Our Story
Family Friends turned Hiking Buddies turned Husband & Wife
Family Friends
When Christine was just in High School, she was at her good friend Ari's house before swim practice when she saw a picture of a tan, curly-haired lifeguard. She turned to her friend and said, "Wow! Is that your brother? He's hot!"
That hot lifeguard was Ari's brother, George.
Some time after that, Christine and George met each other at a Crocker family event and continued to catch up yearly, usually during the holidays. Christine noticed how genuinely nice George was, and George remembers being impressed that Christine was a wrestler at Stanford.
Hiking Buddies
Fast forward to December 2019, George and Christine once again ran into each other. This time was different because it was the first time they were both age-appropriate and single! George and Christine realized they both lived in Los Angeles and shared an [unrequited] love for Fantasy Football. They traded stories about their Fantasy Football triumphs and their many, many tribulations. George and Christine continued to keep in touch on Instagram where they mostly discussed science and the Fantasy Footballers podcast.
A few months later, the Pandemic hit! Both bored at home, George and Christine started chatting more and more. They realized they also both enjoyed hiking and decided to meet for one. Fully masked, they shared their first of many hikes together at Rancho Penasquitos. On this hike, they realized how many things they had in common-- namely that they both had PhDs in Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology where they studied the lung! Despite a great hike together, Christine was convinced they'd exclusively remain hiking buddies, because it was just too weird that George was Ari's brother (and also because he showed up to the hike barefoot).
George and Christine continued hiking throughout the Pandemic, fully masked, as they continued to learn about their shared interests and just have a really great time. Some of their early hikes included Eagle Rock in Topanga State Park, the Goat Canyon Trestle hike (a 16 mile hike to the largest wooden trestle in the world!), and a steep, snowy climb to Inspiration Point in the Angeles National Forest.
Husband & Wife
George and Christine aren't married quite yet, but they clearly decided to take their status as hiking buddies to the next level.
By January 2021 they were officially in a relationship and the adventure continued! They started camping and taking weekend trips to new places around California. They were also at each other's side to celebrate big milestones like Christine's dissertation defense, George's promotion to tenured faculty at CSULA, and Christine's big move to Northern California to pursue her postdoctoral research.
After a year of racking up Southwest free drink coupons while flying to see each other on the weekends (and going on lots of great hikes and camping trips!), Christine and George decided to start their lives together in Southern California. Christine moved in with George in October of 2022 and they were engaged on September 8, 2023 at the nearby Huntington Gardens.
Today, George and Christine love their life together in Pasadena where they are surrounded by the Angeles Mountains, palm trees, and the squawk of the wild Pasadena parrots. They frequently bike to the Huntington Gardens or a local brewery, play tennis, visit their family in San Diego, hike and camp. They recently completed their first through backpacking trip: the Trans-Catalina Trail which was 38.5 miles and over 8,600 feet elevation!
We are so excited for our next chapter as Husband & Wife and are so excited to celebrate with you!
Christine & George by Christine Cunningham
