Diddy, or simply Diddy) and Liz met in Vermont at SIT Graduate Institute in August 2013. Preston was a bearded Resident Advisor from Alabama and Liz was an adventurous girl from the Northwest. We all know Liz makes a special effort to know dudes who have man buns (what up, Joel!) and with Preston sporting his man bun on day one, we kicked off a beautiful friendship. Just a short walk down the hall
from one another, we shared a floor with a dozen others from around the world. We immediately bonded over skiing, hiking, study-break episodes of Portlandia and established a tradition of “Doc and Drink” (or D&D, the sipping of a tasty beverage while being the studious liberals that we are by viewing a documentary). Over the next year we relied on each other through the stress of grad school, hoping we were somehow becoming better people, and ideally aiming for that coveted post-grad full-time job. We did, however, create a contingency plan of having a food cart in Portland called "Purdy & Peck" in case our professional attempts failed. At SIT we also met Rachel and Kaitlin--Team Papabears on the Climb for Clean Air with us. We shared classes and the struggle of attempting to learn Spanish—mostly just evoking laughter at our efforts. SIT brought us together and we created a lasting friendship that we have maintained no matter the distance between the places we all call home. Besides laughing excessively, in the more serious moments our friendship hasn’t shied away from the heavy stuff. Preston lost his father due to heart disease in 2012, and upon arriving in Vermont was still recovering from the loss of not only a father, but also a mentor and best friend. Liz arrived at SIT just a couple months after being with her grandmother in her final days with lung cancer. Since we left our year together in Vermont, both Katilin and Rachel’s fathers’ have passed away from lung disease. Together, we’ve supported each other and created bonds that will never be broken. Hanz and Franz emerged in Spring 2014 when Preston was Liz’s unofficial personal trainer, building confidence and muscle as she prepared to head out on her first summer commercial fishing in Alaska. Liz knew she needed to revisit those days in 5th grade when she could crank out 5 pull-ups, and Preston was the dude to help her get there. Throughout the spring we pushed and encouraged each other. We started going to the gym to train almost every day, and from our fellow students quickly earned the nickname Hanz and Franz from the SNL skit featuring Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon. So this year, July 10-13, Rainier is our next challenge, and we’re taking it on by training in opposite parts of the U.S. (Preston in North Carolina and Liz in Montana) with the goal of meeting in the great state of Washington at Mt. Rainier where we’ll stand on top of that beautiful summit for ourselves, our friends, their loved ones, our loved ones, and the American Lung Association. He’s Hanz, she's Franz, and they're here to PUMP YOU UP!
