Sendero's Got You
Rancho Mission Viejo, CA (August 5, 2026) – There's a phrase the neighbors on Nicole and Terry Lazzaro's street have been using for years: "Sendero's got you." Twelve years in the same home in the Village of Sendero have taught them exactly what it means.
The couple came to Rancho Mission Viejo from Ladera Ranch, where they had lived for about a decade. What drew them to The Ranch was the promise of a life spent outdoors and the ability to do more together as a family without ever having to leave the community.
“In Rancho Mission Viejo, we could go to the pool, or walk the trails, or take our daughter, Taya, to the park. It is all right there,” said Nicole.
A shift showed up almost immediately, starting with the garage.
“Our garage filled up with cornhole and Kan Jam and ring toss and all the outdoor games. It’s really conducive to getting you outside with your kids and keeping them off the screens,” said Nicole.
Some of the family’s most meaningful memories have come from time spent in The Nature Reserve. When they first moved in, Taya was three years old and attending the Knee-High Naturalist programs, hands-on nature workshops designed for young children and their parents to explore the outdoors. The program was run by Bonnie McQuiston, who still leads them today. This spring, Taya, now old enough to volunteer, spent a weekend helping Bonnie run an event at the park directly across the street from their home.
“I remember Taya would always spot me from her upstairs bedroom window and yell down to me, ‘Hi Miss Bonnie! I’m coming to your nature class today!’ She was always the first to arrive and super eager to get involved. She has held such a special place in my heart, and it’s been really fun to see that come full circle,” said Bonnie.
The Lazzaro family chose their street as deliberately as they chose the community. Their home sits directly across from a playground, bocce ball courts, a pool, a putting green, a fitness center, a wide grass field where neighborhood kids play soccer and a trail system that threads through The Ranch. The homes were designed with front yards that open onto the sidewalk, allowing for casual conversations to spark with neighbors who pass by.
“We had that vision when we saw it,” said Nicole. “If you drive down our street on a Saturday afternoon, everybody’s out. They’re hanging out on the sidewalk, there are outdoor games set up, kids are playing soccer. We eat dinner outside a lot, and people will walk by and stop to chat.”
The nearby trails have taken on new meaning as Taya has grown. She can walk to meet friends at the shopping center, the pool or the gym without ever setting foot on a major road.
“That’s really comforting for us, that our kids can kind of turn loose. There’s a trail that goes straight to everything Taya wants to venture to,” said Nicole.
From the start, there was always an event bringing the neighbors together, from casual encounters including block parties and watching sports games together to community-run events including West Fest, the summer concert series, the weekly farmers market, and the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. Twelve years later, the Lazzaros are still at all of them. Some of those neighbors became the family’s closest friends.
“It’s definitely more than just your neighbor. It starts to feel like family,” said Nicole. “Life has its ups and downs, and when those downs happen, everybody just comes together and takes care of one another, whether it’s bringing food or helping get your kids to a sports practice.”
The family even has an expression for it.
“We say, ‘Sendero’s got you.’ Where are my kids right now? Oh, Sendero’s got them. They’re somewhere safe,” said Nicole. “We haven’t found anything as magical as where we’re at right now. We’ve had such an amazing experience in Rancho Mission Viejo, and I just don’t think we’re going to find anything as special as what we’ve got.”
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