And Then There Was One

I am in the sort of odd (and sad position) of really being the last of my friends to have their husband's return from Afghanistan. Some are already back, and some have homecoming dates weeks before I will see Lane. Now, I completely understand that in the long run a few weeks is not a big deal. However, telling that to the jealous side of my brain has been really difficult. 

I am legitimately happy for them. I understand that their husbands' return has nothing to do with when I will see mine again. But it is still weird. We have been existing as a little happy group of single ladies for eight months. Now, people are getting back to their normal married lives. It isn't even about jealous, it is more that the routine we have developed is falling apart. Routine is the greatest source of strength during a deployment. Dealing with Lane's absence is much harder when my normal schedule is disrupted. 

My greatest mantra during this time has been "A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats". One person's happiness lends itself to the greater happiness. I know that at the exact same time that I get my husband back, one of the other brigades will be deploying. It is futile and frustrating to constantly compare your situation to those around you. 

Deployment Week Ending 8/31

Can I just get an Amen that classes have started? I know that school is stressful for all of the students coming back, but it is also a complete hot mess for those of us who work in administration. I have done so many schedule adjustments this week that my head started spinning. At one ( very low and tired ) point during the day I might have accidentally started looking at the course schedule from last spring trying to find open classes. Low point. 

However, this week is over and stress free living is right around the corner. Next week I am only working a few days, and get to watch my battle buddy welcome her husband home from Afghanistan. Cannot wait =) 

Happy Picture 

Random picture from the summer of 2009. I was getting ready to start my last year at UGA and we spent some time at the lake that summer. This summer was also the first time we really lived together, even for only a month. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful that on-post housing has a whole maintenance department. It is so very nice to just call someone and have them come out and fix whatever has gone terrible wrong in my house. This week is cracks in my tile floor which hurt like crazy if you catch your foot on the side. 

2. I am grateful for the end of the busy season. The money has been fabulous, but I am ready to slow down a little and spend more time preparing for homecoming and seeing friends and family. 

3. A job that I love. Even on the crazy days where I want to mainline caffeine, I really do love what I do. 

Deployment Projects 

I still can't remember to take pictures of my completed furniture. The coffee table is done. Now all I really have are cleaning tasks that need to be accomplished before Lane returns. 

Deployment Week Ending 8/24

Alright, I am going to crank out these posts like a machine. I know I let myself get totally behind, and Lane rightfully reminded me that I will be very sad not to have these memories a year from now. This deployment has seemed never ending, but marking our progress each week makes it seem much more manageable.

This week, like the last few has been dominated by the gym and work. I am pushing it hard these last weeks to make sure that I look and feel my best when Lane gets back. That means quite a few workouts that look like the above picture. Here are some of my favorite combinations: 

Circuit: 

100 foot rope pull 

25 meter suicide 

250 meter row 

100 jump rope reps 

X 4 

10 push ups 

25 meter sled push @ 130 lbs 

10 air squats 

X 4 

In terms of my feelings about this deployment, I am a little mixed. Thoughts that his homecoming date might have been earlier than previous imagined were crushed with a more definite window. This is awesome because it makes the return more real in my mind, but it also cancels out that little voice that had hoped he would be returning early. Writing this today, I feel much more positive and motivated to knock out the rest of this deployment. If Molly from February could see me now she would be furious. She was looking at 8 months to go, I need to soldier up and be thankful I have less than 2 left. 

Happy Picture 

One our engagement pictures taken in front of a random house's garage in Georgetown. Can you tell from my face how I much I love that boy. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. Amazing internet access for Lane in Afghanistan. I am constantly grateful that Lane has access due to his job. I know many women who go much longer without talking to their husbands. Also, my job has me in front of a computer all day. This means I can sneak in and chat with him in between appointments. 

2. North Country summers. We went raspberry picking on Sunday and it was absolutely gorgeous. I will say it 1,000 times. The summer and fall in Fort Drum more than make up for the winter. I can't wait for corn mazes and apple picking with Lane after his return. 

3. My parents are coming to visit. I can't wait to take them to my favorite places and let them experience my life here. We are going to take an overnight trip to Niagara Falls and I can't wait. 

Deployment Projects 

I finished my little bench. It will eventually go at the foot of our bed, for now it is in the living room. I love how the bright blue fabric looks with the robin's egg blue legs. This was a super quick and easy project. The corners need work, but I am happy for now. I also am almost done with my chair and coffee table. Those need to be done soon, because I want the living room more finished before my parents arrive. 

Deployment Week Twenty Seven

So close to thirty weeks! I feel like that is going to be a big milestone. I have been saying for months that he is coming home in the fall, and now the fall actually seems pretty close. I am expecting August to have it's own stressful aspects, but overall I am just ready to get more concrete planning done. 

Week twenty seven was pretty self indulgent. Shannon, my deployment battle buddy, was gone. That meant lots of solo gym trips and lots of other play dates for Asha. Work felt really manageable, which is a nice change of pace from feeling totally overwhelmed a few weeks ago. I do miss my part time hours, but the dent we are putting in our student loan dent makes the extra hours worth it. I watched a season and a half of Supernatural, and plan to plow through the last three seasons before Lane comes home. 

Happy Picture 

My cousin snapped this while we were waiting for formal portraits. I was just so excited to be married!

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for lovely weather. Summer in the North Country is really gorgeous. I am ready for it to get cool, signally the beginning of fall. However, I am going to soak up these long warm days while I can. 

2. I am grateful to modern medicine. 

3. I am grateful for on post housing at Fort Drum. I am so lucky to have my house, and I love my neighborhood.

Deployment Projects 
So many are nearing completion, and I will share more soon. 

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.

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. 

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 

Deployment Week Twenty-Two

*I write these posts to keep track of my weeks while my husband is deployed. I try to include one happy picture, what I am grateful for, and any progress on my giant list of deployment projects* 

I think it is probably a good sign that weeks are passing more quickly than I can get these updates done. Week twenty-two went by in a blur. It was my first week back at work, and the first with almost double my normal hours. I had Tuesday off and was able to squeeze in getting the car fixed. Happily, and with a new compressor installed, I am back in the world of air conditioning. I was pet sitting for most of the week, so Asha had lots of playtime with her two best buddies. 

Happy Picture 

This was back in 2007 during our trip to my parent's lake house. This was one of our first grown-up trips. My parents let us use the house without them there. We had a blast with four other friends who drove down with us. Also, if you can't tell, Lane was a bleach blond at this point. It was such a fun week. I got a horrible sunburn, we ate almost entirely burgers, fished, swam, and played to our hearts' content. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful that the air conditioning could be fixed without spending an outrageous amount of money. I am also grateful that I have the resources necessary to fix a car problem. 

2. I am grateful for a job I really like. I often feel challenged, but I love helping students and soldiers sort out their schedules. I go back and read posts from last year, and I was so miserable without a job. I am a better friend and wife when I feel like I am doing something worthwhile.
3. I am grateful for the occasional slow day at work. It is sometimes nice to feel like you can relax, maybe blog a bit, and not be rushing from appointment to appointment like a crazy person.
4. I am grateful for a wonderful FRG that provide constant support. I am really really lucky when it comes to the other women in our group.

Deployment Projects 
I busted out the hand sander and went to work on my Grecian chair. This upcoming weekend is all about priming and painting. I am so excited to make some serious progress on the chair and my coffee table. There are a few small cracks that need wood filler, but progress is definitely being made. 

The Hundred Day Mark

Our "See You Later" Almost Six Months Ago

In the next month many of my friends (and myself) will hit the 100 days-left-in-this-deployment mark. I am beyond excited for this point. I can't wait to be in double digits! Days 200-100 left have seemed to take quite a while. We have been thinking of ways to mark the occasion, and have decided to do a week long workout series. For each number from 1-100, we are doing that many reps of a certain exercise. Now coming up with 100 exercises is tricky, so I think we are going to shoot for 25 that we can repeat four times. Here is the list of exercises so far: 

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 will do 100 reps of jumping rope, 99 push ups, 98 sit ups etc. I think this will take us more than a few days to complete, mostly because those first couple of 99 push ups and 89 pull ups is going to be painful. I think this will be an awesome way to celebrate the 100 days mark. 

What do y'all think? Am I crazy or just motivated? 

Deployment Week Twenty-One

The final update of my crazy vacation! I arrived back in Virginia over the weekend and decided to turn right around for the drive back to Fort Drum. The best moment of the whole week was seeing Asha again. I missed her like crazy during my time in D.C and Atlanta. When we pulled up I could see her face looking out through the glass door. It took her a second to register me, but then she was jumping around like a crazy person. She followed me around diligently for the rest of the night.

We left the next morning for the drive back to Fort Drum. Part of the reason I wanted to get back was that the Fort Drum community lost three soldiers over the weekend. One of whom was a former member of Lane's unit. We had FRG responsibilities and I wanted to get back as soon as I could. 

I didn't go back to work immediately, which was a great decision. This gave me time to get back settled into the house and run some errands around Watertown. The week of stay-cation was fabulous and allowed me to ease back into my routine here. 

Happy Picture 

This picture is from Lane's promotion. I was so happy that I was able to be there to celebrate this milestone with him. It was cold and snowy that day and we had to trudge through a field to get to where the promotion was being held. Oh goodness I miss him. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful that Asha had such a wonderful time in Virginia. She got lots of exercise and spent lots of time trying to find the woodchuck that lives under their shed. 

2. I am grateful that I have a job which allows me a serious amount of scheduling flexibility. Even though I don't get paid time off (boo) I do get to essentially make my own schedule. 

3. I am grateful for great sales. I might have done some serious damage at the VS Semi-Annual Sale. 

4. I am grateful for friends who help me with Asha. It is so nice to have people who also love her. My wonderful friends here can pop over to check on her if I get stuck at work till late. 

Deployment Projects
I was really excited that I was going to have something for this section. I found these fabulous end tables on clearance at Target. However, when I brought them home they were way too small for the space. I saved one of them to use as a side table in the bedroom, but returned the other. The hunt continues for matching end tables for my living room. 

Deployment Week Nineteen and Twenty

In order to get these done before I forget everything, I am going to combine weeks nineteen and twenty. So after I luxuriated in the gorgeousness of my in-law's farm, I hopped a plane to Atlanta Tuesday morning. Leaving Asha was really hard. I have gotten so accustomed to having her around that it felt very strange when she wasn't there. I  missed my crazy fur ball. Atlanta was glorious. Just a few days of hanging out at home and visiting with friends. Including a fabulous lunch at Leon's in Decatur. If any of y'all are traveling through Atlanta, I highly recommend a visit to Leons. The chickpea cherry salad is one of my new favorites. 

Friday we headed up to my parents' lake house. I already talked about visiting there in this post. I can't wait to get back. I plan to spend as much time as possible at the lake when we move back to Fort Benning. 

Then on to D.C in week twenty. I am still waiting for my sister to post pictures, so I plan to do a whole update about that later. Honestly, traveling with my family was great. We are all museum nuts, and happily spent most of our time wandering through the various galleries and monuments. I absolutely love hanging out with my parents and siblings. We just have a blast together. 

Happy Picture 

I adore this picture. We did portraits the day after the wedding and it was lovely. We had brunch in the morning and then lazed around on the deck until it was time for pictures. It was fun to get all dressed up again, albeit a little more casually, and take more pictures. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful that my parents took us to museums as a kid. It is pretty remarkable that my fourteen year old brother and sister are perfectly happy and enthusiastic about hanging out in the National Gallery for three hours. Kudos to my parents. 

2. I am grateful for having no regrets. I made a choice to go to graduate school in D.C and postpone actually being with my husband for another year. It was hard at the time, but I am so grateful that I did it. Every time I go back to visit I am reminded how proud I am of everything I went through for school. Also everything that Lane and I went through to be together.

3. I am grateful for pistachio macaroons. Oh Sweet Lobby in Eastern Market, you are so dangerous. 

4. I am grateful for my family. Y'all, I won the genetic lottery. We were able to see so many cousins and family members along our drive to D.C, and they are all the most interesting, dynamic and passionate people. I love it. One of my cousins is working on an organic farm this summer. My uncle just got back from a cruise through Europe where he taught European history classes to the passengers. I love hearing about all their adventures. 

5.  I am grateful for time with my siblings. I left for boarding school when they were only four, so I have missed a lot of their lives. It is always nice when I can reconnect and spend time with them.

Deployment Projects
Nope, none, zilch 

Deployment Week Eighteen

These are going to be odd updates concerning they are all from weeks ago. However, these posts are mostly for me to keep track of what I have been doing and how I'm feeling throughout the course of this deployment. 

So during week eighteen I worked half on Main Campus and half here on Fort Drum. This was actually really fun and the work days in the regular advising office were way easier. Civilian students tend to be significantly less complicated than soldiers. However, I find helping soldiers with their education to be one the most rewarding experiences imaginable. I left on Saturday morning and drove straight to Northern Virginia to spend time with Lane's parents. I love their house. I love walking around their land. Asha loves it there, but between the horses, sheep, alpacas, and deer she is constantly trying to chase something. 

Happy Picture 

Lauren From I Love You Much Photography

This is one of our Day After Pictures. It was so relaxing to take all these fun awesome "Yay we just got married pictures". I love this one because we are both laughing and look so happy. 

Deployment Gratitude (Retrospectively)

1. I am grateful for cold weather while I was driving down to Virginia. The air conditioning is broken in my car, and the cooler weather made it much more pleasant to drive down. I can suffer through driving in hot weather, but my fluffy friend Asha is non so lucky. I was dreading putting her through seven hours of eighty degree heat. 

2. I am grateful for wonderful In-Laws who love me and love Asha. They took care of her while I was in Atlanta and during the rest of our travels. 

3. I am grateful for conveniently placed Starbucks. They make the drive much more pleasant. 

4. I am grateful for friendships that have endured time, distance and all of life's changes. 

Deployment Projects 

Nada since I was traveling. 

Oh man I keep to step it up if I am going to catch up on these. 

Deployment Week Seventeen

Hello middle of May! The next time I write one of these I will be soaking up the Virginia sun. I can't wait to hit the stupid twenty week mark. I am definitely out of my rut that consumed last week's update. I had a fantastic Skype session with Lane on Friday to celebrate our two year anniversary. It gave me the boost I needed to have a wonderful weekend. I am excited to power through this week and get on the road to Virginia. 

Happy Picture 

This was from Lane's short lived bleach blond phase. We went back to our high school in 2007 to watch some of our friend's graduate. It is hard to believe this was six years ago. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for a truly incredible husband. We had our wonderful Skype session on Friday. I got a wonderfully sweet e-mail to further celebrate two years of marriage. Then he took care of some car paperwork stuff all the way from Afghanistan. I am so grateful that he took care of this onerous chore I had been dreading. I love that he can still be completely there for me from 6,700 miles away. 

2. I am grateful for muddy feet and dirty hands. I spent some time working in my yard this weekend and was reminded of the therapeutic powers of walking barefoot in the grass and digging in the dirt.

3. On that note, I am grateful that my grass is growing back. I have such a black thumb that I am surprised anything is actually growing. I have been filling in all of Asha's lovely digging and trying to coax new grass to cover the bare spots. 

Deployment Projects 

I have been planing on making a padded coffee table/ ottoman and got an old gorgeous coffee table from my neighbor. I just need to get some fabric, batting and foam. I am excited to add this coffee table to my living room. 

I am also excited because my MIL is going to help me make some throw pillows for the living room. She is a sewing wiz and I am excited to make a few to add to my couch. 

Deployment Week Sixteen

I could barely catch my breath this week. Work was quite hectic which meant that chat time with Lane was severely diminished. This week had some hard moments. We are on the cusp of the half-way point, which usually makes me feel awesome. However, Friday I hit a bump on my road to perpetual motivation and optimism. I just couldn't believe that I have to do the same thing again. All of the time that has already passed, which seemed to take a lifetime at some points, I have to do again. I just can't believe I have to do this whole damn thing again. I feel a little bit better today, but I just had a hard time over the weekend. One bright shiny spot in the weekend was that Lane called on Sunday. They all got free phone access since it was Mother's Day and after he called his mom I got a phone call too. It was really nice to hear his voice. It usually makes me tear up at first, but then we just talked about books, Asha, movies and possible job changes for both of us. 

Happy Picture 

This is from VMI's Ring Figure dance during Lane's junior year in 2009. They get their class rings and it is a huge deal. I had a blast and miss heading to Lexington to visit. 

Deployment Gratitude 

(This was not a super positive week so I am digging deep for these) 

1. I am grateful that I found a job I love. I am grateful that I make a positive difference every day. Even if I am having a bad day, even if I don't feel great. I end every work day knowing that I helped soldiers get into college. That is an awesome feeling. 

2. I am grateful for calls from Afghanistan. 

3. I am grateful for how easy it is to make quinoa and red curry. It has become my go-to meal that I can still feel vaguely healthy about. 

Deployment Projects 

I went shopping for end tables for the living room but didn't find anything that I liked. I also have started hunting for a new bookshelf for the office. 

Deployment Week Fifteen

I can't even discuss how late this post is. But I want to make sure that I have a record of each week, so better late than never. Week fifteen was pretty good. I worked a lot and made it to the gym almost every day. I was pretty exhausted by the weekend and my hands were dying from pull-ups. I feel like I am definitely into the groove of this deployment thing. I feel more secure about my schedule and goals. I booked my flight home to Atlanta which was definitely the best part of the week. 

Happy Picture 

There hasn't been nearly enough high school Molly and Lane during these posts. I don't know exactly when this is, but those baby faces are pretty adorable. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for the awesome sushi place that is right outside the main gate. I have been there twice in the past week. Sometimes cooking is just way too much, and having insanely delicious sushi sounds so much better. Now my grocery/food budget is totally blown for the week, but that is another story. 

2. I am grateful for possible new job opportunities. I don't want to go into too much detail yet, but I might have a super exciting new job prospect. 

3. I am grateful for two solid weeks of gorgeous weather. It has been freakishly nice here. I think some rain is coming soon, which my poor pathetic yard desperately needs. 

4. Back when deployment just started, my MIL got me a very generous gift card to a local spa. I have been able to get my nails done twice and my haircut. It was the best gift ever. It allows me to treat myself without the guilt of spending too much money. Makes me, and my toes, very happy. 

5. I am grateful for wonderful neighbors and other military spouses who are the sweetest more supportive folks I could imagine. 

Deployment Projects 

I have been trying to regrow my grass. The winter completely destroyed my yard and I have been in full rehab mode. I am on the hunt for matching end tables this weekend and a bedside table for our bedroom. I made a gorgeous spring wreath that I am hoping to share on the  blog soon. 

Deployment Week Fourteen

Alright so apparently the Saturday deployment updates have changed permanently to Monday deployment updates. I don't know why life has been so crazy, but my goal is to be a better blogger this week. 

May is so close I can taste it. May is my goalpost month. May is when I head home to Atlanta and spend time with my parents. May is when I will hit 50% of this darn deployment done. If I can make it through May and June, and I feel like I will be in the home stretch. Now everyone says how horrible the end of the summer will be; so close to redeployment without any actual homecoming. I am choosing to ignore that. My first goal was to make it to April. April is almost over and I am still standing.

Happy Picture 

For Lane's 21st birthday we went and brewed our own beer. The place was in Alexandria right outside of D.C, but sadly they are closed. We had a great time and the beer was delicious. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for the sun. 

I swear y'all, my entire Instagram feed is going to be pictures of me reading outside for the next few weeks. After months of constant snow and cold, 70 degree weather is heaven. 

2. I am grateful for Asha's good behavior. 

We have gotten into a great routine. She sees me putting my shoes on in the morning and immediately goes into her crate. It makes me smile every morning. 

3. I am grateful for good friends. 

I had a completely friend filled weekend and it was great. I had my introvert time, but not nearly enough. I am a pretty social person, but if I don't get enough alone time in a week I start to twitch a little bit. I like to hide myself away with a book at least a couple times a week. 

4. I am grateful for pictures of my husband!

I woke up this morning to a freshly posted picture of Lane from his unit's facebook group. 

Deployment Projects 

Nada, zilch, none. 

I made a gorgeous wreath for the front door yesterday, but that doesn't really count. My next big purchase is to get a love seat for the living room. It was going to be way too much money to reupholster the chair Asha destroyed, so I am just going with a new love seat. Can't wait =)

I am guest posting over at Love From Home today and talking all about my wedding. Go check it out! 

Deployment Week Thirteen

So all weekend I meant to sit down and blog, but it just never happened. Instead I spent glorious mornings reading and Starbucks and sunny afternoons at the dog park with Asha. I have seen the idea of a social media free weekend floating around, and I am tempted to try it out. I communicate with Lane through fb message, so it won't happen till he is safely home.
So instead of its normal weekend position, here is my deployment week thirteen update. 

Week thirteen was a doozy. The Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent manhunt just put a constant haze over the week. I still had some great moments at the gym and throughout the week. I was thrilled to reach 33% done, and the 100 day mark is just around the corner. 

Happy Picture

This is from the pictures we took the day after our wedding. It was an equally beautiful day, and we were able to be a bit more relaxed and have a great time. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for the awesome gyms we have available on Fort Drum. Having a place where I feel welcome and motivated makes me so much more likely to work out. I always see someone I know. The guys that work there always motivate me to keep going. 

2. I am grateful for warm weather. We have been teased with a few warm days, however snow followed on Sunday. I am so ready for summer. I am tired of cold weather. I want shorts and sun hats, sunburns and cold drinks. 

3. I am grateful for lazy mornings spent chatting with Lane online. He some free time on Saturday and we had a wonderful chat. It was so nice to not feel rushed or trying to sneak in a chat before my next appointment. 

4. I am grateful to my parents for encouraging me to read. Books have been a much needed escape this week. I have been reading constantly, and always feel sad when I finish a book or book series. The world was scary this week, and I wanted to escape. Books allow me to do that without actually leaving my bedroom. 

Deployment Projects 

I got a few things done this week. I kept working on small projects. I organized all my craft stuff in pretty boxes I grabbed at TJ Maxx. I got the throw pillow below this week as well. 

House Goals

 Art for the empty wall in the kitchen- done with free cork board

Map Wall gallery for the Living Room - decided to hang British maps instead

 Curtains For the Living Room

DIY Goals

 Repair Asha-Destroyed Arm Chair

Sand/Paint/Add Cushions to Greek Style Chair

Finish Sanding School Style Desk- Not done sanding, but it's already in the house. Don't think I will make any more changes to it. 

Fitness Goals

 Dead lift my own body weight - Done! Maxed at 200 lbs

Do 1 Pull-Up

 Lose another 2% body fat

Blog Goals

 Do An Outfit of the Day post

Do two giveaways - I did one giveaway 

 Get to 100 Followers

Financial Goals

Pay off $20,000 dollars of student loan debt- We are almost to $13,000 

  Get to a 0 balance on both credit cards - Whoo! Done back in February

Pay Every Month’s bills on time - So far so good 

Things to Buy

DSLR camera- Cannon T3i - Purchased in April 

      You & Me Print

 Sewing Machine

Very excited for Week 14 and the arrival of May! I can't wait to be one more month closer to my husband's return. 

Unexpected Sweetness

I attended an FRG coffee last night that included the sweetest idea. The hostess (without letting us know) e-mailed our husbands a list of questions about us. Now all of these guys are deployed, so they had to e-mail her the answers back before our coffee last night. Then at the coffee we played a version of the newlywed game, just with our husbands 6,500 miles away. We tried to match our husband's responses to the questions.

 Some of the guys' answers were hilarious, some were totally off base but all of them were adorable. It was the most unexpected surprise to get to hear what our husband think about us. I absolutely love this idea, and think it would make the perfect activity for an FRG coffee, bachelorette party or other event.

So here are the questions, and my clever husband's and my own answers.

1. Where did you meet?

His answer: High school English class

My Answer: High school in sophomore English class

2. What color are her eyes

His answer: Blue

My answer: Blue

3. What is her favorite candy?

His answer: Peppermint patty

My answer: York peppermint patty (Clearly knowing the candy questions is of utmost importance)

4. What is her favorite color 

His answer: Purple 

My answer: Blue 

5. What piece of jewelry would she most like to receive?

His answer: Necklace

My answer: Necklace

6. What would she say is her best feature? 

His answer: her sense of humor 

My answer: my work ethic 

7. Who is her hero or person she admires most, living or dead? 

His answer: Her grandmother Lulu 

My answer: No idea who he would pick for this (this is actually the perfect answer and I am very touched that he knew this)

8. What is the best vacation you have taken together? 

His answer: Block leave to Virginia last summer 

My answer: Scotland 

9. If your wife won the lottery, what would she do with the money? 

His answer: Take a vacation, get her PhD, and save for our kids 

My answer: Pay off our student loans and go on vacation 

Hearing his answers was wonderful. It felt great to know that at some point he was sitting at his desk in Afghanistan, thinking about me and doing his part to make sure we had a great night. 

Deployment Week Twelve

*This is my series of posts in which I document my feels and accomplishments throughout my husband's deployment to Afghanistan* 

So excited to be reaching the three month mark of this darn deployment. At a recent FRG meeting someone mentioned that the end of the summer would probably be the hardest part of this deployment. Goodness I hope they are wrong. It hasn't gotten easier, but time is definitely going by a bit faster. I can't wait to get through April and then just focus on my trip in May/June. By the time I am back in NY, it will be practically July. That is awesome. 

Happy Picture 

This is one of my favorites from our wedding. I made those Mr. and Mrs signs and they are now hanging in our bedroom. We decided to have a little sweetheart table at the wedding and it was a wonderful decision.

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for other crazy dog owners who will take their dogs to the park in the rain and mud. Asha had an absolute blast playing at the park. However, she hated getting hosed off afterward. Check out that face.  She is passed out asleep next to the couch now thanks to all that exercise. 

2. I am grateful for the financial benefits that come with deployment. As of today we have paid off almost $11,000 dollars of debt since Lane left. Our previous goal was to pay off $20,000 of debt (almost entirely student loans) before he came back. We are upping that to $30,000. It is a pretty ambitious goal, but I really think we can do it. We are so close to crossing another loan off of our debt snowball. It feels awesome! 

3. I am grateful for consistent internet access for Lane. This has been the biggest blessing of this whole deployment, and I don't take it for granted for a second. I know there are so many wives who don't have the same access, and I feel so grateful. I'm pretty sure this will remain on my list at least once a month for the rest of deployment. 

4. I am grateful for helpful government employees. I had the most wonderful experience today at the post office. The nice gentleman helped me make sure I had all my paperwork in order to change my name on my passport. He was so kind and went out of his way to help me out. It made such a difference. 

5. I am grateful for wonderful customer service. A jewelry store in Watertown shortened a chain on a necklace for me free of charge. I didn't buy the necklace from them, but because it was relatively easy they did it for free. 

Deployment Projects 

Buying the camera was a biggie on my list, and I am happy to report that the body of my Canon t3i arrived on Friday. After the advice of multiple photographer friends, I didn't buy one of the lens kit cameras that comes with the body + lens. I bought the body from the Canon's website, and found a a great deal for a 50 mm lens on Amazon. The lens should be here next week. 

Here is a summary of the goals I have for deployment:

House Goals

 Art for the empty wall in the kitchen- done with free cork board

Map Wall gallery for the Living Room - decided to hang British maps instead

 Curtains For the Living Room

DIY Goals

 Repair Asha-Destroyed Arm Chair

Sand/Paint/Add Cushions to Greek Style Chair

Finish Sanding School Style Desk

Fitness Goals

 Dead lift my own body weight

Do 1 Pull-Up

 Lose another 2% body fat

Blog Goals

 Do An Outfit of the Day post

Do two giveaways - I did one giveaway 

 Get to 100 Followers

Financial Goals

Pay off $20,000 dollars of student loan debt

  Get to a 0 balance on both credit cards - Whoo! Done back in February

Pay Every Month’s bills on time - So far so good 

Things to Buy

DSLR camera- Cannon T3i - Purchased in April 

2.      You & Me Print

3.      Sewing Machine

Ok so the things to buy list is probably a lot longer than that. However, I wanted to highlight that I am making some serious progress. I am really proud that we have taken such a chunk out of our debt while still getting so much house stuff done. It feels awesome. 

Can't wait to see what I can accomplish in Week 13.