Ironically , Meredith had just moved in with Danny ’ s best friend ’ s girlfriend which put the pair in plain sight of each other .
Once they started dating , it became clear there was no denying their connection .
“ There was just something very different about him than anybody I ’ ve ever dated ,” Meredith said .” He was confident and more than anybody he really cared about my happiness from the beginning .”
For Danny , it was Meredith ’ s similar values and beliefs that ignited the bond between the couple .
“ Every time that we weren ’ t together , I missed her ,” he said . “ That and I think I was at a point where I wasn ’ t just praying for what I wanted , I was praying for what God wanted . When you get to that point it becomes easier .”
In 2006 , Danny graduated with a bachelor ’ s in history and surprised Meredith with a proposal on a cruise trip they took with family and friends to celebrate his graduation .
With Meredith ’ s parent ’ s blessing , the then college junior said yes .
“ The idea wasn ’ t to get married right then , it was to wait until she graduated ,” Danny mentioned .
Meredith then graduated in 2008 and the next year the two tied the knot in Calvary , Georgia .
Although the next step was to start a career as schoolteachers , love redirected the Powers into a different direction that would prove to pay off in the end .
Business and family affairs
“ We both had education degrees and did our student teaching , but we decided that we ’ d already kind of been working in our business , so we went right into working in our business partnering with his sister and my brother-in-law ,” Meredith explained .
DDP Boutique began in Danny ’ s sister ’ s garage but now operates fully online out of a warehouse 16 years later .
The family business was Meredith and Danny ’ s only plan as they put everything aside to dedicate time to building it from the ground up .
Working together not only presented a lot of challenges but also extra benefits as Meredith said they ’ ve learned how to separate business from their relationship .
“ There ’ s nobody else I ’ d rather do it with ,” she said .
Between handling business and home life , Meredith and Danny ’ s love never wavered .
In 2015 , the couple welcomed their first little girl and three years later , another little girl followed .
Family then became the biggest priority next to their growing business .
“ Owning a business has so many rewards but at the same time we try to make family a priority . I think balance comes from having it all in order ,” Meredith said .
“ Our family relationship comes before any dollar that ’ s ever made ,” Danny added .
The ultimate test of the dynamic duo ’ s love wouldn ’ t come until after many other challenges had already tested them .
Through Sickness and in health
At the age of 30 , Danny was diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinomas , a type of skin cancer that grew on his face .
The discrete mark didn ’ t worry Danny until a year later when doctors confirmed it was a tumor .
The news took the family by storm as they had to change a lot of things to focus on Danny ’ s health , including sometimes having to drive eight-hour trips to Augusta , Georgia in a day ’ s time for doctor visits .
“ It was horrible . We had to go to Augusta a lot and here we are with a three-yearold , but it all worked out ,” Danny said .
After multiple surgeries and remission , Danny was cancer free in 2013 .
“ I think your faith just kind of kicks in and I ’ m like ‘ He ’ s going to be fine ’” Meredith said . “ You learn to trust God more and we ’ ve definitely learned to do that and do it together .”
12 Winter 2022 Thomasville Scene