After celebrating our anniversary on Monday and taking in the very fleeting autumn season here in Germany, I couldn't help but be reminded of our brief honeymoon weekend in upstate New York. Our new life in Germany was waiting and while we could only spend a handful of days enjoying New York after our Central Park nuptials, our decision to drive up and spend some of the time at Lake George basking amongst the brilliant autumn backdrop was perhaps the best way to spend our first few days as husband and wife.

As most honeymoons go, we didn't do a whole lot during our time there. We ate at the resort's restaurant, got massages, took a boat tour around the lake, but the highlight was definitely the lazy afternoons spent wandering the local trails that were exploding with fall color. Coming from seasonless California, this celebration nature had on display for my favorite time of year was beyond breathtaking and made me a convert to seasonal living for life.

Our time at The Sagamore Resort reminded me intensely of the setting for Dirty Dancing. The secluded, sweeping grounds, the lake, the surrounding woods. I imagine this place teeming with families in the summertime, making their annual pilgrimage to the lake. October was the perfect time for a quiet honeymoon, without the hordes of children running down to the lakeside pool or tourists trying to strike up random conversations, and it was already chilly enough that the resort staff was whispering the word "snow" when speculating about each coming day's weather. It was just about perfect to cuddle up with a loved one and just take in the spectacular surroundings.

I would love return and spend more time here, as well as other parts of America's Northeast, during this most stunning time of year. I wonder if a little closer to the end of summer, with a bit more lingering warmth, would still provide the same array of autumn color... and one might even catch a glimpse of Baby carrying a watermelon.

When we first moved to Wiesbaden and I started taking this smaller side street on my walks into the city center, I passed a little antique shop with this Paris painting in the window. Like art often does, this one spoke to me. I'm not sure if it was the age-stained, moody watercolors or the understated view of the tower, quietly unseen, overlooking the rest of the beautiful city, but something drew me to it. There's all kinds of Paris art, photographs, tchotchkies, but this was different. This was special. And I looked forward to seeing it every time I walked down that street.

So when my parents came to visit that first Christmas, my stepfather learned of my affinity for this painting in the shop window and decided it belonged on my wall. He took my then-barely German-speaking husband into this little shop to haggle with the owner in order to put this under the Christmas tree for me. While I must admit that I rather missed seeing it on my walk, now that we are leaving this town, I am happy that I get to take it with us to Berlin, to see every day in our new city.

Sometimes, taking the road less traveled turns out to be just the right path. When our San Francisco wedding fell apart, we decided to chuck it all and go get married in New York's Central Park. When the opportunity came up for my husband to take a job in Germany, albeit one week before our wedding, we barely thought twice about it. We got married at a castle and then ended up living in the land of castles. It seems we ended up as far as possible from the track everyone we knew was on, buying houses in California and starting families, but feel so at home in the life we have chosen. That's not to say marriage isn't hard work, because it is. Starting that life halfway around the world from all our family and friends in a country where we didn't even speak the language has probably made it a lot harder than it had to be, but I think in the end, it has only strengthened our relationship and made us better people.

When I look back at the photos from our amazing wedding day in New York, I almost have a hard time remembering those earlier versions of ourselves. We have grown and changed so much, and not just in our location or my hair color. We have been tried and tested in ways we never really expected - try frantically struggling together to articulate to a vet that your dog has just been savagely attacked in a language neither of you has a terribly firm grasp on, or supporting each other through the immense sadness of not seeing your mother in over a year - and have had to lean on each other perhaps more so than the average couple. It's not always easy, and it's certainly not always the jet-setting adventure some people envision expat life to be, but we have come to appreciate each other and this life we have made together in ways we might never have otherwise.

So in honor of our four-year wedding anniversary today - and eight years together, conveniently on the same day - here are a few of the photos making me most nostalgic this year for the adventurous day that so appropriately kicked off our not-so-average life together. Here's to the many more adventures to come!












Wedding photography by the amazing Augie Chang

Sometimes, you just need a laugh. This fantastic Tumblr (thank you, BuzzFeed) was just what I needed the other day. In a world where just about everything's already been done, who knew we needed to superimpose cats over the throwing of bridal bouquets? I for one, am glad that someone realized this gaping hole in the online animal humor genre. (apologies if you are a cat fan and find this offensive)

Have a laugh - and then go have a great weekend!





All images via Bridesthrowingcats.com

Perhaps it's the deeply persuasive influence of what's trending on Pinterest, but I've been pining something fierce for pink walls. On rose-hued overload from my childhood spent in houses decorated in my mother's favorite color, somehow I've come around and started considering it for our new apartment. The warmth is what attracts me to it, especially now that I live somewhere that grey is the dominant color for months on end, both in weather and resulting mood, and even more so after we make the move to Berlin. The fact that it would be a nice, light balance to a lot of our very heavy, leather furniture just makes me want it more.

The trickiest thing is finding just the right not-too-bright, yet not-too-peach tone that perfectly reads 'pink' without overwhelming the room - or veering into bubble gum or '80s dusty rose territory. Then there's convincing my husband that having a pink living room is a good idea... I've got paint chips up now to see how they look throughout the day's changing light, and hope to take them up to Berlin to see them in the space before having to make any decisions.

There's also the question of whether to just paint an accent wall, a half wall or the whole shebang. Worst case scenario, we have to choose a new color if it just doesn't sit right with us. After all, it's just paint.

Image credits, clockwise from top left:

design by Mette Helena Rasmussen, photograph by Tia Borgsmidt

H&M Home spring 2013 campaign | Clive Tompsett| Ben Pentreath Ltd.

bottom image: Nicole Balch of Making it Lovely

This recipe became a regular in our dinner rotation after I asked my husband to handle dinner one night a few years back and he found this gem. Simple, fresh and a perfect autumn evening meal - not to mention that living so close to the Rheingau means we have our choice of the very best Rieslings (note: the wine shown below is not one of the best, merely one of the cheaper, decent bottles that we often keep on hand for cooking). Added bonus: with only one cup of wine in the recipe, there's the rest of the bottle to enjoy while you cook. So pour away - and enjoy!



Chicken in Riesling

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped (about 1-2/2 cups)
2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
8 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 2-3"/ 5-8 cm pieces
1 cup dry Riesling
1 lb/ 453 g small potatoes, preferably red
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup crème fraîche
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil with one tablespoon butter in a 3-5 quart, heavy oven-proof pot over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken, turning once, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Meanwhile, wash leeks and pat dry. Pour off fat from pot, then cook leeks, shallots and 1/4 teaspoon salt in remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until leeks are pale golden (5-7 minutes). Add chicken, with any juices from plate, carrots and wine, boil until liquid is reduced by half (3-4 minutes). Cover pot and braise chicken in oven until cooked through (20-25 minutes). While chicken braises, generously cover potatoes with cold water in a 2-3 quart saucepan and add 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are just tender (about 15 minutes). Drain in a colander and return to pan. Add parsley and shake to coat. Stir crème fraîche into chicken mixture and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Add potatoes.

Makes four servings.


Adapted from this Ruth Cousineau via Gourmet recipe

*Original recipe calls for whole chicken, cut up, but many reviewers complained of a resulting fatty sauce, so I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead and find the sauce perfectly light and creamy.

Nearly a year after making the decision, months of looking, and weeks of fretting over this particular apartment, it is finally official: we have signed the contract and given our notice. Berlin will be our new home come December.

As much I complain about the process, we were actually quite lucky. We got the first apartment we applied for. Sure, we viewed a bunch, but we were picky, just waiting for the right one to come along. And it has. There are little things we wish were different, but the biggies - location, balcony, a third room for a home office - were all satisfied, and then some. I know we will be very happy there.

It doesn't look like much yet, as you can see, but the potential is what sold us. The management was also open to construction suggestions, as well as paint and tile preferences, and on a Berlin apartment, we knew how lucky this was. So essentially, we're kind of creating our urban dream home. Somehow, this is all supposed to be completed by mid-December, if not sooner, so we have a lot of work ahead of us: finding movers that don't cost an arm and a leg, ordering our first Ikea kitchen, not to mention selling half our belongings (lots of Pottery Barn furniture and designer clothes and shoes up for grabs!). Not sure those sleepless nights are entirely over, but now that we're that much closer to being settled, at least it is a bit more with excitement rather than worry.

So begins our Berlin adventure...





Ahhh, but then there's that view... (do you see it peeking out, Berlin's iconic landmark?)