Hi there, we’re Mark and Kristin! Thanks for taking the time to view our profile and consider us as prospective parents. 

Our love story began in 2007 when we met online through MySpace. After almost a year of chatting, we went on our first official date at Chili’s. (Each year, on the anniversary of that first date, we go back to Chili’s to celebrate.) We began spending more and more time together, going to festivals in Mark’s hometown, attending concerts, and traveling. We soon became best friends and fell in love. After three years of dating, we were married in 2010 in front of our closest family and friends. 

We took some time to enjoy marriage as a couple before we decided to expand our family. And after a few years of trying to conceive, we learned that we were unable to have children biologically. We’ve always dreamed of becoming parents and are very excited to open our home and hearts to a child through adoption.

Mark is kind, friendly, dependable, and the most patient person I have ever met. His quiet demeanor is comforting, and his quick-witted jokes make me laugh daily. Mark grew up in a small town and is extremely close with his family. He is very proud of his German heritage and enjoys traveling there to visit. He’s an amazing baker and avid Star Wars fan. In fact, I think he knows more about Star Wars than George Lucas himself! 

Mark is wonderful with children. Our nieces and nephews are simply drawn to him. Whether he’s roughhousing and reading with the boys or having tea parties and playing peek-a-boo with the girls, he’s an absolute natural. To say I’m excited to see him as a father is an understatement. As a parent, he will be supportive and nurturing. He will instill strong principles of kindness, respect, caring, and love.

Fun Facts About Mark:

• His favorite color is blue.
• He played baritone in the high school marching band.
• He works in Human Resources.
• His favorite foods are chocolate and peanut butter or anything spicy.

The moment Kristin walked in the door on our first date, it was love at first sight; I knew she was the one for me. I was very nervous, but after talking with Kristin, she made me feel very comfortable and relaxed. Even though I don’t talk a lot, I found it easy to keep the conversation going with her. I quickly discovered Kristin is a caring, loving, smart, and congenial person.  

Kristin became dedicated to her fitness and wellness journey in 2020. She has been determined to stick with it, meet her goals and has become an inspiration to me and others. Kristin’s hobbies include traveling, hiking, reading, and cooking. Kristin also enjoys being outdoors and enjoying nature either while on a hike or making s’mores at the firepit. 

Cooking is another passion of Kristin’s. She is always looking for healthier alternatives to our favorite snacks and meals. She never backs down from trying new recipes. We have fun browsing the internet or searching through our numerous cookbooks looking for a new recipe to try. 

I’m very thankful to have Kristin in my life. Every day that I have spent with her is a blessing and I look forward to the day when she can share her love with a child.     

Fun Facts About Kristin:

• Her favorite color is purple.
• She played saxophone in the high school and college band.
• She works in operations for Digital Health.
• Her favorite food is pizza.

We live in a warm and comfortable home with plenty of space for a family. Its open concept is great for hosting holidays with our family and friends. The kitchen is the heart of our home. It connects to our dining room and family room, where we spend evenings cozying up to watch movies or stream our favorite TV shows. Our home has four bedrooms and we already have plans to turn one bedroom into a nursery.  There is a loft upstairs which is ideal to use as a play area for a little one.

The backyard is one of our favorite aspects of our home. Many trees line the back of our property, and we have a fenced-in yard. Our fire pit is where we like to spend summer and fall evenings making s’mores.  There is enough room to build a swing set and we look forward to spending quality time in the yard with a child.

Our neighborhood is quiet and peaceful and there are many families with young children. Our neighborhood HOA frequently sponsors get-togethers and food trucks stop by during the spring and summer months. There is a neighborhood pool and playground located within a couple of minutes of our home. We are also very close to other city parks that are perfect for picnics and hiking. We’re within 20 minutes of downtown Indy; we love that we can visit the city, but still enjoy a quiet suburban life. We frequently take advantage of all that downtown has to offer, from walking along the canal to visiting the many museums.

We’re very lucky that we were both raised in close-knit families. Kristin is the oldest of four and Mark has a younger sister. Mark’s parents live within an hour's drive while Kristin’s family is spread between Indiana, Florida, and California. Even though not all our family is close by, we treasure those special moments when we do get to spend time together. It’s nice having relatives live in exciting places that we can visit. Fortunately, due to technology, we can FaceTime and video chat frequently with our siblings, nieces, and nephews.

Our families are beyond excited that we are on the path to pursue adoption. Our parents are already amazing grandparents. Kristin’s parents are retired and travel to Indiana and Florida to spend as much time with our nieces as possible. Her mom loves reading to the girls, and even records storybooks so she can still “read” to them when she is not visiting. Mark’s parents love to spoil our nephews and shower them with love. Since Mark’s family is only a short distance away, we get to see them often and get together for birthdays and holidays. We enjoy watching our nephews play soccer in the spring and the fall. We’re very lucky to have such a strong support system. Our parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews cannot wait to welcome a new child into the family.

Some of our favorite activities are traveling and hiking – even better if we can combine the two! We are just over halfway to reaching our goal of visiting all 50 states! We hope to be to share our love for travel with a child. We also have a state park pass and we love to spend our weekends exploring the different parks throughout Indiana.

During the spring and summer, you will find us spending time at Kristin’s grandfather’s lake cottage in southern Michigan, or at a church picnic or town festival in Mark’s hometown. Every Fourth of July, we’re at the lake with Kristin’s family where we enjoy swimming, boating, and watching loads of fireworks.

We love the fall and winter because we get to celebrate the upcoming holidays. We enjoy spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families. You’ll find us baking, cooking, and savoring the perfect opportunities to share the love with our families. Every Christmas, Kristin bakes pecan dream cookies which are her great-great-aunt’s special recipe. Mark bakes his great-great-great-grandmother’s molasses cookies. We hope to share these yearly traditions (and yummy family recipes) with a future child.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and get to know more about us. We admire and respect your strength and bravery in considering making an adoption plan.  If we are chosen as adoptive parents, we promise to love and support your child unconditionally. Along with our family and friends, we will provide a safe and secure, loving, and happy home.

We are open to any level of communication with which you are comfortable. Please know that we will always share with your child the amazing sacrifice that his/her mother made and the love you have for them. We can only imagine what an incredibly difficult decision this is and our thoughts are with you on this journey.