HER Version: How It Started...
Ian had been in California for less than 24 hours when he walked into the Stanford Sports Med BBQ as the new PT/Performance Coach. I immediately started asking who the “new guy” was and shortly after my friends and I convinced him to join us at a colleague’s paintball party the next day. Within that first week, we went paint balling, hiking, and to a Kenny Chesney concert where he kissed me in front of the ENTIRE staff… all before his first day of work!
HIS Version: (NOT) A Date...
After a long day of paintball, we began talking at Strike Brewing Co. about how much be both loved to hike. Kinzie had lived in the Bay Area for a few years and still hadn't been to Alamere Falls. I told her how amazing the 40' waterfall onto the beach was and We decided to go the following weekend to hike Alamere Falls at Point Reyes, north of Marin. We both tried inviting friends/co-workers so it wouldn't be a "date." It was just going to be the two of us, until my new roommate Brad decided he would join. But, it didn't matter because Mickinzie & I talked the whole time (2+ hours in traffic on the way there, the entire hike, and 2 hours home). When we got to the waterfall, Kinzie asked if I had a knife because she brought a ripe avocado, some crackers, and dried fruit for snacks. Holding my lame CLIF bars I looked up amazed, and handed her my pocket knife. BEST TRAIL SNACK EVER...I was sold. It was DEFINITELY a date!
HIS Version: First Tahoe Trip - When you know you Know!
Before Stanford Football camp started we had a few days and had thought about going on an overnight camping trip to Warren Lake in North Lake Tahoe, near Truckee. We got off work and finally decided to drive up to Tahoe around... 11pm (My choice... Not Kinzie's). We got to the trailhead around 2am, set up a tent in the parking lot and went to sleep. We woke up to a warning ticket on our tent from the forest ranger (oops!). We started the 8 mile hike out to Warren Lake, up and down, up and down. We got to the top of the ridge before hiking 1000ft down to Warren Lake. We swam, cooked and spent the night gazing up at the Sierra sky and hiked out the next morning. We drove home around the East side of the Lake and I said " Damn, it would be so cool to live here!"
HER Version: First Sonoma Trip...
We both had a (rare) weekend off before football camp officially started and decided to spend a few days up in wine country. Ian was so confident, sweet, and funny... and organized the most incredible weekend for the two of us. He booked us a room at the Gaige House (highly recommend!) and made reservations at The Girl & The Fig (one of our faves!). This will always be one of our favorite memories and I specifically remember calling my sister before heading home to tell her all about how lucky I was to find such an amazing man.
HIS Version: First Sonoma Trip...
LUCKY...Boy did I get lucky! Our first trip to Sonoma started out with ZERO plans. We had a few days off before football camp started and decided we would go up to Wine country and taste for the day, maybe stay the night. We started the day, Kinzie's way - with bubbles. While we were sitting on the patio at Gloria Ferrer, I decided to pull up Hotels Tonight and found an awesome deal at The Gaige House + Ryokan in Glen Ellen. I had no idea the Japanese-inspired boutique bed & breakfast would be so cool! We discovered the girl & the fig and I ordered the steak frites followed by milk & cookies (2 warmed chocolate sea-salt cookies served with a small vanilla milkshake). We also visited a number of wineries including Kunde, Benziger, Imagery, and more. At the end of the trip, she called her sister Kelly and told her how amazing the Wine Country trip was, I hadn't planned anything- I just got lucky!
HIS Version: Bay Area ➡️ Lake Tahoe!
I saw a job posting for a Sports & Orthopedic Performance physical therapist in South Lake Tahoe working with the US Ski & Snowboard athletes. We both love to play in the great outdoors and had though about moving somewhere we could hike, swim, camp and play in the snow. I got the job and she didn't think twice about moving with me! We signed the lease, and flew back from the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve 2018, loaded up the car and drove up to Tahoe to start 2019 and our future together!
4 years later and we're still here and added 1 more to the squad- Elle, who might love playing in the snow and running on the trails more than us! We have both become business owners- Mickinzie with LunchAssist-raising the bar for feeding children well- and me with PT Revolution-Tahoe's Hub for Mountain Athletes.
Kinzie loves trail running, swimming, and all the sunshine Tahoe offers.
I love the backcountry skiing/splitboarding, mountain biking and cold plunges that Lake Tahoe offers.
Not if... but When you come visit Tahoe PLEASE let us know!
HIS Version: She Said YES!
I knew Mickinzie had been going down to Cabo since she was in the womb. Her dad used to keep fishing boats there when it was just a small fishing town. Given her Mexican heritage and her love for the sunshine (she says "it recharges my batteries"), beach, and ocean, and our love for Mexican food, I thought the Sea of Cortez would be the perfect place to ask her to spend our lives together. Since Kinzie and her sister share back-to-back weeks at a timeshare in Cabo, I thought it would be special to have her sister there to celebrate. With one sandy knee, tears in our eyes, and champagne waiting for us at our table, we walked down the beach at sunset to The Hacienda for a celebratory dinner. We enjoyed the full week celebrating with champagne, chips, guac, and TEQUILA!!!