I'll see you on the other side...

"Hope is an anchor, and love is a ship
Time is the ocean and life is a trip
You don't know where you're going
Til you know where you're at
And if you can't read the stars
Well you better have a map
A compass and a conscience
so you don't get lost at sea
Around some lonely island, no one wants to be

From the beginning of creation, I think our maker had plan
For us to leave these shores and sail beyond the sand
And let the good light guide to the waves and the wind
To the beaches and a world where have never been
And we'll climb upon a mountain, y'all we'll let our voices ring
Those who've never tried it, they'll be the first to sing

Woah My My
I'll see you on the other side
If I make it
And it might be a long hard ride
But I'm gonna take it
Sometimes it seems I don't have a prayer
Let the weather take me anywhere
But I know I wanna go
Where the streets are gold
Cause you'll be there

Oh my my

You don't bring nothing with you here
And you can't take nothing back
I ain't never seen a hearse, with a luggage rack
So I've torn my knees from praying
Scarred my back from falling down
Spent so much time flying high, til I'm face first in the ground
So if you're up there watching me, can you talk to God and say,
Tell him I might need a hand to see you both someday
Woah My My
I'll see you on the other side
If I make it
And it might be a long hard ride
But I'm gonna take it
Sometimes it seems I don't have a prayer
Let the weather take me anywhere
But I know I wanna go
Where the streets are gold
Cause you'll be there

Cause you'll be there"

My Pop (Mike's dad) passed away on Friday September 9th after a very hard fight against cancer. He was such a strong, loving, caring man, and we miss him so much already. He was loved in the community but more importantly he was loved at home by his wife and children, and grandchildren. There was nothing he was more proud of than his family, and I feel blessed to be a part of that. I remember when I first found out that he was sick and how bad it was presumed to be-I was so upset. But he wasn't. If he was, he didn't show it. He said from day one he would fight it, and he made good on his promise. I have never seen anyone have such a positive outlook and fight as hard as he did. While I am sad that he is gone, I am glad that he is not hurting anymore. But I wish we could still have him here. :(  

His presence will be so greatly missed...this coming Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and even vacations. He wasn't able to go with us this year because he was so sick, but I am more thankful for our vacation last year than he'll ever know. That vacation changed my life, for the better. I remember going and feeling lonely and still not knowing my new family very well. I came home with a great bond with them, and that is also the vacation where I met Darren. Pop is the one that took us, so he gets the credit :)  It was so nice to spend time with him there, getting to know him and Grammy better. Seeing what good, loving people they are. I'll never EVER forget that amazing vacation. I doubt any other will ever beat it. 

I remember the last good talk I had with Pop. I sat in his living room for a while and just wanted to listen to him for as long as possible. The older I get, the more I realize we should do this with our family. You never know when that last good talk may be your last. I also remember the last time I saw him, and the last thing he said to me. "Goodbye, I love you." I held him a lot tighter and longer than normal. I am glad I did. I remember what he said to Darren after that. "You take care of my girl here" and they smiled at each other and Darren joked with him. But I think Pop was serious. Darren will make good on that promise. 

I will miss the special occasions. I'll miss the vacations. I'll miss talking about strange common interests like duck decoys :) I'll miss him talking about how great his grandchildren are. 

But I know I'll see him on the other side one day. 

Life is hard sometimes. But it's still fabulous. 

We just need to do this...

Wedding planning has me stressed, and I don't wanna be stressed! It's not worth the stress and we are starting to realize this...We have discussed about 20 times now just running to the courthouse...haha! Sounds good to me!

My girlfriends may murder me if I do this, so I am trying to stick with the plan. All I want to do is be with Darren forever!

Recent obsession

I have to admit it. That's the first step right? I have a problem. I'm completely addicted. It's 1:15am, and I'm doing it right now. What is it you ask? Well, I'm Pinning! 


Pinterest has become a serious procrastination issue for me in the past few months, and now that I'm engaged and planning a wedding, I can't stop! 


I'd like to thank my friend Hollie for introducing me to my bad habit. It's ok though, I've converted a few friends now too. 


Want to know what Pinterest is all about? Check out my boards HERE. 


At first you see these strange pin boards and you think, "this is silly...I'm so not going to get into this" HA! Give it about 30 minutes one day when you are feeling bored. You'll be hooked! 


Nothing like checking this out 20 times a day...

Don't say I didn't warn ya...

It all started with a walk on the beach...

That walk was over a year ago, shortly after I met Darren. My brothers kept teasing that he liked me. I couldn't believe something like that, so I ignored it. The last night of our vacation last year in Duck, NC all of the kids (yes, I'm included in this) took a walk on the beach. I noticed Darren stayed near me the whole time, but told myself it was coincidence. Then when we went to go back the house, he put his arm around me. I was so flustered I thought I'd pass out. I told myself maybe he was just being really gentlemanly and helping me up the steps off the sand. Then that night we talked and talked, and started dating. You can read more about that here.  


I was excited to take more walks on the beach with Darren this vacation in Myrtle Beach, so when he asked to take a walk one night on the beach, I was glad to. It was dark out, but the sky was completely clear, so we saw thousands of stars out. Fireworks were going off in front of and behind us. It was beautiful. We stopped after a few minutes of walking in the sand and started talking about how happy we are. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him and be with him forever, and of course I teared up and said yes! It was such a beautiful, special moment, I'd have to say the best of my life so far! I can't believe how blessed I am to find Darren. We are SO excited for our future! 


Here are some pics from the days following that special night. 

Sam's creative photography :)

Darren wanted to face each other, I guess he wanted to practice! 

I can't wait for the good pics that Hollie will be taking soon! 

I love it! 

I am so thankful and feel so blessed! We are thrilled to be engaged and can't wait to be Mr. & Mrs. Daniels! 

Myrtle Beach 2011

Darren and I were fortunate to be able to go on vacation with my family in August down in Myrtle Beach, SC. The weather was PERFECT! We had a lovely house near the water, our own little pool, and plenty of things to do out. Of course put me in the perfect setting and what do I do? Get sick! Long story short I got some sort of upper respiratory infection and was in bed for most of the week-as in, it was hard for me to even put on a swimsuit and go to the pool downstairs. It was LAME. But every once in a while I'd get enough energy to go out and I am so glad I did! We spent time at the pool, a little time on the beach, at the huge golf store, at the different malls, out to eat-Darren and I had lots of little dates:), putt putt, golf (I sat in the cart, I wasn't feeling THAT great haha) 


Something really special happened on vacation too, more to come on that next post! For now, enjoy some family pics. I didn't take nearly as many pics as I hoped to, but here's what I have! 

Beach Love

Ryan and Michael insisted on the shades...and no the boys outfits weren't planned, haha

Love this one of Sam!

Sister love! 

Well..it's about time!

That I finally went to see Maroon 5 live that is! I've been a HUGE fan since the first time I heard "Harder to Breathe" on my way to VCU for class oh, about 10 years ago. I heard it, loved it, and I was hooked! Every time a new CD of theirs comes out I just devour it, listening to it over and over...and over. If you were to turn my car on at any given time, 90% of the time, a M5 CD will be in my CD player, and the other 10% goes to Taylor Swift. 

Anyway, I just love them. However, it seemed like each year they had a tour and came to town, I would never hear about it. Several times I even heard about them coming the day after. Ugh! So frustrating! So this year I was determined. I did my research early, bought my tickets the day of the sale, and was all set! 

So, without further ado, here are some of my concert memories with Darren down in VA Beach. First up was Gavin Degraw, then Train, then of course, my Maroon 5. I have to say Adam Levine is one tough cookie to photograph. He ran around the stage almost every second of the show, never staying still! The concert was everything I hoped it would be, amazing! 

Train's song "If it's Love" my FAVORITE song of theirs! 

Goodnight Maroon 5! Hope to see you again soon!