Derrick + Alexa = Derlexa!

FINALLY!!!!

2011-08-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Our offer just got accepted!!!!! We will be moving into the condo in Tempe (ASU area) by the end of September! Really looking forward to starting this new chapter :)

Romans 8:28

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.

Maybe Now is Not the Time

2011-08-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

We found out Monday that the house we fell in love with got sold to a different buyer, but we figured it was for the best and did not worry about it.

Tuesday we put in an offer on another GREAT house! But today we found out that the buyers had chosen a different buyer.

Feeling very discouraged.

Playing the waiting game...

2011-07-29T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today was WONDERFUL!!! Our NEW real estate agent Lucia took us to look at a few houses this morning. Derrick and I fell in LOVE with the first one! It is a 3 bed/ 2.5 bath home in Phoenix, Great Floor plan, and we love that the we have a neighborhood park 2 houses down :) We immediately decided we didn't want to miss out on this home and put in an offer (Today was it's 1st day being on the market). We are so EXCITED, but are still asking for prayers because now we wait. The listing agent send all of the offers she collects over the next 5 business days and will submit them to the bank next Friday. After the bank receives them they have 30days to respond, and if we pass all of that then we still have to wait to close. It is a lengthy process, but a great learning experience for me! If everything works out we just might be in for our anniversary- Keeping you posted.

Alexa

Just Keep Praying

2011-07-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

I DO know that everything will end up working out in the, but I am getting a bit discouraged. The house I fell in love with got swept up by a cash buyer, because our real estate agent didn't follow through. Supper FRUSTRATING!

Wow....Engagement Down, Wedding Down. HOUSE HUNT ON

2011-07-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

So... I haven't been able to update this blog in over a year! I can't believe time is going by so fast! I promise to try to update at least every month so everyone can stay in our Arizona loop :)

#1. Arizona is SUPER hot right now!
#2. We experienced our first HABOOB together about 2 weeks ago.
~Definition: A haboob is a wall of dust as a result of a microburst or downburst. The air forced downward is pushed forward by the front of a thunderstorm cell, dragging dust and debris with it, as it travels across the terrain.~
#3. Derrick survived his first "Hispanic/Mexican" Birthday Party with all my extended family that came up from Tucson to celebrate my Grandma Yolie's 65th Birthday!

ohhh.... and #4. If you haven't heard Derrick and I are currently house shopping!!! After renting the past year we are very excited to purchase our first home together. So far the house hunt hasn't been so wonderful, but everything happens for a reason, so we will just keep searching!
The first home we put an offer in for was a 4bd/3bath home in Scottsdale with a beautiful outside area and SUPER awesome features like a sauna and atrium, but the offer fell through :( (I'm pretty sure because of the shady realtor)

Now, we currently have an offer in on a 3bd/2bath home in Paradise Valley. This home has great features and great potential- Pool, Outside Area, Dry/Food Storage Area(which I will DEFIANTLY need Raynes womens help with), Laundry room, Arizona room, and 3100 sq. ft. BUTTTT if you know Derrick he LOVES a great deal which also means it's a FIXER UPPER . I love that he knows what great potential it has and how much it would cost to make it into my dream home :) Hopefully we will get news this week letting us know if the seller accepts and if she does it will move to the bank, if she doesn't then we will have to put in another offer at a higher price. We will keep everyone updated. Please keep us in your prayers.

Love you all.
Alexa

LET THEM EAT CAKE!

2010-03-25T12:47:00.001-07:00

WE DID IT!

We signed our wedding cake contract!

Here is the drawing that Barb (the owner and our cake baker) came up with off of our pictures and ideas!

Wonderful Cake Extraordinaire Barb!

Here we are trying our flavors and fillings

I can't wait to see the finished product! Only 190 days left!

"Let Them Eat Cake"

2010-03-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Derrick and I will be going to Let Them Eat Cake tomorrow for our wedding cake tasting appointments. We will be tasting 3 different types of cake!

Chocolate cake with fudge mousse filling
Red Velvet with cream cheese filling
Pink Champagne with raspberry filling

They told us to bring ideas of what we want, so here's what I'm thinking...

The Wedding Theme!

2010-03-09T17:47:00.001-08:00

PEACOCK! is the theme! I am so happy that I have settled on the colors of the Peacock. This includes Royal Blue, Eggplant Purple, Aqua/Teal, Browns and Golds! These also go perfectly with the wedding being in the fall.

Dresses, Dresses, and MORE Dresses!!!

2010-03-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of wedding dress shopping :) Everything works out perfectly so my soon to be mom, and my mom, can both come with me :) I can't wait! Lets hope I find one!

The Future Mrs. Derrick Raynes

2010-03-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Christmas TIME!!! So much has happend in the last two months! I got a promotion at work... blah...blah..blah... DERRICK AND I GOT ENGAGED!!!! Derrick proposed on Feb. 14. 2010, Valentines Day (My favorite Holiday) on the beach in La Jolla, California. Since we have gotten back I have been really busy with work, school, heading up a committee for my brothers grad night, and now a wedding! but I love it. I only have 214 days left, so there is much to do! Derrick and I are planning for a fall wedding/reception in Arizona and also a reception in Utah. To keep everyone posted and up to date I have made a wedding website AlexaandDerrick.com Love you all, Alexa

My 1st White Christmas ( Christmas Eve at the temple)

2010-01-10T14:59:00.001-08:00

Christmas eve we drove all the way from up from Orem (ps. with cranky kids who hadn't had naps) to Salt Lake to go to the temple to see the Christmas lights! Even though it was 18 degrees outside and we had four kids we had a blast and made memories we will never forget!

After we had walked through the Christmas like for about 15 minutes we we're COMPLETELY frozen and decided to defrost at the JB's across the street :)

My 1st White Christmas ( Christmas Eve)

2010-01-10T14:35:00.001-08:00

My first white Christmas at my home away from home. This year was the first year I got to see snow on Christmas day and it really felt more like Christmas. I never really understood what Derrick meant when he said "it just doesn't feel like Christmas here (Arizona)" until I experienced it for my self.

Christmas eve we got to open presents with Roman & Marcus, but we had to let Alice open a few too!

Marcus LOVED Roman's Slinky :)

Roman asked for growing toys so we got him a growing aquarium!!!

Daniella helped Marcus open his first gift :)

So Photogenic!!!!

MIMIIIIIIII

DIEGO JUMP ROPE from Alice to Roman :)

And the Countdown Begins...

2009-10-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Derrick has been gone 1 week now. I don't understand how is gone more often and is further now than he ever was. He has been on the go the whole time doing meetings from morning till night with my papa in Russia. We try to talk as much as possible on Skype, if you don't know what that is or what it does you should get it! Derrick will meet me on the 16th in Austin, TX for my redheaded cousins wedding :), yes I have a cousin with red hair. 9 days to go and I can't wait!! We will be in Austin till sunday and then off to Salt Lake, Woo Hoo convention!!!! I have to admit I am actually looking forward to cold weather! I have been shopping like crazy to get prepared. I can't wait to see everyone in Utah! Love ya All! ~Alexa

Everything Works Out!

2009-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:28- God works for the good of those who love him.

This bible passage is so true! You might not realize it at first, but later on you will. As you all know because of many reasons I cancelled Derrick's surprise birthday party in Salt Lake, only to find out that he will be in Russia that whole week before and after. Derrick leaves for Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan early Wednesday morning and will be out of the country until he meets me in Austin, Texas October 16th for a wedding. We will be in Austin until Sunday afternoon and then will arrive in Salt Lake City around 6pm for the week of Xango Convention!

Derrick and I miss everyone tons and are very excited to see everyon! We are both trying to find time to see everyone while we are there, but we are both going to be super busy, so if we don't see anyone before Sunday October 25th, we will be at Sunday dinner for sure!

4 Days Down...5 To Go

2009-09-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

Derrick comes home in 5 days and I can't wait! The only way we've been able to talk is through Facebook and Email and the occasional Skype video chat. I can't wait to have him back! I miss him so much!

Alice in Wonderland

2009-09-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had a blast helping Stef create Alice's new big girl bedroom. The theme is Alice in Wonderland! Stef had an old bed that we refinished:) the room will hopefully be finished when I head up to salt lake toward the end of October. We are leaning toward the Mad Hatter Tea Party, so there will be fun and funky colors throughout. I can't wait to finish it up! Here's a preview :)

Before After

Alice Loved Her New Room!

Switch

2009-09-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Derrick and I have decided to switch families for a weekend! Derrick is off to Washington with my mom and I am off to Salt Lake City so spend a weekend with the Raynes's! Derrick will be departing to Washington DC today and will return to Phoenix on Sunday and I will be departing tomorrow to Salt Lake and returning to Phoenix on Monday. Derrick will be leaving the country on Wednesday with my mom to fly to Malaysia and Singapore. I am so happy that Derrick has great opportunities to travel and see the world. We are both very blessed to have such great families and to get to spend time with them!

A Shower for the Sweet Pea to Be!

2009-08-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of planning Danielle's Baby Shower with the help of Stef and mom (Alice). It was beautiful! and we can't wait for the baby to get here!

We kept with the same colors the nursery will be. Black and white with accents of red.

I created a custom cupcake stand to fit the color scheme.

Here are the custom shower favors, custom sign in sheet and the flower arrangement that I created to match the color scheme.

The Fabulous CUPCAKES!!!

These cupcakes I baked fresh and decorated. They were a focal point for the shower.

1. Pina Colada- A coconut rum cupcake, soaked in pina colada flavoring, topped with pineapple whipped cream, shredded coconut, and sliced pinapple.

2. Vanilla- Vanilla cupcake with fresh sweet vanilla whipped cream.

3. Lemon Drop- Tart lemon cupcake topped with sweet lemon creme and a fresh lemon wedge.

4. Chocolate Overload- A rich chocolate fudge cupcake topped with a chocolate mouse and rich chocolate drizzle

5. Berrylicious- A raspberry cupcake filled with sweet berry compote topped with fresh whipped cream a raspberry or blackberry and a berry drizzle.

6. Dreamsicle- A orange cupcake soked in a fresh sweet orange juice topped with fresh vanilla whipped cream and orange garnish.

7. Nutella- A yellow cupcake filled with nutella throughout topped with nutella, fresh vanilla whipped cream, and chopped hazelnuts.

THE SETUP!

The focal point

A close up of the custom stand and cupcakes.

We served fresh lemon water and fresh cucumber water.

Here is the sign in table, coordinating with the color scheme.

Alice and Scarlet

2009-08-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

These are the coolest pictures ever! I found this place on the side of the road and had Derrick pull over so we could take some pictures :)

3 More Days!

2009-07-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

Melanee will be here in 3 days! Derrick and I are both getting really excited to have her here. We have been planning and cleaning since we found out she was comming out. If you don't know already, I love planning, so I have planned out our dinners for the week. Here they are for everyone to review:

Sunday
Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Feta Cheese and Sauteed Roma Tomato's
Bowtie Pasta With Vodka Sauce
Green Salad With Vinaigrette
French Bread

Monday
Go Out For Dinner.- Have Mel Pick An Option
In & Out
Deluxe
The Kitchen
Stingray, RA, Pure- Sushi

Tuesday
Roast With Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery, & Potato's
Homemade Mashed Potato's
Garlic Bread

Wednesday
Alexa's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Homemade Mexican Rice
Homemade Guacamole and Salsa (served with chips)
Mexican Chocolate & Dulce De Leche Crepe Torte served with Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream
(The whole family will come over)

Thursday
Last night for Mel, so we can go out for a fun dinner!
She can pick a type, and we pick the place!

Work, Work, Work

2009-07-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Working has taken over! Derrick and I have been very busy at work. My office has been busy with clients and calls, and Derrick is trying to get his projects and other things done. On top of that we are both getting ready for the Xango Convention in October! Derrick has been a bit stressed about his rental situation, but thanks to the help of the GREAT Raynes family he has felt more at ease about the whole thing. We are looking forward to our first visitor, Melanee, to come out and experience the 116 degree weather and the burning sun!(I have stocked up on the SPF 85). I have been trying to clean and get food options ready!~ just 4 days left~ Other than that we haven't really done anything fun just a dinner with my cousin Renee and some fun lunches at new places. Tonight we will have a get together for my Grandma Yolie's birthday at my mom's house. We can't wait to see everyone next week!
Love, Alexa

It's All About The Food!

2009-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

I LOVE food! I absolutely love finding new places to eat. I didn't really realize exactly how much I go out to eat until this weekend. Over the weekend we went to three different restaurant all located in the North Phoenix/Scottsdale..

Our first restaurant is The Kitchen, located in Scottsdale at Gainey Village

The Kitchen is a great place to go. It has all organic food,the prices are very resonable, and the atmosphere is fun.

Here is Mom and Papa.

Derrick was talking about something, but I'm not really sure what.

I don't have any idea what I was saying. My mom took these.

My mom told me to sit up straight.

Derrick and I joined a gym yesterday so I said that I would get big mussels and Derrick said the would have a big chest.

Great picture of Derrick and I!

Here is the food:

The second place is the Camelback Inn. This Inn has been around for over 60 years! It's located in North Phoenix between Camelback and Mummy Mountain.

We had brunch at Rita's.

Here is a great view of Camelback Mountain from the entrance to the resort.

Here are a few pictures of Derrick and I around the resort and at brunch:

I love this picture of my mom!

Last, but not least. Macayos! This is Derrick's Favorite! It's located in scottsdale, about one block from Derrick's house, and has great Mexican food.

My mom

My mom and I

Derrick and I.

Other than eating we really didn't do too much this weekend. We signed up for a gym membership together and rented a few movies. We can't wait for Mel to come visit us in about 2 weeks, and for us to come up for Grandpa Raynes's wedding on the 7th!

Love, Alexa

Chicken Soup

2009-07-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Derrick has been here one week!

I love having him here for multiple reasons:

#1. Finally we are in the same state.

#2. I'm happy he loves his job and finally gets the respect and recognition he deserves.

#3. Trips, Lunches, Dinners, anything can be planned at any moment! No more planning months or even weeks in advance!

#4. We have time to ourselves, just the two of us.

#5. We can take care of eachother

I am sick! Nothing huge just a nasty cold. Thankfully, my wonderful boyfriend is here to take care of me. Yesterday he came and made my grandma's chicken with rice soup (with a little help from me). Life is Great!

Derrick is Here!

2009-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've stolen Derrick from Utah and he is now an official Arizonan. So far we haven't done very much, just shopped for a few things for the casita and gone out with my family for a Welcome Home dinner. I can't wait for everyone to come visit!

Since everyone is wondering where exactly Derrick moved to I took a few pictures to give everyone an idea.

Here is the bedroom.

Here is the view from the bed. There are shelves, storage behind it, the bathroom, and then off to the right the closet.

Here is the closet. Derrick has lots of room!

Here is the stand-up shower.

The bathroom.

View from the couch in the living room.

View of the living room from the kitchen.

The kitchen (unfinished). We are going to add another counter section and storage soon.

And lastly the dining room area (We already ordered the furniture, but it doesn't come in until July 26th).

Can't wait to see everyone August 19th! Love ya!