The Love Next Door – Once upon a time, a schoolteacher married a firefighter, and they made their own happily ever after

They say the early years of marriage are the hardest.  Despite two demanding careers, two young kids and two lengthy stays in the Emergency Room, Ricky and Crystal Hilstein beg to differ.  After 10 years of challenges, bumps and twists in the road, they are still loving every minute.
“Nothing that was good ever came easy for us,” Crystal said.  “We both enjoy working hard, and it’s paid off.”
Almost in unison, Ricky and Crystal got their big breaks in 2004.  Ricky was picked up by the U.S. Forest Service, and Crystal was hired to teach English at Saugus High School.  They had their first child, Charlie, and a couple years later, Brody followed.  Early on, the demands of Ricky’s schedule drove the Hilsteins to take a different approach to marriage.
“I’m gone all the time,” Ricky said.  “We knew if we were going to make this work, we would both have to put in 100 percent – not 50/50.”
As a U.S. Forest Service firefighter, Ricky wears many hats.  If the need exists, Ricky could serve as a public information officer, assist arson investigators or be called to an out-of-state fire.  If he stumbles upon illegal activity while fighting a fire, it’s his responsibility to work with law enforcement.  Recently, Ricky was called to the Sand and Sage fires locally, and he has fought many large and fatal fires in multiple states.
“We haven’t slowed down this season,” Ricky said.  “We’re all beat up and pretty tired.”
Though Ricky’s job is demanding of his time and energy, Crystal doesn’t slow down at work either.  An American Literature teacher and department chairperson, Crystal was named the 2015 Teacher of the Year for Saugus High School, her own alma mater.  Four years ago, she launched the REACH program, which motivates students to attend a four-year university who wouldn’t otherwise.
“These are kids who, without that extra motivation, would be placed into remedial classes and not apply to college,” she explained.  “But I believe in acceleration through rigor and support rather than remediation.  If you expect a student to rise to the occasion, they will.”
Crystal’s theory seems to be working.  In four years, all but three REACH students have attended a four-year university; two of the four years, 100 percent of students went on to receive higher education, and all of them have gone on to college.
“Ricky and I came from families without college education, without a lot of money,” Crystal explained of her motivation to start Reach.
Ricky and Crystal came to know their own struggles as a family when Brody underwent brain surgery at three months old.  His skull had fused together in utero, and doctors had to separate the bone before it placed too much pressure on his growing brain.  During a weeklong stay at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Ricky and Crystal never left Brody’s side.
Shortly after Brody’s recovery, they thought they were out of the woods.  This time, Crystal fell ill, threatening their cherished partnership.  Brody still had stitches when doctors told Crystal she was in full liver failure, an unexpected complication from her gallstones.  The Hilsteins prepared for another emergency surgery, and within a couple months, they were back to their usual struggles: long days and bedtimes.
“We lean on each other, and we learn from each other,” Crystal says.  “We can handle a lot, and when it comes down to it, we know we have each other – our perfectly imperfect lives.”

Candidly … With Ricky & Crystal

If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be?
Ricky & Crystal: As a couple, our ice cream flavor is probably Spumoni.  We have that balance of standing alone but also working so well together.
How did you know he was the one?
Crystal: I knew he was the one the second time I saw him.  It was a Friday night, and he came to my work with his best friend Brad.  The two of them sat in my section as I was waitressing at BJ’s.  I didn’t have any tables, so they sat with a group of my friends. The entire time they held conversation and laughed and joked, and I walked them out that night in awe.  He held my hand as I walked to the car, and I was hoping for that first kiss.  But instead, he brought his lips to my hand, kissed it and said good night.  I walked back into the restaurant completely in love with Ricky.
What is the most attractive thing about your spouse?
Ricky: I’d like to say I like her freckles, which I call her speckles, freckles and dots, but realistically, it’s her smile!  It makes me feel like I can conquer the world with her behind me.  I love that when she looks at me, she smiles.
photo by Angelica Valiton

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