We met in college but didn't start dating until after we had both graduated. We have been together for 12 years and married for 7 of those years. As a couple, we support each other through strong communication, compassion for each other, and our complimentary perspectives and passions that make us a good team.

Elissa is funny, smart, thoughtful and caring. She has a passion for community volunteering and giving. Elissa also works in technology leading teams, and she works with her teams to ensure work is interesting and fun. Elissa enjoys cooking, gardening, and entertaining others at our home (we both like this!). She likes to watch old sitcoms and comedies. For reading, Elissa likes poetry and history books, but she is also a fan of epic series like Harry Potter. Elissa enjoys walks and yoga. She is also usually the planner, finding some new event or activity for Elissa and Richard to try together.

Because we spend a lot of time working at our computers, many of our hobbies and travel center on being active and outdoors (away from computers!). We enjoy trips for hiking, camping, and skiing. We have visited many National Parks, Iceland, South Africa, Ireland and other parts of Europe. Some of our favorite memories from those trips include historical tours, glacier hiking, white water rafting, shark cage diving, and learning about animals. For quick weekend trips, we like to go to the lake or the country to relax with our dogs. We also love trying new restaurants with a focus on supporting locally owned businesses. We like trying new things by taking classes together like cooking and cake decorating, or we do projects together like starting a garden.

Richard is patient, fun, and generous. He is always happy to lend a hand to family, neighbors, and friends. Richard works in technology leading teams, and he makes time to make sure his teams feel supported and included. For fun, he likes working on home projects, building legos, grilling, and college football. Richard loves to watch sci-fi tv shows and movies, and he reads. He also enjoys snow skiing and running. Richard is always up for all the new adventures Elissa finds for them to try.

Both of our families have similar traditions for holidays and birthdays. Our mothers always love to celebrate in a big way, and we share that enthusiasm. Birthdays usually have a theme with a cake. Our families Christmas and Thanksgiving includes several group activities. Whether a puzzle, crafts for the kids, or baking together, it always ends up being something fun for kids and adults alike. For our own family, we want to do a lot of what our parents did with us - dinner together every night, sharing hobbies, exposing us to different cultures and activities, and encouraging exploration. We plan to give a child the same fun we experienced for big and small holidays alike.

Pato, Gauge, and Gordon are our three pets. Pato is a very large tail-less cat (his breed is born without a tail - it's not missing) who loves food. Pato likes to sit on the back of the couch with us while we watch TV and roam the backyard during the day. Gauge is our high energy dog. He loves to be outside and go for walks in the neighborhood, but when he is tired, he's an obsessive cuddler and expects us to cover him in blankets. Gordon is our watchdog. He always lets us know when a visitor has arrived, and his favorite visitors are our niece and nephews because he likes watching cartoons with them in the morning. These three bring so much joy and endless entertainment to our home!