And so the countdown begins...

Wow...I have not realized how long it has been since I posted, eek!

As you all know, I am in the United States Army.  I get to leave at the end of this month for Fort Jackson, South Carolina for ten weeks.  After that, I hop over to Fort Hachuachuca, Arizona for 17 weeks.

Since the beginning four years ago, I decided I would start counting down when I got to the below 20 days mark (which I never thought would actually happen!)  Wouldn't you know it? I am just a day or two shy away!! I am officially at the point of my journey where I won't be able to say goodbye to everyone I want to.

I had my first MAJOR goodbye this weekend. I had to say farewell to a couple of my nearest and dearest friends.  I promised myself I wouldn't cry...alas, that didn't work out so well. I only get to see these girls every couple months now, but I know I'm only an hour or two away.  Now, I'll be across the country and won't be able to just pick up on a Saturday and go visit.  It broke my heart to say goodbye.

Now, I have all these invites to "saying goodbye" get-togethers! If there could only be one lesson I take away from these past four years, it's that I have amazing people in my corner.  People who genuinely care and want me to succeed! Whether I see them everyday, or once every three months, I know I have amazing people with me. I am so lucky to have people to miss!

There aren't many times when I'm not sure what to say.  I'm almost at under 20 days and there aren't enough words to express how much I wish I could see EVERYONE and spend quality time with each person who has taken this journey with me!

 

You all gave me SO many gifts, so many lessons learned and so much love. No matter where I may end up, I will always remember all of you!

 

Please, watch this video, because the queen of pop can say it so much better than I! 

Madonna- I'll Remember: Dedicated to all of you who went through this with me

2012 IN REVIEW

I feel really sorry for 2013.  Why? Because 2012 was such an amazing year, it has really big shoes to fill.  As Christmas approaches, that means the new year is right around the corner.   The year of the dragon is going to be the year I talk about to my grandkids. Thanks to Facebook, I've been able to relive my last 365 (give or take a few) days.  To make it easy, this is the recap of the year.



1. Races. I started with this merely because, on January 1st, I ran a nice easy 5k, the Polar Dash.  My streak of Team Ortho races continued.  I completed the Get Lucky 7k...then finally concluded the fall with the Monster Dash half marathon!!! This was one of the dreams I got to cross off of my dream board, half marathon...check!

                             



2. The birth of my nephew (Rachel, I'm going in semi chronological order...he's #1 in my heart!) The birth of August Frederic Scherer is the biggest and most wonderful event of 2012!!!  This baby, while he's only about 11 months old, has made me fall so in love with him!! I would do anything for Auggie and I cannot wait to see him grow up and see what he is going to become!! How lucky of him to be able to be raised in a family of so many opportunities! He's going to not only have a wonderful upbringing with his education and home, but he will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be loved, no matter where he goes, or what he does!!


 



3. Auggie's baptism.  I know with the birth this should be included, but this was a big deal. I was so honored to be there and get to see the welcoming into his church family, I thought it was a big event all in itself!!  And yeah, he didn't even cry!! The world is SO blessed to have August in it, and I think he knows it already! :) 


4. Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash. I got to complete these two challenges with an amazing group of people.  First, Tough Mudder.  This was absolutely the hardest obstacle course I've ever done!!  I was lucky enough to complete it with two women who kicked my butt along the way! They wouldn't let me quit, they never gave up.  They helped me conquer TWO fears...we got through the obstacles together!!   Later that summer, I also had the chance to run the Warrior Dash with a crazy group of ladies (and one Norman!) We crossed the finish line together and was a feat that none of us will ever forget!!

5. Amazing Ambush makeover.  Okay, how could I NOT include something this amazing?!? The wonderful ladies of Norman's Next Level Bootcamp, all were in on this crazy secret! I was jumped (okay, not really jumped...rather ambushed!) at bootcamp and was given a total makeover!! I went back to the red which I've always loved, I discovered that I was kinda cute actually, and what I learned most, is that I have the BEST group of friends in women who I never thought I'd ever have anything in common with.  These women are crazy awesome, and I thank God every day that they were put in my life!!

6. The Minnesota Twins. The summer of 2012, I'm gonna talk to my grandkids about the summer I got to work for the Minnesota Twins!! I've never worked for an organization that treated their employees better than the Twins.  Not only that, the people who work for them are top notch.  I made so many new friends and experienced a bond that I've never gotten to before.  We all work for a place that we have a passion for, and always will!!  Not only did I meet a ton of new folks, I got to work with my own pops, too! :)

           

7. Tampa Bay vs. MN Vikings game.  Sorry Vikings fans ahead of time!  Yes, the Buccaneers DOMINATED at the dome!! Not only that, but I got to meet Josh Freeman (again) I met a man who works for the Bucs who is gonna not only get me a tour of Raymond James in Tampa, not only did he get me a flag to fly in MN, not only did he get me a Ronde Barber autograph, but he is giving me the chance to MEET RONDE BARBER!! Seriously...yay 2012, FO SHO!!               

8. Next to the birth of August, came the biggest event of all.  The one I've been waiting and working so hard for, for almost four years. I ENLISTED INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY. If you didn't hear, I'm going in as a 35F, Intelligence Analyst. Basically, I'm going to know a lot of stuff ahead of time and can't tell anyone! I am so excited! I will be leaving in late February for basic training at Fort Jackson South Carolina. From there I'll be heading to Arizona for 17 weeks to learn my job.  I have no idea where from there, but hey, that's part of the mystery!

SO...there was SO much more.  All the amazing people I've met, events like the State Fair and family gatherings.  2013 is right around the corner and I for one, am anxious to see what it may bring!! Merry Christmas to you and your families and may your New Year be blessed, exciting and EVERYTHING you want it to be!!

LOVE AND PEACE TO ALL!!

I found the other side of the rainbow...

For the last 3 years, 10 months and 5 days (but who's counting), I've been dreaming of how I was going to write this blog.  What would I say? How would it feel?

Well, the day has arrived!! I made tape today!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE IT (Okay, yes I can, but it's a bit like a dream.)   I have one more little hoop to jump through which should be solved tomorrow.  (I know it'll go through, 'cus I've taken care of it once before.) As soon as I do that, I get my waiver from the Army, then I, Cara Ann Berg Rainey, get to swear in!!  UUFDAH! I never thought I'd get to this day.

Let me start. Since the day after Thanksgiving, I've been on a STRICT diet.  I've been working everyday, focusing on every bite, watching every calorie I burn! It's been the longest two weeks of my life!!  The end result: I was only 4 pounds over the limit, HOWEVER, I was 2% under my needed body fat percentage.  This was definitely a record for me. I worked hard for that 2% my friends! Now, time to focus on losing these last pounds so maybe, just maybe, I won't have to tape again! :)

So, anyway, I'm on cloud 9 tonight. There's no real way to describe it right now.

Well, there it is.  I feel like, if I can achieve my dream, why oh why can't you? Well, you can! No matter what it takes, never ever give up guys!!

The true meaning

For the last two weeks or so, I've been working on the Christmas party for Colin's family readiness group.  I've been trying to get "donations" from businesses around the area,  even just to help support our food efforts and little things to make the party just that much better!  You'd be amazed that when they hear it can't be a tax write off, how not willing they are.

Well, with my frustrations I turn to Facebook (of course!)  Lo and behold, what happens?  I'm shown once again that I have MANY angels that walk among us.  When I vented, SO many people stepped forward to offer absolutely amazing gifts!! People who have home businesses donated beyond what I could ever even ask for!! I have people throwing gifts at us that I have never met! People are giving things made from their own hands! People giving their talents to these families!

Seriously, how could I not be beyond touched that my friends are so willing to give to these soldiers and their families?! To people they have never met, and probably never will! This shows me that there is still so much lover in this country.  Love not only for our soldiers but for our fellow man.

I've seen people on Facebook doing a daily "I'm thankful for..." thing, but I have to say, everyday I'm thankful to these amazing people! This time of year is tight on everyone's checkbook, and to open your heart to us all, there's only one thing that comes to mind:
"God bless us, everyone!"

Nerves of rubber...

So this is really the official countdown to my next trip to MEPS. 20 days until I head back.   I will be (probably) be spending the eve of my birthday in a hotel room with a complete stranger, nervous as heck for the 4 am wake up call.  So, here is the game plan:

For the next 10 days, I will be on an extremely low carb diet. I'll toss in some fruit for nutrition, but mainly salads and protein!

Day 11 is Thanksgiving.  I'm giving myself one day to ENJOY. I get to enjoy food, a REGULAR pepsi, and of course my family!!

Day 12 on...THIS is when I warn people, I may not be me! When I get hungry, I get cranky. Have you ever heard of the HCG diet? Well, I strongly recommend to NOT do it...unless this is your third trip to MEPS and it's come down to drastic mesures.  Here's what the diet entails:

For breakfast you can have Coffee or tea, no sugar.

Lunch and Dinner: 100 grams (about 3.5 oz) of lean protein and one serving of vegetables

For the following, I can either combine it with lunch and/or dinner, OR I can have it as a snack inbetween meals.  Which ever, I get to have one Grissino breadstick (those super thin ones) or one piece of melba toast, AND an apple, an orange, a handful of strawberries OR half a grapefruit.

So yeah, don't do this diet, because as soon as you're done, you'll gain it back! I gave it a try this summer to test it out, and I lost about a pound to pound and a half a day!! My goal is to really enjoy this Christmas season...but I want it to be my last at home for a while, it's definitely time to go.

Anyway...20 days. Just gotta stay strong, and with all my friends and family around, I'm confident I'll be able to make it through!!

ABC Challenge

So these next two weeks I'm starting my own challenge.  I saw this on my Instagram thingy mer jig, and thought "Oh, this is an awesome idea!"

What "ABC" stands for is "Abs Better than Cake." The thought of that kinda made me all tingly inside! So, I'm on day one, and surprisingly it's not as easy as it may seem. I've told myself "only 13 more days" about 10 times already.  While walking through the store looking at all the yummies, it's staying mentally strong!!

So, here are my personal guidelines:
   1. Tracking ALL food, no matter what!
   2. Trying to double the protein to carbs.
   3. Drink water, water and yeah, more water!
   4. Start eating more color (I'm guilty of white...I need veggie colors!!)

While it may seem simple, it really reduces what you can eat! All of these things mean cutting out a lot of processed foods, watching portion sizes, being aware when I go out, so this is 2 weeks of pure dedication!!

One wrench already gonna be tossed into this machine is an event this upcoming Saturday. This, my friends is going to be my first half marathon!! Oh goodness, 13.1 MILES! I know, many run full marathons, but we're talking about the girl here who, in elementary school couldn't even complete ONE mile! I'm SO nervous but I know I can do this, as long as I'm properly fueled! Last time I ran a 12 mile run, I burned over 1300 calories!! Hmm...well, that's a whole other challenge! :)

So, that's my life the next couple weeks...wish me luck, and join me if you'd like!!!

Woman of the week- Hatshepsut

As is a typical Sunday night in our household my mum and I were sitting at the table discussing politics, which then soon led into religion.  The particular subject however took an interesting turn tonight.  Tonight we talked about women in power.  Everyone from Mary Magdalene (who, contrary to popular belief was not a prostitute, rather a savvy business woman and mother to many) to Greek Goddesses and all the way back to Egyptian pharos.

This gave me an idea. Why, as these women have proven over and over, to be strong willed members of society, are they always looked over so easily? This is 2012 it's time to start looking at women as the strong people they (we) are!  So, once a week I am going to feature a strong woman from history. A woman who, against the norm, stood up for themselves, their families, their country and their beliefs.

Tonight, we go back to 1508 B.C. Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty.

Hatshepsut, daughter of Tuthmose I and Aahmes, both of royal lineage, was the favorite of their three children. When her two brothers died, she was in the unique position to gain the throne upon the death of her father. To have a female pharaoh was unprecedented, and probably most definitely unheard of as well.

As a favorite daughter of a popular pharaoh, and as a charismatic and beautiful lady in her own right, she was able to command enough of a following to actually take control as pharaoh. She ruled until her death in 1458 BC, and left behind more monuments and works of art than any Egyptian queen to come.

As a female, had many obstacles to overcome. There was always a threat of revolt, Using propaganda and keen political skills, she jumped each hurdle she faced. To calm the fears of her people, she became a "king" by dressing in mens garbs. Although there were no wars during her reign, she proved her sovereignty by ordering expeditions to the land of Punt, in present-day Somalia, in search of the ivory, animals, spices, gold and aromatic trees that Egyptians coveted. She spread the word and the wealth of her empire.

Hatshepsut was a master politician, and an elegant stateswoman with enough charisma to keep control of an entire country for twenty years. The propaganda she used to keep her power worked well to cement Hatshepsut's position. 

 In all, Hatshepsut accomplished what no woman had before her. She ruled the most powerful, advanced civilization in the world, successfully, for twenty years. Even if there were some who resented her success, her success stands for all eternity.

Any further accomplishments of Queen Hatshepsut were cut short when the female pharaoh disappeared under mysterious circumstances about twnety years after taking the throne. Her nephew, Thutmose III, immediately regained control of the throne. It has been speculated that he had her assassinated when he became old enough to rule on his own.

While, these accomplishments to todays standards don't seem magnificent, this woman was able to rule a country before any technology, before any official form of writing even! She held the dedication of a nation in the palm of her hand! She took her power from her nephew in the first place (it's even a longer story but an AMAZING read...do it!) an act which was "defiant" and unruly alone. However, because he was not of age and then became ill, Hatshepsut didn't want to sit idly by and watch her country stay still...she did what was needed. 
SO...Pharo Hatshepust, you are week one, WOMAN OF THE WEEK!