And one to grow on....

Well, there's lots to celebrate in the NEW Pittman household! Ben and I are working on five challenging, but joyful years of marriage. We purchased our first home together on August 7th, 2014. It was nothing like I'd thought after many nights of watching HGTV's House Hunters or My First Home. I pictured sitting side by side with our realtor, title company and mortgage lender, one big happy financial family and maybe even popping the cork to my favorite champagne toasting to the success of yet another milestone in our Pittman journey. However, that was not the case. Our original appointment for closing on the houes was cancelled due to the previous owners removing the curtains and rods from the walls before moving out. Those rods were already halfway to North Carolina, and my  heart just stopped. I had no idea a deal could be called quits or put on hold due to curtains. I mean really?! "I can get new curtains, no big deal", I said. But it was in the contract and what lies in the contract stays in the contract. On the bright side and shorter version of our happy ending, our realtor was able to score us a $700 gift card to cover the rods and I was able to meet with the title company one on one, at Tropical Smoothie that evening to sign my life away (without my husband and champagne by my side mind you) before taking off to Hot Springs for a Brain Injury conference. It was not a traditional closing. But long story short, we have our home and it's perfect for us. We couldn't be happier!

And here was the reason for us buying the house. The backyard was love at first sight! The previous owner, from what we've learned from our neighbors, was overly anal and the landscaping definitely goes to show for that. Ben and I have wanted to discover our green thumbs for quite some time, but with the time constraints of both of our jobs, and lack of knowledge, we are gratefully going to go with what we have and learn to manage the built in sprinkler system in the meantime. 

Here is my second favorite purchase. This refrigerator will suffice for my second love in life- cooking! 

Of course I couldn't help but share a little furry love with you all. I took this of bud the other day snuggling with Austyn's Hoppy. What a keeper.

And you know- who doesn't love a little selfie of your grubbiest time- moving day! OR could it be?.... 

Yep, my first baby bump pic of ROUND TWO! Here we go, folks, this is happening. The Pittmans are living, loving, changing and GROWING! Baby 2: Due March 2015! 

Better after Bitter.

Today I am bitter. Why? Why I ask myself. Maybe it's the somber music I play endlessly on the webernet. Maybe it's withdrawals from the magnificent recent vacay I had myself with friends new and old. I walk into the box that is my apartment- ridiculed by dog hair and dirty dishes, just waiting for me to attack. Instead I sigh, huff, and puff, stomp around a bit, take a break from the woe is me briefly for a quick tickle session with my daughter, then back to the low lying tunes once the box falls quiet and the dwellers have all gone to rest the day away. But not me. I'm wide awake, trying to figure out where to strategically place words on a blank screen in order to find some release. 

WHY? Is it the continuous thoughts that the little money we do have, which we've somehow managed to get by on, is simply not enough? How can one even fathom the thought when all basic needs are met? I don't know, but I do. I feel stuck in a place of just getting by. 

I'm constantly twisted, contorted, into this crazy ball of stress. Anxiety has been looming it's ugly head over me more frequently lately. What on earth? I would like so much to take my hands and grasp tightly around the fine threads at the end of this control rope. I'm trying desperately to keep it all together. My mind wonders into the what ifs, and what should have beens all too often. I find myself plugging numbers into the most random of equations and often fall asleep doing the math that makes no sense for me to even question at all. What is all of this? Hey, at least I'm sleeping. I'm so run down at the end of the day that it's all I look forward to once I hit the sack. 

I think it's time for me to take a leap. Find the things that make me really happy. The things I use to do when I pictured my life differently. I was all too young to really realize what it was all worth. I wanted a life full of partnership, marriage, and possibly a baby. But I wasn't ever close to obtaining such bliss. So instead I found things that help me pass the time: writing, singing, working out, and occasionally painting. I think I finally came to grips with the fact that I was one sucky painter. But now that I'm a mom I kind of want to put that energy into other crafts. The writing thing is challenging. Kind of like sex. I have good intentions of following through and think of it on occasions  but in all honesty have become complacent with the not. Again, I don't know why. I think the lives of a married women, with children, all too often revolve around the to do lists and we forget to follow through with the good intentions of taking care of ourselves. Whether it be a massage, getting your nails/hair done, going out and buying a nice outfit for yourself, setting up a night to go out with girlfriends, or finding a nice, quiet corner of a library or coffee shop to pull out the laptop and pound away on the keys to let go of the weekday aggression that comes with the matriarchal role. 

I need to make a pledge to better this side of myself. Otherwise, I'm going to seriously go crazy. I made that resolution to run five 5ks this year. Well, I've done a grand total of ZERO!!! That's ridiculous. I have the opportunity to get three knocked out in the next two months. We'll see how I do. I'm also seriously trying to find an outlet where I can plug my voice into. I really do miss singing. I have no idea whether or not to consider myself of any talent, but I think its important to get back out there and try. So with this blog under my belt, wine free I should add, that leaves me with  the few other personal aims to reach for in the near future. 

1: run my little, okay who am I kidding, plump butt off
2: explore creative outlets. I'm thinking since money is a big life stressor for me right now that singing might actually be the cheaper route. Scrapbooking and paint supplies have often ran up quite the hefty bill. 
3: Continue to get my thoughts out on paper, er, computer. 
4: schedule AT LEAST monthly girl outings-weekends preferred. 

DONE and DONE!!!!! 

Tue DO's Day

Just got done making my list of to do's and it just so happen to be for Tuesday. Hardy Har Har. ;)


One thing I wanted to blog about and that's been on my mind quite frequently as of lately is my health. I'm really starting to feel the physical shift in my age. While I'm rocking the mom role, raising a two year old, while just recently graduating with my master's in speech pathology, I'm really starting to feel the energy levels decrease with the day to day demands of it all. My eye sight is becoming just a hair shy of being poor, the little things I use to do to "stay in shape" are no longer effective in keeping a 29 year old body toned. My skin is no longer taut as it once appeared, and about a month ago I discovered my first REAL gray hair. However, if you know me, you know that for the last six months I've acquired a more natural hair color from my previous bleach blonde look. So it may be so that the gray hairs have been there for some time, it's just that I'm just now starting to show my true colors.


Today my chiro hubby reexamined me after several months of undergoing sporadic chiropractic treatments. You'd think being married to a chiropractor I would be completely and perfectly in line with no symptoms of headaches or back pains. Well, it all goes far beyond an occasional ache here and there and notice I said "sporadic treatments". While chiropractic care is great for those fender bender whip lash incidents; the healing powers (which inevitably I've learned is just a stepping stone to providing the body with the tools it needs to heal itself) allow for life changing, disease preventing intervention. It's really cool  (a total understatement).


I'm writing this blog as more of a reminder for myself to come back to. I also tend to carry things out much better if I put them in writing first. It helps me remember things I guess. Part of my "Tue Do's Day" list consisted of a Max T3 work out + a venture out to walk the dogs. This is twice the workout my body has been deprived of in the last few months as my final REAL semester in graduate school just about exhausted me mentally which in turn did not leave much room for physical relief (exercise).


There are two other major factors that I'm planning on taking on outside of exercising.
1- eating better. My body doesn't respond as well to the grains and sugars as it use to. I could go on and on about things I'm learning about these two "dieatary" elements, but it's a long hard process to eliminate the two things that the majority of us are severely addicted to. I will leave you with this and elaborate more another time, but the grains and sugars cause serious inflammation in your body which unfortunately result in disease and decomposition. An aging body should be healed and restored with good fats, proteins, and omegas... not filled with foods that make it break down at a faster rate. Like I said I'll write more on this  later , but I still have a lot to learn and if I said much more I would sound like a total hypocrite considering the things I've been feeding my body lately.


2- I promised my hubs I would make an effort to use spinal molds on a daily basis, making them a part of my daily routine. This sounds like such a little to do, but it took me over 6 months to just make a trip down town to pick them up from my friend who's house I left them in upon moving out. So we only had the one pair between Ben and I. Since he was already in the routine of using them, on most nights he used them. To use the spinal molds, most often one lies on them while in bed, falling asleep on them. This means no spinal mold time for ol' Kels. Well, I got mine back... so there. Now I have no excuse.


3-.... which I didn't mention a third in earlier writing, but I will also need to make the commitment to be adjusted on a regular schedule. This means committing to going to see my husband 3x a week for the next 3 months.




This will be a genuine journey that I am about to embark on. While it may not seem exciting for some, it will be a transformation to say the least. While you may not be able to see the changes on the outside, everything will be happening from within, which I've always heard is where true beauty comes from. What could be more beautiful than feeling good and living life to the fullest!? I'll keep y'all posted!

Sweeter than this?

This Valentines day I'm planning on making my sweetie one of his favorite sweets: Brownies. Yes, my hubby is a simple man, but he is far beyond ordinary. For the last 4 days Ben has been on an intense detox. The program has consisted of consuming only one green vegetable a day. He's eaten nothing but zucchini (day 1), celery (day 2), broccoli (day 3), and cucumber (today). Tomorrow he is finishing the detox with eating only sugar snap peas (one of our house favorites). His liquid intake consists of only drinking CLEAN- highly filtered water and 4 Clear shakes a day (contains 15g of protein).  I'm so proud of him for sticking with it. One of the first things he noticed was how great his skin looked on his face. Just glowing- as if he wasn't already ;). Most of you that know him see Ben as an extremely happy extrovert, always holding a glass that is half FULL! The detox has definitely taken a toll on energy and had made him seem... well, not himself. Who could be overtly enthusiastic about barely eating, but he's managed very well.  He has one more day to go before his first "real" meal. We'll be going out for some delicious sushi! I'm not sure who's more excited- but probably him. I wanted to share all this along with the Brownie recipe that I'll be preparing for those of you who might be considering a dreaded, gulp, "DIET". Dieting doesn't have to be miserable. In fact you can enjoy many of your favorites while taking in to account a few considerations. Maximized Living has been a wonderful company for our family to fall into. And we are very excited to share with everyone we know the amazing things we are learning, living and loving. Hope you'll try this recipe with me, and let me know what you think! Cheers & Happy Valentines Day! 


*all of my comments will be denoted by parentheses ( )
* also note that I mentioned the glycemic index. It is important to consume foods low on the glycemic index when trying to lose weight (i.e. substituting coconut flour and Almond meal for regular flour. As regular flour pretty much turns to sugar as soon as it hits your tongue).
-KB

Brownies

Ingredients

1/3 cup Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (unrefined) or butter, melted (unsalted- organic preferably).

½ cup cocoa powder

6 eggs (all natural, free range)

1 cup sugar (i'm substituting 1 tsp of liquid stevia- an all natural sweetener that is very low on the glycemic index- very important for losing weight- I purchased my bottle at Kroger- in the natural foods section, about $9.00 but lasts a looooong time!)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup sifted Organic Coconut Flour- (found most often at natural food stores. I bought mine for $5.50/can... also lasts a long time). 

1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

MMMMM... I can't wait! I'll post a picture if I remember! Enjoy! 

Hitting the Ground Hogs Day Runnin...

Man, I had a new years resolution to write more and looks like I'm going to average about one a month. No biggie, I'm in it, and that's what matters. Speaking of being in it... life has proved to be somewhat challenging as of late. Ben and I are working our way into 3 years of marriage. The reality of settling into the daily grind has established far sooner than I ever imagined when I was just a girl picturing a life full of a marital bliss. The honeymoon phase dissipates; work and children become the norm while individual interests and passions are placed on the back burner. That is the truth of marriage; the part that no one tells you about up front. But if you’re a couple that truly wants to exist as one, you learn to deal, cope, strategize, and make due while the hard times pass, and most importantly to survive.

Not to sound all dark and drably because Ben and I have been so blessed in so many areas. But as I mentioned, the daily grind has begun to take a toll on the everyday ease of being in love. Last night we went to bed without really embracing or appreciating one another. At 4:20 in the a.m. he came down to hug me bye as he was leaving for a 3 day “work” conference in Orlando. I say “work” because last November I had the opportunity to go with him to one of these conferences. Maximized Living has a way of really revving you up and wanting you to achieve a better you. When I came back home after the last conference I had so much energy and passion to kick the tail end of the semester in the caboose! My studies have nothing to do with chiropractic, but I was charged to go and do better, make a difference. However, tonight they are out watching Circ De Soleil- Something I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO!! It’s hard for me not to grudge his trip away with 4 young women, but I have to learn to look on the bright side of things. While he’s away, the house is still. Austyn went down early, and I’m able to sit here in peace. Both of my dogs are curled on the couch with me while I blare (in my opinion) good music and write my little heart away. This is something that I constantly complain about not having time to do. It’s so cliché but the heart really does grow fonder with distance and time. Ben and I come from a long road of waiting and space between us. What a little feat this will be.

I have upcoming boards and Praxis exams within the month. My stress levels are at an all-time high. While I have struggled to obtain this Master’s degree for the last 7 years I know that the hard work is soon to be behind me. I’m looking forward to focusing on my day time job of an SLP and every other waking minute doing what I’m most passionate about- being a wife and mother. If I haven’t put it into words lately: I love my little girl more than anything in the world. She deserves everything that her Father and I could possibly give her, which is why Ben and I are in the daily grind to begin with. To make ourselves better not only for us and our daughter, but for the Maker who gave us the opportunities to stand where we are in the first place. “Life is too short to be anything but kind to one another” (I was told this tonight by an unexpected friend). I will strive to carry that with me within my marriage when I’m doubting or self- loathing. I will take this with me when I’m at work or at school. I will do my best to display this so that my daughter has a good example to live by. So thank you to the one who shared that piece of kindness with me tonight. You helped me see the light for which I’ve been searching for lately.  =)

New Beginnings....

     Well, happy new year everyone! I can't believe another one has already come and gone. Its true what they say about the older you get the faster they go. 2011 was a peculiar, but eventful year indeed. I believe that Ben and I really got a taste of the family life and what it means to really be married. We just recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary and though I know I love him more with everyday, we definitely had our fair share of marital moments. Its been so long since I last blogged that I could probably sit here for 24 hours straight and still not catch you up on everything that has happened. I'll go with the biggest and latest of trials and triumphs.
      Ben got a new job in Little Rock, Ar. He began on October 17th, which was also the day he proposed to me two years ago. While he began training I stayed in Fayetteville, Ar with our daughter Austyn, whom I have dubbed AG in other sharing posts. He's working for a company called Maximized Living under a very successful female chiropractor named Dr. Traci Bishop. Their center is called Natural State Health Center. To say that Ben is enjoying the new setting would be an understatement. I wish I could go into more detail about how it is all ran, but there's so much more I need to learn before I can accurately explain exactly what they do. In a nutshell, Ben's previous work was more specific to pain management through chiropractic adjustments. Maximized Living offers a WHOLE WELLNESS approach, and when I say that, I mean they really help you get to the core of any physical, medical, and stress related illnesses. Its amazing really to hear/see stories of their patients transformations!


     As of 2 weeks ago, AG and I finally got to make the move down to LR after finishing up a very strenuous semester at the UofA. I wish that I could say FINISHED with graduate school, but I'm looking at 7ish more months to go. This semester will also be very trying, but I'm done with my core curriculum and off to assist in the real world in an early intervention program at a local public school (Crystal Hill Elementary). I'm am completely and utterly excited to finally get a taste of off campus speech pathology expertise! While attending my internship, I will also begin an additional certification process that will qualify me as an autism specialist. Now I won't actually obtain that certificate until after I graduate, but its all online so it shouldn't be too difficult of a process.


     Ben and I got a town home apartment in West Little Rock, which is where we currently reside. Everything is fabulous out here. Though its a little bit more expensive than what we're used to, we're really enjoying our surroundings. The only downside to the apartment living are the dogs and a serious lack of running room. This brings me closer to announcing my new years resolutions. I was lost in a bittersweet daydream about moving back to LR when we decided to make the change. Though I have several more great friends here that I've been dying to reunite with for years, I was worried that the environment wouldn't be as conducive to our lifestyle as what we had in Northwest Arkansas. There we had so many trails, parks, water access, our favorite Frisbee golf courses, a BACKYARD! (oh how I miss that backyard)... what would LR be lacking in those areas? Well, in two short weeks, I'm relearning that LR has so much to offer! Recently, two of my good friends and I took AG over the new Two Rivers Bridge. What a beautiful little park! Its got an amazing bike trail that connects between the Two Rivers Park and Maumelle Park, and I'm pretty sure that it also connects down to the Big Dam Bridge, but I could be wrong about that. There are also two dog parks that I've heard of now that we will be taking the dogs to on the weekends, and LR is also home to a very large running community. OH! And my step brother, Tim, is leasing some land that Ben got to visit yesterday and fell absolutely in love with. He's thinking about jumping on that wagon to have instant access to hunting, exploring, and swimming holes. Sounds good to me! So as we can see... LR? So far so good!
And if I haven't mentioned already, I'm having a tremendous time catching up with those old friends.


    This brings me to what I'd like 2012 to help me carry out in goals:


1: Last year I made a goal to run at least two 5ks... only two, because it wasn't too intimidating of a number that I could experiment with the running process and see if I liked it and if I hated the first 5k well hey at least I met my goal by 50% ;) .
-This year I'm making a goal to run five 5ks. If I get to the fourth and am still charged about running I'm going to shoot for my first 10k at the end of the year.


2: With Ben's new job comes infinite tools to help you eat and live a better life. One of those tools is called a Core Plan. It helps you eliminate sugars from your diet resulting in less inflammation in your body. I'm making a goal to complete an Advanced Core Plan within the coming months while cleaning out my cupboards and pantry to resemble a more maximized life!
-Eat Well!


3: Writing this blog has really helped me de-clutter a lot of what was in my mind. In 2011 I lost touch with writing a bit. Life got really busy, and I was more enthralled with watching AG grow than talking about it. She changed and grew so much in the last year and now I'm kind of sad I didn't talk more about it. We do have lots of pictures though =)
-Get back into writing and sharing.


4a: This year is going to hold so many good things for us Pittmans. I know that in a year we will likely face some trials and sorrows, but with God to lean on we will get through those hard times. As I begin a new job and Ben's practice begins to take off we are really getting excited thinking about our finances and what other responsibilities we'll have seeing those finances grow. One is to start paying down the massive amount of school debt we have, but also to start really being more responsible about contributing to our savings. We want to live a debt free life eventually and that's going to take some discipline and better organization skills on both of our parts.
-Start a stronger savings account (for our 1st house, AG's college, and retirement)
-Pay off debt in ten years, MAX!


4b: Making more money also helps with achieving more pleasures. Though Ben and I believe that Money doesn't buy you happiness, it does make things a lot easier when you have a little more of it. God has provided us with absolutely everything we have needed and more these past couple of years and we couldn't be more grateful. But one thing is for sure, Ben and I have not had the opportunity to travel and grow through vacation destinations. We are definitely planning on saving some of that money to go towards a few trips in the near future to make sure we can take the time for ourselves and really enjoy one another while making memories in shared traveling. We really want to do a couple of trips out west. One destination being Lake Tahoe, and the other being Alaska. Eventually we'll start doing out of the country stuff, but we both know that there is so much for us to see here in our precious states first!
-Travel

     I think these are the main points I wanted to hit this year. I have some ideas for fasting that I'll blog about later, because I know whatever it is that I plan to fast it will be difficult as I've never fully committed to one for more than a couple of days. Looking forward to seeing what other surprises will be held for us and those we love this year. Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and loving new year! Cheers!

-KBP

COW PADDY 5k!

I didn't want to forget this moment, so I thought I should blog as soon as I saw this. I completed my first 5k this past friday night. I'm really looking forward to future runs to come. Who knows, maybe I'll actually one day cross off completing a marathon, from my bucket list =)

5k time 28:59

http://proofs.ironsidephotography.com/Sports/Cow-Paddy-Run-2011/16696818_R5dJpN#1263670845_F52MdwJ-XL-LB