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.

Greenwave Grad

I graduated from Summerville High School in 2007. As you can see, I focused heavily on band. That only lasted 3 years, but I danced all 4 years. My senior year I was enrolled in the dual credit program with Trident Technical College. It was only English 101/102 back then. I’m jealous that its set up now for high schoolers to come out with a full associates degree, getting all the required electives and humanities out of the way at a cheaper rate. While I was also accepted to USC, I chose the College of Charleston, which didn’t last long.

Wanna Go Out Sometime?

If you didn’t know, I had a huge crush on Travis my freshman year. He never gave me the time of day back then, but we connected at a house party a few years later. At a following party, he made the comment: “At this age we date to marry.” At the end of the night I got lost leaving the neighborhood and he asked the host for my number. He wanted to know if I wanted to go out sometime. Well, yeah… I’d say the rest is history but it was definitely a roller coaster journey.

EMT… Almost…

I really wanted to be a nurse. A Labor & Delivery nurse to be exact. I was at the College of Charleston and was so stubborn about only getting into MUSC’s College of Nursing. I applied multiple times. Then in the middle of dropping out, I found an EMT course. I thought, hey, this might look good on my nursing school application. So twice a week after work I attended classes. We were a fun bunch. I completed the course, was still denied entry to nursing school and threw in the towel on all of it.

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.

My Dream City

When people ask “If you could go anywhere, where would you go?” They’re expecting people to name an island or place in Europe. My answers is always Nashville. Surround me in country music and line dancing 24/7. I don’t think I could live there. Or maybe I could, like on the outskirts in Franklin. Travis could build custom homes for all the stars. That’s what would be the coolest. To go more often and just be sitting in a bar or walking down the street and pass a musician I follow. I did see Justin Adams in Second Fiddle during my 2014 trip. I’ve been only twice, and I’m dying to go again.

Big Birthday Buck…

…but not my birthday.

If you follow me on social media, you see this story every October. There are two things I hate about hunting: morning hunts and Sunday hunts. But in 2018, Travis’s birthday landed on a Sunday and he wanted to sit in the morning. So up to the woods we went. In full transparency, I’d already let a buck walk two days before because it was walking in his direction, but when what I thought was an 8 point was walking towards me, the gloves were off. Actually, the book was put down so I could pick my rifle up. Yes, I read in the stand. It helps keep me still and quiet. What turned out to be a 9-point was the biggest buck ever killed on that 100 acres, in the most unconventional way. I don’t get asked to go hunting very often anymore. I wonder why?

The Property That Found Us

One day we were called to salvage a barn full of heart pine. The family friend of my husband mentioned selling the house. We weren’t prepared to move but we couldn’t pass up the property. The house needed a huge overhaul, but luckily we knew how to do that, and at least it was livable in the meantime. Unfortunately, they wanted way to much money. But I guess one day they came to their senses and we were able to rent it while we listed and sold our own house. It’s definitely still a work in progress which would be easier to demolish and start over, but the banks laugh at us when we ask for a construction loan to do that….

Goodbye to Where I Grew Up

Obviously buying a new house meant saying goodbye to my childhood home. I moved there back in 1998 and bought it from my mom in 2013, before putting it on the market in 2019. It was a great investment. Bought it for $127k and sold it for $250k. We definitely ran out of room trying to run a construction company from a neighborhood so I don’t miss the small space, but I do miss our old group of neighbors. My parents still live in the neighborhood so we can visit everyone often.

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.

Our Favorite Place

Besides the woods of course. We love Edisto Beach. A little hidden gem on the coast of South Carolina. My parents have started getting a beach house there during fall break every year. We enjoy putting around on the golf cart, lounging on porches and decks, me reading a book while Travis plays guitar. One day we’ll have our own slice of paradise there. Nothing fancy. Just enough for our family to enjoy the slower pace of life every now and then.

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.

Bookworm

I love to read. Always have, always will. And I will read anywhere and everywhere. Before Parker, there was always a book in my bag. I would read on my lunch break, at the doctor’s office, while getting an oil change, and when waiting for people to show up at happy hour. I frequent library book sales and my TBR bookshelf stays packed at around 100 books at all times while my personal library is stacked 2 rows deep.

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 in May of 2023 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, I left to work for the family business.

I Like Big Trucks…

You better have read to the tune of Baby Got Back.

One year on my birthday, I had to co-sign for Travis to get a new truck, a Ram that eventually became mine. We lifted it and put on 35s. Then it was too cool so he took it and gave me a Tahoe. I wanted my truck back. We did a lot of shifting and I got a few work hand-me-downs from him. One day he said I could trade the latest work truck in for any vehicle I wanted. I think he was wanting me to go back to a SUV. Naw. I still wanted a truck. That’s when I got this 2021 RAM 1500 brand new. My first brand new car. Unfortunately I had to wait forever to make it look cool. Finally in 2023, we had the kids at the West Ashley CAP add the lift and tires.

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.

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.

POP Goes the Parker

Our third child, our first earthside baby, our daughter Parker shot out into this world on Monday, September 23rd at 8:39pm, 6 weeks early weighing only 4lbs 3oz but was still pretty long at 19”. She would go on to have surgery and spend 8 weeks in the NICU.

You can read more about all that here

First Level III NICU Baby

Along with making her grand entrance, Parker had to throw in a few more accolades. She busted out two days after the big ribbon cutting for HCA Healthcare Summerville Hospital’s Level III NICU and ended up being their very first patient as she needed ventilator assistance post surgery. There were lots of interviews in those first few weeks, many presentations to the C-suite. So when Parker finally graduated 8 weeks later, it was a big to-do. She donned a cap & gown and exited to a hallway filled with her entire care team shaking pink & gold pom poms.

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.

Our First Family Christmas Card

If you know Travis, or have followed me on social media for any amount of time, you know that not only does Travis not like to take photos, he does not like to smile in them. He also does not like Christmas festivities. I have never been able to get him to do a family Christmas card, till now. Next up is yearly family photos, professionally done of course!

The Ultimate Volunteer Challenge

Up until having Parker, I was very involved in volunteering within the community. But having a little one at home made showing up tricking. So I found another way. While she was in the NICU, her nurses started noticing my abnormal milk supply. When another baby ran out of donor milk, I knew I needed to step up. The team introduced me to Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina and I got set up right after Parker came home from the NICU. In hindsight, I should’ve started the process while she was still there so I could have just left the milk behind instead of rolling out a cooler during her graduation. Throughout the year that we worked with MMBSC, we were able to donate ~9,500oz to NICU babies.

Holy Cow!

We weren’t kidding about the “Ultimate Volunteer Challenge”. The NICU Nurses caught on quick that I was an overproducer, but I don’t think any of us imagined this. Throughout my journey, I had access to 4 freezers, not even including the fridge and freezer I constantly took over in the NICU. My stash required partnerships with 3 milk banks as well as a few private donations to keep it under control.

Community Connector

I never had a lot of money, but I always had a lot of time. Well, that is, before I had Parker. I was always the first to sign up to volunteer. You knew you’d run into me at at town events. I was always helping, had a nickname from the Leadership Development program of “Dependable Danielle”. When I left the corporate world, I had more time to network. Showing up to everything, I eventually became an ambassador with my local Chamber of Commerce. Celebrating ribbon cuttings, checking folks into events, making sure there was always a big group photo. When Parker came along, she really came along. The junior ambassador, strapped to my chest in her carrier, walking into events with her sunnies on. We were both pretty sad when that season ended.

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