This month Stroll Bonnie Brae had the opportunity to meet and introduce the Del Gallego Family! Rafael, Tessa, and their adorable two-year-old twins, Kalina and Luna, and their pets Lido and Brooklyn live on South Cook Street, just around the corner from their grandmother's house. Tessa grew up in Colorado, moved around a lot in her youth, and spent the last ten years in New York. Rafael was born in San Cristobal, Venezuela, lived in Montreal, Canada, then moved to New York.  

Tessa recounts the magic of their meeting, "We lived in the same apartment building in Brooklyn and met on the stairway. Rafael was walking up the stairs, I was talking down. Rafael was the real estate manager for their apartment building and he rented out every unit in the building to Venezuelan community members except for ours. My roommate and I were the only two Americans in the building." After the couple found a mutual bond over music, they went on their first date to see Kings of Leon at Jones Beach, and the rest was history.

"We got married at Red Rocks. It was an idea that we had that we loved since our relationship was always centered around live music. We got engaged at Madison Square Garden at a Foo Fighters Concert in 2018. When we were looking at wedding venues, I knew we wanted to get married in Colorado. Once we got the idea of Red Rocks in our head, we couldn't think of anything else. The day of our rehearsal the Revivalists were rehearsing for a show that night and we were on the trading post lawn doing our rehearsal. We started to hear "La Vie En Rose" (by Louis Armstrong) coming from a distant trumpet so Rafael and I got to dance on the trading post lawn the day before our wedding. It turns out it was the trumpet player from the Revivalists. Music is our big connection. In runs through our veins." 

Tessa and Rafael followed the beat of their family drum and moved to the neighborhood in June 2022 with their twin girls. Tessa always knew she wanted to come back to Colorado once they had kids to give her children a similar experience to what she grew up knowing and loving. "Having the girls and their grandparents within walking distance or able to be here within 10 minutes is absolutely amazing. The girls love to sleep over at "Tutu's" house (what they call their Grandmother, as Tutu is the Hawaiin name for grandmother)". Tessa and her younger brother were both born in Hawaii.

"The girls love to paint and play instruments with Dad (especially the drums). They are little athletes who can climb on anything and everything." Rafael says, "I have been teaching them to skateboard. They are very much adrenaline junkies. Little bikes, scooters, running around with the dog. We spend a lot of time in Bonnie Brae Park with the girls and our dog Lido, so we might have met some of you walking around the park. Tessa and I are both are big cyclists. You might see us riding our bikes in the neighborhood or around Wash Park". The entire family loves taking trips to Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, and parents love Campus Lounge for a local cocktail. 

In addition to their affinity for music and family, neighbors might recognize Rafael & Tessa as the dynamic duo behind KaliLu Interiors - a full-scale interior design company that offers construction and renovation services. KaliLu Interiors is truly a local, family-owned, neighborhood-friendly business! Rafael is the head contractor, and Tessa is a professional Interior Designer. The name KaliLu honors the Del Gallego family's twin daughters, Kalina and Luna. "We do residential design, hospitality, retail, and corporate office design as well. We love to help friends, family, and neighbors with Home Renovation projects."

This summer, the Del Gallego family is looking forward to their first big family vacation, where they will meet up with Tessa's entire family crew (about 30 people) for an epic outing. The extended family is renting a big house out where everyone can get together near Temecula, California. It will be the first trip like this for Rafael, Kalina, and Luna - and for the girls, it will be their first experience at the beach!

The Del Gallego family - Rafael, Tessa, Kalina, Luna, and their pets Lido and Brooklyn (read more on Page 27 in our Precious Pets article) all cherish living in this community. "We love the atmosphere, everyone is so friendly, and we are excited to meet more of our neighbors."

If you love Music, are intrigued by Interior Design, or just want to meet great folks that live down the block - we hope you enjoyed this exclusive opportunity to get to know the Del Gallego family.