Rooted in Something Real: The Story of the Blais Family

Photo by Karen Presecan

Some people stumble into love. Jason and Aubry Blais stumbled into it, surrounded by dirt, gravel, and the sound of boots on a barn floor.

They met in 2016. When it came time to marry, there was only one place that felt right: Highland Barn. It's a rustic venue tucked into the Stafford countryside—the couple now owns and runs it together. On their April 2020 wedding day, the barn floor was still raw earth. It was unpolished and completely perfect—a fitting beginning for a couple who have always valued what's real over what's merely refined.

That spirit has never left them.

Aubry and Jason are often called a Renaissance couple; they’re people whose passions run wide and deep, and folks who have created a life shaped by intention and remaining authentic versions of themselves. 

The Man Behind the Farm

Jason Blais devoted years to service before trading combat boots for farm boots. As a Citadel graduate and retired Special Forces Army Officer, he served with distinction, a career Aubry describes with pride. "I am so proud of his contribution to the US Army and his pride in serving our country well," she says.

That discipline didn't disappear when he retired. It simply found a new home. Jason now channels it into the rhythms of the farm, training their Deutsch Drahthaars, and running Highland Barn. He is methodical, committed, and present. Aubry admires and relies on these qualities.

Their Deutsch Drahthaars—versatile hunting dogs—are trained through the rigorous Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar Group North America program. Jason and Aubry's dedication is evident; their three dogs, Tyr, Blaze, and Ari, are certified, as are the couple.

The Woman Behind Thistle

Aubry came to aesthetics the way she comes to most things: with intention and a refusal to cut corners.

Her Army Nurse experience at Walter Reed gave her clinical precision, defining her approach to skincare. In 2018, she founded Thistle Medical Aesthetics in Stafford—a practice built on expertise and a sincere desire to help clients feel more like themselves. Not overdone. Not unrecognizable. Just rested. Confident. Right.

"The approach has always been grounded in precision, trust, and doing things the right way — not the fast way," Aubry says. And clients have noticed from the beginning.

She added another credential to her name, graduating summa cum laude from George Mason University as a Family Nurse Practitioner. This meant two years of intensive study and clinicals while running a business, managing a farm, training dogs, and being present in her marriage and family. That achievement didn't just earn her a new title; it reignited something in her and inspired an evolution at Thistle that had been quietly taking shape for years.

A Business That Evolved as They Did

Thistle has never been static, any more than Aubry and Jason have. It has grown the way good things grow — not by chasing expansion, but by deepening into what it already was.

What began as a boutique studio has evolved into a full aesthetics destination, recently expanded into a beautifully redesigned space that feels warm, unhurried, and quietly luxurious. Consultations feel like conversations. Treatment plans are genuinely customized. The team Aubry has built — all aesthetic nurse practitioners and estheticians who share her standard of care — remembers not just your last appointment but your goals, your hesitations, and the small details that matter.

"We've always wanted Thistle to feel like more than a place you come for an appointment," she says. "It's a space where people feel taken care of, connected, and part of something."

The menu has grown alongside the mission. It includes neuromodulators such as Botox, Dysport, and Daxxify, as well as RF microneedling, IPL, and CO₂ laser resurfacing. The philosophy remains unchanged. Education matters here. Clients learn what to do and why it works. Thistle’s "Skinformation" evenings, flower arranging workshops, vision board nights, and other gatherings fill the calendar. These events feel less like marketing and more like friendship—because that’s what they are.

A Life Built Together

The pandemic, which slowed most people down, did something different for the Blaises. It brought clarity and renewed intention.

In 2020, the year they married, they established Highland Barn and Vom Drengr-Jager Kennel—each venture a natural extension of who they were. The farm gave Jason a place to lead and tend, while Thistle offered Aubry a career she could pour herself into. Jason trains and hunts the dogs himself, serves as the Atlantic Chapter Chairman, and is also a performance judge for the breed, traveling across the United States for each of these roles. Together, these steps formed something neither had mapped out, but both had always been moving toward.

Rounding out the humans in the family is their daughter, Mya, 22, who recently completed a basic esthetician program at DuoGlo Esthetics after finishing her associates degree at Germanna Community College. Mya plans to continue her education at DuoGlo to obtain her Master Esthetician license. When she’s not following in mom’s footsteps, Mya can be found in a hot yoga class at Dragonfly Yoga, traveling with friends and family, or simply hanging out with her beloved Yorkie at home. And completing the four-legged family are their Highland cows—Nutmeg and Nettle—and a young bull named Maverick, who are fixtures on the farm. 

At home, the Blaises garden and cook together. Aubry loves trying out new recipes. Travel is part of their year when schedules allow: Costa Rica, France, the Caribbean, Mexico, Kauai, and Italy– with adventures to Scotland and Germany in the works.

But Stafford always calls them back.

The Community They've Chosen

Jason and Aubry have both lived in Stafford since the early 2000s. They've watched the community grow, watched their children grow alongside it, and made a deliberate choice, again and again, to stay.

"We have chosen to stay here as it is where our children were raised, and we love the sense of community," Aubry says. "Our friends and family are here. We get to enjoy all four seasons on our farm, and it's close enough to the mountains and ocean for fun getaways."

Their neighbors are fellow farmers, and the Blaises live that neighborliness genuinely. They fix fences, lend supplies, and look after animals when someone needs to be away. Each summer, they host a big BBQ and occasional public events to open the farm to the community. Thistle gives back by covering Christmas wish lists for local families and seniors. It also donates to schools and organizations throughout the year. It is just who they are.

Intention runs quietly through everything the Blaises have built. It’s in the way Jason serves whatever he commits to. It’s in the way Aubry does things right, even if there’s a faster path. It’s their choice to stay in Stafford, host the BBQ, open the barn gates, and build a business that cares about people who walk through its doors.

They've built a life — layered, purposeful, and grounded in the people and place they love most. Not what they've built. But how they've built it. And who they've built it for.

Thistle Medical Aesthetics is located in Stafford, Virginia. To learn more or book a consultation, visit their website or follow along on social thistlemedicalaesthetics.com