Both Lerners started their lives in Eastern Europe, Gabe in Moldova and Ellyn in Ukraine, before calling the Russian-Jewish community of Chicago home. It was in Chicago where they first met at a friend’s birthday party back in 2011. But Ellyn was convinced Gabe wasn’t her type.
“I went out with one of his friends for a little bit,” she admits, laughing.
Eventually, she agreed to a date with Gabe, but didn’t mince words when she wasn’t feeling the spark.
“Midway through, I told him, ‘Yeah, this isn’t going to work out.’”
But Gabe wasn’t fazed.
“She promptly rejected me, which is fine–I could handle it. I appreciated the honesty. Besides, I’m a moral person, I value clear communication, and it’s actually great that the communication was there.”
The two decided to stay in the friend zone, with Gabe continuing to show up at her birthday parties and occasionally checking out her friends for potential dates. Then one day, Ellyn texted him out of the blue.
“I was finally at a point in my life where I wanted somebody that was reliable. I wanted somebody who’s honest and could make me laugh. I wanted a family. The guys I was dating just weren’t cutting it. I think it was my mom who reminded me that Gabe had a job and wasn’t living in a basement, so I texted him,” she says matter-of-factly.
Gabe seized the second chance, adding, “If a beautiful girl texts me, I’m not going to say no!”
A second date eventually turned into an engagement on Chicago’s popular Kinzie Street; and later, the name of their first child, a daughter named Kinzie to honor the Chicago culture that brought them together.
Gabe was working as a software engineer while Ellyn completed her optometry degree, doing clinical rotations that sent her bouncing between California and Texas. Despite the long-distance, they made it work–and fast.
“We moved in together early on, did road trips, met each other’s parents, and then she left for rotation,” Gabe says. “When you survive all that in the first year, you kind of know.”
Considering how non-traditional their courtship was, it’s no surprise their wedding was less than conventional, too. In 2014 Gabe and Ellyn tied the knot in the Dominican Republic and invited their entire crew, telling them to simply come if they could. More than 70 friends and family joined them for the tropical celebration.
“It was perfect,” Ellyn says. “We’ve always done things a little differently. That’s just us.”
In 2017, their daughter Kinzie was born eight weeks premature. Ellyn spent months in the NICU and ultimately decided to pause her career to be at home during therapy and recovery.
“It was a gift to be there with her,” she says.
But after one too many bone-chilling winters and realizing that pushing a stroller through slush wasn’t the dream, they traded snow for sunshine and made the leap to Los Angeles in 2019.
“Chicago summers are amazing,” Ellyn says. “But then people completely forget how miserable the winters are.”
After stops in Marina del Rey and Santa Monica, they found their sweet spot in Playa Vista.
“At first I thought it was too much like Pleasantville, with everyone pushing strollers,” she laughs. “Then I realized: I am a mom pushing a stroller.”
These days, Ellyn is fully immersed in the neighborhood. She’s vice president of the Friends of Playa Vista School booster club, helps coordinate community events, and somehow still finds time to run California Kids Club, an Instagram-based guide to local family-friendly activities.
“It started when I was bored on maternity leave and looking for things to do with my son,” she says.
Now she hosts pop-ups, festivals, and meet-ups that bring hundreds of families together, from Culver City to San Diego.
Gabe, meanwhile, is thriving in his own geeky dream job at Kernel, a Culver City-based startup that makes brain-scanning helmets.
“It looks like a futuristic motorcycle helmet, but it measures brain activity,” he explains, lighting up about the company’s mission. “We’re working on applications for depression and cognitive impairment, trying to make treatment more effective and diagnosis faster. As I’ve gotten older, I wanted to work somewhere meaningful and this company just checks all the boxes.”
Their second child, Edison, was born during the height of the pandemic in 2021.
“We picked his name because we liked the science and technology tie-in,” says Ellyn. “We like a name with a story.”
COVID brought its share of challenges, including turning a parking lot into Kinzie’s favorite playground and teaching her to ride a bike with nowhere else to go. But for the Lerners, even lockdown was a chance to lean into their make-the-best-of-it lifestyle.
Now free to move about the city, they treat every weekend in Los Angeles like a giant playground.
“I think we’ve been to over 100 different parks and playgrounds,” Gabe says. “Every weekend is like a mini-vacation.”
They stack local outings with new food spots and activities, making sure no two Saturdays are alike.
“We don’t sit still,” Ellyn says. “If you’re looking for us at home on a weekend, good luck.”
While many local families spend weekends shuffling between sports practices, the Lerners prefer adventures. They do karate at the Westchester Family YMCA, take rock-climbing classes at Sender One, and plan spontaneous trips to places like Death Valley, Sequoia, and Las Vegas. Their annual Cancun trip, with both sets of grandparents, is a cherished tradition, complete with a yearly group photo that’s becoming a family time capsule.
These days, Playa Vista feels like home.
“We live across the street from the farmers’ market, and my Kids Club hosts the Kids’ Corner there monthly,” Ellyn says. “We see people we know every Saturday. That kind of connection matters.”
Gabe agrees, “You just bump into people here. It’s got that community feel that’s hard to find in L.A.”
As they enjoy their lives far from their snowy roots, the Lerners are proof that sometimes, the best things in life happen when the first date doesn’t go as planned.
“She rejected me halfway through,” Gabe laughs. “And now she’s stuck with me.”
To learn more about Ellyn’s California Kids Club and some great ideas for places to visit this summer, follow her on Instagram at @californiakidsclub or on her website at californiakidsclub.com.
Meet the Lerner Family
How long has Playa Vista been your hometown?
We moved here in January 2024.
What does the perfect day in Playa Vista look like to you?
For our family, a perfect Saturday in Playa Vista means a packed day of awesome activities! We start at the Farmers’ Market, where we always run into familiar faces and like to try new vendors. Then, we hit up the community pool, followed by heading to The Lawn Rope Playground to monkey around. Next, the kids are off to test new climbs at Sender One, and we round off our full day with a family dinner at Urban Plates.
Since you’ve made Playa Vista your home, what is the biggest change you have seen in the community?
I’d say the biggest change I’ve noticed is that The Runway is really expanding with new businesses popping up, which is bringing a lot of fresh energy to the community. I’m also so excited about the summer lineup of events. It’ll be an amazing time spent with family and friends!
There are so many great people and businesses in this community; is there anyone you would like to give a special shout-out to?
I’ve got to give a big shout-out to my friends Krystal Mamaril and Tiffany Phillips—we jokingly call ourselves the “Tres Amigas”! We’re on the booster club for Playa Vista Elementary School together, our kids are best friends, and we’re always teaming up to plan school and community events. Whether it’s a fundraiser, a school-wide end-of-year party, or just showing up to support each other, we love finding ways to help our community thrive. It’s way more fun when you’re doing it with your friends!
Story by Shanee Edwards. Photos by Zsuzsi Steiner.