Boot Camp!

On May 10, I participated in the 1-43 ADA Spouse Boot Camp. No, it’s not as tough as it sounds. After all, we did it in half a day.

See, Cavalry spouses get to do a simplified version of a Spur Ride. They spend a day doing obstacles and teamwork drills and earn their “pink spurs.” (This horrifies, me, BTW. I really don’t like pink.) Anywho, there isn’t anything like that for Air Defense spouses. So someone, somewhere, came up with a simple little Spouse Boot Camp. Of course, with my husband being the new Rear Detachment Commander, there was no way I could NOT do this, but I really would have done it either way. Let me brag a moment and mention that most of the spouses were from our FRG, including my co-leader and BFF Kristy.

It was held at the Air Assault Course, which just so happens to be a block or two from my house. I walked over. We got started about 9 am. First was the Repel Tower, which I had done a couple years ago with our previous unit. This time, the repel masters tied the rope seats for us, which is much faster than showing us how to do it.

I was towards the middle of the group to go down. Some of my fellow spouses were terrified and I spent some time trying to cheer them up. When it was my turn, I did notice it was much less frightening than that first time. You lean back, using the tension on the rope for support, with your feet against the ledge. Then you jump away from the wall. My jump wasn’t the greatest, but I did it, and descended quickly and easily. It was fun, and it’s all over so fast. (I don't have the pics, but they exist, so if I find them I might come back and update

They had 2 ropes set up, so J went at the same time as his First Sergeant. She was nervous, and he wanted to show off. He got about half way down, did some adjustments, and flipped upside down, finishing the descent head first. He’d done it before, and I was totally expecting it.

Next we did the easier half of the obstacle course. They also made some of the obstacles easier for us. For example, Soldiers had to go over the tall logs and under the low logs, but we went over the low ones and under the tall ones; Soldiers climb the chain ladder, go over the top beam, and down the other side, but we went up, smacked the top beam, and back down the same side.  Also, if we didn’t think we could do it, we didn’t have to even try.

They started us in 2 lines. It ended up being spouses in one line and Soldiers in the other. I was first in the spouse line. The first obstacle was metal pipes that you run back and forth through. The repel master that was starting us had me start first, and I took off, but the Soldier still caught me at the end. Second obstacle was that chain ladder I mentioned.

ready to start

the chain ladder

Oh. My. God. That damn ladder was hard as hell and had me exhausted. I moved on to obstacle 3, which was 3 walls to get over. I planted my hands on the first wall, pushed up and got over, much like climbing out of a pool from the side (not the ladder or steps). I got a splinter. It was huge. I stepped to the side to yank it out, but it wouldn’t come out. Well crap!

I tried for a bit, then someone said Medic, and I walked over to where the medic was set up. Guess what? Can’t find their damn tweezers. So the medic puts on a rubber glove and is able to work the splinter out by hand. After a few minutes, that is. He cleans it, tapes on some gauze while telling me that it won’t stay on, and sends me on my way. By now, most everyone is a few obstacles ahead of where I jumped out.

I just went to where they were and got back in. The gauze stayed on for a few obstacles, and I skipped some because my hand was half covered in gauze and tape (meaning no grip on fat metal bars), and finished. I was still tired at the end. I still worked hard. And I still cheered on the other spouses.

coming down a rope ladder

We had lunch on site, then went our separate ways. I walked home and took a nice hot shower. It was a good time, but I would love the opportunity to go back at least attempt all the obstacles.

I would just like to mention here that I was able to type all of that BEFORE Duke realized the laptop was on my lap. He is now in his place, on my lap, between me and my laptop. 

Healthy Thoughts

I've been meaning to sit and blog for a few days now, but every time I do, I get distracted and don't write.

Let's see how far I get.

Of course y'all know I'm on a long trek to get healthy. I'm still 10 pounds from my goal weight, but still happy with what I see in the mirror. The past couple weeks have been a little busy and we haven't made it to the gym as much.

Remember the supplement I was taking? Don't think I'm gonna keep taking it. Apparently, some people who sell it say you can build a tolerance to it, and you either need to go off it for a month or two, or put another supplement on top of that. Ugh. Too complicated, and why don't all the people who sell it know this? So I'm backing off of it for a while. I have a bottle and a half that I can try again later if I'm still stuck.

I'm going to focus on eating healthy and not overeating. Of course I'll still indulge from time to time, it keeps me sane. Gotta try to get to the gym for strength training at least twice a week, if not three times. And I gotta get up and run. I've started going to a Monday spin class at the gym. It's definitely working my muscles differently than before. I'm hoping it will help on the bike, which I haven't been riding as much lately. I know, bad me. But I've been focusing on running for the upcoming half marathon. Just a week away! Ack!

This is all going to be made especially hard with how busy the next 6 weeks will be. An overnighter by myself this weekend, then a long weekend with J, a holiday weekend, one weekend off, and finally to CO for J's big ride. Once all that is done, things should settle down for a while.

Soooo, what else? My folks came down for a short visit. They brought me some things from Grandma and Grandpa's house. I got a set of Franciscan ware Apple dishes, some glass bar ware, bar tools, punch bowl and cups, and some other random bits. I took mom and dad to the zoo with my good friend and her little boy, and they had a blast. It was a short visit, but a good one. We'll be seeing J's family next weekend.

Ummmm, I think that's it for now. So, yeah. Have a good weekend.

My New(est) Favorite Recipe x2

I have a couple recipes that were a huge success lately. Well, huge success with J. 

I don't know what order to put them in. So let's pretend this is dinner. For dinner, we are having Shepherd's Pie. Then, for dessert, Tropical Zucchini cake, with vanilla ice cream. 

I don't know what I was looking for when I found this Vegan Shepherd's Pie recipe. It intrigued me, and I decided to try it. I used the cool allrecipes feature to slim down the recipe to 4 servings, since J was deployed and I was only feeding myself. Also, I have yet to follow the exact recipe. 

First, I don't like celery. So I never use it. I will sometimes add celery salt instead. Second, I used real dairy. I wasn't going to go buy a bunch of stuff just for one recipe. BUT, I loved it. I gobbled that shit up! Really, it was amazing. I used Smartground meat substitute. 

I used the same recipe when my MIL came to visit to make a Cottage Pie. 

Ok, ok. let me 'splain. Gordon Ramsay done taught me that there is a difference between Shepherd's Pie and Cottage Pie. See, a shepherd herds sheep, and therefore his pie would be made with lamb. A cottage would have a few cattle, and their pie would be made with beef. SO, if you use beef, it's a Cottage Pie, and if you use lamb it's a Shepherd's Pie. 

ANYWHO....

I made cottage pie for Dora, and also used sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes. It. Was. Awesome. Seriously, we loved it. 

I made it again yesterday for J. A real Shepherd's Pie this time. Lamb, but no carrots or celery. I had some fresh zucchini and chopped it up in there instead. It was freaking amazing. Again. 

So no, this is not about my cooking. I really think this recipe is amazing. It's a very basic recipe and is easily adaptable to whatever dietary needs or wants you have. Aside from the servings feature, you can easily make it carnivorous, vegetarian, or vegan. It takes a little work, but you can do most of it ahead of time, like I did yesterday. I cooked everything and put it all in the casserole dish, then in the fridge until we were ready for dinner. It took an extra 10 minutes in the oven. I bet you could freeze it and bake it from there. I might have to test that.

Now time for dessert. 

My Grandma Millie (the crazy one) used to make zucchini cake. I loved it. I think I may have been the only one in my family that liked it, but I have fond memories of that cake. It was moist and sweet without being too sugary sweet. She had some kind of white frosting on it that I can't quite duplicate. Yet. 

While Mom was cleaning out Grandma's house, she found the recipe for Tropical Zucchini cake, and emailed it to me. It calls for coconut, which Grandma never used, probably because I don't like coconut. So I obviously didn't use it. She never used nuts either. Same here.

Here's what I had to work with:

2 cups sugar (1 1/2 c. brown sugar)  

2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs or 6 egg whites 

1 cup oil 

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda                                                  

3 cups flour                                                

1 medium #2 can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 cup nuts                                                   

3 cups grated zucchini

1 1/2 cup coconut-optional                        

1 tsp. cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I know it went in a 9x13. I decided to mix everything by hand, which I will not do again. I used the brown sugar and whole eggs. I mixed all the wet ingredients and sugar, then added the dry. By the way, a #2 can is the small can of pineapple, about 8 oz. My oven tends to take the full baking time or a little longer, and it did. I chatted with Mom and decided to make a cinnamon roll frosting from the Better Homes & Gardens big red checkered cook book (you know the one). It wasn't as thick as what I remember Grandma using, but it was nice. 

And J approves. He told me that it is not cake, it is awesomeness. He calls it zucchini awesomeness. It's awesome with some simple vanilla ice cream. 

It really makes me happy that he likes it as much as I do. I don't really know why, but it does. Maybe because it's a happy memory of Grandma, before she started being so crazy. She used to cook and bake all the time. She would make pancakes in animal shapes and she was awesome at it. As we all got older, she started trying to make everything "healthy" and her food went downhill. Like an avalanche. But I remember this cake and how much I loved it. And now I get to share that with J, just a little. /mushy moment

So anyway, these are my latest successes. I might think about trying a cream cheese frosting next time. I think it would go well, just like it does with carrot cake. And no, sorry, I don't have any pics of any of this food. But trust me, it's tasty.

Been A While...

I know, I haven't written much lately, but I kinda feel like writing right now. So here is a general update.

J and I are getting into a schedule. He's working, but not pulling late nights *knock on wood.* He gets to do his own PT and loves that. He gets up early to run, bike, or swim a few days a week, and we hit the gym twice a week. He'll work out over lunch sometimes, and of course on weekends.

I'm trying to run, of course, and hitting the pool once a week or so. Like I said, I'm hitting the gym twice a week with J now. And that means the weight room. He's showing me how to use the Hammer Strength machines, which are like a machine/free weight combo. We do a few things with dumbbells and yesterday did incline sit ups. I feel good when we go, even if I'm sore the next day. When it's nice enough and not too late, we ride our bikes to the gym, which works as a warm up. I even tried a spin class. It was exhausting, but I could feel that certain muscles in my legs were lacking, and I think it could help me. I'll try to do that once a week at least.

We're looking into different protein sources for a quick post-workout protein boost. So many options out there. Whey protein, casein protein, soy, pea, egg... It's a lot to absorb. (See what I did there?) I personally want one that isn't very high in calories or carbs since I'm still working on losing the last 10 pounds to reach my goal weight.

As for the running, I got a new pair of shoes! J and I ordered the Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail shoes. They don't make my color anymore, like the other pair. Also like the other pair, I totally love them. I plan to start wearing the trail shoes more for our little dirt track, and save the Neos for road work. Totally in love with Vivos. They are doing some casual shoes now, too. Still expensive, of course. Especially for a cheapskate like me.

OH YEAH! I did the World's Fastest 10K again this year! I ran it last year while recovering from a stomach bug, so I actually ended up finishing with an average flat 10K time for me. This year was much better. I wasn't sick, and the run felt amazing. I finished at 51:58. Check out the stats as recorded on my Strava app.

Not much time left till the Five Trails in LV. And May is shaping up to be a busy month. Good thing we get some vacation in June! Well, kinda. J has the Death Ride Tour. But he loves that crazy shit. He's crazy. I'm only somewhat crazy.

So... yeah. My update is mostly about working out. But I think you've come to expect that of me. So there you go. Yeah. 

From D to D

It's official! The Big D (deployment) is over for us. J is home safe and sound. It was a long, tiresome trip home for him. He's already at work today.

Because today starts the next D - the Rear D. J is taking over the Rear Detachment Battery for the Battalion. He gets to shadow the current Rear D Commander for a while to see what the usual routine is. This means work, and probably plenty of it. Rear D Leaders often have long days, work on weekends, all that fun stuff.

It was almost surreal to know he was headed home to me. I had my trip to KS to distract myself. Short trip this year, but good as usual. I actually expected his trip home to take longer and was surprised at how quickly they got it all arranged.

He came home yesterday. I was nervous, which I hadn't expected. A good friend who has been through a deployment told me it was good to be nervous. He was exhausted from the long trip and very little sleep, so we just came home.

It wasn't like what you see on TV. Since he returned by himself, I just picked him up a the airport. We hugged and kissed, held hands as we walked to baggage claim. Even Remy was more subdued than I expected. It was like his daddy had just spent a reeeeeeally long day at work. But he is definitely happy. He shadows J around the house.

It's still a little dream-like. He's at work right now, so it's almost like a regular day. Or, what our regular days have been for the past 6 months. Except I might see him at lunch. And he'll be home for dinner. I have to start cooking for 2 again.

It will take some time to adjust, for all of us. Duke insisted that I get up to get him a drink from the bathtub, even though J was up and in there. Remy is pretty tired still from his time at the kennel (he loves it there) and then 2 days with his friend Johnny.

So here we are. Whatever else comes our way - long hours, drama, meetings, all that - he's home. Now we focus on getting the rest of them home safely.

I can only imagine what my friends going through longer deployments will feel like. You all know I'm still here for you. 

March Who Madness: Day 30!

Day 30: How It All Started 

(I renamed it)

I discovered Doctor Who when we moved to El Paso. We suddenly had this channel called BBC America and I thought I'd check it out. They were playing reruns during the day, and it caught my attention. I can't really say when I started watching it regularly, or when I got J started on it. I don't know what my first episode was or anything like that. It was something to put on during the day, and I got interested and started planning on watching the reruns. 

In 2010, we were well and hooked, making sure to catch the new episodes. I still watched the reruns during the day and that's how I managed to see most of them, but J wanted to get caught up. We started watching them on netflix in order, from the start of the new series. We've watched a few of the older ones, but not much. 

We're both hooked, but I'm a little more hooked than J. Hehe.

March Who Madness: Day 29

Day 29: Favorite Guest Star

I think for me it's down to 2. But I'm not sure which I like more. 

Kylie Minogue 

Source: google.com.au via Amanda on Pinterest

OR

Simon Pegg

Source: google.com.au via Gavin on Pinterest