Life update...

Hey all... today I have just been amazed at the fact that October is already almost over! Where has the month gone? In fact, where has the year gone?? In a few days we will be starting another month, and this month brings the beginning of yet another holiday season! I'm really excited. It will be our second holiday season in our house here in Arizona and our second Christmas as a married couple.
Although this time brings that warm feeling of family, good food, holiday smells, etc, it also brings a crazy hectic next few months for us. Ryan is working night and day on arranging all the music for the college ministry Christmas concert and still has to run the entire ministry as well. I have been busy nannying and working on babymaecouture to get my website up and products out. We also have church, small group, guitar lessons and one-on-one times during the week that constantly leave us saying, the week is already over again?! Crazy.
We are also anticipating voting day next week and doing our last minute studying on different propositions and the presidential candidates. It's always overwhelming to learn it all, but we are excited to see what happens!
I'm off to bed...tomorrow is going to be a long day of sewing, web design and church.
Blessings!!

<-- At my bday party :)

Well, I'm officially 23...weird. I can't believe we are almost in our mid 20's! Time flies! This birthday was a really good one. My mom flew out for the weekend so it was so good to get to spend time with her and have part of my family here to celebrate with me. I spent the day with some of my girlfriends getting our nails done and at lunch. That evening Ryan, mom and I went to dinner and an improv comedy night (I love laughing :) ). The next day I had a party with some friends... just an evening with dessert and games. It was really cool to just step back and look at all the people that were there and think, wow, this time last year I didn't even know some of these people and now they are some of my closest friends. It was a weird reflective moment but also so cool. I definitely feel like I've made some new best friends out here which makes me feel that much more at home. Even though we know we won't be here forever, it's so cool to know that I have made some true friends who I will always "live life together" with. God is so amazing and always brings the right people into my life at the right time. So yep, it was a great birthday weekend. Definitely felt the love! :)
I've started nannying again and it has been so fun. It's been nice to work a few days a week and enjoy what I'm doing. The kids are so great and just love me to bits. It's a blessing to go to work and be greeting with tons of hugs and kisses. I'm still on the hunt to find something else to do for another 10-15 hours a week, yet I am still trying to decide what to do. I've thought about finding another nanny job, but I'm not sure if I want to juggle two families. I think I may want to check out going back into the coffee/restaurant industry again-I have a lot of experience there and have had a lot of fun doing it. We'll see!
I've also started sewing for babymaecouture this week as well. It's so fun to sew on such tiny little clothes! I'm going to pump out a ton of things this week so I can start selling them. Ryan and I are going to be working on the website as well this week so feel free to check out the process: www.babymaecouture.com! I also registered the company name so I am officially a business! It's all so overwhelming and there is SO much to learn- luckily Ryan is so good at it all and is teaching me so much :)
I am so shocked that it's already October! I miss the change in seasons in Seattle more and more each year. It's still 100 degrees here so it has been really hard to get into the season! I put out my fall decorations yesterday so I am getting closer to feeling that cozy fall feelin' :) I can't wait for the holiday season as well! I know it's going to fly by. It still amazes me that this will be our second Thanksgiving and Christmas as a married couple! My has our marriage grown and changed! :) I feel like we are daily growing closer and closer and we just love married life more and more every day!
Well, it's pretty late and I'm exhausted. Such a long day! Update ya more next week :)

week 2 of unemployment

Well, it's now the beginning of my second week of unemployment and I have to say that I love it :) I decided that I just need to find someone who will pay me to just be unemployed and do whatever it is I feel like doing each day. Too bad the world doesn't work like that :) I have a job opportunity available, but I'm just praying through if it's the route I should take or not. I don't want to jump into anything too soon just because it sounds good; rather, I want to wait it out just a bit longer to see what it is that God wants me to do. In the mean time, I am having so much fun just playing housewife. My house has been so clean, the laundry is always done, dinner is ready when Ryan gets home and I have had fun finding creative projects to do. I am finally going to get started on my baby line this week and hopefully start making some money with that. I have also been able to spend some one on one time catching up with friends and family. It's been great. But I would still love the prayers for what my next step should be!
This past weekend we went up to Sedona for some friends' wedding. It was SO gorgeous up there and so nice to get out of the heat! It was super fun to just get away with our friends and grow closer with them. We really have been so blessed with good friends in every state that we've lived. Even though it's fun to get out and travel on the weekends, we're looking forward to spending the next few weekends at home. And in just 2 weeks it will be my birthday and my mom will be here!
Laundry calls...write again soon :)

This thing we call life...

Well, I know it's been FOREVER since I've blogged but life has been, well, just insane.
Last weekend Ryan and I got a chance to take a much needed vacation and just regroup together up at the Grand Canyon. It was really amazing. It's been the first vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon, so it was long overdue.
Up until now work has pretty much consumed my life...but after a tearful and shocked Friday morning, I found myself carrying my box of personal items from the office: I was fired. It was quite honestly the weirdest moment of my life. One moment I thought I was walking into my boss' office to receive the days' tasks, but I was just told that I was not good enough, not what they wanted, not performing. I have never been fired before, so I'm learning to work through the emotions of that. Another colleage and friend from our Ohio branch was also fired. I touched base with him a bit this morning to see if he knew anything more, but to both of us it just felt like God was pulling us out of a situation in which he no longer needed us in. It feels odd, but I am okay. I am clinging to the truth that "All things work together for good, to them that love the Lord." I am going to make the most of this transition time and really get into the Word more, spend time everyday reflecting, journaling, working out, gardening, etc etc etc. There are a lot of things that I love doing that I haven't been able to do while I was at automatik. It will be good for me to have some time to really see where I want to go next. I know this time around I am going to guard my time better so that I have more time with God and more time to be creative. We shall see!
More and more weddings are around the corner for us...some friends are getting married in Sedona next weekend, Brittany is getting married in 6 weeks and my recently engaged sister in law is getting married January 3rd. It will be really fun to celebrate marriage with all of them. It's so fun to go to weddings as a married woman and just reflect on my wedding and how much we have grown together since then. As we celebrated our one year this year and are 9 months away from our 2 year mark, I just see how we are truly "becoming one" and growing as people, as a couple and as a couple in Christ. Marriage is such a beautiful thing! :)
Ryan is working hard at getting things ready for the Camber Christmas Concert. He is feeling really confident that it's going to go awesome this year and is so prepared and ahead of the game. I think that will make for a much less stressful Christmas for him, especially since our trip home this Christmas will not only include the joys/craziness of the holidays, but also Jessika's wedding. The church is still on the hunt for a new college pastor. Ryan is doing such an incredible job running the ministry in the mean time, but I know he is ready to move on to his new position. We have both been really reflective lately and just wondering what 2009 will hold in store for us. After this week I am reminded that you can only plan so much, and then God steps in. You never know where you will be, so it's best to just live each day to the fullest and not worry about what tomorrow brings.
Well, that's all I've got for now. Ryan and I are both feeling pretty sick, so I'm going to go rest again. I just wanted to get this blog started up again. Now that I have more free time I'll be much better about keeping it updated.
Love to you all...

the axtells <3

April

April is here and I cannot believe how quickly this year is already flying by. It feels like it was just Christmas! It's weird how a day can drag on at work, but then the weeks still go by so quickly. Any way, I'm just amazed at how time flies!
Life is good. :) We are still doing the same ol same ol as the last post; working, church, guitar lessons, small group, etc. Yet with each day that we are here the more this feels like home. We are so content with where our lives are at, even though there is still the lingering "what the heck are we going to do with the rest of our lives" question. But we are learning to live in the moment and just live each moment out here to the fullest. Work has been pretty slow for me over the past few weeks which has made for some ridiculously long days. But things are picking up and we are launching our new training with Honda in a few weeks. 1/2 of our staff has been traveling over the past few weeks to give proposals to other companies, so we could get extremely busy if we pick up another company. This next week we have a three day intensive training event and I have been warned that I might get 8 hours of sleep in 3 days. I'm praying that I don't get sick from the intense training and lack of sleep. Besides a little stomach bug earlier this week I haven't been sick in weeks, which is amazing since I was sick for like 5 months straight. I'm excited though-it's been a while since I've had to write and give speeches and strangely I miss it. I'll let you know how it goes! :)
Ryan & I have been doing really awesome lately. Even though it's so true that the first year of marriage can be hard, I feel like we have gotten over the hump and are more and more becoming one. We have learned SO much about each other in the last 10 months of marriage (insane that it's been that long already, i know) and every day is a new adventure. We have had some really awesome talks lately and more and more desire to just be together. We spent one day apart when we were in cali and before we went to bed that night, Ry said that he really missed me that day. So sweet. I feel like we are getting closer to understanding how to love and respect each other. Ah, married life is so good :)
Aubree's wedding is coming up in 5 weeks and I am SO excited to see my girls. I haven't seen Aubs & Kels since last June! It's been a crazy ride trying to maintain closeness in those relationships since I used to see them every day. We now schedule coffee dates over the phone :) It's interesting to see where everyone is ending up. At least we are all still on the west coast! I think it will be such a great recharging weekend to see them and to support Aubree as she becomes a wife! So exciting!
Our friends Casey & Katelyn just had their baby, Hudson, on Monday. It was really crazy to see someone my age with a baby, but then I remember, wait, we ARE the old married people that have babies! He's just beautiful. Our other friends Jason & Jessica are having a baby in the fall so it's going to be fun giving her showers and watching that belly grow :) It seems like all of our married friends, save 2 couples are pregnant or just had a baby. Yet surprisingly I've been good with it all and still just enjoy playing with their babies and then giving them back :) We've had the baby talk a few times and know that once we have them we want like 3 or 4, but for now we're just enjoying it being just us. We want to wait to see what's happening with the moving timeline and we want to be settled before a little one comes. Cause let's be honest, I can't remodel our new house as I'm 7 months pregnant! :) So to all who keep asking when the Axtell baby is coming, you're going to have to wait a while :)
Well, I'm starving so I'm going to grab some breakfast. Ryan is judging worship band try outs all day so I have the house to myself :) I'm probably going to do some gardening then work on my tan by the pool. Weekends are the life :)
Blessings to you all! And much love!

March Update

Seeing as I haven't written since December, I think it's about time for a new update. :)

A lot has changed, yet much remains the same since Christmas. Although December was an insane month for both of us with Ryan's Christmas concert, travel, etc. we are glad to be settled into 2008.

Ryan is still working so hard at his job at Cornerstone. He is leaving tomorrow at 3am to take another team to Belize. He has really enjoyed going down there and God has been growing his heart for missions so much. We are looking to buy a new car for Ryan since his trusty 'ol Ranger is about to bite the dust. We have our options open, but it's also so frustrating to know that what we really want is so expensive. We're still searching around, but for now we're saving our pennies to buy something that will be practical for him but will last us a really long time. Ry is super busy with guitar lessons and has added two more students. He also officially became a pastor this month, so he is legal to "marry & bury." :)

I've had a lot of changes since December. I was offered a job at this incredible company called Automatik and have now been working there since Feb 4th. I'm the office manager, and am working towards being the right hand man for my boss when she's out of town. It's been a huge adjustment going from daily being surrounded by kids to working an 8-5 job, but I feel like I'm finally getting used to it. The management is incredible, and it is SO amazing to work somewhere where I feel valued, appreciated, and am able to daily express my creativity. It has caused me to revamp my schedule and learn how to run a house, work a 45 hour a week job, work on a marriage, and grow with friends all at the same time. I've also been really sick off an on since Christmas, but now I am finally feeling almost 100%.

We joined a small group back in the fall and it is continuing to remain one of the highlights of our week. We feel like we are finally doing "life together" with people and it is amazing to grow with these 8 other couples as there are praises and hardships. It has really helped us to feel more content here and at home. Even though we know we aren't going to be in AZ forever, it's helped us to make our time so much more meaningful.

Ry & I have also been doing a lot to our house. We've repainted, replaced some piping, added decor, and our most recent project, redoing our patio. Last weekend we blasted the paint off the patio and this weekend I'm going to do some planting. We ordered a patio set, and with the new bbq that I got Ryan for Christmas, it's going to be so cute! I'll post some pictures. It's been such a bonding experience working on our house together, and so nice to know that Ryan shares my love for design! I've even got him watching and commenting on HGTV with me! :)

We're planning a trip back to CA for Easter, so we're super excited about that. Although it's going to be a short trip, it will be nice to get out of AZ for a few days and see family. The cool thing is that more and more each day he and I are starting to feel like our own family, which is such a strange feeling. Despite the occasional fights, we are really loving marriage and just growing as friends every day. We've made a goal to take at least one trip a month, even if it's just out of town for the night, so that we are refocusing each month and getting away from the hum dum of life. I'm excited to grow our list of places we've seen!

Well, I've got to get dinner started & help Ryan finish packing for Belize. I'm going to try to write more often, but I'm not making any promises :)

much love, danielle

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Hey everyone!

<----- Our 1st Christmas Tree!!!

Well, I can't believe that it's already December 14th! Time is flying by. It feels like this year has just passed me by and I can't believe it's already almost 2008! It has been SO cold lately...okay in the 50's...but so cold for us Arizonians who are used to 120! The nights have been in the 30's too! We pulled out our winter clothes and have really enjoyed bundling up and it actually feeling like Christmas! All we need is some snow... :)

Things have been really busy for us lately. Ryan had his College group Christmas program last week and it was absolutely amazing. He has been working on it since this summer and over the past month we hardly saw each other because he was so busy with practices and arranging the music. He put the entire night together, arranged all the music, and performed with about 20 other people in front of a thousand people! Hopefully we will get pictures back from the photographer that night soon so I can share them! Now that that is over, Ryan has a much deserved break from Camber until January. He's been able to spend a lot more time at home, catching up with friends, and working on his own music. Last night I had the Christmas program for the preschool (which was ADORABLE) and am now enjoying my break until January 7th when school starts up again. It is a MUCH needed break and after a really difficult first half of the year, I almost decided not to come back in January. But, after much prayer and consideration, I've decided to finish out the year (school is out the 1st week of May) and then find another place to work after that. I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks of finishing up Christmas shopping, baking, scrapbooking, and just getting to sleep in! I have been sick since October with everything that's gone around, so the sleep and rest will hopefully cure that quickly. Ryan and I are really looking forward to spending much more time together, being intentional about going out on dates, and spending our first Christmas together! Although it's bittersweet (our 1st Christmas without family), we are excited about starting some traditions of our own and continuing to establish ourselves as a family now. It's crazy, but wonderful! :)

This month finds us daily pondering the question, "what do we want to do with our lives?" Because of circumstances at the preschool, and some changes and dear friends leaving Ryan's work, we are trying to decide whether or not we want to stay in Arizona. When I first moved out here I was ready to move home or back to Seattle at the drop of a hat. Now, we are connected with an incredible small group, are getting really close to some people, love that we can afford our own house, and are enjoying the challenge of living on our own. The "cons" of living out here are diminishing. But we also know that once kids come into the picture (not for a few years, people, don't start asking! :) ) we want to be just a few minutes away from family. We want our kids to grow up around their aunts & uncles & grandparents, and we wouldn't mind the free babysitting :) We are at this stage where we have to decide whether or not we want to stay out here for a while longer, or just move back home. They both and pros & cons, so we're trying to decide which place we are supposed to be at. We would greatly appreciate your prayers and we try to figure out where the Lord will lead us!

I've talked to a lot of you about the potential new job at Automatik and the crazy interview process that I've been going through. There's been some updates to this story. Since Ryan and I aren't sure where we will be, I called the owner of the company (who is a friend of ours and an elder at our church) and we had dinner with him a few nights ago. We told him that we just aren't sure where we will be even in 2008 and that I just wasn't sure they would want to hire me. The position at that company requires a year of training before someone is really bringing in money based on their work. Since we aren't sure if we will even be here in a year, I didn't want to have them train me then have to go through the year and a half process of finding someone else. He basically left it up to me and said pray about it and get back to him. Part of me was just looking for him to say, no thanks, so that the decision was made, yet I'm still waivering in what I want to do. Part of me still is excited about working for them and would love the opportunity, yet the other part doesn't want to invest in a company if I'm only going to be there for a few months. So prayer on this would be great too... :)

We are starting to look at 2008 and what we want to do. We are going to Mexico for the weekend sometime in the Spring (we have a free trip!) and we are also talking about going to NY. Ryan has never been there and it would be so much fun to tour the town together, see some plays, eat fabulous food, the whole bit. We want to be really intentional about taking trips together and putting all other things in life aside. It's not always easy, but we've already done it a few times in the short 6 months that we've been married, and it brings us so much closer together and allows us to appreciate each other and our marriage. So fun! :)

2008 also brings many marriages...in February some friends of ours out here are getting married, and have asked me to be their wedding coordinator! I'm SO excited. I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I would love to do that as a career, so it will give me a chance to really test the waters to see if it's really something I'd like to do. Two of my best friends are getting married in May: Aubree (I'm a bridesmaid!) & Laura. Laura came to visit last month and we went dress shopping and spend all weekend talking weddings. It was WAY too much fun :) Nicole, Britt's older sister is getting married in the Spring, and there may be something in her future as well :) Luke, Ryan's college roommate is getting married in June too! Christmas is definitely a time for proposals, so we'll see who else's wedding we will be going to! :) It's so fun to see all our friends getting married, but so crazy that we already have 5 weddings to go to!

I think that's it for now. I'm setting a reminder on my computer to write on here more often because I always forget about it :) Remember that Christmas is not about finding the perfect gift and isn't worth all the stress. It's about Jesus, and God's promise since the beginning that He would bring a Savior to His people. Praise God for the miracle of baby Jesus!!!

Much love to you all!!!