Kerry Morgan's perfect word

Kerry Morgan of Snohomish, Wash. had a very specific request when her husband traveled to San Francisco on business a few weeks ago: stop by Timeless Treasures for vintage letters.

Turns out that Kerry had been inspired by Tara Whitney's blog, where the Southern California photographer has written and posted images of old letters she has found here and used in portraits of friends and families.

"I wanted the perfect word," Kerry says. "something that everybody would see when they walked into my house and in my kitchen. My crazy house with three little children and full of love."

Love, Kerry says, was a possibility, but that was "way too boring." So she thought and thought.

"Amore, that's it and it's perfecto!!"

There's a silly back story, according to Kerry, who worked at an Olive Garden restaurant to pay for college expenses. AT OG, as she calls it, employees were required to sing along to the Dean Martin song That's Amore whenever it came on the sound system.

"I loved it! My hubby (then boyfriend) and I thought it was hilarious and would sing that song all the time, purely because if you hear it once, it is stuck in your head for the rest of the day!

"Our house. Love. Amore. And memories of the Olive Garden," Kerry says, smiling.

"Thanks so much for these awesome letters," she adds. " I was pleased as punch when my husband got home with my safely packaged and bubble-wrapped letters. I wasted no time and they were up the next day. Right above my sink. So happy," she says.