Y’all!! It is genuinely one of the delights of my life to introduce my best friend Laura! Laura joined our team in November to take charge of all things brick-and-mortar. From planning our complicated resets, to organizing our purchasing/receiving/pricing/styling, to maintaining healthy rep relationships. She’s also what we call our “librarian” and has been managing our massive wall of samples! Laura’s been the most hilarious and wonderful addition to the team, always prefacing every incredible idea and contribution with shy comments of “this is probably bad” or “you might all think this is stupid” and rounds out our team beautifully!
Laura was my first friend ever as she moved in across the street when we were 6. Now that I have a baby I look back and think, oh how our parents must have celebrated that we could have a built-in friendship right across the street! To know Laura can be an elusive thing! As a naturally suspicious and cautious person, it takes a concerted effort and years of faithfulness to know Laura’s true heart. I am so blessed to have earned the honor of knowing the true Laura and get excited, cuz it’s a thrill! My friend Laura, or Loo or Luke, as I sometimes call her, though her fiancé calls her Lo, is a glorious combination of actual genius, pure hilarity, and incredible generosity. She’s the type of person who flies under the radar so consistently that people underestimate her, but don’t let her sly chilliness fool you! She’s hyper-aware of her surroundings, of people’s emotions, and of life in general. This attribute creates an unmatched empathy and generosity of spirit!
I am SO excited for y’all to get to know Laura as well as you have come to know me, Sarah, Dad, and Madison! Let’s hear how she describes herself in the 22 questions below!!
-Katie
1. What is your favorite thing in your closet?
Any of my Show Me Your Mumu bellbottoms. Maybe I was born in the wrong era or maybe the girls over there just know how to make a great pair of jeans…I don’t know…but I feel like a million bucks the second I peel them on!
2. If we went to happy hour, what would you order?
Hard to say! I have a different drink for every mood & every occasion. Probably a Miller Lite over ice with a lemon and a salted rim. Casual but a touch high maintenance, just like me.
3. What did you want to be when you grew up?
The only thing I can remember wanting to be as a kid was a geriatric doctor, lol. I have always had a soft heart for the elderly.
4. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
When people don’t say what they feel!
5. What’s your favorite color?
Black. But technically that’s a shade, not a color!
6. What three words best describe you?
Loyal. Transparent. Intuitive.
7. What’s the highest thing on your bucket list right now?
Yesterday it was to remodel my childhood home (which I just bought) BUT I ALSO JUST GOT ENGAGED! Sooooo now the highest thing is to marry the love of my life, Kendal. THEN remodel my childhood home with my husband 🙂
8. What’s the last book you read? Did you like it?
The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose. YES. Highly recommend. The author, Chris Wilson, is so inspiring.
9. If you could be anywhere, other than here, right this minute, where would you be?
Kauai. Nothing like it.
10. If you were a pasta shape, which one would you be and why?
Well, I was going to say angel hair but after Katie’s colored response I guess I’ll go with my backup PAPARDELLE. I mean, who am I thinking that angel hair is delicate, understated, and the perfect accompaniment to a show stopper like chicken piccata!? My mistake!!!!!!
11. What’s the best part of your job?
The best part is that everyone gets to be 100% themselves…everyone I work with knows the real me. Not the work version of me. The REAL me. And I know the REAL them. And it’s not because I literally grew up with Katie and Sarah…it’s because that’s the vision here. There’s so much freedom in that.
12. Which celebrity would you invite to your birthday party?
I probably wouldn’t want to invite a celebrity to my birthday party so let me change the narrative…if I could invite any 3 celebrities (or people) to dinner with my family…dead or alive…it would be Billy Graham, Dallas Willard, and my grandfather aka Poppy.
13. What was your favorite toy as a kid?
Walkie Talkies. Honestly, I still love walkie-talkies, haha. My nephew got some for Christmas and we’ve been having so much fun with them when he’s over!
14. Which of your personality traits has gotten you in the most trouble?
My love for the art of argument. That and my inability to respect, tolerate, or submit to, as Don would say, “ignorant authority” make for a fun combination.
15. If you’ve had a bad day, what do you do to make yourself feel better?
I take an incredibly long bath. Like until the water is cold. I read a book, watch some Netflix, mindlessly scroll on my phone…you know…anything to dissociate a bit. Sometimes I add more hot water just to stay longer. After that, it’s straight to bed.
16. Describe your perfect vacation
Anywhere I’ve never been before. My favorite part about a vacation is new experiences! No stress. Flexible itinerary in preferably a warm climate. Good company. Time to relax. Time to adventure.
17. What’s your favorite food?
I don’t have a favorite food. I will say though…I’d rather die than live without tex-mex.
18. Describe your perfect Saturday
I sleep in until almost noon. Nothing wakes me up- no alarms, no awaiting to-do list, no kids, nothing. I lay in bed binge-watching tv shows until I need a change of scenery. I then move to the couch for the change of scenery and binge-watch more tv shows. If I get bored a masseuse comes to my house and gives me a massage for at least an hour and a half. Perhaps I sleep some more. Not sure but what I do know is there’s lots of snacking, Uber Eats, oversized sweats, and no one is bothering me. In fact, I don’t have to speak to anyone the entire day HAHAHA.
19. Who would play you if there were a movie about your life?
It would have to be Jennifer Lawrence.
20. If you only had one week to live what would you do?
Realistically. If I knew I only had one week to live I would have debilitating anxiety, hahaha. I’d probably head to the doctor for some sedatives and then just go to Kauai with my close friends and family to lay on the beach and listen to the waves.
21. Describe the design of your dream bedroom.
It’s got Mid Century Modern vibes and is huge. There’s a fireplace. Moody colors. The most expensive and comfortable bed money can buy.
22. At what age do you see yourself retiring?
Sometimes I want to retire tomorrow. Sometimes I don’t ever want to retire. I think I’ll probably always “work”. Even if it’s a volunteer-type thing or part-time.
