Is Anybody Out There?

Daniel and I were just wondering if anyone ever reads our blog. We really enjoy posting and sharing photos of our adventures, but are unsure if anyone takes the time to actually read this stuff. So....if you are reading our blog...please post a comment!

Thanks!

Bitter-Sweet Moments

Saying good-bye is one of the hardest things I think we have to do in life. I hate good-byes almost as much as I hate moving. In the past two years since completing my Master's degree at Southwestern Seminary, I have had to say good-bye to a dozen or more friends as they have moved about the country and some of them even to remote parts of the world. This week I am saying good-bye to my sweet friends David and Heather and their precious little one, Makayla.

Heather and David both hold a special place in my heart. Heather and I became friends in the fall of 2002 when she came to Southwestern. We met at church and soon after became close friends. She is more a sister to me than she is a friend. David and I also met at church; however, we have an even more interesting friendship... David was a student in a Hebrew class that I taught on a few occassions for a professor at seminary. I would have never guessed he would one day marry one of my best friends. Just this past Sunday we laughed about this as we sat at the dining room table in the Cooley Casa enjoying some chicken enchiladas. Heather and David have given me the privilege of being "Aunt Glo" to yet another little one and I am so thankful.


Life has changed quite a bit for the three of us since the time we all met. Heather and David were married... I caught Heather's bouquet just three days after my first date with Daniel and now just short of two years later, Daniel and I are married and just a few short months ago, little Makayla made her grand entrance.


Saying good-bye sure is hard, but I am so thankful that as brothers and sisters in Christ it will only be a short time until we are all together again.

So long sweet friends! God Speed!

Post Wedding Report Part Four

The wedding itself went so fast, but it was good... the best day of my life.

We just got our wedding video yesterday. It was interesting to watch it and see that day again. It was cool getting to see all the people that were there that day, and I got to see my wife in her dress all over again.

After being home almost thirty days since the honeymoon, I think I might have found myself the best wife in the world.

Waco Weekend

I am sure many of you are probably getting tired of reading about our wedding and may even be wondering if we have anything else to talk about... so.... I decided to take a reprieve from the post wedding update and tell you about our trip to Waco last weekend. Nothing too exciting happened, but it was a nice little escape from Dallas and I did get to hear some dirt on Daniel.

Why did we go to Waco you ask? Well, Daniel is a Baylor graduate as are a number of his friends. Al and Karla, two of Daniel's close friends, decided to celebrate their birthdays in Waco with some of their college buddies. So, Daniel and I joined them for dinner at George's and a visit to some of their favorite college hang outs. I had the opportunity to see where Daniel lived in college and to have some coffee from Common Grounds.

Sunday, Daniel and I attended church at University Baptist Church. David Crowder leads worship there when he is in town and this past Sunday he happened to be there. Daniel and I both really like David Crowder so it was kind of a treat to see him at UBC. After church, Daniel took me to the Baylor campus to show me around. We went to the bear pit, but it was just too stinking hot for the bears and they were asleep in a cave. We were able to see them through the glass, but I was hoping to see them up close and personal. We walked around campus and took a few pictures, but it was SO HOT! We then met up with Al and Karla and some of the other Baylor bunch at Ninfa's for lunch. Mmmm....mmmm...good!
After lunch we got back on the road and headed for home with a quick stop in Hillsboro at the outlet mall where we purchased Casting Crown's new CD and some Starbucks!

Post Wedding Report Part Three

Yes, Daniel was a great help, running all the errands I did not get to the week before our wedding. In fact, I put all of my clothing and things I needed for our honeymoon on the bed on Thursday afternoon and Daniel took care of all of our packing. We were not missing anything when we made it to the cruise ship!

While Daniel was enjoying breakfast with Karla and Al, I was having breakfast with Michelle and Jen at the Doubletree. We then headed to the salon so that I could get my hair done. As we were leaving the hotel it was raining...which I am told is supposed to be good luck on your wedding day... but by the time I finished getting my hair done the sky had cleared up and it was a beautiful June day.

The rest of the afternoon seemed to drag on as I dressed at the church and waited for the moment I could walk down the aisle. Of course there was make-up to be done, pictures to be taken and lots of laughs along the way.

At 4:00pm the music started and we were on our way. I could not wait to see Daniel. Our friend Tyrone Johnson was our soloist and as he began to sing Holy, Holy, Holy, I could not help but cry. It was absolutely beautiful. The doors then closed and my stepdad and I prepared to walk down the aisle. What a sweet moment it was when the doors were open and I could finally see my groom!

Little Daniel McGraw was on the last row and when I walked in he waved and said "hi Doria." It was precious.

The ceremony went by quickly, but there are moments I will never forget. Daniel becoming emotional during his vows, us praying together after lighting the unity candle, Pike having us turn to face the congregation and seeing all of our friends and family gathered there, and the moment when Pike pronounced us husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony...everything I had dreamed of and more.

The reception followed at the Doubletree Hotel. We had a great time! We danced, ate, laughed, enjoyed friends and family, but most of all enjoyed one another. I didn't want the day to end. It was perfect.

Next stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico where we would board Royal Caribbean's, Adventure of the Seas for a seven day Southern Caribbean cruise. More to come....

Post Wedding Report Part Two

While Gloria was running around Dallas with all the other bridesmaids I was running around taking care of the things all the bridesmaids didn't have time to do. I drove to pick up things for our honeymoon. I packed for our honeymoon. I dropped our honeymoon bags off at the hotel the day of the wedding.

The rehearsal dinner was at Celebration Restaurant, one of my family's favorite restaurants. We had a great time that night.

On the morning of the wedding, I was a little anxious mainly about making sure I hadn't let a detail slip like forgetting to pack something important. Nothing disastorous happened so that was a bonus. My best man and his wife (Al and Karla, see pic with Gloria's parents) decided to bring my breakfast that morning and come and see the apartment that Gloria and I would be living in after the honeymoon. Well they ended up having some trouble with the directions I gave them and the 15 minute trip took them 45 min. (sorry guys). That was probably the worst mishap of the day.

Honeymoon Pictures

You can view pictures of our honeymoon by clicking on the link to the right labeled Our Pictures. These pictures were taken on our cruise and while we were in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Enjoy~

The Post Wedding Report Part One

June 17, 2006-

I awoke to the sound of raindrops falling lightly against my hotel window. My matron of honor, Michelle, and one of my bridesmaids, Jen, and I spent the morning lounging around chatting. There was no sign of pre-wedding jitters. In fact, I was so relaxed it was almost 10am before I ever made it out of bed. This was the day I would become Mrs. Daniel Wayne Cooley. I knew from the day Daniel left Guatemala in the summer of 2004 that I would one day marry him and that day had come.


The week leading up to the wedding had been full of friends, family and festivities. Tuesday afternoon my mom, stepdad and aunt all arrived from Florida. Daniel and I had dinner with them at Houston's and then brought them to see our new apartment. Wednesday, I spent the day with my family at the Stockyards. It was nice to have a little time to spend with them away from the busyness of last minute wedding errands. That night Daniel and I had our final date as an engaged couple. We dined at Lawry's Prime Rib. It was a perfect evening. Thursday announced the arrival of friends and my wedding party. I headed to the airport that morning to pick up Jen, one of my closest friends from high school. It is so weird to think that we have known one another for 15 years and still remain in touch. That afternoon Jen and I enjoyed being pampered as we received pedicures and I had my nails done. Girl's Night Out was that evening so upon arriving to the hotel Jen and I quickly changed and headed to The Cheesecake Factory where I met up with my bridal party, some seminary friends, and some friends from PCBC! What fun we had!

Friday there was a bridesmaid luncheon to attend and the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. That night Daniel walked me up to my hotel room and we spent our last few minutes together before the big event.

Now back to the morning of June 17th, but wait a minute....Daniel is waiting to go get a Dulce de Leche milkshake... so... stay tuned for part two.