Interests:I love going to see movies / concerts, spending time with the Penthouse Sweets & the Dirty Southers, photography, being outdoors (at the beach or our "big tree"), trips to the cabin in GA (road trips in general), etc.
I used to love rollerblading, but [ha] trying to get up the courage to do that again. :-) Occupation:Student Industry:Entertainment
I can't believe that it's been a year and a half since I last updated my Xanga. Life has changed so much, it would take me an entire novel to update everyone on what's happened, needless to say, it's been a bit crazy.
I got married almost 2 months ago. Yes, me, Danielle... I tied the knot. Andrew and I have known each other since my freshman year in college (2004). We met at a Plus One concert and for the next year I just referred to him as 'the other intern.' It wasn't until the summer of 2005 that we started the friendship journey... from that point on, we were inseparable. He was one of my best friends, and I was one of his. We did mostly everything together and it was amazing. Sure, the "When Harry Met Sally" theory came in to play a few times (men and women can't be friends without one or the other wanting more, it isn't possible). I was usually the one wanting more, or at least, if he wanted more he didn't voice it. But it was always on again off again for me. There were other crushes for both of us, for sure... and through it all we were always each other's confidants. He came to me with his girl problems and I came to him with all of my frustrations about men, it was a great friendship.
On July 11th 2007, everything changed. We were watching one of the Harry Potter movies at his apartment (he was prepping me for the newest release a few days later) when it happened. Somewhere in the midst of Hogwarts and Voldemort, Andrew reached over and grabbed my hand. I don't know what caused it (he claims that he could tell I wanted to hold his hand) but whatever the motives, it felt wonderful and I never wanted him to let go.
A week passed, we shared our first kiss (I know, sorry, mushy details), told each other what our expectations were (yes, we talked about marriage after only a week... hey, like I said, we had been friends for over 3 years), etc. Five months went by, and on Christmas Eve, he proposed. Four months after that, we were married.
Life happens so fast sometimes. This time last year, I wouldn't have dreamed that I'd be married, much less to my best friend. But here we are... We're renting our first house, moving up north for grad school in the Fall, leaving everything that is comfortable and clinging to each other for dear life, haha.
Is it always easy? No way. We'll have been married 2 months next week and I must tell you, we've never had to work so hard at anything. Even though we grew up with very similar family structures, we are two completely different people. He likes to stay up late, I get crabby past 11pm... I would love to get up early and watch the sunrise every morning, he could sleep past noon if I'd leave him be... He loves his video games, the thought of sitting in front of a tv or computer for more than an hour drives me crazy. We're so different, Andrew and I. But amidst all of the differences, the frustrations, the piles of dirty dishes and loads of smelly laundry, the Florida summer bugs and a hardwood floor that I can never seem to keep even remotely clean... every day is paradise with him. Every day is a blessing and I wouldn't change a single one of them.
I love it when he walks through the front door each evening... I love it when he not only tells me that he loves me, but shows me that he loves me by taking care of me... I love that, since I started writing this blog, he has come over every 5-7 minutes just to kiss me...
Praise God every day for where He has you right now in life. As hard as it is not knowing what the future holds (trust me, I understand), grasp on to the promise that He knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. We may never see the big picture, but He does. He wants us to be a part of the story being written, we just have to let Him write it.
Let go of the steering wheel, force yourself to slide over onto the passenger's seat, and for Pete's sake... don't be a 'back seat driver.' Let God write your love story, I'm so glad I let Him write mine.
:: email that I sent out a few days ago, thought I would share with anyone who felt like reading ::
Hey y'all,
Happy Tuesday! I've been sitting here at my computer for a few minutes and have had hundreds of thoughts running through my mind all at once, thought I would share them with you. I may end up writing a novel without meaning to, so if you don't have the time to read it, I promise I won't be offended. =)
Last night I got back from what will always be on my Top 10 list as greatest vacations of all time... Fall Break was, simply put, incredible. Five of my favorite girls and I drove up to visit my family in Asheville, NC (and yes, we did it in one car! ::don't worry, everyone had safety belts::). It was amazing. We climbed mountains, went to pumpkin patches and family-owned apple stores, walked around downtown, went to an opera (all thanks to my dad's boss, he's awesome), had pancakes galore, and just spent time lounging around the fireplace. The weekend as a whole was amazing, but I have to say that, out of all the things we did and the places we explored, one of the main highlights of the entire weekend was Sunday night sitting around the fireplace, all six girls and my parents. My mom sat us all down and basically just started asking us about how God was moving in each of our lives. She asked us about plans after graduation, asked us about the highlights of our time at PBA, just really wanted to understand more about each person and how God was using each of us to further His kingdom. And as I sat there and listened to every person's story, each girl's testimony, ambitions, and fears, I began to realize how truly blessed I am.
God has been working in my life in more ways than I could even begin to describe. I've been blessed with the opportunity to go on my first overseas missions trip in March, I graduate from college in May, I am surrounded on a daily basis by the people that I love and people who truly love me even when I don't feel I deserve it. God has blessed me in more ways than one. I see Him in my life daily... When I'm first waking up and getting ready, praising Him that I've been placed at such an incredible Christian institution for the past four years, or just walking out my front door and looking out on to the intercoastal admiring His creation, whether He's opening or closing doors in my life, when I'm going through great days like today or even on the days when I feel as if nothing else could possibly get any worse, I see Him guiding me through everything.
Our Point 58 leader likes to post her updates in our shower (which, by the way, is amazing and nice to read while you're getting ready, ha), and the one that has been in there for a few weeks now has really helped me through the good days and the bad days. She always puts a verse at the end of each letter, and the one that she chose for this update was Philippians 4:6-7. For those of you that aren't familiar with it, the verse states, " Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ." That verse has been in the back of my mind every day for the past three weeks or so.
Lately, and some of you can attest to this, I have been really stressed out. Is anything going badly in my life? Absolutely not. Do I feel as if I can't see God in things, and that He isn't providing for me? No way. Life is great. However, like any other college student in their senior year, I'm beginning to freak out just a little bit. =) Graduation is six months away. Six months. That's it. A little scary? Uh, yeah. And lately, I've found myself getting anxious when it comes to post-graduation plans. Don't get me wrong, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God has incredible things in store for my life. I was just talking to my parents and the girls Sunday night about the callings I feel God is placing on my heart, and it's truly exciting to see Him leading me in certain directions. There are so many ways that life could lead me, and it will definitely be incredible to see which way God tells me to go.
I could end up working at one of our WAY-FM stations, I could move up to Nashville and do radio there, I could go work for my mom's friend's stations in Alabama, I could do something the complete opposite of radio and end up working with teenage girls who are struggling through life... God could take me anywhere and have me do anything. I guess the thing that has been on my mind as of late is simply this, where is He leading me? We were talking about this on Sunday night with my parents, and that seemed to be the main topic of discussion... Where is God leading us? And you know what? None of us has a clue. Each of our lives could go in a million different directions, we just need to rely on God and trust that He knows what's best for our lives, and will place us exactly where He wants us... we just need to let Him take over the driver's seat.
I read the coolest quote in a book about a year ago, and I have it written down on an index card, tacked on my wall. It says this, "Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for your life... In what areas of your life do you need to trust God completely? Trusting is an act of worship. Your faith makes God happy ." I am drawn to one part of that quote on a regular basis... In what areas of your life do you need to trust God completely? Wow, there are just so many I can't even begin to describe. I need to trust God with showing me the career path that I should choose when I graduate, I need to trust God when it comes to being on a college-student-budget and the fear of not having enough money to provide for myself, I need to trust God with my friendships and pray that He helps me to be the best friend that I possibly can, I need to trust God when it comes to that guy in my life who is such an amazing person and who I find myself admiring more and more on a regular basis and trust that God will completely take all control of that situation (and teach myself not to take matters in to my own hands!), there are sooooo many areas of my life where I need to trust God completely, and that's what's been on my mind this morning.
I need to learn how to trust Him with everything in me. And that's my prayer for myself (and each of you) today. That we would all trust God completely, in every aspect of our lives. Whether that be careers or finances or relationships or whatever... I pray that each one of us is able to truly trust Him 100%. That we (especially myself) wouldn't be anxious in anything, but trust Him in everything. Allow Him to give us that peace that transcends all understanding... He wants us to have it.
I have discovered that Ben and Jerry's is what makes the world go 'round.
I am so excited!!! I've had a loooong day at work, and I wasn't sure what I'm going to snack on when I get home (you know... that meal between lunch and dinner?), and then it dawned on me! I have a pint of Mint Chocolate Cookie waiting for me in my freezer! How awesome is that?? This is just incredible, I think I could do my Temperature dance, but I won't.
Ben and Jerry make me smile. Well, that's an understatement... They make me want to run in circles while jumping up and down. Forget icecream trucks, forget the nasty little icecream bins at gas stations, I've got Ben and Jerry's!!!
I'm going to go home now... And hey, if you ever wanted to know the way to my heart, I have 8 words for you - - Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Half Baked, Mint Chocolate Cookie
I have discovered that Ben and Jerry's is what makes the world go 'round. 
