There's so much going on, I can't keep up!!

Wow, I had no idea it had been so long since my last post. I've been giving my best friend, Becky, a hard time about not using social media enough & even convinced her to create a blog and then realized that I haven't blogged since April. Really? I to need to get better at this blogging.


A lot has gone on since my last blog. Johny & I decided to start house hunting again back at the end of April in the big city of Macon. We kept saying we were just going to look & take our time; 3 weeks later we found ourselves under contract on our perfect first home. We closed in 3 weeks & did some work before moving in the second weekend in June. The house didn't need much work but we decided to paint (hardest work ever), put new hardware on the kitchen cabinets and do some major yardwork. Let me be clear, I didn't do any yard work but Johny & his dad did and although it's been a project our yard is looking wonderful! I'll post some pictures of the house before & after on my next post. We've been busy buying furniture & decorating which is a never ending process that I happen to really enjoy! I should've gone into home design because I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy spending other people's money to decorate!! I love that show on Bravo, Million Dollar Decorators...they have the best ideas! Johny & I couldn't be happier to be home owners & are really enjoying getting all settled in!


Work for me has been super busy lately. My company recently had a lay off so I'm now covering some additional territory which is not exactly close to Macon. I always enjoy meeting new people but it has been a lot of work! I've been very overwhelmed lately & am trying to manage my time as best I can & also fit time in with my sweet family. I was able to get away last weekend & spend three nights in LaGrange with my parents & I enjoyed it so much. Everytime I'm with my parents, I'm reminded how lucky I am to have parents who are not only my role models but also my best friends. They make me laugh and always show me unconditional love & support. I was also able to celebrate my Maw Maw's birthday and that was so special to me. She's the best & always has me in stitches!


Johny spent last week in Las Vegas for Kappa Sigma's Grand Convention and he had a wonderful time! Who knew when we joined a sorority & fraternity nearly 10 years ago that we'd still be involved today?! Johny is the Alumni Advisor for his initiation chapter & I'm the Recruitment Advisor for mine. We really enjoy advising and staying involved post college. Johny also started a new job this week which we're so excited about. He's now working for Richie Brothers Auctioneers in a dream position & I couldn't be more proud of his accomplishments! He is so good at what he does & I admire that quality in him. He makes me proud!!


I can't sign off without giving a Dooley update! Dooley is LOVING his new house & enjoys watching all of the neighbors working in their yards & the geese that live next door. He barks constantly but that's all part of having a beagle. We're hoping to have our back yard fenced in very soon so he can run & play & get all of his energy out daily! He's best & we love having him around!

Well that's a quick update on the Ricks Family! Next post will have pictures of the new house so stay tuned!

Until next time...

The Upcoming Week...

This week is bittersweet for me for several reasons. First, it's my birthday week as my birthday is on the 23rd. I always look forward to birthdays & celebrating but this year I feel it'll be a little different. Here's what we have coming up...

Tomorrow the 18th is our one year anniversary of bringing Dooley home to live with us! I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had been begging Johny to get a puppy for about a year & he told me we were just going to look. We drove up to White, GA to look at a litter of Beagle pups & I immediately fell in love with Dooley. Johny looked at me & said Happy Early Birthday! We took him to PetSmart & bought all of the puppy necessities & the rest is history. He's a huge part of lives & I'm so happy we made the decision to get him! :)

While this week last year was an exciting one with Johny giving me Dooley & my birthday party with the most special people in my life, it was also a week of heartache.

My best friend, Becky's father passed away unexpectedly & took us all by surprise. Mr. Martin was one of the nicest people I've ever known & loved his family very much. He was the definition of a family man. The Martin family held a beautiful memorial service for him in Augusta on my birthday. Johny & I were able to go & spend the day with them. Later, that afternoon we found out that Johny's best friend Winton had committed suicide. It was shocking news & definitely something we weren't expecting. Johny & I met Winton in college & he & Johny were fraternity brothers & neighbors. Winton was a groomsmen in our wedding just 3 weeks before his death. We will never forget him or his outgoing personality. We miss him everyday & often talk about the memories we have of him. He was a great friend & was always there for us whatever we needed. RIP, Winton Connell.

Although, I'm happy to spend this week with those I love most & celebrate my birthday & Easter in LaGrange we will also be remembering those we lost this time last year. I pray for their loved ones & friends as they celebrate their memory on the anniversaries of their deaths.

Sorry for the sad post but sometimes it feels good to get your thoughts out in writing. It can be very therapeutic.

Until next time...

The Ricks Family Update

Brayden James Fleming

We've been extremely busy lately. Work for me is out of control busy but that's what happens when your company launches one of the biggest product launches in the company's history & all of your customer's want it ASAP. I'm not complaining because I enjoy staying busy but lately it's like I can't keep my head above water. Johny is still loving his new job but he keeps long hours as well. He covers a large territory in Central & South GA so he has a lot of ground to cover & lots of customers to meet. It's a good thing we both really enjoy what we do for a living!

Mr. Dooley is doing good...he's loving the warmer weather & loves going on long walks with his mom & dad. Last weekend, we took him on the nature trail at our apartment complex & he decided he wanted to get in the creek. Needless to say, he needed a bath immediately but at least he enjoyed himself! He's getting so big & we're so thankful for him in our lives.

We've also had a lot going on recently with friends! My best friend Becky and her husband David welcomed their first child last week. His name is Brayden & I'm so in love with him already! He's such a cutie & I can't wait to watch him grow up! Perhaps, Johny & I will have a little girl one day & they can grow up together & get married...haha! I'm so thankful that we live closer to them now & can spend more quality time with them now that the little guy is here.

We recently went to Atlanta for the night to celebrate our friend Maggie's 26th birthday! It was great fun & we always enjoy seeing all of our old friends! God has truly blessed us!

Next weekend, we're hoping to celebrate my mom's birthday by going to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon. It's my first festival & I'm really looking forward to it! The next weekend we will be celebrating our 1st anniversary...can you believe it?!?! It seems crazy that it's already been a year! We're so happy & excited to celebrate with each other...not quite sure what we're doing yet but I'm sure it'll be fabulous!

Until next time...

Mr. Dooley Turned 1 Year Old!

So as many of you know...Dooley (our beagle) is like my child. I love him so much & treat him as if he's a human. You know how people say when you have a baby that you stop buying for yourself...well I do this with Dooley. I'm always trying to find him a new toy or treat. On the 23rd, he turned 1 year old! It seems crazy that he's already 1 and that we've almost had him for a year. Although, our little bundle of joy is not always the best pup & often acts like a little hood rat we love him very much & are so happy that he's a part of our little family! Happy 1st Birthday Dooley!!!

Here are some pictures of Dooley's first year...

I'm In Love...

So for the past 6 months I've been working my little tushy off to make some mulah at the end of the year & it paid off. When my boss emailed me telling me the amount of my bonus, I actually started crying in the middle of my store...I couldn't believe it. The money was burning a hole in my pocket before it even hit my bank account!

My husband is definitely the smarter one in our relationship when it comes to money...I love spending & he loves saving! I've gotten better at the saving part but the holidays made me want to shop not only for my loved ones but also for myself. I did buy myself a few clothes during the holiday season & I made myself feel better about it since every piece was on sale! You can't walk out of the store knowing there's a bargain. A friend once told me that if you leave a store & you're still thinking about an item you liked then it becomes a NEED not a WANT. I live by this motto now...thanks Caroline!

On Sunday, we decided to take my Mac to the Apple store in Macon to see what was wrong with it since we haven't been able to turn it on since April. The sales person told me exactly what I didn't want to hear...you're computer has crashed & it'll cost as much as it would to buy a new computer to fix it...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! So...it took me 24 hours to convince my hubby that we needed that beautiful new 21.5" iMac & guess what...he let us BUY IT!!!

We got it home last night & we're both obsessed! This computer is seriously cool & I'm hoping it will inspire me to blog more often...especially since we moved away from all of my besties!

Stay tuned for more from the Ricks casa!

We're Officially Maconites!

Wow...it's been 2 months since I've posted anything but I have a good excuse. Between being home alone without Johny for nearly 6 weeks, packing up our entire house, moving to Macon, Thanksgiving, a new territory & getting settled into our new apartment...life has been a bit crazy!

We moved to Macon the weekend before Thanksgiving & we're really enjoying life here. Things are a little slower paced & there's NO traffic. Did you hear that?!?! NO TRAFFIC!!! Dooley has settled in nicely. We were worried about him living in an apartment but so far he's been great. Johny is so happy at his new job & that makes me happy. He is challenged everyday & feels like this is where he's supposed to be. I'm enjoying my new territory as well. It's a lot of driving but the people in Central & South GA are so sweet & laid back. It's a nice change of pace. We have started going to Ingleside Baptist Church which is where Johny grew up going as a child. I think we're going to love it there & look forward to getting involved at the first of the year.

We can't believe Christmas is almost here! This is my favorite time of the year but things have been so hectic this year, it seems like it's just flying by. We debated long & hard about whether or not to get a Christmas tree this year since we have a little terrorist living in our apartment that loves to get into everything but in the end we gave in. Dooley has nearly eaten every branch off the bottom half of the tree & we couldn't put all our ornaments out but it's still a Christmas tree & puts us in the Christmas spirit.

Today officially began my vacation for the next 4 days & I'm really looking forward to a break! I have a little more shopping to do & then it's time to wrap all these presents! Tomorrow we plan to bake our goodies, relax, go to the Christmas Eve service at church & then welcome The Campbell side of the family to Macon! It's going to be a great weekend!

We wish you & your family a very Merry Christmas!!! Remember the reason for the season!

With love,
Kristin

The Ricks Family Update...

It's been forever since my last blog update...I really thought I would be better at this blogging thing but turns out I'm not. I promise to start updating more often.

We have had a lot transpire over the past month since my last blog.

First, Johny has taken a new job with a company out of Macon. It is a wonderful opportunity for him & for our family. He will be doing the same thing he was doing (selling material handling equipment) in Atlanta but for a much larger company out of Macon. He'll be covering Central & South GA. So, this means we're MOVING! Luckily, I work for a wonderful company who is willing to transfer me to Macon & allow me to switch around some accounts with other reps to make it work. As most of you know, I love city living so luckily I'll still be traveling to Atlanta twice a month to cover my largest account.

This has been a bittersweet decision for both Johny & myself but we are looking towards our future together & what will be best for our future family. We would like to start a family soon & we just can't do that living in a 2 bedroom townhome in Atlanta. We don't have any family here & quite honestly don't want to pay an outrageous amount of money in daycare. We are both from small towns & loved that lifestyle. We are sad because we have built a family of wonderful friends here in Atlanta. I've lived here for 4 years & absolutely love it but if I'm being honest city life can have its' ups & downs. We are going to miss seeing our friends all the time & just going to grab dinner & drinks on a whim any night of the week. To those friends & you know who you are...we love you very much & appreciate your support during this exciting time in our lives! We love each of you & couldn't imagine life without you! We'll be back often to visit & you're always welcome in MAC town!

So with moving comes some adult decisions. To buy a house or to not buy a house? That's the question of the day. Buying a house is something Johny & I have been wanting for awhile & feel it's just the next step in our marriage. We've been looking & have seen some things we like but just want to make sure we see everything before making such a huge decision. We hope to have a decision made very soon! Please pray that all goes well & we make the best choice for us!

Johny starts his new job in about a week & he'll be traveling quite a bit for training over the next few weeks. I hate being alone & don't ever like to be away from Johny so this could get very interesting! At least, it'll give me plenty of QT with my fav ladies before I move south!

That's just a quick update on our life lately. There's a lot going on but we couldn't be more excited about this next adventure in the Ricks marriage!

Here's to Macon!!!