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. 

Parent's Visit

Hello Blogging world. I am still a terrible blogger, but I wanted to get up all the details from my family's visit to Fort Drum before I forget. 

My parents decided in August that they were going to fly up with my siblings for a week. We met in Syracuse a midst some terrible rainy weather. Over the week I tried to show them the highlights of the North Country. 

This included: 

1. Brunch at Tin Pan Galley in Sackets Harbor 

2. The Boldt Castle Tour in Alexandria Bay 

3. My awesome house

4. Burrville Cider Mill 

We also made a quick trip out to Niagara Falls. We had an awesome time and got totally soaked multiple occasions. 

We stayed at the Comfort Inn which was ridiculously close to the falls and very cheap. They do a military discount and were very sweet to my family. I would highly recommend staying there for anyone who just wants clean, simple no fuss accommodations. As soon as we arrived we set out to do the Maid of the Mist boat tour. I feel like this is the quintessential Niagara experience. We got drenched and then headed over to the Cave of the Winds which is a walk down the bottom of the falls. It is really amazing to see the sheer amount of water pouring down basically on top of you. 

We woke up Thursday to an overcast sky. I was very glad that we got all of our water based activities done in the 98 degree heat of Wednesday. Thursday we got up and walked across the Rainbow bridge to Canada. We strolled along the Canadian side for a while down to horseshoe falls. I will definitely agree that the view is better from the Canadian side. They also have much better landscaping and coffee options. However, the U.S side has more park rangers available to answer your questions. I think that everyone should really try both. 

I would definitely make a trip back next summer once Lane is back. Going in September was perfect. Much shorter lines, but still warm enough to enjoy getting soaked. 

Anyone else been to Niagara? Have any other recommendations for my next trip? 

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. 

Oh Hello

So I haven't even looked at Blogger in a month. It's not that I am not terribly interested in everyone's life ( I absolutely am) I just haven't had the time or inclination to be on the computer. College advising kicked into full gear and I have been working like a crazy person since the beginning of July. After spending all day on the computer, the last thing I want to do when I get home is type some more or even look at a screen. 

However, I do want to keep up with this. I want to finish my deployment week by week posts, which are horribly behind. We are entering the home stretch of this deployment, and I can't wait to share our homecoming pictures and the like. 

In case you are feeling Molly withdrawals, you can always see what I am up to on Instagram at MrsMollyP. 

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.