Sara (before Rio): Sara grew up in Saratoga with her two older brothers, Allen and Nick. Sara played volleyball since middle school all the way through college. She went to college in East Central University in Ada Oklahoma and got her BA in Criminal Justice. Sara enjoyed taking solo car camping trips in the winter to Tahoe to go snowboarding and spent many days in the summer tanning on the beach. Sara dedicated a lot of time to educate and better herself to apply for law enforcement since it was a dream of hers since she was young. Sara and her family were very excited for her to be accepted to a local Sheriff’s Office in California.

Rio (before Sara): Rio grew up on the Bettinelli Dairy in Petaluma, with his parents and grandfather, Ralph Bettinelli. He moved to Fall River Mills when he was 8 years old with his mother and father. Rio started competing in snowboarding on the Mt Shasta freestyle team when he was 12 years old. He later moved back down to Petaluma to finish high school. Rio attended college at Santa Rosa Junior College and then moved to Tahoe to compete In snowboarding and attend college at Sierra College. He was a snowboard coach and personal trainer at Northstar. In 2016, Rio traveled through Europe and Southeast Asia during the off season. He later moved to Florida in 2017 and worked as a bartender and personal trainer at the Four Seasons resort in Palm Beach. After 2 years in Florida, Rio moved back to California and got into the lineman apprenticeship. Rio spent the next four years as an apprentice traveling the state before becoming a journeyman lineman.


How they met:
“Hey, I love your hair,” Sara said to Rio as she walked past him, at the country dancing bar in Los Gatos. This one comment caught Rio’s attention, with his shoulder length curly hair. Rio invited Sara back out to the bar a few weeks later. After Rio’s persistence on going on a real date, Sara caved, and they continued to move rather quickly in their relationship.

From traveling to country dancing bars, a hunting trip to Montana, beach days, snowboarding, getting matching tattoos, and moving in together, Sara and Rio were engaged after just 9 months of being in a relationship.

Before and after the engagement, Sara and Rio lived through the stressors of each others jobs. Sara supported Rio’s hectic schedule while being an apprentice to become a lineman. The week after Sara was informed of being hired as a Deputy Sheriff, Rio graduated his apprenticeship and became a Journeyman Lineman. They later moved to Gilroy in a 40ft trailer to allow Sara to attend the police academy. They struggled to manage each other’s opposite schedules, but continued to support each other for their futures.

Since being engaged, Sara and Rio have moved twice and both started their new jobs. Rio is working in several counties as a Journeyman Lineman contracting with PG&E and Sara as a Deputy Sheriff with the County of Santa Cruz. They both enjoying trying new breweries, getting brunch, swing dancing, and spending nights in and watching movies.