About Me

In a nutshell I a wife, a mom, a community advocate, an avid volunteer.
A Gold 3w2 High C ET (which you will only understand if you are also into personality assessments). I love jacked up trucks, country music, cowboy boots, volunteering, reading, florals and rose gold everything. But I am also an open book so I’m going to use a “Fun Facts” setup to dive in and let you get to know me a little deeper.

Please excuse the mess as my About Me page
is preparing for a massive overhaul!

Hey there, I’m Danielle! I reside in Summerville, SC with my husband Travis and our rainbow baby, Parker Evelyn Mercer, We have two babies in Heaven, twins, along with our beloved labrador Jake. I was born in the city (Charleston) but I’ve lived in the outskirts my entire life. Back in 2019, I sold my childhood home to move out to a fixer upper (thank goodness I own a construction company) on two acres.

I did everything in high school. Cheered, danced, played in the band. I actually have a state ring from marching band and multiple championships with the winter drumline. I tried college for awhile, 3 years at College of Charleston while trying to get into nursing school, but then life happened. Balancing school, a job, and a pile of unpaid bills because school always got in the way of working was a struggle. But I don’t regret leaving, because my life wouldn’t be what it is today had I stayed. I did finally finally go back to college, graduating magna cum laude from Trident Tech in 2023 with an A.A.S. in Management, Leadership Development.

I spent close to 20 years in healthcare, along with a small hiatus in real estate, before joining the family business. Travis is a residential home builder and opened Heart Pine Homes in 2016. We specialize in custom home builds and flipping investment properties. I focus on community relations and business development.

I live and breathe country music. So much so that I wish someone would create an app that helps you keep up with all the concerts you’ve been to. I once had a dream to workin in the music industry, handling marketing / communications / pr for some of my favorite artists. These days I’m obsessed with Hardy & Morgan Wallen, who I’ve seen many times, and twice together. I’m personal friends with many songwriters, such as Andy Velo, Mitchell Lee and Cassie & Henri of Saluda Shoals.

I run two local groups, Summerville Sisterhood and Volunteer in The Ville. The Sisterhood is an open space for local women to collaborate together and hang out at Summerville area establishments, whether that be the wine bar, boutique, or more. VV is the Summerville Volunteer Network, partnering residents with nonprofits. I previously served on the special events committee for Dorchester Habitat for Humanity and regularly volunteer for events with The Ark of SC and Summerville Rotary. In 2024 I served as a celebrity dancer for The ARK’s “Dancing With The ARK’s Stars” fundraiser (while 15 weeks pregnant)!

I completed the Leadership Dorchester program with the Summerville Chamber of Commerce (Class of 2020 — longest class ever) which oversaw three community service projects and still serve on their Advisory Council. Travis graduated from the same program in 2024.

I’m a wannabe influencer. Mostly with books. I couldn’t create one of those cool Amazon Influencer lists so I just started a favorite book list and lending library on this site!

The only sport I love is NASCAR. Yes, it’s a sport. I’ll root for the Gamecocks, but I’m not really into football. I watch way too much TV. I probably have at least 40 shows that I watch over the course of a year, but my favorite is On Patrol Live. I’m obsessed with Marvel, but only the movies, not the comics. I’ll watch them all in order at least once a year.

How could I almost forget the biggest part of me? I hunt. I spend the majority of my fall up in a tree stand slaying deer. Last year I bagged a broken 6 point and a sweet 9 point. But don’t worry, I’m not a trophy hunter. Not even close. I live off venison. It is the only meat that doesn’t make me sick. And since I hunt, that means I shoot too. I conceal carry, and I’ve had to protect myself twice. Therefore, I’m a huge proponent of the Second Amendment.

My goal for my writing is to spread the word about my favorite boutiques, show you how I get curlz for dayz, share my favorite venison recipes, discuss my favorite books, and review my favorite artists and the shows I attend. But I’m also up for requests….

Welcome to the World

I was born on Friday, January 13th, 1989 at Roper Hospital in Downtown Charleston. Delivered by Dr. Victor Weinstein, the Chief of OB/GYN who happened to become my boss 12 years later. Raised by a single mother who gave me a remarkable childhood.

Cheer Captain

I cheered for a recreational league in 8th and 9th grade, the Sertoma Falcon. I was cheer captain my second year while my mom became the cheer mom. We won our category at Carowinds that year.

Drumline Champion

I first joined the band in middle school, playing flute. When I got to high school, somehow I ended up learning percussion and tried out for winter drumline. I did it for two years and we racked up lots of trophies and medals. While it’s grainy, I chose this photo because if you look closely you can see Travis in it too! I didn’t even remember him being there till I saw this photo again years after we got married. And yes, I can play that one cadence from the movie Drumline.

Marching Band Champion

After a successful first Winter Drumline season, I decided to officially join the marching band my sophomore year. This only added to the medal count as we took State that year. I didn’t do band long, but these were some of my best years before life and responsibilities hit.

Will You Marry Me?

Thinking back, did he even say that? Ok. I knew he had the ring, I think. We were going up to my parents for the weekend and had plans to go to a winery called The Cottage which overlooked Dad’s work and their old house. It’s got the best views. It would have been the perfect place to propose. I’m pretty sure I bought this dress on that trip and wore it when we went to The Cottage. But then Travis didn’t pop the question. Ohhh I was mad. The next day, Mother’s Day, we were back home and getting ready to go to his parents for lunch. Since I wasn’t photographed in the dress, I just put it back on. We were sitting on the front porch waiting to go when Travis asked me to go get him a glass of sweet tea. When I sat back down, he presented the ring. Apparently he couldn’t get the ring box out of his pocket, hence, why he had me walk inside. More than that, he’d planned on proposing in Georgia but realized about an hour into our drive that he’d forgotten to pack the ring and couldn’t think of a good enough excuse to turn around. Honestly, he could’ve made a trip to Walmart and picked up something CZ to get by and I wouldn’t have cared at all.

Just Married

When I met Travis, I knew I was marrying him. It just took him a little longer to get on the same page. I still laugh that our whole ceremony lasted only 7 minutes. Looking back, I will tell people, just elope or have a private ceremony and focus on the after party (aka the reception). I’m just glad he let us get married within 6 months, after taking 5 years to pop the question.

That One Time I Tried Real Estate

When the medical office I’d been born into and worked at for 15 years closed, I made a switch to real estate. I was on the admin side in the marketing department. When that situation went south (IYKYK) I got my license and hung it with the biggest competitor. I hated being an agent though. I will market real estate all day long, but I do not want to deal with people. I sold two houses, one being my parents, and I went back to the medical field.

Leadership Dorchester

At the end of 2019, I applied to be part of the Summerville Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Dorchester program. Little did we know what would happen in 2020. But, after a short pause, our class came back to finish out the program and complete 3 community service projects for area nonprofits. I served as Project Leader and went on to serve on the Leadership Dorchester Advisory Council.

The Mercer Twins

On February 12th, 2023 (also known as Super Bowl Sunday). we found out we were pregnant. Two weeks later, we found out it was twins. And not just any set of twins. A 0.1%, Monochorionic-Monoamniotic (MoMo) twins. Meaning they shared both the same sac and placenta. But within a month, they were gone. The loss was confirmed on March 15th and I went into surgery on March 21st.

A New Career

After 20+ years in healthcare and a new mindset after losing our twins, Travis and I decided to make our business a true family business. I left the corporate world and came to work along side him at Heart Pine Homes.

College Drop Out to Graduate

When I was at HCA Healthcare, I would tell all the new hires about HCA’s education benefits. One day I finally listened to myself. In 2010-2011, I dropped out of the College of Charleston. In August of 2021, I returned, using HCA’s tuition assistance to enroll in Trident Technical College for a A.A.S Degree in Management, Leadership Development. I graduated on May 5th, 2023 magna cum laude. I had planned to move up the ladder at HCA but gave up after being denied so many positions I’d applied for.

Volunteer of the Year

I’ve always said “I don’t have any money, but I have a lot of time.” That is, of course, until I welcomed a baby girl in 2024. Before that, I volunteered with a local women’s group for 3 years, serving as their Community Service Chair. Then I branched out on my own with a volunteer group called Volunteer in The Ville. At the same time I also completed my local Chamber’s Leadership program which included a community service project, going on to serve on their advisory council and as an ambassador. In January of 2024 I was presented with the Summerville Chamber of Commerce’s Volunteer of the Year award.

Announcing Our Rainbow

On May 10th, 2024, 9 year to the day after announcing our engagement, after 10 months of agony, we announced that we were finally expecting our rainbow baby. A girl. Due to our past tragedy and trauma, we opted to delay our announcement for as long as we could and kept our due date private.

Dancing With The Stars (kinda)

I started volunteering with The ARK of SC in December of 2018, when I helped out at their Ugly Christmas Sweater Dash. My mom and I became a regular staple during the summer Race For The ARK. And I’ve helped out at a few Dancing With The ARK Stars events. In September of 2023 I was approached about being a celebrity dancer in 2024. I hemmed and hawed because I was trying to get pregnant and didn’t want to be dancing huge, but realized it was probably easier to dance pregnant than try to prep for the competition with a one year old. I was 15 weeks along on dance night, and had to announce the day before because I couldn’t get through a run of the routine without losing my breath and I couldn’t hide it no matter how hard I looked for a decent outfit. I didn’t come in last, but I’m looking forward to just being a volunteer again.

Jake, The Smiling Lab

On December 16th, 2012, Travis brought home Jake and his sister Rilee in a laundry basket. Named after a turkey, Jake never did get to go hunting, but he was an excellent retriever. You could never play cornhole around him. Jake was the best dog. He loved ice cubes and his donut toy. He put up with being dressed up and drug to job sites to create content for Heart Pine Homes. He was most excited about becoming a big brother. But on December 16th, 2024, 12 years to the day since coming home and 4 weeks to the day since bringing Parker home, he crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Biggest Local Hero (almost)

This was such a big surprise, and accomplishment. No one will ever beat out Katie but to be ranked in the same category as her. To be nominated by someone in the community, and then be voted on by the local public. And at first, I had this mindset of keeping up with appearances (aka the volunteering) now that I’d been publicly awarded twice. But then I realized this should be celebrating all the years past that I’ve been putting in the work.

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