Some people are easy on the eyes. Some people are good for the heart.
Jen and Aaron are both.
We met Jen for coffee at a Starbucks in Las Vegas (it’s less shady than it sounds) during a photography conference two years ago. We don’t remember exactly what she was wearing. We’re also sure it was black and gray tones with her signature red lipstick. Warm drinks in hand, we sat across the table semi-mesmerized by her ability to articulate exactly who we were as people and professionals… and how to translate that online. From that moment, we knew she was the designer we couldn’t wait any longer to work with. What we didn’t know is that she’d become the friend we didn’t want to let go.
Last week, Jen, Aaron and their two daughters Serena and Sofia Parker (see bump), came to Arizona for a weekend getaway in the sun, which made them our first guests (over the age of six!) to stay in the new house since move-in week. It was a no-work, all-play situation, reminiscent of our trip together last year, just with a little less pixie dust and a little more cacti.
Between prickly pear margaritas, time laying by (and in!) the pool, and a whole lot of slow mornings and great conversations, we snuck in a little desert photo shoot so that the Olmsteads would have some forever memories of their last month before they become an official party of four.
Cat owners around the world, you know exactly what we’re talking about
The other big highlight of our trip was having little Serena inside these four walls, especially since she passionately pursued our cats with the intensity of Boo in Monsters Inc. They were generally terrified of the pitch of Serena’s voice and scarred by the level of overwhelming physical affection she tried to bestow upon them the moment she walked in… and every time she saw them thereafter. IN HER DEFENSE, she became a gentle and skilled one-way petter by the end (head to tail.) Cat owners around the world, you know exactly what we’re talking about.
Jen and Aaron, thank you for being our first official house guests since we moved in. It was a blessing to have you in our home… and a rude-awakening when you left… and we not only missed seeing your faces in the morning, but we also had to start cooking for ourselves again. We love you both and can’t wait to meet Sofia Parker this fall. We had so many favorites from this little mini-session with you guys that Amy spent the entire edit SMILING at the computer, and we think she might not be the only one!
