Alicia & Andrew

I am hard working, ambitious, and passionate about anything I set my mind to. I was the first in my family to go to college. My stubbornness is what kept me going through college even when I got very sick as a sophomore or when I had no one to show me how to apply for school or scholarships. I was able to graduate and even earn a Master's degree. I like to stay active by running and working out. I also devote my time to our community and church, where I volunteer at the church child daycare center. I hope to instill the importance of community involvement in our child's life. At home, I can be a bit silly, singing and dancing randomly in the day. Bringing a child into our home would be such a fun, chaotic blessing that we will cherish. While I hope to instill some community and Christian values, I also promise to guide your child in developing their own passions and interests.

I grew up in California in a small family: my mom, dad, sister and a bunch of pets. I have also lived in Wisconsin, New York, Missouri, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Virginia and now Texas. My dad is a writer and used to write for TV shows in LA. My mom is an artist. Growing up, they liked to expose us to all kinds of experiences, traveling to different states, taking us to museums, trying new adventurous foods, and doing creative things. I'm excited to have this same approach as a parent. I want to introduce our child to the world we love and help them discover their own hobbies and interests. A perfect night for our future family would be Alicia and I teaching our child to cook in our kitchen, with a little stool pulled up to our counter so that they can take part in this part of our life. Being a father is going to be exciting, but I admit will be a bit scary! Alicia has so much experience with little ones, the nieces and nephews that call her t?a (aunt) Alice. I know I will rely on her experience. At my job, I work with older students helping them in their transition to college. Between us, I think we have a lot to offer as parents!

We live in a small, cozy house that was built more than 100 years ago! We are close to downtown but on a quiet street. Many of our neighbors are new parents. Others are grandparents and have been in the neighborhood for over 50 years. Over the past few years, we have renovated our house, most recently adding a child's bedroom and a private bathroom for them with a cute little tub. We've also created a garden in our front yard, building a stone pathway and planting new trees. Both our moms loved gardening, and this is a way that we can feel closer to them. We are one block away from our local elementary school, Alicia's church, a daycare, and a local park. Most mornings you see families walking their kids to school or daycare. We can't wait to walk our child to school each day with our dogs.

Our pets have chosen us over a 5 year period. We first got Mitis ("me-tees") when a friend of ours was going through a divorce. Chicle ("bubble gum" in English) then showed up one year later on our porch. She was abandoned by a neighbor who moved. Gizmo used to be wild and lived under the neighbor's house, but after a bath and some food, she has trusted us since and is Chicle's baby. We are a pack family and our cat will sometimes even join us with our dogs on their walk.

We both love traveling and have been fortunate to see new parts of the world. In college, Alicia studied abroad in Mexico and Drew spent a semester in Europe. Being curious, understanding other cultures, and tolerating people of all backgrounds is really important to us and are values we want to pass down. We love the outdoors - skiing, hiking, camping, and learning to fish! Some of our favorite destinations have been traveling to Montana, Colorado, and we spent our honeymoon in Alaska. We would love to teach our child how to pitch a tent and enjoy a sunset together at a park in Texas. At home, we like to try new recipes. Alicia likes to bake and Drew usually cooks dinner. Alicia is an avid reader, often exchanging book suggestions with Drew's parents. We started a children's book collection about a year ago with books from different trips we went on. We are passionate about our own interests, but are ready to get behind the interests that our son or daughter adopts 100% whether that is in arts, music, sports or games.