Porter Loves

06/02/2026

05/28/2026

While Saturday was the 5th anniversary of our beautiful doggos bringing our people together to celebrate our wedding, today is the 20th(!) anniversary of our first date.

I wrote some really good stuff on our 10th anniversary, so this is an updated edition, I guess. I was so nervous before the date that I pounded two beers beforehand at a friend’s apartment. He asked me about plans for the solar eclipse over a decade later, and I remember being so thrown in a “let’s just see how this meal goes” kind of way.

In the intervening twenty years between that day and today, things have not been perfect. We've fought and struggled almost to the breaking point. I’m grateful that I can say that fighting has gotten less frequent each year, though we’re still human, so still capable of hurting each other, but also capable of communicating, apologizing, and learning through the hurt. We've seen each other through the real and figurative losses of friends and family, and we're still adjusting to life without our beloved Porter. Each time we thought, “We figured it out!” we changed.

It would be nice and shiny to say that we've come through it all together and are on the other side. But that would also be wrong. Because we're not done. We have come through a lot and grown up a lot over the past 20 years. And because our first two decades haven't been perfect, it would be silly to think the next two will be.

But we come to each other with open eyes. We recognize and honor our imperfections, and we do the best damn job we can to show up and honor each other as we are. We make each other laugh pretty much every day, mostly in a laughing-at-each-other way, not that sugary laughing-with-each-other way. We talk to Jeanie and plan our comings and goings around her needs. We push each other, and comfort each other. We respect each other and embrace individual authenticity, even when it doesn't align with personal preferences.

In essence, we work hard to live, love, and work together and celebrate the days when it's easier than expected. Tonight we went out for a highly sought-after reservation at Pusadee’s Garden, and it was lovely. I’ve been wanting this 17-ingredient salad for over a year, and it did.not.disappoint. I surprised and delighted him by noting that something on the menu sounded like Klingon. “Even after 20 years, you can still surprise me,” he said.

I can't say Nathan is the love of my life, mostly because platitudes annoy me, but also because Porter and Jeanie possess that title. I can say 'I love you' in a way I didn't know was possible. I can say thank you for loving, trusting, and respecting me as I was, as I have changed, and especially when I make it difficult. Happy Anniversary. MFEO.

05/26/2026

In early 2022, the owners of Paul Wissmach Glass Company in Paden City, WV were looking for someone to redesign their product catalogs. Our long-time glass faves at Pittsburgh Glass Center introduced them to us. And the rest, as they say, is history. (H/t to Heather McElwee).

That first catalog re-design turned into a website re-design, social media management, ad design, factory and product photography, and what else? Emails? Yea, emails.

Paul Wissmach Glass Company is over 120 years old and is one of the few remaining American producers of handmade art glass products. And we absolutely love working with them!

What we love about working with Wissmach Glass:
🌈 COLORS. So many colors! We love the colors.
🫧 TEXTURE. Oh, did we mention all of their sheet glass can be made in 20 different textures? Multiply 20 textures by thousands of color formulas - it's a lot!
🙃 They have our back. Social media management always includes some conflict resolution or dealing with, uh, challenging people. Sam keeps most of her eye rolls in her head, but sometimes folks need to be told what's what, because, contrary to popular belief, the customer is not always right. And it can get a little dicey when you are speaking on behalf of someone else's company, but Jason and Annabelle have always supported her approach.
💡 They trust us. I think I've said before that we don't expect everyone who works with us to take everything we recommend at face value. But there is a particular joy that comes from working with folks who respect our expertise and more often than not say, “That sounds like a great idea - let's do that!”

https://wissmachglass.com/

05/23/2026

5 years ago today, Porter and Jeanie gathered our friends and family to celebrate us finally getting married.



Photos
Planner
Venue
Dress
Flowers

05/21/2026

Kirsten Ervin is a Pittsburgh-based artist exploring the intersection of illustration, fiber, and community. Ervin created collaborative fiber art projects with the public during artist residencies at Contemporary Craft, F***y Edel Falk Laboratory School, Rivers of Steel, and The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Another central theme in her work features portraits and interviews of everyday people, as evident in her project Drawn Together, co-created with artist Suzanne Werder (Pictured above).

What we love about working with Kirsten:
😁 She is so expressive. You never have to wonder if she's happy with the work you've created for her because she'll enthusiastically let you know.
👂🏻 She values and defers to expertise. Some clients hire us and never listen to our guidance, leaving us to scratch our heads over why they hired us in the first place. However, Kirsten was clear about what she wanted to accomplish and that she needed help achieving it, so she was open to all of our ideas and suggestions. (Note: It's definitely not required to listen to everything we say when you work with us, but when you listen to nothing we say, that's kind of weird…)
🎨 She's a true multipotentialite artist, exploring different media and project ideas, never succumbing to any tendency to be confined to a single lane or box.
👩🏼‍🏫 She's a fierce advocate for artists and an incredibly skilled arts educator. You can see upcoming opportunities to learn from her on that dreamy new website we created for her!

We continue to be grateful for cultivating a community of clients and referrers that consistently brings us people and organizations that are an excellent fit. With very few exceptions, we take great pleasure in highlighting our clients whenever the opportunity arises, as we genuinely appreciate their work and support their goals.

https://www.kirstenervinart.com/

05/20/2026

05/19/2026

These colorful pups are a bit of sneak peak into what we've got coming this summer when we roll out our brand refresh. Bringing some of our own artistic practices forward and leaning hard into the dog-obsessed part of dog-obsessed creative support.

05/19/2026

05/11/2026

Nathan has been taking photos for Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) for almost 20 years!

But wait, didn't we just celebrate 13 years in business?

Nathan was a hobbyist photographer long before he thought seriously about making it his profession. So when he would visit his then-girlfriend at work, he always had his camera with him and took photos for fun. He shared them with PGC to use however they wanted, so as his shooting improved and he went pro, PGC hired him to keep taking great photos. And the rest, as they say, is history.

What we love about working with Pittsburgh Glass Center:
🪅 CREATIVE CHALLENGE. Some things, like staff headshots, are always the same, but in a creative facility that brings in talented artists from all over the world, showcasing innovative exhibitions and experimental demonstrations, there's a lot to keep Nathan on his toes!
🗓️ Consistency is key. We work with PGC each year to set a budget for the next year's planned photo needs. This allows them to plan to spread out their marketing spend, which is important for non-profit budgets and allows us to count on locked-in income before the year even begins.
👯 Glass people are awesome. I mean, obviously, you already know we're glass fans. During Sam's time at PGC and the years after, we've made some of our best friends. Friends who gave us a warm place to stay when our car got stranded during Snowmaggedon 2010, friends who visited Sam while she was in the hospital for surgery, friends who have cared for Porter and Jeanie when we traveled, and then some.
👩🏻‍💼 FUN FACT: Sam often recounts that PGC's Executive Director, Heather McElwee, ruined her for all other bosses. Meaning, if something were to happen requiring her to seek a full-time job again, PGC would be the only option.

Finally, we are so fortunate to have grown our business primarily through word of mouth and personal referrals. We don't have hard numbers, but feel confident saying about 80% of our business comes from referrals. And approximately ⅓ of those referrals come from our friends and connections at PGC.

https://www.pittsburghglasscenter.org/

05/09/2026

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEENY WEENY JEANIE BEANIE BABY!

In honor of the perfect princess’ 👑 14th birthday and her first birthday celebrating solo 😭 (Portato would have been 16 today), we bring you this little compendium of Jeanie’s Corner from the end of our weekly emails. (Link in bio.)

In case you are new here, this used to be Porter’s Corner where Jeanie made occasional appearances. Jeanie has a very distinct personality apart from her brother’s rough and tumble bull-in-a-china-shop style. She’s taken charge of the business dutifully and enjoys her weekly opportunity to editorialize on her experience of the world.

Her birthday wishes are for sunshine, snuggles, treats made of bird flesh, and endless praise.

Adorable head tilt photo by