Kian

throwback to visiting Gpa Allen and Gma Lyndee and Kona baby

Our journey began when Danielle attended a Delta Beta Tau planning meeting at Kian and Ben’s college house near SDSU. Kian attended the meeting because he was interested in pivoting his college path, and Danielle attended because she wanted to step up her leadership role within DBT by volunteering to be a Pledge Educator. After the meeting ended, Danielle stayed behind to talk with Kian and Ben. Danielle liked Kian because of his rainbow-colored Thai pants that he picked up in Thailand over the summer. We became friends instantly, bonded by our mutual interest in improving our minds, hearts, and community with Buddhist philosophy. For about a year, Kian entered the Pledge Program, guided along the way by me and the two other Pledge Educators. Throughout this time, we traveled to a Buddhist Monastery in Pasadena where we stayed overnight, awaking at 4:30 am to chant for hours in Mandarin. Although we may not have understood the words, we could feel the trance-induced impact of singing in a community of strangers, united by the common vision for peace within and without. On the day of the graduation of the pledges, I purchased an Orange Tree and gave it to the pledges for them to plant in the garden of the Temple. May the record show that Kian and Danielle began dating after Kian transitioned from a pledge into an active member.

Then Danielle signed up for a Rock Climbing Class at the SDSU gym, without knowing that Kian worked at this very climbing wall. Mike Sizaki was Danielle’s primary instructor, which happened to be Kians long-time childhood friend and roommate. As part of the class, Danielle had to complete extra climbing hours after class. To her great fortune, Kian was working the climbing wall practically every time she went to practice. It was there that she could gaze at his butt, oops I mean his lovely curls, as they made their way up the wall. Danielle would often attend a yoga class in the gym after climbing, and Kian always nonchallantly slowly closed up the climbing wall just in time to be walking past the yoga room as I left the finished class. He would walk Danielle home through the dark frat alley way, she always felt grateful for his sense of security he provided. One night, Danielle mentioned she changed her contact of Kian to “Kian Joon”. Kian blushed and instantly knew that this was no fling. For those that do not know Farsi, ‘Joon’ is a term of endearment meaningĀ  “soul spirit for life”.

The next phase of our friendship was focused on supporting one another through school, as we both experienced tough classes and needed extra emotional support. Danielle would wait on the grass courtyard for his class to let out, and he would wander over to me with a smiling face and open arms.

Then Danielle graduated college in December 2018 and moved back home to Santa Cruz to save money while living with her parents. They did long distance as Kian finished his last two semesters of college by December 2019. Danielle took odd jobs, one job was working remotely in Susanville as a Biological Science Technician monitoring plant populations in the remote high desert of California. After graduating, Kian accepted a seasonal diving research position with the Tahoe Environmental Research Center in 2020. Kian was actually the first van lifer in this relationship – he lived in his parent’s MiniVan for this summer job. Equipped with a mattress on the floor of the van and a coleman stove, he toughed out the summer Minivan life.

Little did he know, that about 6 months later, we would embark on a new journey together. In January 2021, we spent our savings on a used Fort Lift Repair Ford Transit Van. We spent the next four months tearing everything out, cleaning it, and rebuilding from the ground up. With the help of my knowledgeable dad, we designed a functional layout, built furniture, and installed an electrical system. This van was a dream come true, although a costly one. We made a few trips in the van, the first trip was before we were finished. We went to Pinnacles National Park, accompanied by both sets of parents, along with all three doggos. On another trip we camped on my birthday at Mt Madonna with Buddy and Luna, which was a delightfully foggy redwood experience.

Jump forward to 2022, living in San Diego, weekend warriors is all we can afford with the van. Our first trip in So Cal was to Palomar Mountain for two nights and then one night over the mountain and into the desert at Agua Caliente Hot Springs in Anza Borrego. What a luxury and privelege it is to own and maintain this home on wheels.

 

Making Christmas Cookies with Kians long time childhood best friend and roommie, Adrian. He shared a room with Kian at Dorothy, and eventually I begame their third roomie for short periods of time as I visited.
Yoda backpack going to see the new star wars
Celebratory beers in Santa Cruz after Kian’s interview with UCSD as a potential grad program
Buddy and Luna love when Kian gets dressed up. Looking dapar for his interview with UCSD
Painting at sunset by Antelope Lake in the Plumas NF – camping trip

 

Our time in San Diego was rocky at first. We moved down here for Kian’s UCSD and SDSU grad program, and I got a job with SDSU Research Foundation’s Soil Ecology and Restoration Group. Our first living situation with a nice family in Rancho Penasquitos did not go according to plan. We were parked in the van in their driveway, no access to power or privacy. After a week we moved out to a temporary apartment, and finally about a month later landed an affordable apartment with the UCSD grad housing. On December 11 2021, we adopted Kimbo, who now goes by Willow or Willie. He is potentially a lab husky mix, and is the sweetest teddy bear there was. He loved to roll on his back and let you give him belly rubs all day. Did i mention he sleeps all day too?

Flash forward to New Years day 2022, we rise early to go for a hike in Mt Laguna in hopes of seeing some winter snow before it melts. We park at the Sunrise Trailhead along the Sunrise Highway, greeted by half a foot of snow on the trails nearby. Willow, Kian, and I start the trail with the intention of hiking the 7 mile loop around the little man-made lakes in the meadows of Mt Laguna. About thirty minutes into the hike, we notice a ginormous rock sitting a top of a hill next to the trail. We veer off trail, feeling called in by this behemoth. Up the hill we climb, and arrive at an ancient boulder perched atop a hill with views into the meadows below. Kian notices some bolts in the rock, suitable for climbing, we will have to return in the future. We sit on a log and smell the fresh pine air. Then, Kian slowly pulls out a little box from his pack. A wooden box with a wolf is carved onto it. He opens the box to reveal a beautiful natural stone wedding ring, and he asks Danielle if she would like to spend the rest of her life with him as his wife. We both knew the answer without saying it, and held eachother in elated joy for the future that may be. After a while, we headed back to the trail in search of the little lakes. Nearly 15 minutes later, as we approached the first little pond, we noticed two large Bald Eagles perched a top the tall Pines by the pond. We stood still, gazing at their grace, illuminated by the morning sun. After a few minutes, they both flew off together into the horizon. This encounter we took as a good omen, the universe saying congrats to you both, my children of the Earth. IĀ am grateful to have the opportunity to marry my best friend, and for all the adventures we have been gifted with so far. May the universe allow us to spend as much time together in this lifetime as possible, and may we find eachother in the next lives too.

One thought on “Kian

  1. What a vivid and beautiful storytelling gift you have Danielle! This Mama’s so very happy for you two, such sweet humans, to have found each other.

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