09.10.11

Some favorite photos from our wedding day.

dawgs

don't mind hazel, she's just enjoying dad's beer

Well, it's football season and we are so excited. Loving the lazy weekends watching games, especially the part where we eat yummy food and enjoy the company of friends. The girls got their own Husky gear. I know, I know...but it was just so cute I had to.

Don't worry Hazel, I think I know how to get these things off!

Other things going on...

been getting my craft on

headbands for the kids at home

drying my excessive amounts of basil

been getting myself organized-highlights include prepping all of Zack's lunches for the week and getting all September birthday cards and presents lined up and ready to go. organizing is always a work in progress

zack is busy with night flights and prepping for a cross country

six months and counting...

It was important to get away this weekend. Not only to see my dad and Nancy, celebrate some family birthdays, and get the heck out of Enid...but also to get my mind off all the things I missed in Seattle this weekend. Although I wasn't able to be there, I was celebrating in spirit one friend's wedding and another's wedding celebrations. Missing my best friend's bridal shower and bachelorette party was tough. Those are once-in-a-lifetime events, I miss her like crazy, and what kind of best-friend-bridesmaid am I anyway? 

I wish I could be everywhere at once. 

Obviously I would not have wanted to give away this weekend. We had so much fun! It was our first road trip with Hazel. And we survived!

Hadley helped us navigate through the difficult Kansas terrain.

We got very excited for Nebraska Football.

Hazel stayed very clean.

We fit in at the fair.

We have now lived in Enid for six months. You probably think these last six months have flown by. We think that these six months have dragged on and on. I think time stands still in the Midwest. Something about being in Central Time makes it seem like everyone else is rushing through time and you're stuck in the middle watching it all go on around you. But, I'm thinking this week will go quickly. I love short work weeks!

Good Fortune

Last couple weeks in photos. 

1-all we do is fight over sticks

2-hadley is desperate for her starbucks fix

3-we love packages!

4-haircut

5-T-6 sunset

6-hadley in daddy's underpants

7-zachariah's birthday cupcakes

8-apparently hadley needs a bath

9-yeah, we spoon

Our weekend celebrating in OKC. 

Yes, I was excited for a Dippin' Dots vending machine!

Zack got a fortune cookie at PF Changs that had this fortune in it...

I think this is a good sign we will get helicopters and be off to Ft Rucker just like we want!

The dogs were left overnight for the first time. And I got to sleep in for the first time since February! Hazel got bored and took it out on our area rugs and Zack's birthday cards : ( The kids watching them wore them out so much they weren't even excited to see us when we came home.

Our new thing this week is going to the dog park every night after work. It's pretty entertaining.

Today I got my anniversary present.

My husband spoils me...and I let him.

Yesterday Zachariah had his final contact checkride. Getting closer...

Two & Four-ever

Today is our anniversary. Four years ago we started this beautiful journey together. Two years ago today we said, "I do." Today I love my husband more than every day of our time together combined! It has been amazing to see how God continues to change our lives together.

Dave Matthews Concert the first weekend we were dating

the gorge

08.29.10

getting married at bethany

Love him

victoria BC

Celebrating in OKC last weekend

botanical gardens

It's a special day for our very special relationship. We are so lucky to have one another, and I truly couldn't be happier. Thank you, Zack for being my best friend, taking such great care of me, and being the love of my life.

Here's to 25!

Today is my most wonderful husband's birthday. It's always fun for me to celebrate him and make an extra special day for the man I love and cannot live without! This year, Zack chose that day to be Sunday. He decided he couldn't wait to open his presents so he just went at it on Sunday after church.

The dogs helped.

And admired his new kicks.

And were interested in his new watch.

And got him a card from the two of them.

I am loving today. Got up to have a nice breakfast with Zack before work and have plans to keep enjoying his birthday later this week. I love that he lets me make fun of what an old man he is--and that no matter how old we are I always get to do that!

Zachariah, I am proud of all you have accomplished this last year. God has truly blessed us. Twenty-four brought a short-lived career at WSDOT, the beginning of an active duty career USAF, our wedding, flying, living in the cabin, trips to...Port Townsend and other parts of Washington, Portland, Montana, Reno, Houston, San Francisco, Mexico, Phoenix, and everywhere between Seattle and Enid, saying goodbye to Seattle, our first house at Vance, becoming an uncle again, puppies, and a whole lot of fun along the way. Here's to twenty-five and a great year ahead of you! 

my handsome birthday boy

Since last post we have enjoyed rain, friends (and a friend's birthday), more homemade ice cream (we may enjoy this too often), playful pups, and a fun date night. Also, I completed my last Insanity workout. Well, until next week when we start again. The 59th and 60th day were brutal--after work on a Friday and then Saturday morning. But we finished! We lost some along the way, gained others, and then lost them. But 3 of us did almost the full 60 days. I was the one who unfortunately makes the word "almost" necessary. I missed a couple times when we had family in town, once when my alarm didn't get set, and a couple days when getting to the gym at 0500 was just impossible. But for the most part, I did it. We're starting again, so I have another chance to meet my attendance goals better this time!

Dear Hazel

Dear Hazel,

At first I wasn't really sure what the heck you were doing in my house with my toys and my parents. Now I'm just wondering where you went--I guess I got used to having you around. I'm bored today. I have no sister to get me into trouble while mom and dad are gone. I didn't get in trouble for moving all the area rugs. The laundry room floor wasn't covered in water for everyone to step in. I was able to eat my breakfast at my normal slow pace, in fact, almost all of it is still in my bowl and it's already the afternoon. Mom didn't even have to use her new Windex wipes she made just for your nose markings. The mailman and neighbors have been walking by all day and I've forgotten to bark at them! It's a pretty strange day. Can't wait for you to come back and make this house a little more noisy, a lot more messy, and way more fun.

Love,

Hadley

Well Hazel is gone for a couple days getting spayed. She got dirty while dog sitting Piper this weekend. Then, she rolled around in the mud with Maizey, Piper, and (kinda) Hadley and got dirty again on Tuesday. I knew she won't be able to get bathed for two weeks because of her stitches, so I tried so hard to bathe her AGAIN before she went to the vet. What did she do this morning? Oh yes, that's right, dug holes in the backyard. Whatever, I tried. What was I thinking getting a white dog?

My week started off rough. Monday - flat tire. Tuesday - tick bite. My first bee sting, my first tick bite...have I mentioned Oklahoma is not my favorite state? Hadley was the first to get a tick and then Zack. I guess it was my turn (watch out Hazel!). I called my husband crying because I couldn't get it out and I didn't know what to do. I picked him up from work and he saved me! I am so pathetic. I have no idea what I'd do without him somedays.

But the week is turning around. We got a RAINY day! We had almost forgotten what an overcast sky looked like and what rain smelled like. It was wonderful. I enjoyed work SO much that day. I thought of Seattle all day long and kept planning everything I want to do when we're home in December. Zack went for a run in the rain for the first time since we moved here (he missed all the spring showers while he was at IFS). During his run he thought about helicopters. I'm thinking helos are going to be his number one choice. In the meantime we've been putting the word out so we can get into contact with AF rotary wing pilots.

I've been trying some new recipes and recycling some favorites.

Also, I've been pretty nostalgic. Seeing some layouts of graduation make me think of school and how I actually do want to go back someday. Thinking about tapping into that GI Bill when I can--getting paid for school sounds so much better than paying for it.

Seeing the new seniors starting school and getting senior pictures taken make me think of good 'ole RHS. Also, when we first started dating Zack wanted a picture of me and I sent him some of my senior pictures. We're about to celebrate our anniversary, and it's weird to think that this is about how young I was when we met. He gets creeped out when I remind him I was only 18. Ha.

 

flashback!

 Some very good friends of ours just got engaged. We are very happy for them and were so excited! Made me think of our trip to Leavenworth when Zack proposed. I'm anxious for our 4th trip together back to our special place this December. Here's a picture from our engagement weekend

1 down, 4 to go

Well it's Monday. Want to know how I know that? I'm currently waiting for someone to rescue me because I got a flat tire on the work truck. I don't think I am making friends with the service center and I'm also pretty sure I'll never hear the end of this. First, my transmission; then, my speakers; now, my tire. My poor truck sure takes some abuse.

On a good note, I completed my first project from Preconstruction to Final Inspection. There weren't even any punch list items. Unbelievable, right? I think they must have had an incredible inspector-I'm just sayin'... I guess work isn't all that bad. It's even cooling off around here!

This weekend we did some purchasing. We bought a bar-it's a beautiful solid cherry bar and now takes over our living room/dining room. Gotta love the Vance AFB Yard Sale Facebook Group. Then, of course, we had to stock up because somehow since we moved here we've gotten low on some of our supply. We even made a special order at our favorite store in town, Proof. :)

Other highlights - the girls' room (aka the laundry room) got a mini makeover/organization. I made the best angel food cake I've ever baked to date. We hung out at a class BBQ. To end it all, we had friends over to watch the closing ceremonies. And, as usual, we got some serious laze time in this weekend.

Now I'm just looking forward to the next good weekend. One day down, 4 to go.

Perspective

This week we got a new child to sponsor. Our first girl we started sponsoring a few years ago lives in Sri Lanka. The village she lives in has been improved and World Vision is moving on to new communities facing challenges to overcome. Although it is sad to say goodbye to Ashani, it is really incredible to see how God is able to use our contributions all the way on the other side of the world. We now have a new little girl we are sponsoring in Sri Lanka. Here are our reminder photos on the fridge:

Here is a link if you're interested in child sponsorship:

World Vision

We began watching Human Planet last night to continue our BBC Series obsession! It makes me want to travel and send money to other countries! It is crazy to see how different people's lives are from our own, and it puts things into perspective.

Tomorrow Zack has a check ride! An example of putting things into perspective...We stress over things like flying a multi-million dollar aircraft for the world's greatest Air Force!

Oh, and let's not forget our dogs who truly have the hard life...

$1

UPT is full of traditions. After your dollar ride (first ride), students give their IP a dollar in some creative way. Here is what Zack did for his IP who is planning his honeymoon in Seattle.

Missing home...

Our Weekend

This weekend everyone worked on adjusting to adding Hazel to the family. There are new Pittman House Rules that are unfavorable to the only child, Princess Hadley, and just get in the way of her power struggle. The first night we had Hazel it was a "Yay! I have a best friend!" the second night was "Hey! That's my toy and you can't borrow it anymore!" They play tug-of-war and have learned to wait till a toy is dropped and sneakily steal it from the other. Hadley is struggling for dominance-she's putting up a good fight for such a small girl. By yesterday they were playing very well together and Hadley has even learned how to tackle Hazel! Best part of my weekend was Hazel teaching Hadley how to sleep in til 0830! Made my Sunday morning perfect!

Learning to be a sister is not an easy task. It makes me think a lot of our personalities and where we fall in our own families. Being the first born proves to create the greatest of all kids, of course ;) On a more serious note, though, watching Hadley learning to be a sister makes us say, "this is why we won't have an only child," several times a day. Hazel, who has always been a little sister, is just a little lover.

It's hard for me to learn to be a good sister, too. Daughter, wife, friend, granddaughter...all the other roles I fill seem to come much more naturally for me. Sister-I'm working on. Who would've thought these little puppies are teaching us so much?

Other things this weekend included grilled sockeye at Dan's house - yum! I got a little crafty working on cards and headbands again. Zack began studying for instruments - yuck! We had a wicked thunderstorm and temperatures finally dropped. We also began talking about Helos... 

I said a few things I thought would never come out of my mouth this weekend including, "I would be okay with you flying helos," and "I think Alabama would be nicer than Oklahoma." Zack track selects in November. Something that has always been on his mind is how cool it would be to be a combat search and rescue helicopter pilot. Pros to this career choice would be -- a more rewarding mission, more time actually piloting (no auto-pilot), pretty decent bases, and the list just kind of keeps going along these lines. The con as a wife is no ejection seat! I've always thought helos would be too dangerous and never wanted Zack to consider them. But it comes down to this - I want Zack to do something that is fulfilling and he is passionate about. I know he is passionate about flying and would have the time of his life in any cockpit, but if a search and rescue mission is really his desire then I'll have to trust God will protect him. I know ultimately no matter what we end up deciding we want to do in the Air Force, it will be God's decision for where His plan takes us. I know that we will be stationed where He wants us to be and where His work is to be done through our lives. But this weekend we really tossed around the hypothetical questions and have started to pray about what comes next. Because...before we know it November will be here! We've already started booking Christmas Vacation and have been planning out the rest of our year -- time really only flies from here.

H&H

We are very excited to announce/introduce the newest member of our family, Hazel. She is a Westiepoo that we got last night from our neighbors. She is just a few days younger than Hadley (but is almost twice the size) and they are already the best of sisters. I now have two little girls at my feet all the time, begging for my attention (or…usually, food).

Here’s the scoop in a nutshell… a little while ago I got the brilliant idea we should get another puppy so that Hadley wasn’t alone all day. I thought it would be cute to have playful pups and figured two dogs can’t be that much more work than one (yeah, I know…probably not true, but I guess we’ll see soon enough). I told Zack this brilliant idea and he thought I was a little crazy. Then I saw that our neighbors were unfortunately going to have to give up their puppy. I texted Zack at work and said how sad it was we wouldn’t see Hazel outside anymore. He suggested we adopt her! Seriously, it was that easy. No arm twisting. No leg pulling. Just a mere statement and my husband made the suggestion on his own! J Well, it wasn’t like I was going to say “No.” I was a little hesitant, at first. I kept asking Zack if he thought we could do it. Of course, he said it would be easy because he’s the one who sleeps with ear plugs in and never gets up at the crack of dawn for a potty break. After talking about it for a day, we decided we would love to have a Haddlebugs and a Hazelnut. So, we do and we love her!

The pups are inseparable and play so well together. They even sleep together, it's precious. Getting a puppy this way is just about as perfect as it gets. She is housetrained, kennel trained, and very well behaved. All the hard work is over! Now I get to just enjoy! Here is the only downside I’ve discovered so far—getting a dog twice the size as Hadley = 3x the poop… didn’t really calculate that one beforehand…

This post should have really been titled “H&H&H” because there is Hadley, Hazel, and it is freakishly HOT! This week has been 111 (or higher) every single day. Let me just say this, on the record, I will never ever complain about the rain, clouds, or cold for as long as I live. I will, however, still complain about the snow whenever I have to shovel it. Note that I did not say I would not complain about that. I heard Enid was the hottest city in the country on Wednesday…and I believe it! I was working outside all day and melting. There is not really an end in sight for this ridiculous heat wave. There was a little bit of rain today and boy was it such a nice relief. Lately we’ve been occupying ourselves with everything and anything…as long as it is indoors! The hardest part to get used to is how late it gets hot here. When I take the pups outside before bed, it’s usually 106. It’s still triple digits after midnight! ugh.

Wish us luck on our first weekend as a family of four!

Red Solo Tank

We had cable installed yesterday just in perfect time to watch the opening ceremonies tonight. We've been pretty excited for the Olympics. Tonight we're all going to be lounging on the couch. I will just be having a lazy Friday night. Zack will be resting after a week of many flights and his first T-6 solo. Hadley will be recovering. Sounds like a perfect Family Friday Night to me.

Zack had his first T-6 solo today! Pretty exciting, I know. I even had the chance to watch. 

After each student completes their initial solo, his classmates dunk him in a tank. Zack's class painted the tank to be a Red Solo Cup Tank. Needless to say, that song has been stuck in our heads on "repeat" for awhile now.

God has been blessing us a lot lately, and I've been trying to remind myself of that each day. Recently I have been so disappointed with some family, but also completely supported by others. I have been confused as to how God is using me and what his plans are, but I need to just keep following Him the best ways I know how. Meanwhile, I have been making some future plans and goals for myself. I know we will see where God actually takes us, but I have gotten Zack's definite "yes" that I can quit working-if I choose to-in 1,191 days. Not that I'm counting or anything. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I have career goals that now I can set to an actual time frame. *Note: this is the really anal-retentive side of me that is now in writing for all to see. I want to obtain a GS position, more than double my current salary, and knock those student loans down like crazy - or make them disappear. I think these goals are all completely obtainable, and I would like them to be all done in this time frame just so that I feel I have more freedom to choose where and how my time and energy are best spent. I want to have the freedom to begin all the projects I come up with in my head all day long while I'm stuck at work.

Too Quiet

In the last week we have been keeping pretty entertained, and now our house is too quiet. 

Over the weekend, we spent a day in the city watching Batman, shopping, and eating with friends. I made a slight error in online ticket purchasing, but the day turned out to be a ton of fun anyway.

Then, we had the most wonderful visit with Jer, Abby and the kids. It was incredibly special to host such a fun family. Our nephews and niece are too cute for words and we had a blast playing with them. We talked life, military, and family with Jer and Abby; we cooked, grilled, baked and, of course, ate; Zack wrestled and played video games with the big kids; we all spent some time at the children's museum and castle playground; Hadley got worn out with 5 little ones all wanting to chase her; our house surprisingly successfully fit the 9 of us; and we just truly enjoyed our precious time with family. Can't wait for the next time we get together.

Today we experienced a downside to military life. Our first friend to move away, Dane, left this morning for Pensacola. Fortunately, he crashed here on his last night in Oklahoma so we got to spend some time with him and say goodbye. The whole moving-for-the-military thing is exciting when you're the one moving away, but it's sad when you're the one staying behind. Dane is our friend from Seattle who commissioned with Zack and ended up at Vance just a little before us. It was comforting to have a familiar face when we came to Vance, and we have enjoyed all the time we've shared together reminiscing over Seattle. Also, it is hard to see him go to the warm beaches of Florida while we're stuck in Enid--I am SO jealous, Pensacola was our number one pick on our wish list.  

Our little Hadley went in to the vet this morning to get spayed. Poor little thing is now getting some follow up vaccines and a few baby teeth pulled, too. We can't pick her up until tomorrow evening, and that makes me pretty sad. It's pretty quiet without her around, and it is pretty lonely to come home to a completely empty house with no one to greet you at the door. I've been focusing on all the positive things, though. For example, this is my first night ever that I won't have to wake up before my alarm to let her out in the morning. If only it was Saturday morning tomorrow...

Top 1 - Hadley when we first crossed the Okla"H"oma border

Top 2 - Hadley now...she's so big! I felt so bad leaving her at the vet this morning

Bottom 3 - Our new obsession. The Duchesse

Bottom 4 - My husband can cook some amazing dinners for me

Been Busy

As you can see, we had a busy (but very fun) visit for the 4th of July. Dad, Nancy and Brian came to hang out with us and celebrate Father's day, Independence Day, an anniversary and a birthday! We had lots of food to go with all the celebrations!

Highlights of the trip:

• Fireworks
• Visiting OU Campus
• Hearts
• BBQ Joint
• OKC Memorial
• Bricktown
• Corn Hole
• Cake(s)!
• A Little Bit of Seattle

Since then, here's what we've been up to:

• Hadley is losing her baby teeth
• Hadley has a new shock collar because a no-fence backyard was not working
• A Little Bit of Seattle -- we can't help it. It's Christmas in July gelato and sometimes you just have to have some egg nog gelato to make it til December
• Pool Time, lots of it!
• Relaxing :) and hanging out with friends!

This week Zack has a late schedule, so we won't see each other. I'm out of the house from 0500-1700 and Zack is out of the house from 1130-2330. I have a roommate this week instead of a husband. Can't wait til Saturday.  Hoping I have a productive week and it flies by. I'm assuming Zack's week will fly by :)

dolla...holla!

Zack had his dollar ride in the T-6 on Tuesday.

I am so proud of his hard work to get to this very exciting first flight in UPT. What an awesome job my husband has.

P Flight saved the best for last. Zack was the very last one to get to do his dollar ride, though he had been bumped around on the schedule for the last few days. But...it finally happened and was a success--despite a little air sickness. A great beginning for many T-6 flights to come.

Dog Tired

This is what Hadley looks like after an exhausting play day. This weekend we dog-sat for the neighbors. Friday night Hadley played with Piper and Saturday and Sunday she spent a lot of time with Chester and Lilah. Hadley learned how to hold her own, bark back, and play fetch with a real sized tennis ball (her tennis balls at home are about 1/3 the size). All these dogs provided much entertainment all weekend long, and they even made me want a second dog. Don't worry, I came to my senses after remembering all the work Hadley was and is and always will be. We're a one dog family, for now. But we'll have to continue these play dates because it's pretty fun to watch all the pups play.

Zack's dog-tired, too. Besides the 12 hour workdays and studying, I made him join me in Insanity this weekend. After completing the workout and puking, he told me he wanted a divorce. Ha! Now he can understand the pain! (sorry, babe :)

I'm not so tired because I got to enjoy a 4-day weekend (I know, spoiled girl with too many perks working for the city). But I did come back to kind of a weird Monday morning.

Highlights:

1) Computer broken

2) Truck won't be fixed for another couple weeks :(

3) And the best for last, a crow flew straight into the back of my head. It hurt. Bad. What the heck?

So, you know, work is always fun.

On Monday's you just have to remember the fun from last weekend: pool days, BBQ Joint, movies, meals with friends, church potluck; and look forward to the next weekend: Dad, Nancy, and Bugs in town!