David & I met at George Mason University in 2013 where we enrolled in the Masters of Business Administration Program. While we interacted in class, we didn't know each other very well until we went to Brazil to complete our MBA Global Residencies. As you can see from this photo, David joked on me and photobombed me the entire trip. We became good friends and study buddies after the trip and reminisced often about our experiences together.
Finally! We finished our MBAs and celebrated together at graduation!
After dating for a while, I wasn't sure I wanted a serious relationship just yet. So, David decided that he would move back to his home city, Charlotte, NC. Before I knew it, David had a new job, a new house, a new dog, and was living happily in Charlotte (while still missing me of course...)
Eventually, we decided to give our relationship another try. To reconnect, David took me on a date to Rosemont Winery in LaCrosse, Virginia, which is exactly halfway between Washington, DC and Charlotte, NC. We had a wonderful time and decided that we would date long distance to see what might happen.
My best friend Shannon was getting married in Punta Cana, and I invited David to come along. On the first night of the trip, Shannon, her husband-to-be Mark, and all of their friends went to the night club at the resort. The last song of the night was "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sherrans. We danced to the song and totally lost ourselves in the moment. Little did we know, the rest of the group left the night club not realizing we had been left behind. When the song was near over, Shannon realized I wasn't behind her and she ran back to see about us. She tapped me on the shoulder and said something to the effect of "Come on! No one is in here but you". We looked around, and sure enough, we were there, dancing in the center of the floor all by ourselves. And we realized we had fallen in love!
I figured I would keep David around, so it was time to meet the extended family! My goddaughter, Madison, was being christened, so I asked David meet me at my parent's house for the weekend. He came and had an opportunity to meet lots of family and friends. The family was very impressed and his relationship with the White Family began.
We went to spend Father's Day with Mrs. Murdaugh's side of the family in Columbia, SC. This was Andrias' first time meeting David's extended family.
A picture we took after we had our Father's Day lunch with David's father, grandfather, and uncles.
We road tripped to South Carolina with David's brother Denzel. The two enjoyed taking unflattering pictures of Andrias while she was asleep in the car.
Every year, I go to the Diner en Blanc, a formal pop up dinner at a top secret location in Washington, DC. This year, I invited David and his parents to attend with me and they said YES! So, the planning of the event began. We had to bring our own tables, chairs, table decor, food and beverage. While the guys were golfing, Mrs. Murdaugh and I ran errands to pick out the perfect menu for our dinner. We showed up to our designated metro stop, schlepped all of our stuff on the Metro and down narrow sidewalks to the secret location (they never tell you where it is until you get there), and had a wonderful time! It was a long, tiring day, but it was all worth it! We'll have to see if they want to do it again next year. :-)
Andrias surprised me by showing up in Charlotte (and coming to my office) a day earlier than expected. She drove throughout the early morning to surprise me!
I lived with my wonderful and generous Aunt Linda and Uncle Dywane, so it was only right that we spend some quality time with them and let them get to know David. The three love golf and, well, I'm a beginner, so we went to a golf course on a very warm summer day to play a little golf. I must admit I was a little nervous at how the interaction would go, but it was perfect! They golfed...
and I drove the golf cart and looked cute doing it. :-)
Andrias found a ring designer that she really liked, and we ended up taking a trip to Atlanta to view their collection. Little did she know, I actually bought the ring that day, and we worked with the creator of the collection to design her ring! Of course she made friends and asked for a picture.
We spent lots of time road tripping from Washington, DC to Central VA to Charlotte, NC, to various cities in South Carolina! Long distance was just a word to us! We will probably both need new cars in the next few years from all of the traveling we've done!
After careful coordination, I was able to surprise Andrias with a surprise engagement and engagement party at the winery where we went on our first date. The winery is exactly half way between Washington, DC and Charlotte, NC so we met there
Not only did David plan the perfect proposal, but he included my family and best friends! He even hired a professional photographer to capture the moments. His proposal was far better than anything I could have imagined. I am one lucky girl! Take a look at our surprise engagement photos in our photo gallery.
It was so special to have Shannon & Mark there to celebrate with us. It was their wedding where we fell in love and they have been a big part of our celebrations ever since.
Andrias drove down again to surprise me in Charlotte. She and my mother planned the trip, and we also got to see the Clemson vs. NC State football game from a suite.
The Holidays are a really special time for the White Family! Knowing this, David took two weeks off of work to make sure he didn't miss a thing! Those two weeks were fill with activities:
~ My Company Holiday Party in DC
~ Travel to Syracuse with my parents for two of my brother's basketball games
~Traveled back to Baltimore to see one of Andrien's games
~Made a pit stop in DC so Andrias could attend some Inauguration Ball meetings at work
~Traveled to Chester, VA for Christmas Preparations
~ Christmas Zeeb Zop Zoo (our annual Christmas Eve-Eve) Celebration
~ Christmas Eve Dinner
~ Christmas Day Church Service
~ The 26th Annual White Family Christmas Brunch
~ The White Family Christmas Party
~The Jeter Family Christmas Party.
David's parents and brother met us in Chester to spend the Christmas holiday with us. It was busy and we were exhausted, but a good time was had by all!
We drove through the night and through the snow from Washington, DC to Syracuse, NY to watch Andrew & The Orangemen play. It was my first time visiting the Carrier Dome with The White Family.
Two years ago, I was tasked to cook the turkey for the Murdaugh/Busby Thanksgiving. I did such a good job that its become my permanent Thanksgiving Task. Andrias & Jaire spent Thanksgiving with my family in Charlotte this year and naturally fell in love with the turkey recipe. So somehow, it became my duty to fry not one, but TWO turkeys for the White Family Christmas Celebrations.
We brought in 2017 with Shannon & Mark at their beautiful new home! We celebrated love, marriage, and success, and a good time was had by all! What a wonderful start to a big year!