1. How did you all meet?
We met in college. We both attended Lynchburg College. A mutual friend, Kevin Graves, told me I had to meet two of his friends who were also from Richmond. He introduced me to Ryan and his roommate Justin our freshman year. All three of them ran cross country and track together while I played soccer. Being an avid football fan, I was looking for someone to watch Sunday football with and someone who was a fan of the Redskins. Every weekend I would head over to Ryan and Justin's dorm room to watch football with the two of them and Kevin. I only considered Ryan to be a friend and enjoyed spending time with him and the guys. Second semester of our freshman year, we found out we had a class together called Argument and Reasoning. Luckily for us, our first assignment was to interview a classmate and present the interview of the other person as an introduction to the class. Ryan and I got paired up. It was a perfect opportunity to get to know him better and we realized we had more in common than we thought.
2. When did you all start dating?
We made our relationship official on March 15th of 2003.
3. Where was your first date?
To be honest, we don't remember our first date. As freshmen, we did not have cars on campus, so we had to make do with just hanging out with each other. We did end up borrowing someone's car to go on a date, but honestly don't remember where we went.
4. What were your favorite memories of your courtship?
We dated all through college. Some of my favorite memories together were hiking the Peaks of Otter, going with Ryan to the various lakes in Lynchburg while he fished and I did schoolwork, running track and cross country with Ryan and the rest of the team....I loved meeting his family and introducing him to mine. Ryan has a very goofy personality and he definitely was not afraid to show it to my family. I brought him with me to our family's river house the first summer we were together. We had an awesome time with my parents and sister and started packing up our stuff to go home on Sunday. Ryan put the towel he had been using all weekend on his head and walked out to my parents who were sitting on the screened-in porch. In a high-pitched voice he asked my parents where they would like him to put his towel. It made my parents laugh and they still remember this story.
5. When did you realize you were in love?
For Ryan, it was a little sooner than for me. He kept telling me he would just wait until I was ready to love him back, which made me like him even more. I realized I loved Ryan when I met his family. He wasn't shy about hugging both of his parents in front of other people and telling them he loved them. I watched him interact with his younger sisters. His younger sister was in high school at the time and his youngest sister was 6 and in the first grade. I knew this relationship was very different from any of the other relationships I had been in.
6. How did he propose?
Little did I know, but Ryan had contacted my Dad to ask for his blessing before he popped the question. I had just gotten back from a cross country meet and had the day off from practice. Ryan wanted to hike the Peaks of Otter together. It was a rainy, cloudy day, but as we hiked up the mountain, we went through the clouds and ended up finishing our hike in sunshine. I went to the edge and looked down at the clouds below us and turned around to see Ryan on his knee and a ring in his hand.
7. What was your wedding day like?
We got married July 15, 2006 in Lynchburg. We exchanged vows at the Snidow Chapel on Lynchburg's campus and had our reception at West Manor Bed and Breakfast. It was really hot that day, but it didn't matter. We had an amazing time with our family and friends and then enjoyed our honeymoon in Key Largo.
8. What major events have happened since you got married?
Geez, we bought a house and have steady careers. In 2008, we welcomed our daughter, Tessa to the family and then in 2012, we added our Dempsey boy to the fam.
9. What marriage advice would you give to other couples?
Remember to laugh together and not take things too seriously. Very often, Ryan and I find ourselves in stressful situations with our kids, work, or just life in general and we turn to each other and just start laughing because sometimes that's all you can do. It helps us keep things on the light side.
Happy 6th anniversary, Ry!
The recipes for this week are fairly simple and of course include a new burger recipe to try. The honeyed chicken recipe makes use of ingredients most of us have on hand and the Brunch for a Bunch recipe is a good one for breakfast for dinner.
Brunch for a Bunch
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
3 frozen hash brown patties (I used 4)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 can green chilies, chopped
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
Brown and drain sausage. In a 8 x 8 inch greased dish, layer starting with potatoes, then sausage, cheese, and chilies. Combine eggs and milk, stirring well. Pour over layers. Bake at 350 degress for 50 minutes. This recipe can easily be doubled!
Honeyed Chicken
Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. butter
Chicken pieces
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
Combine honey, mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Melt butter in foil-lined pan. Place chicken skin side down. Baste wtih honey mix. Bake 1/2 hour (350 degrees). Turn, baste, bake 1/2 hour more; basting with remainder of mix.
Grilled Hamburgers with Sour cream and Herbs
Ingredients:
2 2/3 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespon minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried, crumbled
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 hamburger buns, split
Combine first 6 ingredents thoroughly in medium bowl. Shape beef mixture into eight 1-inch thick patties. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Place burgers on grill. Cover grill and cook burgers 4 minutes. Turn burgers. Cover grill and cook burgers to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare. Grill buns, inner sides down, during last 2 minutes if desired.
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