait to fill it in with real boobs. I have to keep telling her to put a shirt on because she wants to walk around in the sports bra and shorts like she seems some of the older girls at the gym do. I keep telling her that she doesn't want to be those girls. She doesn't seem to be buying it. In fact, she manufactured her own boobs just so she could see what it was like. I had to swear to not throw them away when she went to bed. I think I am going to have a rough few years...

On another subject, why is it so hard for doctors to move to electronic health records? I have decided that in my next life, I want to make a product for developers. When they find something they don't like, it becomes a challenge to find another way around it. Doctor's have to complain multiple times and then bring it up every day for the next five weeks (when they have found the next thing to complain about). Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is a life changing thing to go from paper to the computer for everything you do, especially when you are used to dictating. However, the benefits are enormous - especially with a cool product like Bond Clinician! :) I am glad that Craig Barrett has EMR's for his horses though...what a relief! I heard him talking at HIMSS 06, and he just couldn't understand why healthcare couldn't be more like banking. Hmmm....maybe adding and subtracting is a little easier than dealing with healthcare issues, patients, doctors, and such air tight standards as HL7 (this segment is for the patient name unless you don't have one and then you can use it for an account number unless you don't have one and then you can use it for date of birth or any other piece of information you feel like throwing in there).

Speaking of crazy things, did you hear that Club Penguin was sold for between 350 and 700 MILLION dollars????? Now that is amazing. Scratch what I said before...screw developers. I want kids as my market! I am pretty sure my kids haven't called the help desk once in the 9 months they have been members, and I don't think they have complained about it once. They do however tell their friends how cool it is and that they should get their parents to shell out $5.95 a month for it so that they can have puffles!

30 more days until Tennessee kicks off the football season at Cal! It's ALMOST football time in Tennessee!!!!!!! Rocky top, you'll always be, home sweet home to me, good ol' Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee

Not BOYS

Whoa...was today Monday? I am happy to report that I survived the day! Morgan went to gymnastics camp today, and then she had Gold team practice tonight for 2.5 hours. She seems to be enjoying cheering on two teams, and so far she doesn't seem to be burning out. Her team is potentially going to have BOYS on it this year. You should have seen the panic combined with excitment that this news brought to the team. They couldn't decide how to react.

On another note, Morgan has decided that she has found the perfect girlfriend for Uncle Mark. She says we HAVE to get them together. She is already scheming on how to make this happen. Shoud be entertaining. :)

Work was tedious today. We are struggling with the best way to document things we know so that others can easily find them. We seem to be having to remember way too much as a company. I think this is the painful part of growing. We are maturing, but it sure is a lot of work to get there!

Sadly, I have to give back the super hot Treo tomorrow as it is just a loaner, but I am assured that I will get another super cool demo unit to try on Thursday. I am ready for the try it phase to be over - super shock - Amy impatient! :)

The Misys reunion is scheduled for Sept 14th weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone again. I am still saddened over the changes in Michael Dean's, but I guess change is inevitable.

Mike says that I am not mentioning how super HOT my husband is, so I will try to work on that. Sounds like he had a great time in New Orleans, and he somehow made it to work this morning on time! Now, that is impressive! I am pretty sure that Bourbon Street has ruined a lot of good intentions in its day.

Still smoke free! I have 2 more Step 2 patches, so I guess I will use those before I move on to Step 3.

Amy - smoke free for One Month, Twenty Nine Days, 6 Hours and 17 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 4 Days and 22 Hours, by avoiding the use of 1422 cigs that would have cost me $242.38.

Palm Treo, Monday

Stinky, aka Kevin, our security master at work, gave me a Palm Treo phone to test out. I was excited and skeptical as I haven't ever used one of these before. After reading the Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris (HIGHLY RECOMMEND), I have tried to limit my email checking to twice a day. I wasn't sure how that fit into the idea of the handheld phone, but I was excited to try. Once upon a time (read before children spent all my money), I always had the best cell phone around. I was the resource to help others pick phones. I admit it. I have fallen from Cell Phone Expert status. This thing rocks! I no longer have to carry a note pad with me. I know...novel concept for someone who has been trying to get doctors to stop using paper for the last 11 years of her life. I feel so free!!!!! Tired of hearing 5, 6, 7, 8 at cheer practice? Log onto the phone, answer some email, send some IM messages, read histalk2.com...wow, this is HOT!

Mondays are always crazy, and today was no exception. Of course, we shared some jokes about Misys supposedly going Open Source as we read histalk. We are working on our Fall 2007 release as well as a Summer 2007 Maintenance release. Starting releases is kind of like starting the new school year. Everyone is excited but nobody knows who will be in your classes or what to expect. So far, everyone seems ok with their projects. Implementation is quickly adapting to our new processes. We love the batching concept from the Four Hour Work Week. We are constantly trying to find ways to apply this. So far, we have greatly increased our efficiency using the concept. Bond Technologies is the young, hip, new technology EHR/PM, and we love it! I can't believe how much we have grown.

By the way,
Amy - smoke free for One Month, Twenty Eight Days, 9 Hours and 16 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 4 Days and 20 Hours, by avoiding the use of 1401 cigs that would have cost me $238.79.