The Set: Kate Nauta & Robert McKinley

Dating can often feel like an impossible game, especially when you’ve been doing it for a while. However, one of the reasons we love doing the Couples We Love segment is because it reaffirms that true love exists all around us and that it is just a matter of time, patience, and open mindedness until we find it. With that said, and once you witness the love between Kate and Robbie, you immediately feel a rush of excitement about all the indescribable and amazing feelings love can give you.

After meeting while finding refuge during Hurricane Sandy, the actress/singer and the designer instantly fell in love and their affection for one another has become a force of goodness that everyone around them can feel. In other words, they are the type of couple that make

you feel so excited to experience and find that good

love for yourself.

So, from dressing up to impress one another or doing something unexpected to make their day better, Kate and Robbie exemplify the way that true love should make us look, act, and feel. And to make matters even better, they are one of the coolest and most down-to-earth couples we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, so thank you for sharing your story with us!

See below to read their story!

Every couple has a story...what’s yours?

Kate: We met 14 years ago. I had just moved to city to model and was dating one of Rob’s friends. A bunch of us shared a house together in the Hamptons on the weekends. I distinctly remember Rob always being in the kitchen, cooking for the rest of us. Several years passed and Rob and I lost touch after I moved to LA. Four years ago, Hurricane Sandy struck tragedy on our city, but it was what ended up bringing us back together. We ran into each other at a mutual friends black out party in soho near to where Rob lived. My girlfriend and I quickly found comfort at his place after we found out he’d make a fresh pot of pasta, stuffed artichokes, accompanied by wine and a blazing fire ... So we followed him home... naturally. I ended up staying for a week. We started a food relief together in the Rockaways, but it wasn’t until the end of my holiday at Rob’s that we found love over an old Sophia Loren movie, “It Started In Naples,” a bowl of ramen noodles & a bottle of vino. I looked at him and kissed him and there began our journey together. We dated for a year and a half. Rob proposed on the shorelines of the Oregon coast where I grew up and we had a fairytale wedding on the beaches of Montauk under the lighthouse.

Each of you has such a busy schedule. How do you find time for being together?

Rob: It’s simple actually, we make time. It’s so easy to fill our schedules seven days a week without any quality time together. We make sure we schedule a couple free days for just the two of us, and make dinner at home, go on a date or do something fun.

What do you both do to recharge?

Kate: In the summer we spend as much time as we can at our cottage in Amagansett. We spent endless hours at the beach, being active and relaxing. We are currently doing that now as we answer these questions. Rob loves to surf. He just bought me my first surfboard and I’m totally stoked especially when I see the look on his face after I catch a wave.

What’s your perfect Date Night?

Kate: A perfect date is when Rob calls me from work and says to pick out something nice to wear as he will be taking me out for dinner in the city that evening. It’s always a surprise and usually ends in a night at the Carlyle listening to jazz. My favorite!

Rob: I get really excited on date night... My favorite nights are when Kate surprises me with one of her delicious dinners and a bottle of wine. We forget about work, and our busy lives, talk about life and make each other laugh really hard. How would you say you complement each other, or balance each other out?

Kate: Rob doesn’t stop. He is one of the hardest-working men I know. His childlike, adventurous spirit is inspiring but when it’s time to slow down, I think that’s where the two of us balance each other out. I’m able to calm him down and get him to stop and enjoy the moment. On the flip side, he challenges me to work harder and push myself a little more on the things I’m most passionate about.

How do you inspire each other?

Rob: Kate’s beautiful voice and poetic song writing inspire me artistically but it’s her compassionate and empathetic heart for others that inspires me the most. It evokes that kindness in me. She is an extremely gifted spirit, whom I learn a lot from.

Kate: Rob’s generous heart is what inspires me most. He is a caregiver of many. He is a true definition of a gentleman.

Favorite moment together?

Rob & Kate: It’s really hard to think of one. After two years of marriage and four years of being together we truly have enjoyed many special moments together. From saying our vows to each other in front of our family and friends, to getting lost while riding bikes through a giant olive orchard in Puglia and snorkeling and diving in the British Virgin Islands – we feel lucky to have many special moments.

What is your favorite thing about each other?

Kate: The way Rob can tell a story. It’s truly a gift! And the way he makes me laugh. Always. All the time.