Richard and Ashley Keiser met in their hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The two followed one another through college after that, attending Northern Michigan for undergrad (Richard, a bachelor’s in economics, and Ashley, a bachelor’s in psychology); after, Ashley earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Michigan and postdoctorate at University of California, Irvine.

 

They moved to Arizona this July. Today, Richard works for a local investment company as a financial advisor, and Ashley is an assistant professor at Arizona State University. They recently welcomed their daughter, Riley, who is 7 months old. 

 

“We [also] have a 10-year-old Corgi/lab mix named Charlotte,” Ashley shares. “We adopted her when she was 2 years old from the Humane Society in Michigan. We consider her our first baby. … She loves car rides, rivers and table scraps! Her current favorite hobby is helping clean up after dinner time with Riley!”

 

Ashley and Richard love to show their daughter the world by traveling or hiking. The two of them enjoy board games and discovering new plant-based restaurants. For hobbies, Ashley loves yoga and improv, and Richard enjoys running, biking and swimming.

 

When it comes to their neighborhood, they’re thrilled to be here. From the cozy night storms to the beautiful sunsets and wildlife, nowhere is better.

 

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Every year, the Keisers cook a plant-based Thanksgiving dinner and take a trip. Over 15 years, they have spent much of this time exploring the world together. (In fact, 18-year-old Ashley went on her first plane ride with Richard to Ireland when they first started dating.) Since then, they have traveled to many places throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico and the United States. Richard and Ashley got married in 2016 on a cruise ship in Miami and, soon after, backpacked around Europe for their honeymoon. After finishing graduate school, they took time off to backpack Southeast Asia. Lately, they are enjoying exploring all that Arizona and the surrounding area has to offer with their daughter Riley and Corgi-lab mix Charlotte. 

 

 

GivingTree Café

Thailand/Southeast Asia and Western and Central Europe

 Michigan

Lentil curry