Stephanie and I go back to elementary school. We grew up together in DeWitt, and we inspired each other to push ourselves artistically throughout high school. She moved away to Tennessee for college and eventually landed in Arkansas, so it’s an absolute treat when I get to see her in person. We met up in Chicago a few years back for Sheila and Michael’s wedding, and we had a chance to meet up again last weekend in New Orleans for another wedding. I adore this woman—I want to put her in my pocket and bring her back to Michigan with me.

When we made plans to go to New Orleans, we decided it would be fun to roam the city and take some fun new photos of each other. We even went to Buff Beauty Bar New Orleans to have our hair and makeup done, which was a really fun treat. You can check out Stephanie’s photos of me from the shoot on her blog.

New Orleans is such a fun, unique place. I love the character that this city has around every corner. It (almost) makes me want to paint my house a fun pastel color and surround it with potted plants. Stephanie, thanks for an awesome weekend. I’m going to have to get to Arkansas one of these days to meet your beautiful family!