By Imogen Whale | Special to the Review
When David and Megan Atashrooâs daughter, Revy Elle, was born on Nov. 27th, 2017, her name had already been decided for months.
Megan, a nurse practitioner at Stanford Health Care in the adult cardiac surgery department, and David, Chief of Staff at Qventus, a healthcare tech startup company, are avid skiers and have long traveled to Canada to hit the slopes. The couple has explored Lake Louise, Sunshine and Whistler. Last winter, they decided to venture to Revelstoke.
The Atashroos rented a van at the airport, assured by employees the vehicle could handle Revy winters with aplomb. âIt couldnât,â David laughs. âAfter multiple attempts to summit Westside Road on the third night, we retreated to the warm refuge of Petro Canada, where a young Revelstoke native, who was home for the holidays, was kind enough to take us up to Glacier House Resort after finishing his shift at Starbucks.â
The couple happily shares memories of their trip, including a case of frostbite and the Revelstoke-wide sell-out of neoprene booties. âWord to the wise, northern climes pair frigid temps with matchless snow,â David jokes.
The town and people left a positive impression on the Atashroos, and they enjoyed several local favourite stops including the Bierhaus and the Village Idiot. The resort itself took their breath away.
âIn the States you hear so much about Whistler,â says David. âWe went there and after the crowds and hype, it wasnât all we thought it would be. Revelstoke is the best kept secret as far as ski hills go. Mackenzie Mountain is unlike any other place on earth. We were left wonderstruck by the beauty. In a word: Revelstoke is magical.â
Months later when they were back at home in Northern California and discovered they were going to have a little girl, the knew what to call her.
âDavid initially pushed for the name Revelstoke,â Megan says, âbut our last name is long. In the end, we decided to choose an easier name; Revy.â
âWe wanted this little girl to grow up knowing that she was fierce, and courageous, and beautifulâŠthe mountains make us feel this way, and Revelstoke most of all,â David says.
The couple chose the middle name Elle for two reasons. âMeganâs Grandmother, who maintained her indomitable spirit even after severe rheumatoid arthritis and the pains of age set in, was named Elsie,â David explains. The second reason revealed itself after reading Eugene Petersonâs (translator of the message bible) book A Long Obedience. âThereâs a passage in Philippians 4:4 that says âCelebrate God all day and every day. I mean REVEL in him.â We loved that. The idea that God is not a taskmaster bent on ruling over our lives, but rather a loving father whose delight is to see his children find joy in his presence. We wanted that for Revy, to live free, to dance hard, and to play with reckless abandon because she is loved and always will be.â
David and Megan plan to visit Revelstoke again in the next couple of years to introduce their daughter to her namesake. The joy that a ski trip to Revelstoke has brought the Atashroos is heartwarming - a beautiful reminder to us who live here how fortunate we truly are.
