Our life together started one sunny day in September.  A mutual friend invited us to a 5k race in Minneapolis.  We started dating, and right away we knew this was something special.  Now married, we’ve been together five years.  Blending our lives seemed very natural since we value many of the same things, like faith, trust, respect, communication, and joy.  The activity we share together most is laughter!  We approach every situation with humor, and we can make each other giggle at almost anything.  We will approach parenthood with optimism, warmth, and love.  As future parents, we look forward to providing a stable home for our children, as well as playfulness, understanding, family traditions and strong values.

According to Hank . . .

“Jen is someone who laughs at my jokes and cries during sappy movies.  She’s a junior high English teacher, and I’m amazed at her patience.  I love the way she lights up when she’s telling me about the funny things ‘her kids’ do and say.  Jen really cares about her students, and that’s one reason I know she’ll be a great mom. She’s been like a second mom to nephews six-year-old Koby and three-year-old Kendrik, teaching them card games, playing soccer, and reading them bedtime stories.  Jen’s always there to kiss a boo boo or scare away the ‘monsters’ under the bed.  Since she gets summers off and other school holidays, she’ll be able to spend lots of time at home being a mom.”

In the words of Jen . . .

“Hank is truly the funniest person I know. What first attracted me to Hank was his ability to laugh at himself, and I love his openness and honesty.  His easygoing, friendly personality serves him very well in his profession as a medical sales executive.  With lots of diverse tastes and interests, he’s always surprising me.  He has run Grandma’s Marathon, and we now walk half marathons together.  Hank’s main passion, though, is flying.  As a licensed pilot, he loves taking friends and family for airplane rides. When I watch him with his nieces and nephews, my heart melts!  Whenever we pull up to one of his sibling’s houses, all of the kids jump around in the doorway and do the ‘Uncle Hank’ dance.  Then he greets each child, lifting up and kissing the babies, tickling the toddlers, and wrestling with the older kids.  Hank will be a wonderful a dad!”