Heather's Graduation (we're all done!!)

We were sooo happy to celebrate with Heather on this great accomplishment in her life. Even though Heather was thrilled to get her undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology, I think my parents were more excited that all of their children have received an undergraduate degree and come out of college debt free! We had a wonderful day of celebrating, with meeting some of her friends at a small party honoring her, walking the campus to see where she goes to class everyday, and cheer her on as she received her degree. Heather will be going on to pursue her master's degree at Clarion University next semester. We are so proud of you Heather!!

Daddy McD, Ph. D

Check out that hood!!

Where did all of your money go Mom and Dad?? All your kids are graduates!!

The whole family!!

The official graduate!!

Getting "hooded"

Look at all those graduates. Hard to believe that was me 6 months ago!

Processing into the ceremony...

It was beautifully decorated for Christmas!

Today was a very special day for my dad. I know he has been anticipating this day for a long time now! We celebrated with him as he officially received his Ph. D in Rhetoric and Philosophy at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He has been diligently working for almost 4 years (most of time he held a full-time job as well) to complete this prestegious degree. His official thesis and dissertation as listed in the program was Presence and Voice: Understanding the Tensions Over the American Church's Rhetorical Relationship to Its Culture Through the Writings of Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine. HOLY COW! (Don't really know what much of that means...) He is one smart cookie, and we were all very excited to celebrate and rejoice with him.

We got up super early to drive to Pittsburgh and arrive at the Baccalaureate on time. It was a beautiful service and was perfect for this season. After that, we were quickly on our way to the Polumbo Center where the graduation ceremony was held. The commencement ceremony wasn't very long (only 2 hours), but it was very nice. The campus pastor closed the service with an appropriate prayer saying, "Bless us as we go in peace, and Lord, please give all of the new graduates a really good job. That pays well. Thank you." Everyone chuckled.

I am really proud of my dad. He is so smart and loves to learn, grasp, and teach others about material that is very difficult to understand. I know that whatever he pursues next in his career, he will be utterly successful.

An Early Christmas Present

Dear friends and family,

As of today, I am no longer "unemployed." I have officially accepted a position at the Verizon Corporate Center near Pittsburgh, PA as a customer service representative. I don't really know how to describe all of the feelings that have hit me today. Relief, happiness, and joy are just a few! It has been almost 6 months to the day since I drove from Disney to my home in Butler. Wow, there have been alot of things that have happened since then!

I don't really know how to say thank you. I know so many of you have been on your knees specifically praying for a job for me. It is an overwhelming feeling to know that people were in prayer daily for such a concern of mine. I now can see that God answers prayers. My faith has been tested alot during this time-asking the questions, "Why, How, When, and Where God?" Needless to say, I am learning more and more everyday that our Lord is Sovereign over all. He listens to the prayers of His people and answers them in His time.

I am grateful for this opportunity and plan to work as hard as I can to make it worthwhile. Thank you for rejoicing with me!!

On another note-today is Paul Shadday's (Joe's dad) birthday! He is a very special man, and I know his family loves and respects him very much. I am thankful for the impact he has had on my life in such a short time of knowing him. Happy Birthday Poppy!

Goodies with my Grandmas

(pictures coming soon-I can't find a way to upload them from my camera's memory!)

A few days ago, I found a kit of Christmas goodies that I though would be a fun treat to make with my grandmas. After church, I baked a batch of rice krispie treats and waited for the right time to go to Newhaven (the assisted living facility where they live). My mom and dad came too-and we were ready to decorate Christmas treats out of rice krispies!

We had a great time decorating, and we even gave them out to some of the other residents and friends of my grandmothers. It was so nice to have time to spend with them before Christmas, and I really enjoyed getting to do a fun activity with them. I have so many memories of baking Christmas goodies with my grandmas growing up. I know that they are not physically able to do that anymore, so I really enjoyed bringing the treats to them!

Better than Elf Yourself.

Please....just watch this video. (Joe sent me this yesterday)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Christmas Cookie Baking

Tonight, my mom and I decided to start making Christmas cookies. Every year, she usually makes a wide assortment of our favorite treats for the holiday season. Unfortunatly, since I have been in college for the past 4 years, I didn't get home until close to Christmas Eve and missed most of the baking. However, this year, I am in the house and able to help out! I love making all of the different types of cookies, treats, and party mixes. We started with Christmas cut-out cookies, the most essential of all holiday treats. The cookies are not decorated yet, since we only started with the dough and the baking tonight. It is always so hard for me to let the cookies survive to the decorating. Even without the icing, they look so delicious! I enjoyed spending time with my mom and getting to participate in some of the festivites this year so far.

Let It Be Said of Us

It has been 6 months since I moved home to Butler from completing my internship at Disney and finishing college. Wow, time sure flies! It seems as though I move to Florida just yesterday and that graduation just occurred. Moving home has been difficult for a variety of reasons. Many changes happened while I was in college and away at Disney. However, I am so thankful for loving parents who have opened their arms and welcomed me back into their house after being gone for 4 years.

One of the changes has been especially hard to cope with. When I first moved to Anderson, I had the ability to do something I have never done before in my life: choose a church home. It was so nice to know that wherever I went, no one would know who I was, who my dad was, or try to be nice to me because of my dad's position. I finally chose a church home after my freshman year and loved being involved with the music and college program.

It has been interesting being at home. For my entire life, I equated being at home with going to a church every Sunday in which my father was the senior pastor. Whatever church he pastored, we were always in the building from early morning to late at night. Throughout my childhood, my family spent many hours working in the nursery, preparing special music for Sunday morning, or putting together bulletins and slideshows for worship. Going home this time was different. We no longer have a church home-and to make it even more interesting-we still live in the same town in which my father was a pastor. I have had a very difficult time learning to cope with not being "known" as the pastor's daughter.

I started attending a church somewhat regularly called Community Alliance Church. They have great worship, and their faith is so sincere. The doctrines that this church projects are not always equal to the ones that I grew up learning, but I know that the people are very genuine and love the Lord (which is the most important). Today, the pastor talked about a subject that struck me. He focused his sermon on living our salvation to the fullest. We were chosen as God's children, and who are we to walk around in contempt and depression about life's woes? God has given us one life to live, and He holds the master plan for my life in His hands. Life is never easy: it never has been (since the Fall of Man) and never will be (until the Second Coming). However, God chose me to be a blessing in this life and to bless others with the love, kindness, grace, and mercy He has given me so freely. At the end of the service, the pastor showed a video with the song "The Blessing" playing in the background. The song touched me immensly. I may not think that Butler, PA is where I need to be right now, but in God's master plan, He knows that this is the only place He wants me to be. So in the midst of it all, I will chose to be a blessing to those all around me.

Phillippians 4:11b "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."

Look up this song on youtube or on i-tunes. It will make you think twice about the attitude you portray day to day! I know it did for me!

"Let it Be Said of Us" -John Waller
Let it be said of us while we walked among the living
Let it be said of us by the ones we leave behind
Let it be said of us that we lived to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us that we gave to reach the dying
Let it be said of us by the fruit we leave behind
Let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life

This day you set life, you set death right before us, this day
Every blessing and curse is a choice now and we willchoose to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us that our hearts belonged to Jesus
Let it be said of us that we spoke the words of life
Let it be said of us that our heritage is blessing for life

Dinner with Mandy

Even Texas Roadhouse was decorated for Christmas!

Tonight, Mandy and I met for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It has been a while since we have been able to get together because she is so busy at school and teaching violin lessons! We had such a great time talking and catching up. The food was great too! We even ran in to a few friends of ours from high school and our summer camp job that we worked at for the past 3 summers. It is so strange to see people that I know from high school and to see how far we have come from that point. I really enjoy spending time with Mandy and am thankful for a friendship like the one we have!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

My little college tree. It's just the right size!

So...Christmas has definitely started at the McDaniel's. Just yesterday, we decided to pull out all of the decorations and put them up around the house. While in the basement, I found all of my decorations from my apartment last year! Even though I don't have much space in my room for a tree, I decided to squeeze it in next to my but window. I couldn't help but want to see and play with all of the wonderful ornaments that I have received and collected over the past few years. I am convinced that is one of my favorite parts of putting up decorations-pulling out each ornament and remembering the story behind it. It's also fun to push buttons and watch the ornaments play Christmas songs or light up the dark. I am thrilled for Christmas this year!!!

On another note, I had my last interview with Verizon today. I had applied about a week and a half ago for a Representative position in their Cranberry office, just outside of Pittsburgh. They offer great benefits, including phone discounts and tuition assistance if I wanted to go back and get a Master's degree (which I have been thinking about!). They are also a very large company, that would afford me the availability to move and transfer to different locations. I feel pretty confident about the job, and am looking forward to hearing from them next week. I am so thankful that God has given me a peace about the situation, and I am looking forward to all He has in store for the upcoming months!!

Well, Hi There!!

On the Metro...sleeeeeeepy!

At Christmas Carol. Check out our 3D glasses. I loved the movie!!

Ok...so...looks like I will have a total of one post for all of November. I have been extremely lazy when keeping up with my blog, and I apologize for my inconsistency in blogging. I always enjoy reading what everyone else is doing on their blogs that I often forget to update mine. I'm turning over a new leaf!! December is going to be a very busy and exciting month, and I will have lots to post and write about. I can't wait to share all of the exciting adventures! To sum up November in one word would be: Busy! I was in a different location every weekend. Fortunately, I was able to get time off to make a few trips before the busy holiday season.

During the second weekend of November, I was off to Maryland to spend the weekend with Joe. He had a few days off of rehearsal, and I was able to get some time off of work. While I was there, we had a great time spending time together! We had lots that we wanted to do and were able to do all of it! On Friday night, we went out to dinner at one of our favorite resteraunts, Buffalo Wild Wings. It was so great to just talk and be around one another. After dinner, we went to Joe's apartment to begin decorating for Christmas. I loved helping him set-up the tree and garland everywhere. Let's just say when we have our first Christmas, we will have plenty of decorations. On Saturday, we went to Tyson's Corner (an amazing mall about 20 minutes from Joe's apartment) to register at Macy's. We figured that since we have started to buy things for our house, it might be nice to begin earning rewards for it! After that loooooong process, we were ready to relax for a bit. That night, we went to see Christmas Carol in 3D. It was awesome! It got me so excited to see the stage show at IRT! On Sunday, we went to DC to church and finished decorating and cleaning his apartment. We have such a great weekend spending time with each other, and I am already looking forward to seeing him before Christmas!

The following weekend, my family travelled down to Savannah, GA for the installation service of my brother. All of his hard work in seminary led up to this wonderful weekend where he would be installed and ordained as a pastor at Grace Church of the Islands in the PCA. On Saturday, we flew down and travelled to downtown Savannah. We were able to walk around all of the streets and even see Paula Deen's resteraunt, Lady and Sons. All of us were exhausted from the travelling that we decided to call it an early night. We were fortunate to stay at a guest house of a deacon in the church that also happens to be Paula Deen's dentist!!! On Sunday, we were at the church pretty much all day. The people are so great, and the members all love Curtis and Margaret. After church in the morning, Margaret and Curtis had us over for brunch at their brand new home. It is beautiful! We went back to church in the evening for Curtis' ordination. After the ordination, the church held a nice reception where we were able to meet most of the families involved. On Monday morning, we woke up early again for our flight to head home to PA. We all had a great time being there for Curtis on his special day. I can't wait to visit him again in Savannah. Next time, we will have to plan some fun and historic activities to do around the town!!

Other than a few trips, I have been working at Michael's like crazy. The holiday season has been nuts, and I will be working close to 40 hours each week before Christmas. 40 hours working retail-Crazy. I have a new found respect for all of those who make a living and career out of retail. Not my cup of tea! However, I am thankful for the amount of income that God has provided through this temporary employment. The month of November was great, and I look forward to an even better December!!

Grandma McDaniel turns 90!

My Nana is on the right, the Birthday girl is on the left!

So thankful for my Grandma!

Heather came to celebrate!

Don't know why she stuck up her finger...maybe she thinks she is number one!

Look at that cake! Wow! Mom did a great job!

Today, my grandmother turned 90 (my Dad's mom)! We have been waiting for this day for a long time now. It seems as though at times she would never be healthy enough to get to this day, but we are so glad she has! What an incredible accomplishment! I have been so blessed to know my grandmothers for so long and become close to them over the years. I have especially enjoyed spending time with them since I have been home, as their assisted living facility is right up the street from our house.

On Sunday, we threw a party for her at the assisted living place where she and my Nana are currently living. My mom made a wonderful cake and we had lots of friends and neighboring residents come down to the executive dining room to celebrate. I can't believe how many cards, presents, and phone calls she received for the past few days. It is so great to know people love her and care about her, even though she is quite a bit of miles away! I think she is such a wonderful person, and I love her deeply. I feel so blessed to be her granddaughter, and I am thankful she has been such a big part of my life.

*On a side note, the night before the party, my mother and I went downstairs to search through boxes of my grandmother's wedding dress. I had heard about the wonderful view she wore for her wedding, and I have been dying to see it! About 3 boxes later, we finally opened the box with the view. We pulled it out, and I couldn't believe it! It is absolutely gorgeous. I definitely want to use it! Hopefully, we can find a dress that will compliment it. I told my grandmother that I have a desire to use it, and she was thrilled! What a wonderful family heirloom to add to the celebration!

Happy Birthday Cooper!

Cooper is precious!

At their condo in Siesta Key-he was giving me rasberries!

Look at that beautiful baby smile! (of course, he is in Disney World for the first time!)

Today is Cooper's 2nd birthday. I can't believe he is already 2! Jessie became pregnant with Cooper very soon after Joe and I first started dating. It seems like yesterday when we were all gathered at the hospital holding precious baby Cooper. He is such a blessing to everyone and has such a great energy about him. I love to watch him and play with him whenever I am in Indiana. I know that Baylor and Cooper love each other very much, and that Jessie and Tom love their boys very much. I am so excited to be their aunt soon! Happy Birthday Cooper!

Anderson Homecoming

I apologize for the following pictures to be so small. I left my camera at home and had to steal them from friends!

My birthday surprise at Real Hacienda. The waiters put a huge sombrero on my head and smeared whipped cream all over my face!

FRIENDS!!!!

Little Red Riding Hood and the Witch from Into the Woods.

Senior year roomates. I miss them so!

All the girls, back together again!

All of the friends waiting for the street fair!

Here are some of the cast from Into the Woods from the Street Fair!

After a wonderful birthday at home, I got up Friday morning and was off to Anderson for the weekend. All of my best friends were in one place, and we all wanted to celebrate together and support those who were in the musical this year. After my long drive, I arrived at Debbie and Leah's adorable apartment at downtown Anderson late at night. I was so happy to be greeted by all of my girls!!! We had a great night catching up and just being together. Anna and I bunked up on the sofa bed, and stayed up until 4am talking (just like freshman days!)

On Saturday, we all went to the street fair located on University Boulevard. This is a huge tradition where most of the social clubs, organizations, and groups put up a table and have goodies to sell or products to pass out. There are always a few favorites-caramel apples, hot apple cider, and elephant ears! It is also the hot spot to see former alumni and current students you knew and loved during your time at AU. After the street fair, me, Leah, Anna, and Anna's boyfriend Nick went to one of our favorite resteraunts in Anderson, Real Hacienda. Its a great mexican resteraunt that have really great prices. We went back to the apartment and decided to rest before getting ready for the musical that night.

Before going to the musical that night, the 4 of us went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We definitely pigged out! The meal was delicious, but the company was even better. After a yummy dinner, we were off to the show to see our great friends shine. This year, Anderson took on a great challenge. The musical they produced was "Into the Woods" by Steven Soundheim. It is incredibly difficult with complex rhythms, melodies, and characters. However, the cast was fabulous. Everyone was exceptional, and we were so excited to cheer them on from the audience. I was so proud to be their friends!! Everyone did a great job. After the show, everyone came back to the apartment and ate cake to celebrate a job well done.

On Sunday, we all woke up and decided to have lunch before going our separate ways. Since we all love Real Hacidenda, a huge group of us met there once again. We had a great time, and even celebrated my birthday in the process. I am so thankful for wonderful friends. We all had a great weekend, and I am anxious to see them again.

It's My Birthday!

My dad bought a few more Gone with the Wind Collectibles. I'm hoping this collection ends soon...(I've been getting one every holiday since I can remember)

Beautiful flowers Joe Joe sent me. Sunflowers, my favorite!

Most of the gifts I got for my birthday!

Wow...23 years old. I can't believe it is already that time of year! Over the past few years, I feel like my birthday comes and goes so quickly. I had a great day today doing fun events and celebrating with my parents.

I took the day off of work and decided to go shopping at the outlet mall in Grove City. I got alot of really great clothes and items on sale! When we got home, my parents fixed a special dinner and even made pumpkin streusal cheesecake! It was amazing! We opened presents after dinner, and I really loved all of them. I am so thankful for everyone who called, sent a letter, or a gift. I truly felt so special today, even though I was far away from some of the people that I love.

I did alot of thinking back about all of the events that happened while I was 22. Things have changed. I started my senior year in college, did an internship in Disney World, got engaged in Disney World, and graduated college! Looking back, I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories I had while being 22. I can't wait to see what this year of 23 holds!

Happy Birthday Baylor!

He is just the sweetest thing!

Baylor and me racing at the Children's Museum (almost 2 years ago! Wow!)

Happy Birthday Baylor! Today is Baylor's 5th birthday! Joe and I started dating when Baylor had just about turned 2 years old, and now he is 5. Wow, time sure does fly. I can't believe it! He is just the absolute sweetest boy, and I am so thankful for his wonderful, loving, and energetic personality. Baylor is such a joy to be around! It has been so neat to watch him grow and learn over the years. I can't wait to see him continually grow into an amazing man. We love you, Baylor!

A Sneaking Suspicion...

We have a sneaking suspicion as of late at the McDaniel household. After getting back from Maryland a few weekends ago, I was greeted by our bichon, Belle. Just barely one year old, she is always full of energy and jumps to greet anyone once their enter the house. However, this time, once I bent down to pet her and pick her up, she was extremely heavy! Over the past week and a half, we continued to see her get heavier, eat more, and poop all over the house. On top of that, her "chest" is getting larger and well....full. She spent Labor Day weekend at the kennel (we were all out of town)...soo.............

........we are thinking our little bichon is pregnant!!!!!!! Not really the most ideal thing to have right now, but to tell you the truth, I am kind of excited! None of the dogs we have ever owned has had puppies, so this would be the first. I must say, our little promiscuous doggie is going to have puppies before she even turns one. Talk about drama in the doggie world.

I will post pictures of the little one and her progress!

We Have Plates!!!

Our awesome plates!!

The bowls too!

Today, my mom and I decided to take a trip to one of our favorite malls, Ross Park in Pittsburgh. Over the years, this mall has become our favorite stop to shop, since they have added high end stores like Nordstroms, Tiffany, Coach, Burberry, Banana Republic, and etc. Now, we never buy anything in most of these stores, but they are really fun to go into and look around. I needed to return a jacket that I bought in Maryland at H&M, so after I finished we continued to walk around on a busy Saturday afternoon.

While we were shopping we decided to stop in to Macy's and ended up on the home goods floor. My mom really wanted to see what types of china, everyday wear, and appliances we were thinking about putting on our registry. She really liked everything that Joe and I have mentally picked out, and she even had a few more ideas of things that I would have never thought of. While we were looking around, we came across the plates that Joe and I found last week while I was in Maryland. They were on sale, buy one plate and get one free-a great deal! I asked one of the employees how long she thought the plates would be available at Macy's, and she remarked that they might not carry them past this year. Immediately, my mom and I decided that it would be best to buy as much as we could right now, since they were on sale and exactly what Joe and I wanted for our kitchen. So, we bought 8 place settings of the plates, and figured that when we register for other things that we would add 8 more placesettings of regular fiesta wear in blue and red to match the colors in the plates I bought today. My mom was very excited to be the first to give a gift from our registry (which techincally we haven't opened yet, but will soon!). I have to say, I can't believe I'm so excited about a bunch of plates. I guess that is what happens when you turn 23. I can't wait to use them!! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

One Week Away

They are all still unopened!!

About a week ago, I received a huge assortment of packages on the front porch of the house. When I looked outside to see if it was another Ebay purchase for Dad, I saw on each box that they were labeled Megan McDaniel. Immediately, I became very excited! I never get packages! I quickly remember that Joe had informed me a few packages would be coming my way in the form of birthday presents. Then, I immediately became very nervous.

For all of you who know me pretty well, I love surprises. There is something about the feeling of knowing someone thought about putting something together or arranging a special event just for you. However, I have a big problem, because I also love to ruin surprises. I dont know why, I can't help it-it's a disease. It is extremely difficult for me to not look at presents or not to snoop around when I can tell something is up. It's a wonder Joe ever pulled the engagement weekend off without the slighest bit of curiousity from me!

So...my birthday is a week away, and I wanted to prove to everyone that the presents indeed have remained unopened. I'm not gonna ruin it this year. 23 is the big number, and it's my year to prove that I can let a surprise be a surprise!

Mickey Waffles

On Monday morning, Joe didn't have to go to class until 12, so we decided to make waffles for breakfast. I absolutely love the Mickey waffle maker that I gave Joe, and we love to cook with it! We ate waffles, talked, and watched Friends before I had to leave at noon. On the way home, I heard back from Broadway Across America. Unfortunately, the Group Sales Manager position had been given to someone else with more experience. However, I was in the top three for the position! I must say, I was quite disappointed, as this was something that would be considered a "dream job" or something I would love to do. Right now, I have to trust that God has something better out there for me. I am trying so hard to "Be Still and know that He is God." It sure is hard! I will continue my prayer that He will provide the right job for me soon.

On the other hand, I am so thankful to have so many friends and family to support me. I am greatful for everyone who has offered prayers and love during this crazy time. I love you all!!!

A Church Job and the Smithsonian

Could you imagine putting a necklace like this together?!

Jewels, jewels everywhere!!!!!

Marie Antoinette wore these beauties.

This necklace was given to a Prima Donna at the MET from her husband on their wedding day. Coincidence?? I think I could make it work with an outfit.

Holy Sapphires!!

I was thinking I could borrow the one of the right for the wedding. Please and thank you.

Of course, none of these compare to the one Joe Joe gave me! :)

Absolutely gorgeous.

The Hope Diamond, out of its original setting.

That T-Rex was HUGE.

Look! We found Nemo, Marlin, and Dori in the same tank!!

Joe had his chance for an up-close-and-personal. I don't think he liked it.

I think it was taller than me.

Look how gross that giant squid is!!

The Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian!

On Sunday morning, Joe and I got an early start on the metro to downtown Washington, D.C. Thankfully, he was able to get a church job during the school year that only needs him for three hours on Sunday morning. We arrived at the church at 10am on Pennsylvania Avenue (just a few blocks from the White House) and had to split while he rehearsed for the 11am service. The church was beautiful and had alot of rich history-a few presidents have visited there, including JFK and Ronald Reagan.

Even though the service was Catholic, the music was absolutely gorgeous. I was really able to appreciate the music Joe's choir sang because most of it was either classical or some sort of gregorian chanting. They even sang Beati Quorum Via, a song Chorale sang during my freshman year. I must say, it did make me miss singing in a choir. After the service, Joe had rehearsal for about an hour, so I went to a deli down the street to get some lunch and kill time.

Once he finished, we decided to walk to hop on the metro towards the Smithsonian to see the Hope Diamond. I wanted to see it because the actual diamond was out of its original necklace setting, as it had been recently cleaned and weighed. It was breathtaking! We walked through the gem exhibits and were able to see some of the biggest jewels in the world. While we were at the Smithsonian (Natural History Museum), we looked at the dinosaurs and the sea exhibit. It was great! Our feet were killing us after two long days of walking, so we got back on the metro and headed back to Joe's apartment. We each relaxed and took a little nap before going to the grocery store to buy some goods for the Colts game (a pizza, cookies, and all the junk food you can imagine). Let's just say after that trip to the grocery store, Joe and I looked at each other and decided that the wedding diet is starting SOON. :) All in all, we had a great time together and enjoyed talking and being with one anot