Goodbye November...

Well...It's almost impossible for me to stay caught up with this, but I figured I had better finish my days of being thankful.  If any of you have been reading my previous posts, I'm sure you noticed that I was thankful for my saturday's TWICE.  Apparently I think they are pretty awesome, but just go with it.

21st- JAKERS!!! I am so thankful for this delicious place that Case and I love to eat at every time we go to Twin.

22nd- Of course I'm thankful for Thanksgiving and the time I get to spend with my new family.  (The RICHMAN CLAN!)

23rd- My mom.  My mom is my everything.  Without her, I wouldn't be the woman I am today, and I am soo soooooooooo so grateful and thankful for the help she gave me and Casey painting our house.  It was a looooong day, and my mom is a go-getter.  Thanks mom for your help.  My dining room and kitchen are B..E..A..UTIFUL!!

 

24th- My health.  I am thankful for my strong bones and good body that allows me to do many things that some people don't have the privilege of doing.

25tth-Church.  Although I absolutely hate living in a city ward, I am grateful for my religion and the chance I have to teach our primary kids and thank my savior for all I have.

26th-Seasons.  Im thankful to live in a place that changes 4 times a year.

27th-I'm thankful for food.  I love to eat

28th-My nieces and nephews.  I love being an aunt.  Especially when Gemma and Sophie are excited to see me.

29th-Nyquil.  Colds would be much much worse if it wasn't for this.

30th-My bed.  Oh what joy it brings me at the end of the day to climb under my cool sheets, and cuddle up next to Case.

Until next year November...

15th-20th more and more thanks!

15th- I am thankful for the chance that I have to clog.  One of my dreams was to become a river dancer and travel the world.  I didn't quite fulfill that dream, but becoming a dance instructor is the next best thing.  I am thankful for my class and the opportunity I have to dance every week.

16th-Oh how I love my car.  I am soo so thankful for my nice Malibu that I get to hop into to drive to work, or the store, or the post office.  Especially when it's crummy weather outside.  I love my car and am thankful for it.

17th-Saturdays....who couldn't love them!!! Thankful doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about my Saturdays that are spent with my husband.  They are a day of accomplishment that I get to enjoy with my best friend.

18th-We went to Park Valley for my cousins homecoming and it made me realize how thankful I am for my extended family.  They are so supportive in anything that I do and am grateful for the connection that I have with all of them.  Family truly is a wonderful thing that I am truly grateful for.

19th-I mentioned extended family, but I am also thankful for my immediate family.  Although we may not have it all together most of the time, I still love them.  Family is key, and I sure love mine.

20th- My house...although a ton of work lies ahead with us finishing our upstairs, I am soo grateful for a roof over my head and a warm place to stay.  Town life may not be as fun as I'd like, but I love our house and am grateful for it.

One friend who changed my life forever.

14th- I am grateful for the impact that Corian Thacker has made in my life.

"A best friend is like a 4-leaf clover...hard to find, and lucky to have."
Cori Thacker is definitely my 4-leaf clover.  I'm going to take a step back in time to the first encounter I had of this amazing girl.

Flashback to September 2008

Moving to college was a HUGE deal in my book.  I basically thought I was moving away from home, never to return.  Turns out Rexburg, Idaho is a lot closer to home than I thought.  But that is besides the point.  I got moved in to my apartment, knew none of my roomates, and was a little worried I would get stuck with some city slicker prissy girl, that had never heard of a dirt road.  The first day was weird, meeting the new roomates, but I hobbled around on my crutches with a smile on face trying to make good first impressions on everyone.  It took me a while to get a good read on all of the girls, but I quickly discovered that Cori Thacker was a lot like me.

One day she left her ipod laying on the coffee table, so me being the curious one I am plugged it in to get a feel of what she was like.  I thought it was cool that this girl liked every single song that I did...a range of rock to country and some odd stuff in between.  She had great taste, just like me.  She walked into the living room, sat down on the couch next to me, gave me a curious look, farted, and started to laugh.  Shocked and speechless, I instantly busted up laughing.  Farts make me laugh, what can I say.  From that moment on, Cor and I were like two peas in a pod.  I became good friends with all of my roomates, but none had the special connection that I had with Cor.  She was the sister I never had...my better half.  Everyone loved Cori, and her laugh was contagious.  I never once caught her in a bad mood, and if I did, it didn't last for long.

Late night dance parties, hitting a snow drift on our way to early morning class, rolling out of bed and making it to class in 10 min, homework, clothes, more dances, introducing me to Montana, giving me a second family, getting the 4-wheeler stuck, teaching me to laugh, and fart, and always wanting me to be better, Cori Thacker changed my life.  Shoot, if it wasn't for Cori, I probably never would have married my eternal companion.  It was her encouragement that got the ball rolling for Casey and I.

It has been tough seeing her leave and do the Lords work, when I had planned to go on a mission as well, but the Lord had a different plan for me.  I miss her like crazy, and can't wait for her to get back to the states.  I love you Cori Thacker, and your amazing family that welcomed me in with open arms.  Lori and Kip are amazing people and will always hold a special place in my heart.  I am so so sooooo thankful for my best friend.  Thanks Cori, for always being there for me.
CORKEE FOREVER!
Love your sis,
Keely

Catching up on Thanks!

10th- I"m thankful for my High School friends that I still keep in touch with.  Went to cattle country and talked for a few hours with Jen, and it was great!  I have found that friendships are just like marriage.  It takes work on both sides, and it's great to know I have friends that are willing to meet me halfway.  That's what makes it work!  So thanks Jen!

11th-I am grateful for my husbands willingness to work.  Our crazy upstairs neighbors moved out, so Casey and I spent the day cleaning, and by cleaning, we tackled the first layer of dirt, in, on, and around the cupboards.  It's going to be a lot of work, but I can't wait to get things torn out, painted, and FINISHED!!!  Stay tuned the next few months...there will be plenty of before and after pictures to keep you entertained.

12th-I am not going to go into detail on this post, because I would regret it later, but I am grateful for Mr. Olsen.  Now I'm sure I confused the heck out of you, in thinking that I'm grateful for my chiropractor, but I'll just say that Mr. Olsen is taking care of a small problem that we have encountered.  Thank you thank you thank you for helping us!!!!

13th-So those of you that know my dad....well, none of you know my dad like I do, but lets just say that he has a funny sense of humor that shines at times when I want to murder him.  He can make you laugh after the fact, but in the moment...he needs to work on it.  To make me feel better though, him and my mom got Casey and I tickets to the Bar-J Wranglers next month.  Were excited about that, so thanks dad, for letting that bright sense of humor shine at the wrong time.  I am soo so grateful for my dad, however difficult he may be some times.

The 9th...

9th-I am grateful for flowers!  I had the chance to make a cool arrangement today for my aunt's wedding anniversary, and I absolutely LOVED how it turned out.  I know the picture is awful quality, but try to squint your way through to the original thing.  Flowers make me happy, even when I'm not the one receiving them.  This one is short and sweet, but that's all I have for now.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Our neighbors are moving out!

The 8th- I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so THANKFUL that our trashy, rude, inconsiderate, loud, obnoxious, lying neighbors are moving out today. (Trust me...that's putting it nicely.)

For those of you that know me, I am a pretty nice and patient person when it comes to people. However, if any of you ran into me these past few months, I may have seemed a little up tight and on edge.  My patience cup has been overflowing since the first week these people moved in, so this may help explain my situation.

I am not going to go into depth on this because I know my blood pressure will sky rocket, but here is a list of things that happened, just so I can look back on this in 30 years and think, "OMG, I can't believe that we put up with that and dealt with it for 2 1/2 months.  Casey, we were crazy!"

Used all of my laundry soap.   Snapped my lily stems in my flower bed and trampled a few other flowers.  Garbage garbage and more garbage thrown all over the yard.  Painted the door frame with red paint.  Kept locking us out of the garage to do our laundry, so I made Casey take the doorknob off.  (Lock me out now b******!)  Blasted their circus music.  Taped up our light poles with royal blue tape.  The contract said absolutely NO PETS.  Yup, they got a dog, and a pigeon.  Constantly had to clean up water that leaked down through the floor boards.  They moved another family in with them.  Obviously Case and I didn't get a hot shower.  They screamed, cursed, and yelled...every day.

So here it is, the 8th of November and I am so so oh so thankful to have our neighbors moving out.  It's going to be a great day!  Oh it's going to be a GLORIOUS day!!!  Happy 8th everyone.  Keep being thankful!

If none of this made any sense at all, Casey and I live downstairs and the neighbors were upstairs in our duplex.

The 7th...

7th-I am grateful for....
                                                                                              ...WORK OUTS!!!

You probably think I'm crazy, but working out is amazing.  I signed Casey and I up at club Elite yesterday, and last night we went for a quick 30 minutes.  I know it was short, but I haven't lifted weights or ran since I lived in Rexburg, and Casey hasn't seen a gym since his mission.  So needless to say we took it a little slow.  As Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) would say..." ...baby step onto the elevator... baby step into the elevator... I'm *in* the elevator." Were taking this on with baby steps.  

To add to my excitement of joining a gym, I got a steal of a deal yesterday while purchasing gym shorts, because we all know that you have to buy the right gear in order to look legit while working out.  You don't want to be the goofy kid with the super short shorts that ride up in your crotch when you run with the shirt that shows all of your sweat stains.  You have to keep it professional at the gym.  I'm sure it says this in some book somewhere, but anywho.....back to the shorts.  My experience went something like this.

Went to Wal-Mart.   Walked in the door.    Stopped.    Turned around.    Walked back out.  Got in the car and drove across the street to JC PENNYS.   Kicked myself for waisting time at the trashiest store in Burley.   Walked into Penny's.    Went to the discount rack.   I'm cheap.  Found nothing on the discount rack.  Took a moment to convince myself that I am worth spending more than $5 on myself.   Hesitantly walked over to the (Nice clothes section).    Picked up some spandex pants.    Looked at the price tag on the spandex pants.   Put the spandex pants back.  Debated with myself for ten minutes.   Finally picked up the pants, grabbed a shirt, and briskly walked to the mens section.  Found some Nike shorts.  Looked at the price tag.  Told myself my husband is worth it, and made it to the  checkout stand.  Women's spandex capris $20.   Women's mesh breathable top $14.  Men's NIKE basketball shorts.....$0.25.   Keely's jaw hitting the floor...priceless.  I then kicked myself again for not picking up the entire rack of shorts.  Stupid me.  How the heck was I to know the price would have been marked wrong and I would be able to purchase Nike basketball shorts for 25 cents!?  

I silently thanked the girl, or guy that had marked the price wrong in the system as I walked out of the store beaming that I had just received a 99.9% discount.  First one of my life, and I must say, it felt amazing.  I hope everyone of you get the chance to experience what I just did.  

So far, our journey of exercising has been off to a great start.  I just hope I can shed the extra 30 lbs that marriage has given me.  So wish me luck.  Casey and I are both going to need it.  Happy 7th of November!!

  This was taken while we were dating.  This is both of our goal weight right here so pray for us ;) 

WE CAN DO IT!!!!

8 months rolled into one...

So........a gazillion things have happened since my last post 8 MONTHS AGO!!!!!!!  I am going to sum it up as best I can.  It's long, so bear with me...

April- got sick on my birthday.  Turned 22 woo!

May- killed noxious weeds OH and celebrated Casey and I's 1st YEAR OF MARRIAGE! We had planned to go 4-wheeling up through the city of rocks and over into Goose Creek and Oakley.  What we didn't plan for was snow....and wind....and rain.  So I spent the day upset, sitting at my parents house.  It wasn't as bad as it sounds, and looking back now can laugh about our big plans that didn't happen.  I love you Casey.  One year down, and forever to go! Marriage is the best thing that ever happened to me.  I don't deserve Casey Richman, but am soo soo glad he picked me to marry him.

 


June- killed more noxious weeds

July- killed more and more noxious weeds.  With all of my thinking time, I decided to open up my own business!! Keely Richman Photography! keelyrichmanphotography.com (go check it out, and then call me to schedule pictures!)  Case got the 4th off so we spent it on the river with family.  It was a great day.

August- lets just say the whole month revolves around the County Fair!! My second home for the week.  Stayed busy with fair stuff, found out my aunt April is PREGNANT!! Celebrated Casey's 26th birthday! Bought him a DeWalt circular saw that he wanted, and went on a road trip to celebrate.  Drove to Cor De Lane and back.  Left Friday night, and got home Sunday night.  Quick trip but LOADS of fun!  (We also discovered that it is much cheaper to fly to vegas and spend 4 nights than it is to drive 2,000 miles and sleep in random hotels. Take note.)

September- work ended spraying weeds, and I started online classes.  I also started teaching clogging lessons in Almo.  Tons of fun, but I have definitely stayed busy. Oh ya...and I started working at Mary Lou's Flower Cart.  I almost forgot.

October- had our annual conference weekend family reunion.  We spent 4 days up by Alturas Lake camping.  Before we left however...Casey's pickup broke down, and our garage door fell off the rollers and landed on our car.  Lots of money later, we have a new garage door (automatic) super nice, a spiffy looking scratchless and dentless car, and Casey's pickup works.  Yay!! It was one crappy day, but thanks to our awesome family, they got us through and we had a great weekend camping.  Halloween was celebrated with friends and scary movies at our place.

And here we are....NOVEMBER!
I wanted to do the 30 days of thanks, so I figured I had better update everyone, and myself on what has been going on in my life up to this point.  I'm a few days late on this, but here it goes....

1st- I am thankful for my husband, Casey H. Richman, my lover, my best friend, my eternal companion, my therapist, my Mr. fix it man, my everything.  Without you, I am nothing, and am soo very grateful to have you forever.

2nd- I am thankful for my job at the flower shop.  My employees are super nice, and I don't look at it as a job, it's more like a hobby that I get paid for.  So thank you Leroy and Jonni for hiring me to work for you!

3rd- I am so thankful for SATURDAYS!! My hubby got the day off so we spent the day being productive.  We scraped the paint off the garage and repainted and cleaned.  Saturday's are amazing when I get to spend them with my best friend.

4th- I am grateful for fish tacos.  If it wasn't for my parents calling us last minute Sunday to come visit, I wouldn't have enjoyed tacos, or my parents good company.  It was a great day Sunday afternoon.  Thanks Mom.

5th- I am grateful for my camera.  As I sat and edited pictures yesterday, I thought how wonderful my life is.  I get to take photo's for different people and capture exciting memories for them.  Thank you camera for helping me see the world differently and all the beauty that it holds.

6th- I am grateful for fall mornings.  I love the cool weather, which means it's hot cocoa season.  Guess what I did?  I had a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast and it was wonderful!!! You should all do the same.

I know this post is REALLLLLLLLY Long, but I hope you made it through to the end.  I am so blessed, and grateful for all I have.  I hope you can all say the same.  Happy November!

Where did February Go?

I honestly can't believe that it's the 1st of March already.  It feels like Christmas was just yesterday.  Seeing how the month disappeared without me knowing it, I'll write a recap of the oh so exciting events that went down at the Richman residence.  It may be long so bare with me.  Here we go...

The 1st of the month started out with the 14 days of Valentines Day.  Valentines had been like any other day for me while growing up.  I actually laughed about it in High School, seeing all the cheesy couples get each other roses or ridiculous giant stuffed animals holding the famous "I love you heart." The only good thing about it was the Malta Munchies sugar cookies.  In my mind it was a cheesy day and a waste of money, so I figured I should put a little effort into it being a married woman.

Now I didn't go all crazy and buy stuff for 14 days, if that's what you're thinking.  I kept it simple and cheap.  I wrote a love letter every day, trying to pertain to the #'s 1-14.  I think it was funner for me than it was for Casey, because it really made me think about things and gain a better appreciation for him and everything he does for me.  Even if you don't do it for valentines day, I'd encourage you to try this at any time.  It was great for the both of us.

For Valentines DAY, Casey took me to Shaun Hings to eat dinner and went to "The Vow" afterwards.  Casey hates chick flicks so I was really grateful he was willing to sit through it all for me.  We went home afterwards where I found a stuffed dog with a note.  Casey knows how bad I miss my dog at my parents house, but I wont ever get one while we live in town.  If I have a dog, it's not going to be locked up in a yard, so he bought me my "town pup."  The perfect dog to have in town until we build our house in the country.

The rest of the month flew by in a flash...
Big Ivan had a Birthday party and we watched the fights.
Watched the Super Bowl at Browns
Mom had a Birthday (which went all wrong)
Browns blessed baby Zenna
Started my duet with Shaundalee

Discovered that I have EBV.  The "Epstein Barr Virus- A virus that sucks all form of energy from the body and causes depression and lack of motivation."

Spent my first night away from Casey.  It was a really weird feeling.  He flew to Arizona to pick up a truck and drive back to Declo, so I spent the night at my parents while he was gone.  Let's just say I don't like being away from my husband.

And to end the month with a big bang, I threw out my back at clogging practice yesterday morning and am praying the pain goes away before competition tomorrow.  Wonderful.

Casey surprised me one night with a long stem rose.  I called it the "Just Because" flower.

I've got an amazing guy that loves me.  It's the little things like this that make

a girl happy.

To attack or not to attack...that is the question.

WHY WHY WHY do I do this?  I found this picture online and it described me perfectly.  I over think things WAY too much, and I've been doing it a lot lately. I hate it.  I want to stop it but it's practically impossible.  When Casey gets quiet and doesn't say much I instantly replay everything over in my head wondering what I did wrong.  "Was it something I said? Did I not kiss him at the right time? Did I make the wrong food? What did I do?"

       

Oh...and the jealousy monster has been coming out lately too.  What the heck is going on?  Casey and I like watching the newlywed game on TV (which we did this morning). Big mistake.  An interesting question was asked about your husbands previous relationship.  Me, being the stupid curious girl that I am, proceeded to ask him (yes...I asked. It's my fault.) what he would have answered.  Obviously it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear and instantly wanted to attack. WW3 was about to take place in our living room, and the evil monster inside was ready to be unleashed.  I wanted to hunt down his ex girlfriend first and then deal with him later.  I bet you can guess what happened next.

        

   No no no, I didn't beat up his ex. I didn't attack him with my air soft gun either.

 (I should have though. The air soft gun part.)

My thinker started thinking again.  (Yes I know...shame on  me).  "I'm not good enough for him. His ex was perfect and I'm not. He wishes I was her. They were young and fun and I'm boring and dull..." MAKE IT STOP!!!! I won, he loves me, I know it's true. He married me and not her. I'm the one he picked.  I'm the one he loves.  

Isn't that just sick and wrong though?  Why on earth do I do that? It actually really ticks me off because I know better than to think like that. It's all my fault and I can't blame anyone but myself which ticks me off even more. It's always better when you can put the blame on someone else.

In conclusion...

Quit worrying (impossible)

Watch the newlywed game alone (possible) 

Don't reach into his past (never never ever again)

Don't bite off more than I can chew (I'll work on that)

On a positive note, aren't my two nieces so cute! I was having some fun with my new camera that my wonderful husband bought me for Christmas.  I may get jealous but I still love that sexy beast.

Gemma & Sophie

I've lost my wisdom

Let me tell ya...the only way to celebrate the new year right is by having your wisdom teeth YANKED out.  I really shouldn't complain...after all, it was my decision to get them pulled out in the first place, but really?  I can't tell you how much I LOVE waking up every morning feeling like little leprechauns river danced on my face all night while they shoved rotten fish and eggs down my throat.  ( I had no idea breath could smell this bad.)  I had no idea anything could smell this bad.  I always make sure to stand at least 8 feet away before talking to anyone.  My breath reeks, my face is fat, I'm sore, ugly, and hungry all the time, and I've stooped so low that I'm watching 16 and pregnant right now.  Honestly...how dumb could you be to make a show about 16 year old girls getting themselves knocked up.  By broadcasting this crap you're telling girls around the world it's ok to go have sex and make a baby.  Everyone else does it. Even though you're still a kid yourself, go ahead and raise one.  Ya..I just changed the channel. I think my pain pills are inter fearing with my judgment.  Or it could be that my wisdom was stolen from me.  Who knows?

There are however two good things that have come from this whole experience.  The first one being Ice Cream.  I'm on my second carton of sherbet ice cream and boy howdy that stuff is amazing.  It makes life a little bit better in a world filled with pain and stench.  It's gotta be the rainbow kind though.  None of this one flavor crap.  You can't have a party in your mouth with just orange.  You gotta throw in the lemon lime and raspberry too. The second good thing is this.  Right here. This blogging stuff.  If it weren't for my boredom and free time, I would have never started this whole thing up.  Now...I may not keep up on it as soon as my mouth is healed, but at least I gave it a try right.  Hopefully that's not the case though.  I'll try my hardest to keep it up. I promise.

Casey has been a trooper through it all.  He washes the dishes and drives me to the store to get ice cream and frosties.  I married a good one that's for sure.  And yes you read it right, HE WASHES THE DISHES! You aren't seeing things, and you don't have to tell me how lucky I am because I already know.

I guess what all if this boils down to is this....
Getting your wisdom teeth out sucks butt,
16 and pregnant is ridiculous,
Rainbow sherbet is better than not rainbow sherbet,
Blogging is going to be an adventure, &
I am the luckiest girl in the world to have married Casey Richman.

And so it begins...

I really really hated to do this.  I told myself I'd never join the blogging world and follow the crowd, but I have the hardest time writing in a journal and figured this would help me write down a few of the things that are happening in my life.  So here I am...writing down a Richman's life...the adventures of Casey & Keely.