There are a lot of perks to my job. Salary isn’t one of them, as the entire journalism field in general isn’t very rewarding financially, but despite my qualms, I’ve got a pretty sweet occupation.

There are times I wish I’d gone after that law degree like I initially intended freshman year of college. Then I remember everything I love about what I do, even if I don’t get to drive a Mercedes while I do it. I got an e-mail from Michael Puehse on Friday. He’s the father of 9-year-old skateboarding twins Tristan and Nic Puehse, formerly of El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park and currently of Shingle Springs, who’ve traveled the globe the last few years displaying their talents atop four wheels. In the e-mail, he attached a link to CNN.com, where the conglomerate did a feature story on the twins.

They’ve been featured on the Ellen Degeneres show, several skateboarding websites and magazines, starred in a family movie called “The Legend of William Tell” and now even been on CNN, perhaps the world’s biggest news source. Yet through all the changes, the only things that haven’t gotten big are their heads.

When CNN came around, the Puehse family brought the camera crews to Folsom’s Cummings Family Skate Park to showcase where they became great and represent a piece of the area that made them who they are.

There’s not a lot of loyalty in the sports world, and even less in entertainment. Yet superstardom hasn’t stolen the Puehse twins from us yet, and with a level-headed father loyal to those who helped his kids get where they are, it might not ever. Michael consistently sends me e-mails or gives me a phone call anytime he’s got news about his boys. It’s not to get me to write an article anymore, although I enjoy writing about them as often as I can. It’s just because he knows I care; I’ve become attached to their lives. The proud father that he is, he just wants to let me come along for the ride. I’m excited to jump on board.

Whether they’re in China skating a demo, in Hollywood shooting a movie or at the X-Games meeting pros like Tony Hawk, our hometown boys will always remember Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park, where they grew from tow-headed Northern Californians with a dream to quite possibly international pros.

I remember first interviewing the twins when they were just over 6 years old. They were cute, but shy, and as a young reporter, I enjoyed the freshness of their sit down more than I’d ever had in a story before. They were two brothers who loved to skate. They didn’t care about the limelight or the lifestyle celebrity could one day bring. After nearly three years and a whirlwind of exposure, it’s nice to see they haven’t changed one bit, even though the whole world is getting to know their name.