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. 

Bring On 2013

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I have been wrestling with my goals and New Year's Resolutions for 2013. Lane will be deployed for the vast majority of 2013, and this initially limits my goals to pretty much "don't lose my damn mind". However, I refuse to write off an entire year just because I will be husband-less. I have all sorts of small goals like do a pull-up and organize my closet, but these are all tiny in comparison to my larger goal.

Thrive 

My goal for 2013 is to Thrive. I want to be stronger physically and mentally. I want to develop my friendships and come out of this deployment a better person, friend and wife. I believe I can thrive physically, through continuing to work out and eating food that nurtures my body. I can thrive socially by spending time with friends and continuing to participate in the FRG. I can thrive in my marriage by supporting Lane regardless of the distance and using the separation to improve our communication skills.
All the other stuff I am really just viewing as deployment goals. I have a list of things I want to accomplish during each month of the deployment (including my blog series "DIY-ing It Through Deployment"). I just want to be happy and take this year to focus on my health and my house.

What are your New Year's Resolutions? I would love to hear about what you hope to accomplish during the upcoming year. 

Single Living

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Lane has been gone for a little over a week and I am settling back into my single living mannerisms. Yes, he will be back in a few weeks, but I am thinking of this as practice for deployment.

 I always have a hard time cooking for one person. During deployment, me and a few of the girls on my street are going to have a rotating dinner party so that we actually have a reason to cook. Cooking for Lane is one of my main ways to show love, and that extends to cooking for other people. For myself, eh not so much. I have been existing on a few main staples; coconut flour pancakes, scrambled eggs with bacon, sweet potatoes, and almond milk smoothies. They are all easy, fast, but still nutritious and tasty. 

I have been trying to prepare myself as best as possible because the next time Lane leaves it will be for a lot longer than a month. Here are some of the things I have been trying to focus on while he's at NTC. 

1. Get our bills sorted out. 

I have made an exact calendar of when all the automatic bills are paid and the due dates for the other bills. Tonight I discovered that my name isn't on one of our accounts. Clearly this could be a problem while he is unreachable for vast amounts of time. 

2. Focus on my friendships

I have been really lucky to meet some awesome girls who will be here through deployment. I want to make sure I have people around who I trust and will be able to lean on during deployment. Some of them will also have deployed spouses, and some won't. An awesome girl moved in across the street and I have loved spending time with her this week. 

3. Do all the legal stuff 

I think this is fairly standard across all army units, but I want to make sure we are up to date with POA's and wills and such. 

4. Make sure I love my house. 

I want my house to be somewhere that I am happy to come home too. I love how it has turned out, and it makes me happy when I see all the DIY projects and framed photographs. I want to do a full house series of pictures, but I have a few projects to finish first.

I would LOVE to hear any great recipes for one person. I am all about easy, healthy and tasty. Military spouses, what do y'all do to get ready for deployment? Any advice? 

Hello Blog World

Not My Picture, But Asha Will Also Go For Shoes

Whoo hoo I am back from the land of no computers. Although Asha already tried to chew this current power cord. Apparently puppies teeth like babies. She has more teeth breaking through her gums, which apparently makes her more eager to chew on stuff. I looked up loads of remedies, and the current winner is soaking and then freezing a rag soaked in chicken stock. I make my own stock whenever I make a roast chicken, so I have loads and loads of stock.  If anyone has a recommendation for a teething puppy, I would love to hear all suggestions. 

This weekend was pretty relaxing. We helped our friends move on Saturday and Asha got to play with their two Great Danes. I was really nervous that she would be scared since they are so huge. However, she played perfectly happy with them for two hours. She was exhausted when we got home, and behaved better than she has in days.

I barely cooked this weekend because Lane had to cut weight for a Combatives Tournament. I ate scrambled eggs and raspberry smoothies all weekend. The smoothies have been my recent go-to breakfast. I blend a handful of raspberries with a few strawberries, one banana, and a cup of almond milk. It is delicious! 

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Lane and I have been taking a hard look at our spending habits. We are starting the Dave Ramsey debt program, and really hope to pay everything off in two years. We are also going to try the envelope method for groceries and entertainment. Have any of y'all tried this method? 

Tumblr Loving

Man I have just not been able to keep up with today. I woke up tired, and it hasn't improved. A really great yoga class and large latte haven't helped at all. One of my goals for this year is to do more yoga. It is a really great balance to the weight lifting I have been doing with Lane.

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There was another job fair on post today. There were a lot of the same employers as the one I attended last week, but some new opportunities as well. I made a few good connections, and pretty much cemented working at the local community college this summer. Ah, I can't believe I am going to be a teacher!

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Has anyone seen the Texts from Hillary Tumblr? I posted a picture of her a few days ago doing work in the back of a C-17. Clearly I wasn't the only one who thought that she looked like a boss. Here are some of my favorites: 

 

 

And in perhaps the greatest meeting of two memes ever...

 

Sadly, the founders of this tumblr have decided not to continue. Secretary Clinton actually met with them and  sent in her own contribution. They have decided to stop while they were ahead. I love finding clever tumblrs like this. Another funny one is Kate Middleton For The Win. ( I am clearly having a major Crush-On-Kate Week). I would love any other fun tumblrs y'all know about and think I should check out.

 Happy Thursday! 

Goals for 2012

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It may be February already, but I still want to put my goals for 2012. I think it is important to keep a record of what you wanted to accomplish in a given year. I can look back on this and gauge how I am doing.

1. Get On a Budget
I find it really hard to stay on budget. It's not that I spend a lot of money, I just don't tend to keep track. I have long accepted that I will spend more on lattes than the normal person. However, I get my hair cut once a year and spend maybe twenty bucks a year on makeup. I think everyone has their indulgences, and as long as one is responsible it is ok. My income has changed dramatically this year ( both up and down). I hope that 2012 comes with a more stable income. I also want to make a significant dent in paying off my student loans.

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2. Work Out
Yes, the golden standard of new year's resolutions. I have gone through periods of working out fanatically, and always feel better. When I was studying abroad in England I joined the rowing team and was working out almost every day. If anyone ever needs a cardio alternative, I HIGHLY recommend the rowing machines. You get an amazing workout in like twenty minutes. My husband is into crossfit, so that may be something I will try.

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3. Short Term Goals
February- Get housing sorted out. It seems like there should be available housing when we get up there, but that is no guarantee.
March- I want to be entirely unpacked and moved in by the end of March. This also includes finding the furniture we need to finish decorating our house.
April- I want to focus on meeting people and getting involved in volunteer opportunities.
May- I want to be employed by May. I have been applying to all sorts of jobs up in New York, and I am hoping and praying that something will come through.