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