Oh Deer!

On Christmas Day I arrived at my parent's new home in Bismarck, ND.  I have never even visited North Dakota so when people asked if I was going home when Paul was deployed I didn't know what to say other than "kinda".  But that is another story for a different day.

My parents have this giant hay field just beyond their yard and Dad has been setting out sunflowers (ND is the number 1 producer of sunflowers) and corn for the deer to eat since September.  Because of this, they have over twenty different deer that come and "feast" in the backyard.  It is quite fun to watch them from the bedroom windows as they are only 30 yards from the patio.

My Dad has a trail picture taker that snaps when something moves by it and he got some of these photos in November.  There were literally thousands of pictures on the trail timer so Dad knew exactly what deer were coming in and eating even at night.

 SASQUATCH!!!!  Oh, just Dad adding more corn. :)

 HELLO!

 I don't know if this deer is looking at an airplane or the stars but either way it was funny.

One fateful day in January Dad snuck out of the back sliding glass door with his bow and arrows in hand.  Meanwhile Mom and I were watching upstairs from the windows.  Dad was able to successfully harvest this nice North Dakota buck from our backyard while we watched on.  I just wish I could pull back Dad's bow - but it is strung way to tight for my weak little arms.

Last week we had deer roast and some sausages and boy were they delicious! This deer had been practically corn and hay fed so his taste was so much better than the high desert Mule Deer in Idaho.  It would be safe to say that those of you who have never feasted on deer would think you were eating a beef steer - it was that good!

We laugh about how many people pay thousands of dollars to hunt a nice whitetail like this and Mom and Dad have them in their backyard.  I think North Dakota is growing on me...

Take it off and Tone it up!

Let's just say that the last month before Paul left was horrible as far as packin' on the pounds are concerned.  Let me preface that with - I KNOW I DIDN'T HAVE TO EAT IT - but I did.  I admit it, I had no self control and now I am the one living with the results of my actions. 

It all happened like this...

I was being the dutiful wife cooking all of Paul's favorite foods - which for Paul is a lot of things. :) 

We took leave to Charleston, SC and if you have ever been there, you know the food is AMAZING!!  Let's just say that Paul and I stopped at one bakery every day for cake and coffee, plus we were eating out the entire week.  BLAH!  We hardly ever eat out and so it was a treat for awhile, but then we were craving our normal fair at home.

I think I am a stress eater...either that or when I am stressed I tend to not burn calories.  Either way, that played into it.

It was the holidays.  I can't imagine any worse of a time to pack the pounds on then during the holidays and then compile that with a deployment and I had a big problem.

I was not doing my normal workouts because Paul was on leave or we were preparing for him to go.  I know, bad excuse... 

Needless to say, I gained about 5 pounds in one month. Dum, Dum, Dum!!!

So... a new diet and exercise plan!  I have heard good things about MyFitnessPal.com so I thought I would try it out.  I have only been doing it for a week and a half but have seen some progress already.  It helps you track your weight, exercises, carbs, protein, fats, and total calories.  It takes a little while to get the hang of the program, but then it is super easy to use. I don't have a smart phone but if you do, it could be even easier for you! 

So my goal is to take off 10 pounds and to tone "things" up a bit as I set a goal to run a half marathon this year.  If you feel like you want to join me, let me know or add me on MFP! I would love to have accountability with someone! I guess I should clarify - you don't have to run the half marathon with me. :)

The Last Picture

Because I just changed my privacy settings, I hadn't stated that Paul deployed. But now that it is private I can tell you he did in fact leave December 21. I can't believe it has been over a month already!

Time has really flown by for the both of us. Paul is busy doing his job and I am staying busing here in North Dakota. We are so thankful for the thoughts and prayers that so many people have sent our way. I never would have imagined the peace that I have right now.

The few days before Paul left were so long and yet fast. We both were just ready to say goodbye so we could start the countdown and yet were dreading the actual goodbye. I stayed at the "drop zone" for only 45 minutes and then Paul said goodbye to Lucy and me at 9pm. It was really quick and we were both smiling and laughing because we were both so excited to start this next chapter. I can say that I didn't cry, nor have cried, because my best friend was gone. We are so happy with our decision to make it quick because Paul said other wives stayed until the bitter end (about 4 am) and had to be pried away from their husbands as they were hysterical. I can honestly say that the sight of that would bring me to tears - I would have lost it!

So here is the last picture that I and Lucy have with Paul until we see him again.

Going Private!

On January 25 I am going to change my blog to only those that I invite to see it so that I can pass on more personal information. If you would like to have access granted, please leave a comment to this post with your email address. I have pre-approved comments so it won't be displayed for the entire world to see. :)

Thanks!

Lucy the Labradoodle

So before I start recapping our past month's adventures, I thought I would showcase our sweet, awesome, and quite spoiled dog Lucy. Her birthday was a couple weeks ago and she is now two. She keeps me company when Paul is gone and has quite the personality. We always joke she is cheaper than a kid, we can leave her at home or in the car for long periods of time, and she doesn't whine like "some" kids. All I know is that if I take this many pictures of our dog, I can't imagine how many of our real kids (NO, THIS IS NOT A HINT) we will have.

PS. Did I mention she sheds as much as I do? Pretty awesome!!

Book Review!

In the last couple months I have helped start a book club with Paul's regiment. We meet monthly at Barnes and Nobles to discuss our books and catch up with one another. So far, we have read The Help by Kathryn Sockett, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoot, and Year of Wonder's by Geraldine Brooks.

I am also reading, with my wonderful friend from Utah Annie, some books. We have read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and we are currently reading the Left Behind Series.

I also have read some books on my own (not being in a club) that are noteworthy. The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Steig Larsson and A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard.

How do I read so much in a few months you ask? Well, books on CD and my Nook. I listen to a book whenever I drive (which is a lot), in the house, and then I read my Nook. It really helps listening to books while driving as really it is a waste of time anyways.

My review is 1 - 5 with 5 being the highest score. Enjoy!

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Steig Larsson - 1 - I HATED this book! It had language that was awful and vulgar and the plot was not interesting at all. I DO NOT recommend this book to anyone.

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. - 4 - This book is hard to listen to as Jaycee actually reads it. Just hearing her voice describe her situation and life in captivity was creepy. There is some language and descriptions that make your stomach turn, however, I think her story needed to be told. There are creeps out there that you would never suspect that may have innocent children in their captivity. We need to be on the lookout for strange things.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - 2.5 - Yawn! This book took me FOREVER to get
through but I was going to finish it! It did pick up towards the end, but it just wasn't intriguing to me.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - 5 - I LOVED these books! There were captivating and were such a quick read. I would recommend these to anyone that is older than 15 as the entire premise behind the books is not for little kids. I could vividly see all the descriptions in the book as it was written so well. They are making this trilogy into a movie so read the books before the movies come out!!

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - 3.5 - This book was quite interesting as it was written a very long time ago. It is one of those books you just wonder why they don't "do something" about it as you know everything as the reader when the characters don't know the entire story. Some good truths and applicable to today as well.

The Help by Kathryn Sockett - 5 - This book gave a fun look at life in the 1950s in Mississippi. There are three main characters that are developed really well and that you can relate to in small ways. So many tones in this book that relate to all people. Recommend this one to any woman.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoot - 4 - This book is a true story about Henrietta Lacks, a black woman in the 50s that had her cells taken from her body without her knowledge. They became the most replicated cells in the world. This book discusses the history with the family and researchers. It goes in depth to cancer cells and describes cell biology really well. However, I feel like the researcher who wrote the book did almost too good of a job! There are so many facts!!

Year of Wonder's by Geraldine Brooks - 3 - This one looks like it has promise and then the last fifty pages ruins the entire book for me. It tells about human nature during a time of turmoil, the Black Plague, in England. I was disappointed how the Pastor reacted when his wife died and really went off the deep end - as did the main character. Very depressing the last fifty pages.

Well, that's what I have been reading the last few months!!

"Lots" of Irene

We made it through Irene!! It was my first hurricane and now I know what to expect.

During the hurricane there was lots of wind, lots of rain, lots of looking at the clock all night, lots of praying for our house to hold up, and lots of tornado warnings.

After the hurricane there was lots of days without power, lots of sweating, lots of candles, lots of board games, lots of branches, lots of bent fence boards, and lots of thanks for only being a Category 1 storm when it hit.

Thanks to everyone who were thinking and praying for us!