Love in the Lab

Let me start by saying how thrilled I am to join the EAD family! I’ve been reading blogs like this one for months and taking lots of inspiration for my August 28th wedding. My fiancé, Nick, and I have already made a few big decisions about our big day, but we still have lots of details to plan! You can find me and my stories here every Wednesday and Saturday.

And now let me tell you how it all began.

While working as a multimedia producer for the Office of Research Publications at Penn State University, I was asked to travel to the College of Medicine to interview a faculty member whose research was gaining attention. And so on April 6, 2007, I drove with a colleague two hours east from State College to Hershey to complete the assignment. Little did I know I would also meet the love of my life that day!

I was wearing a red peacoat with a camera bag slung over my shoulder and a tripod tucked under my arm … when our eyes met. I’d spent enough time in research labs to know that it was pretty rare to see a young man in a white lab coat with friendly blue eyes and a head full of curls. He definitely stood out among the other students.

I went about my work and set up for the interview while the young man worked diligently at his desk. During the interview, while I was behind the camera and he was in front of his computer, we continually glanced in each other’s direction. We’d lock eyes, then look away. But when the researcher slipped into the hallway for a glass of water, he took the opportunity to introduce himself. His name was Nick, and conversation came easy from the very beginning.

We chatted during every break that afternoon, and my colleague sensed the obvious chemistry. Before we left, she asked everyone in the lab to give his or her contact information. Nick was the first one to run to the desk and add his name to the sheet of paper. And so I left that day with his email address in my pocket.

I waited until the following Monday to contact Nick, and he replied a few hours later. We exchanged lengthy daily emails about work, family, food, and travel. The emails eventually evolved into phone calls and soon the first date was planned.

Nick visited me in State College three weeks after we first met. He brought a beautiful bouquet of snapdragons and greeted me with a hug. We walked around town and talked for hours and had dinner at a local microbrewery.

It couldn’t have been a better first date, and it ignited the spark that has been burning ever since.

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Next up: Nick got down on one knee, and I said YES!