Not that this is out of the ordinary for most of you I'm sure but I'm pretty proud of myself because I've had my 2nd LD this week which has NEVER happened before! and it was really awesome! it started with a regular dream that I had a false awakening from...I didn't quite become lucid then but I was doing a bunch of RCs which seemed to hint at the fact that I was dreaming...then I had a 2nd FA that was a little more realistic than the first and I did a bunch of RCs and I proved to myself that it was a dream. It started to fade quite a bit here and there but I was able to stabilize it by looking at my hands and breathing with my nose plugged to prove that I was still dreaming. it really helped and I was able to do a lot of flying and exploring!

here's the recipe I've been using which has led to my success:
-constant RCs (duh, but the one I learned recently that really works for me is plugging my nose and trying to breathe - this is what convinced me this time that I was dreaming)
-waking up about 6 am and going back to sleep about 90 min later
-telling myself as I fall asleep not just "I will become lucid in my dream" but instead "I am always lucid in my dreams" just to emphasized the positive thinking.

so thanks to everyone who's helped out with your tips and tricks and I'm hoping I'll be able to keep this streak up.