THE CVITANOVICS - SHOOTING FOR THE MOON

This month we are getting to know the Cvitanovics (pronounced Svitanovich), who are known as “The Vics” among their friends. Although it is not uncommon to see names such as this in the U.S. (being the melting pot that we are), it is less common these days that the person with that name was actually born in the country from which the name originated. But that is exactly the case here - Nick Cvitanovic was born on the Dalmation Coast of Croatia.

Melissa’s family had moved to El Dorado Hills in 1989, so she grew up here. When she moved to San Francisco to go to college, she met Nick as he was working there at the time. Nick and a friend decided to go out for sushi and happened to end up at the same restaurant as Melissa, who was also there with a friend. “We noticed one another while we were parking,” Melissa recalls. “Two spots opened up right next to each other, which rarely happens. The second I saw Nick, I told m friend, ‘Im going to marry him.’ And I made sure that happened!” The couple met on May 9, 2006, and exactly four years later to the day, they were married at Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. “It was a fun-filled, stress-free wedding, with just a few close friends,” adds Melissa.

Nick has a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked in high tech in the Bay Area for several years. He then went into real estate investing and biotech (nanotechnology and DNA sequencing). Melissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Business, and as a result of Nick’s influence, she started her real estate career in San Francisco right out of college, although she now works as a realtor with the Menser Real Estate Group at Coldwell Banker here in El Dorado Hills. As a couple, the Cvitanovics decided to invest in Nick’s home country of Croatia, so they built vacation properties on the Adriatic Sea. You can check those out at Villamelcroatia.com.

The Cvitanovics have three children. Jake is the oldest at nine years of age. He goes to Silva Valley Elementary and loves tennis, golf, and soccer. In the middle is Chloe, seven, who also attends Silva Valley, and her passions are dancing, playing the piano, and drawing. Melissa reports that she is a great artist. Ella, who is is three, is the youngest Cvitanovic and she goes to Paso a Paso (Step by Step), a Spanish immersion preschool in El Dorado Hills. Ella loves to sing Jojo Siwa and dance, and according to Melissa, she is the spunky one.

Because Nick works and stays in San Francisco during the week, Melissa works time during the week, and they both travel a lot, the couple has found it very helpful to have someone live with them who can assist with the kids. Therefore, they now have their third (consecutive, not all at the same time!) Au Pair living with them. Her name is Marie, and she is from South Africa. Marie is 19, so the kids think of her as a big sister. Being from another part of the world, her presence has been a great experience for the children, and the whole family is very happy to have welcomed her to El Dorado Hills.

There are also several non-human members of the Cvitanovic Clan. For Christmas, the kids received a King Charles Cavalier puppy. Her name is Roxy and she is reportedly a great dog. The children, of course, absolutely love her and enjoy walking her around the neighborhood. There is also a white cat named Olaf, and a guinea pig named Daisy.

As a family, the Cvitanovics love the Sacramento Kings and attend many of their games each season. They also like to play tennis and golf together. Melissa loves to cook, and is always whipping up healthy recipes for the family. “Family dinners are very important to us,” she explains. “We all sit around the table every night and discuss what we’re grateful for and share stories. This is our sacred time.” Melissa also volunteers, and is on the board of a non-profit mom's group, Sierra Moms.

As already mentioned, the Cvitanovics do a lot of traveling. Each summer they go to Croatia to check on their business and visit Nick’s family. “We love to travel and want to experience as many cultures as possible,” says Melissa. “We also find it very enriching for our kids to see different ways of life.” Every year they also try to travel to a new destination in Europe while they are there. “The best part about Europe is that you have so many countries within such close proximity to one another,” she continues. “Last year we traveled to Barcelona, and next time we’re planning to go to Prague.”

The Cvitanovics have lived in Serrano since 2011. As soon as they had Jake, Melissa knew she wanted to get a place out of the city and back where she had grown up in order to raise their children where the schools and neighborhoods are highly rated and safe. “We love living in El Dorado Hills,” Melissa raves, “and have met many wonderful, life-long friends here. It’s an absolutely incredible place to raise children, with all the summer concerts, festivals, restaurants, and great schools. We also appreciate that EDH has that small-town, tight community feel, but is still conveniently located just outside of Sacramento and relatively close to Tahoe and the Bay Area.”

The motto in the Cvitanovic family is, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” They believe it’s important to set your ambitions high and strive for what you want in life. “Even if things don’t work out perfectly, as things never go just as planned,” concludes Melissa, “at least you gave it your all.” With an optimistic and proactive attitude like that, the Cvitanovic family will go far. Even when they ‘re staying right here in El Dorado Hills!