Countdown Work Out Complete

A few weeks ago I posted that some of my friends and I would be doing a workout series counting down from 100. Well my lovely readers, we are finished! We completed a list of 25 exercises starting at 100 reps and counting down to 1. 

Here is the list: 

Jump Rope

Push Ups

Sit Ups

Slam Balls

Overhead Press

Wall Balls

Box Jumps

Chest Press

Plank (seconds)

Air Squats

Burpees

Pull Ups

Kettle Bell Swings

Back Extensions

Walking Lunges

Cherry Pickers

Calf Raises

Dead lift

Wall Sit (Seconds)

Run (Meters)

Tricep Dips

Side Plank (seconds)

Bicep Curl

Barbell Row

Jumping Jacks

So we rotated through this list four times, all while counting down from 100. It took us about ten hours total, but we did the last 25 sets in 26 minutes. Considering that we raised all the weights ( including dead lifting our body weight) this was a pretty big accomplishment. 

Call us crazy, but we are thinking about doing another one for 50 days left. I think this is probably the healthiest and best way to countdown the days until our husbands return. 

Deployment Weeks Twenty Five and Twenty Six

I feel like I stop thinking about blogging for just a second, and two weeks fly by. I will try to be better, but honestly my heart just hasn't been in it recently. Work and dog sitting have taken up a lot of my time, and I would rather spend the remaining bits out in the sunshine.

I am going to do another combined week post for my deployment updates. These are important to me, as I want to remember everything I accomplished and felt while Lane was gone. 

After the 4th of July holiday, I really jumped into work. This is peak advising season, and my mind is starting to think in only 55 minutes increments (the length of one of our MWF classes).

Shannon and I finally made it out to Alexandria Bay, and basked in the gorgeousness that is the Thousand Islands. I cannot wait to get back out there and enjoy the water. I just need to find friends with boats. 

I had heard that this point in the deployment can be rough. You are close enough to start thinking about homecoming, but still too far away to really make any plans. I am definitely getting a little more frustrated. It isn't even sadness or anxiety. I am just annoyed that he isn't back yet. I know that after six months this is pretty pathetic considering other women have gone eighteen months. But nonetheless, that is how I feel. I know we are so lucky to have had such great internet access, and I will always be grateful for that.

Deployment Gratitude 
1. Playing on a swing set with with a vanilla chocolate swirl ice cream cones on a gorgeous Sunday night.
2. Days when Lane can get online for more than a few minutes.
3. I am grateful to be less than three months away from seeing my husband. I can't wait for September to arrive, and I can really start preparing for homecoming.
4. A job that I truly love. Even on days where it is overwhelming and stressful.

Happy Picture


This is from our Christmas card picture a friend took for us last fall. I love how alert and excited Asha looks.

Deployment Projects
Yay progress!
My MIL made me the most fabulous pictures for our living room. Here is a sneak peak of the fluffiest member of our family cuddling on top of them.



I also got some serious work done on our new coffee table and chair. Wood filler and my hand sander have been my best friends. More pictures are forthcoming.

Bike Time

So I have reached that point in the deployment where we are started to actively plan activities for when he get's home. It feels slightly like tempting fate, but I am willing to stick in my baby toe. A few weeks after his theoretical return date, we are taking a motorcycle safety class in preparation for our next big purchase. Come November we will be the proud owners of a Harley.

 My mom thinks I am crazy, but it was actually my idea. We don't want another car payment. We also don't want to buy another car that will only seat five people ( really three if Asha is coming along).We can get a bike in awesome condition for the price of a really junky used car. Our plan right now is to stick with the bike and our current car for a few years. Once babies start coming along, then we will think about getting another (larger car). 

Any other motorcycle owners? 

Deployment Week Twenty-Four

*I do these posts each week to keep track of the time while my husband is deployed. They usually include a happy picture, my gratitude list, and updates on deployment projects*

This was a truly fabulous week. Maybe it was the three day work-week. Maybe it was a double dose of fireworks. Maybe it was the family packed weekend in CT. Whatever it was, I wish every week could be like this. 

Happy Picture 

This is from the second time we visited Scotland together in 2010. Lane flew over and met me in Edinburgh after I finished my semester in England. We had an absolutely blast together visiting friends and spending time together. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. A wonderful extended family.

 It is truly amazing how perfectly I fit in with Lane's family. We all love board games, trivia, cartoons, every conceivable nerdy topic, and book stores. We are all competitive, exuberant, and fiercely addicted to coffee. 

2.Perfect weather on a Sunday night 

We headed into Sackets Harbor for dinner on Sunday and there was perfect patio weather. Coupled with my equally perfect mojito made for a really good time. 

3. Fireworks

Nothing is better than fireworks on the 4th of July. Well, fireworks with your husband would be better, but I'll be happy with what I can get. 

Deployment Projects 

Ehhhhh let's pretend I have made wonderful progress on all of these things I've wanted to do. 

Weekend in Connecticut

Wrong name on my Starbucks, but happy to be flying! 

I love family, but I really love family who have their own airplanes. Lane's uncle flew up on Friday to bring me down to CT for a family weekend. I had an absolutely blast. My weekend consisted of: 

At least six trips to Starbucks in three days 

One night spent watching the local theater put on Caberet. Walked away scandalized and depressed, just like you're supposed to. 

Reading both Divergent and Insurgent in two days (Is it October yet?) 

Three rounds of board games with the most competitive family ever. 

And the best part....

One surprise Skype session with Lane. 

I had talked to Lane earlier about skyping with his whole family while I was visiting. I stepped into another room to get the call set up. I asked his mom to look at my computer to get her opinion on fabric for the pillows. Instead of pretty samples, she saw Lane's smiling face instead. She immediately burst into tears. We all got to chat for an hour and it was wonderful. I love weekends like this. I was pretty exhausted by the end, but it was awesome to soak up so much time with them. 

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend. 

Summer Bucket List

Patriotic Puppy loves the 4th of July 

Summer is a little off for me this year. Lane's return this fall means I am already praying for the days to get shorter and air to get cooler. However, I know I should enjoy summer while I can. In an attempt to do better, I put together a short bucket list of things I want to do before the leaves start to change. 

1. Fireworks 

2. Strawberry Picking 

3. Boldt Castle Tour 

4. Take Asha to walk around the Sacket's Harbor battlefield 

5. Raspberry picking in August 

Any other North Country suggestions? Or just summer activities that you can't live without.

Patriotic and Pretty

I finished my most recent wreath and absolutely love it. I knew I wanted something for the 4th of July, and I can reuse it when Lane comes back this fall.  I followed a few tutorials I found online for making the burlap wreath (here) , and then just wrapped the ribbon around, tying the ends in a knot. I had the stars left over from Christmas and stuck those on with hot glue.

I really like how it turned out. Because nothing is really glued in place besides the stars, I can made some changes if I need to before the fall rolls around. I wanted something that was still patriotic without being too gaudy or over the top. I think I hit the perfect balance with this wreath.

 I highly recommend buying the burlap garlands with edging. The raw edges fray horribly when you wind them through the wire frame.

I am excited to add a few other touches to make it our homecoming wreath too. Probably something across the middle that says "Welcome Home". What do y'all think? 

Deployment Week Twenty Three

*I write these posts to keep track of the weeks during my husband's deployment. Each posts includes one happy picture, what I am grateful for each week, and updates on my ongoing projects*

Almost on schedule with my weekly updates. I have been all over the place with these, but theoretically I would like to post them every Saturday. This week had some hard moments. I have been dealing with some horrendous stomach pain that flares up every time I eat. According to my horrifying time with WebMD I am either dying, have gallstones, or just eat too many acidic foods and drink too much coffee. This definitely put a damper on my weekly goals of working out and eating well. I finally started feeling better on Friday. I hit the gym on the Saturday and we did the first round of our countdown to homecoming workout.



Those 99 push ups were brutal. I am heading back today to knock 95-90 out of the way.

Happy Picture 

This picture is from about two weeks after our wedding. I was dropping Lane off for Ranger School. I would see him again in a few weeks for his eight hour pass, and then not again until December for graduation. I was really nervous dropping him off, but I am so proud of how well he did (no recycles!). 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for July! Turning that calendar every month is awesome. I love seeing the time fly by. By the end of this month we will be less than 3 months away. Cannot wait for that homecoming. 

2. I am grateful for Asha. She has been very cuddly recently, and I love her sweet face. 

3. Surprise evenings. Saturday night we had been planning on seeing a movie, but found out that a local theater group was putting on a musical. Our friend's son was in the play and we had a fabulous time. 

4. I have been on the hunt for protein powder that wouldn't be all grainy in smoothies and mixed with almond milk. I finally found some and absolutely love it. I am excited to replace my fruit smoothies with these. Twenty grams of protein and almost no sugar. 

Deployment Projects  

I have really just been focusing on my chair. Once that is complete I will move on to the ottoman. My MIL is making pillow covers for me and I will get them this weekend. 

Things to Buy: 

Bookshelf for the office 

Love seat for the living room 

Weekend Bliss

This weekend was one of those perfect ones. Balanced between the right amount of relaxing and on the go. Friday night was spent watching Doctor Who and just recovering from my week of feeling crummy. Saturday I ran my normal errands, and we headed into Watertown for a play that night. 

A local theater program put on The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It is a musical based on the last novel by Charles Dickens. The most interesting part is that Charles Dickens died before he finished the novel. Therefore, no one knows how the story was actually supposed to end. So part way through the second act, the audience gets to vote on their ending of choice. It was really funny and much better than just going out to a movie. 

Sunday was one of those perfect days. The sun was shining and I was crazy productive.

 I worked in the garage sanding my chair ( it looks awesome). 

I had a coffee break on the Starbucks patio with Asha. She behaved perfectly and charmed everyone sitting around us. 

I went to the gym and put my legs through a grueling squat and leg press routine. 

I ended the night with beers on my friend's front porch looking at the view above.
I talked to my husband for over an hour on facebook chat on Sunday afternoon.

Overall it was heaven.