By Jason Bove.
Tip your glasses and congratulate our next Members of the Month, Clinton and Leia on marriage, travels, and homeownership! You can almost always find them around the gym, but if you miss them, they may be on your next flight out of town in search of their newest adventure. They are members of the Touchstone family here at Pipeworks, and we hope you enjoy their stories as much as we do!
First off, congratulations on your marriage last year! What life goals are next for you to conquer as a team? As individuals?
Leia: This last year was a big year of achieving goals for us—marriage, house, etc.—so it is high time to set some new ones! We would really like to do a small bit of remodeling on our 100-year-old house; but we also have a long list of travel goals we try to achieve every year. Not exactly something to “conquer” but definitely experience goals! Personally, I’d like to do some more backpacking, including a trip to Zion, build out and refinish our garage, climb a 14er in Colorado, and achieve a 250-pound deadlift.
Clint: I love a good goal. As a team, Leia and I are into travel and would like to hike Mount Kilimanjaro and visit South Africa in 2019. Planning and saving for that kind of trip is something we enjoy doing together. A few goals for myself this year are to start Family Nurse Practitioner school, climb Snake Dike, and drink a cold Touchstone Brewing beer.
It seems that when you two are not working out at Pipeworks you are traveling to some other beautiful world destination. Where have you been, and where is it that you find yourself most “at home”?
Leia: We’ve done a fair bit of international travel, but I still feel the most at home in Desolation Wilderness. It’s where I grew up—my first backpacking trip there was when I was 8 years old! I go there and I feel an overwhelming sense of peace. Every little thing that bothers me or stresses me out in everyday life just melts away when I am surrounded by trees, rocks, and alpine lakes.
Clint: I’ve always wanted to visit and hike on every continent (excluding Antarctica) and we’ve crossed off North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Most recently we got engaged on the Annapurna Trail in Nepal! But the place I’ve always felt the most at home is the Sierras—specifically the stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail between Mount Lincoln and Granite Chief. That’s my real happy place.
Speaking of home, can you tell us a little more about where you grew up? What is your favorite memory of your hometown?
Leia: I moved to California when I was 11 (from Vancouver, Washington). My parents moved our family of six to Cameron Park where I lived until I was 18. We had a pool in the backyard and we spent most of our NorCal summers in swimsuits. I even slept in my swimsuit! My favorite memories are the simplest—summer nights in the backyard with friends, family, and aggressive games of pool volleyball.
Clint: I’m originally from San Mateo, but moved to Folsom when I was in elementary school. Some of my fondest memories of Folsom is warm 4th of July nights setting off fireworks at block parties. The kids would always do some silly (and probably dangerous) modifications to the fireworks and the adults would get angry. But explosions on 4th of July are totally worth it.
How do you feel these places helped you become the people you are now?
Leia: Family is so important to me. My mom and dad had their own business and were home all the time. It really shaped who I became because I had an everyday look into how their relationship, business, and happiness functioned. It’s made me place such a huge value on the importance of family, partnership, and choosing every day to love others. I also feel that the community you build in the NorCal foothills is hard to leave behind. I had such amazing access to water holes, backcountry skiing, and backpacking trips out my back door! I tried living in Southern California and the Bay Area but I was drawn back to Sacramento by my family, my memories, and my then-boyfriend (now husband). No matter where I travel or who I meet or what experiences I try, there truly is no place like home.
Clint: They say you are the sum of the people you surround yourself with. I love the relaxed and outdoorsy vibe of Sacramento. The community here helped shape me by teaching me to value people and experiences over things. The Pipeworks community introduced me to Burning Man, amazing trails around NorCal, and many new good friends.
From each of your perspectives, how can you best combine work and play so that your “work” can be both productive and most enjoyable?
Leia: I work in craft beer…pretty hard to get more fun than that!! BUT I do believe everyone does their best work when they truly have time away from the everyday stresses of work. Time “away” from work is when I do my best thinking, problem solving, and stress resolving. I try to impart the importance of self care and true vacations to my whole team by practicing it myself! I also do a lot of travel for my job—I’m trying to build up my Southwest points for a buddy pass so I can take Clint with me when I go to fun places or have an extra weekend to hang around a new city!
Clint: I work as a nurse. I could combine it with playtime activities such as volunteering for Rockmed or ski patrol. But that would make the stuff I do for fun turn in to work. I enjoy that, as a nurse, I’m impactful during stressful periods of other people’s lives.
Lightning round! Wine or beer? Tennis shoes or flip flops? Reading or Netflix?
Leia: Beer! Barefoot! Reading!
Clint: Crossdrinker! Converse! Reddit!
Are there any animal(s) lucky enough to share your life with you? Would/do you favor dogs, cats, or other pets that may be a little more out of the ordinary?
Leia: Sadly, no. We feel like we would be bad dog parents since we’re both gone so much! But in our dream world we have a golden retriever named Butters.
Clint: I often catch the neighborhood cats staring at me. I keep my distance, not out of fear, but out of mutual respect.
Can you please tell us something about each other that we may never have guessed?
Leia: Clint has never purchased a car for more than $1,000.
Clint: Leia was homeschooled.
When was the last time you saw each other smile bigger than you had ever seen before?
Leia: When we found out we bought a house on Christmas Eve. It was just this terrified, excited smile that was some mixture of “YES” and “WTF DID WE JUST DO.” It was the best.
Clint: When Leia and I found and bought our first house after years of saving! What a cool feeling!
Please finish this next sentence: “I want people to most remember me by _____.” How does this best describe the summary of your time on Earth?
Leia: My laugh. My favorite type of person is one who laughs at their own jokes. I hope that my laughter/happiness is what people remember. I want to be remembered as an enthusiast—someone who jumps at experiences and laughs at failed attempts. Someone who makes people feel comfortable and happy.
Clint: I want people to remember me for being out there and dancing to my own tune. Someone who was fun to get bottomless mimosas with. And one day, if I turn out to be a grandpa, the old guy who wouldn’t STFU about “in his day” but could tell some pretty gripping stories.
