An intimate at-home engagement session that celebrates the love between Gidget and Lisa. Two humans who met at work, and had overcome challenges to be together.
Tell us more about where the love story began.
L: We met where all phenomenal romances begin – the office. We worked in the same department. One of us was starting their corporate career and the other in executive leadership. I passed by Gidget’s desk often – probably too often. One day I overheard her curiosity about the upcoming Pride Fest, so I invited her to join my friends. One tequila shot, and a few jokes later, she started passing by my office. She knocked on the door one day and handed me a peach. The rest is love.
Tell us about the time Lisa asked you to move in together.
G: At the time, Lisa was exceptionally proud of living alone and creating her own space. I stayed over often, knowing our weekends would lead to fun adventures and connections. One day we drove toward the foothills looking to get lunch and explore. We parked our car, and A local gentlemen in a golf cart yelled out, “Hey – you gals wanna ride to the ‘Alley Days’?” Of course, we had no idea what that meant. It was quite literally a festival in an alley. We started with rooftop margs, danced our way from makeshift concert to makeshift concert in neighborhood yards – and ended up at the local dive bar.
Hours later, I found myself dancing on stage and playing tambourine with the band to the song “Hotel California.” It was a fantastic day of laughs and unexpected memories. Most memorable of all is when Lisa took a selfie video of us surprising me by asking me to move in with her.
How did Gidget chasing their dreams challenge your relationship?
L: I was heart-broken when I would listen to Gidget come home and tell me about how miserable she was in her career. The more time we spent together, the more I knew I needed to encourage her to take a risk. I told her one day that I thought she could be a stylist and make people feel amazing through hair the way that she does through every interaction. She stopped working and went to school full time to chase her passion, and I want to work for us the way she was going to school for us.
She took a minimum wage job as an assistant in her salon after graduation to go through their program for the following year. Finally, she was done with school and the apprenticeship – and then the pandemic swept through all of our lives.
Tell us your favorite thing about one another.
G: My favorite thing about Lisa is her sense of humor and intelligence. The fact that she is beautiful is just a bonus. She is the most brilliant person I have ever met, and she makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. And she is the most selfless human and always wants to nurture and care for those around her. She is perfection!
L: Anyone who has met Gidget knows that she is incredibly intelligent. Her vocabulary constantly catches me off guard. I don’t know anyone else who can casually use the word “onomatopoeia” while simultaneously being funny. She is wildly funny. I loved her very soon after we started dating. Her love for animals and her fierce cheekbones tipped me over the edge. Praying she was going to love me back.
What’s in the future for you both?
G & L: We are working to find the life-hack to spend every minute together that we can in this lifetime. So, we will change jobs, where we live, and anything else it takes to soak up every opportunity to be with our family, our pups, and each other. The rest will be a great adventure. Hopefully putting us smack in the middle of many U.S. and international “Alley Days.”
Photography by Becky Duffy
