How did you meet? What’s your love story?

We met in a research lab in Hershey in April of 2007. Nick was a graduate student, and I was there to produce a magazine story for Penn State. I had a media bag slung over my shoulder and a tripod tucked under my arm. He hovered above a microscope in a crisp white lab coat. Our eyes met, and we smiled, and conversation came easy.

I told my parents that night that I had met my McDreamy — curly locks and all. And he told his parents about the girl with the beautiful blue eyes.

We “courted” via email every day for two weeks before Nick drove two hours to State College to meet me for coffee. Our first official date was just days later and included a trip to my favorite microbrewery, followed by sushi and a tour of the state capitol the following weekend.

After just two months, Nick invited me to Lake Anna in Virginia where he told his best friend: “I’m going to marry this girl.”

{our first photo together}

How did he propose?

Nick arrived at my apartment on a Friday night in October, a year-and-a-half after we met in the lab. He had planned the perfect weekend for us — complete with brownies, bottles of wine, and a trip to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Of course, I was totally unaware of the stunning diamond ring that was tucked into his backpack!

Nick decided, though, that the park was too crowded and the setting not quite private enough for the perfect proposal. So we headed home to get ready for dinner.

We returned to the microbrewery — the site of our very first date. And Nick said: “I’m excited to return to the place where it all began.” This was the only point during the weekend that I was slightly suspicious. But nothing out of the ordinary happened while we enjoyed our favorite beers and mango habanero wings.

We returned to my apartment around 10 p.m., and while I was in the bathroom, I heard commotion coming from the living room. I walked out and into a candlelit room. Nick took my hands and told me to close my eyes. I heard him get down on one knee, and then the tears started to fall. When I opened my eyes he said, “Emily Jean, I want to spend a lifetime of perfect days with you. Will you marry me?” He slid the ring onto my finger as I nodded my head vigorously and dropped to the ground to join him. We hugged and kissed before I realized I hadn’t yet said “YES” out loud. It was a personal and perfect proposal.

How long have you been married?

On August 28th, 2009, we stood in a garden on the banks of the Susquehanna River and promised to love each other in sunshine and in rain. And then we celebrated with family and friends over pit-style pork and German sausages, microbrews, and a tower of cupcakes. (More from our wedding.)

{photos credit to Robert Winton}

Do you have any nicknames for one another?

Turtledove. It comes from Die Zauberflöte, which we saw at The Metropolitan Opera in 2007.

What are three things you love most about your honey?

He’s ambitious and generous and makes me laugh on a daily basis. He’s basically everything I wished for.

Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

He’s a fancy dinner at home kind of guy. Risotto with wild mushrooms and pan-seared scallops. Chocolate hazelnut lava cakes. Homebrews rather than champagne. Strawberries if they’re covered in chocolate. Of course, he also knows how to spoil me with jewelry, camera accessories, and kitchen gadgets.

Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop in a movie in and relax on the couch?

We had the most memorable sunset dinner on the beach on our honeymoon in the Riviera Maya. We feasted on duck ravioli with brown butter sauce, spinach cream soup, rack of lamb, and mahi mahi over risotto.

But these days we’re more likely to curl up on the couch with bowls of soup and a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. We couldn’t be happier, though, now that this little guy is in our lives.

What is one thing you’d like to do together? If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Fortunately, we did a lot of traveling together before we became parents: from California to Canada to Germany.

A few of the many places still on our travel wish list: Portland and Seattle (to drink beer and eat seafood), Paris (because we’ve been there separately, but not as a couple), and Greece (to hop the islands, of course).

What are you planning to do for Valentine’s Day?

Sam and I are going to bake cookies for Daddy, and then we’ll likely enjoy a quiet evening at home — just the three of us. Perhaps Nick and I will go out on a date later in the week while our aunt and uncle watch the munchkin.

Share one piece of advice on keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

There’s humor in every situation. No matter how stressful a day or how honest an argument, we always end up laughing on the other side.

Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Now it’s your turn! Share your love story and link up with From Mrs. to Mama.

{2009, credit Robert Winton}

{2010}

{2011, credit Phillip Mackenzie}

Happy anniversary to my best friend, my husband, and the man who will be a fantastic father in just a few short weeks! I love you.

Though he did surprise me with a perfect weekend almost three years ago. One that concluded with him slipping a lovely ring onto my finger.

Oh, and he managed to keep the news of Peanut quiet for almost two months. That was impressive.

So maybe he’s not terrible at keeping big, important secrets. But when it comes to the little ones … no chance.

I don’t mind, though, because it means that sometimes I get to open presents a week before my birthday.

These two books have been on my wish list for months. I’ve already started to thumb through Plate to Pixel, written by the fabulous Helene Dujardin of Tartelette. Her food photography is drool-worthy, and she offers really helpful tips and techniques for making your own dishes look as appetizing as they taste.

And as you read this, I am most likely sprawled out on the dock at Lake Anna, devouring The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. Since I first heard about this book on NPR, I have discovered countless other connections to it. For example, Kristin met her farmer husband in State College. They fell in love, she quit her job in New York City, and they moved together to the Adirondacks to manage an organic farm. And just this week I found out that a friend of mine is going to upstate New York in a few weeks to write a story on the Kimballs. Needless to say, I am totally jealous!

While we’re on the topic of birthdays, want to know what else is on my wish list? A mini doughnut pan so I can make these and these. A GorillaPod. The Vera Bradley diaper bag in Blue Lagoon because, of course, my wish list includes things for Peanut. Oh, and the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 camera lens … A girl can dream, right?

What’s on your wish list?

Unbelievably, we all slept in on Saturday until well after 8am. And then we took it outside for some tailgating. Yes, we played washers in the grassy yard of the hotel on wedding day morning.

(And don’t you think Nick should earn extra points for style?)

Then the boys left to visit Wachusett Brewing Company …

… and the girls headed to Kristen’s mother’s home to watch her transformation into a beautiful bride.

Her dress was simply stunning — unexpected, but just perfect.

Love the ruffles!

And a simple veil completed the look.

Game time!

Eric couldn’t stop staring at his bride during the service, and he may have even sneaked a kiss before they officially sealed the deal.

The new Mr. and Mrs.!

The reception was held at The Chocksett Inn, which had just the right mix of luxury and character. And Kristen and Eric did a great job adding small touches of their own, such as the oyster shells that held each place card …

… and tables named after a few of their favorite places.

The “Baltimore” table.

Everyone was anxious to get the party started, and the bride and groom did it up right with a few twirls during their entrance and a sweet first dance to “You & Me” by Dave Matthews.

Just the four of us.

The whole gang.

The two of us. (Dress from Motherhood Maternity.)

Possibly my favorite personal touch of the day: the cake topper. Completely appropriate for Kristen and Eric.

It was such a lovely day with a breathtaking bride and a groom who couldn’t take his eyes off of her. I wish a lifetime of happy days to my best friend and her new husband!

While we were snuggled on the couch with blankets and mugs of tea, my brother was standing at the entrance to Westminster Abbey with millions of others. He got there at 4:30am to reserve his spot, and he was just a mere meters from the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

And so I give you Andrew’s perspective of The Royal Wedding. It’s alright to feel envious — we all are.

The Royal Guard:

The Archbishop of Canterbury:

The lovely Pippa Middletown and the sweet little pageboys and bridesmaids:

There she is! The future princess waving to the crowd:

Andrew (on the right) and his buddy passing time during the ceremony with a deck of cards and a bottle of wine:

The carriage for Prince William and Princess Kate:

The newlyweds!

And a few more shots of the city all decked out for the big day:

Pretty incredible, right? And this morning Andrew jetted off to the Basque Country of Spain — specifically Bilbao and San Sebastian. Oh, what a life!

Did you watch The Royal Wedding?

January: My brother moved to London, and we hosted a going away party in his honor. Complete with bangers ‘n’ mash, curried beef pies, and British brews.

February: We spent our last night on Locust Lane and moved 50 miles south to be closer to Nick’s new job.

March: We traveled to Philadelphia with the rest of my family to celebrate the wedding of our dear friend, Chris. And then we held down the fort with two (mostly) sweet pups while my parents visited London for the very first time.

April: We took a libation vacation along the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail right here in central Pennsylvania. We met passionate winemakers and drank surprisingly nice wines.

May: We planted our first front porch garden, hosted our first cookout, and spent our third Memorial Day at Lake Anna.

June: My mom and I took my sister to the Hershey Spa for her 18th birthday, we cheered her on to a third place finish in the state high jump competition (!!), and then we baked two cakes, 24 cupcakes, and a trifle to celebrate her high school graduation. (It was a big month for Laura.) I also recognized a very special Father’s Day.

July: We took a road trip to Canada with stops in Quebec City, Montreal, and Niagara-on-the-Lake. And then we returned to Pennsylvania to make whoopie pies for our favorite nephews and watermelon granita for our favorite teenagers.

August: We traveled to Virginia to celebrate Nick’s ten-year high school reunion, we went camping at Raystown Lake, and we celebrated our first anniversary. I also made my radio debut, and we met a sweet baby girl.

September: We headed across the pond for our long awaited trip to Germany! We fell in love with Rothenburg ob der Tauber, returned to Nick’s birth city of Bad Tölz, celebrated Oktoberfest in Munich, heard cow bells in the Alps, and visited family in Stuttgart.

October: I explored the culinary gems of the Laurel Highlands while Nick learned to bake bread. We also returned to my hometown for my ten-year high school reunion.

November: Early in the month we shared Oktoberfest with our family and friends right here in Pennsylvania. We served mini pretzels, schnitzel bites, German chocolate cupcakes, and more. Later in the month we co-hosted an oyster feed with my parents, and I spent a weekend in Baltimore with my favorite ladies cheering for our favorite football team.

December: We attended parties in Pittsburgh, Hollidaysburg, and York. We baked a lot of cookies, and we spent Christmas with both our east coast and our west coast families.

I can’t wait to find out what 2011 has in store for us!

We had mushrooms stuffed with lump crab meat and glasses of Traminette. Salmon with a brown sugar and soy sauce marinade, pan-fried scallops, and roasted sweet potatoes.

It was delicious. And relaxing. And just what we wanted.

Last night we arrived at my parents’ house to stockings and red bows lining the stairs, tins of cookies, candles in the windows, and festive doggies in the front yard.

And this is pretty perfect, too.

Tomorrow, after spending the morning with my family, we’ll board a plane bound for California to see Nick’s family. What better day than Christmas to be a 27-hour one!

We wish the happiest of holidays to you and yours! We’ll see you next year.

Thanks to Kate for hosting the Minted giveaway and to Philip Mackenzie for the festive fall photos!

Happy holidays from our kitchen to yours!

Then stick around to meet Kat and Jon, see their super cute nursery-in-progress, and try some of their favorite recipes. Thanks for having us, Kings!

We celebrated their 58 years of marriage with a strawberries and cream cake from Providence Divine Cakes in York. It was beautifully decorated with edible gold paint and white chocolate shavings.

Speaking of cakes and anniversaries, Nick and I will be celebrating 1 year and 2 months with a replication of our wedding cake topper — white cake brushed with Chambord and layered with raspberry Chambord preserves and mousse — next weekend!