Lisa & Eric

Ethnicity: We are Caucasian and our daughter is Hispanic.

Education: Eric has his bachelor’s in biology and a master’s degree in entomology and Lisa has her bachelor’s in interior design.

Professions: Eric works for a pest control company and provides service to commercial and residential clients. Lisa is an interior designer for a hospitality firm that designs hotels.

When did you meet and month/year of marriage: We met in high school and started dating during our junior year. Eight years later we got married in September of 2016.

Religion: Lisa is Christian and Eric is agnostic. We were raised with a big emphasis on family and the importance of kindness, respect and loyalty. We plan to instill these same values in our children.

Information on your home/community: We bought our house 5 years ago. We live in a small lake community that has a park, beach and friendly neighbors that drive around on golf carts. It is very safe and kids are always running around.

Number of children: We have one daughter that we adopted in 2021.

Desired contact with a birth family: We would love an open adoption with the child’s birth parent(s). We would want to form a plan that you’re comfortable with and one that puts your child’s needs first.

In one sentence, why do you want to adopt a child? Adoption has always been close to our hearts and we would love to go on this journey a second time.

Childhood Memory: Lisa: Going to her grandparents’ house to swim. They lived less than a block away and she spent many days with them.
Eric: Catching frogs and turtles at the pond near his house with his friends.

TV Show/Movie: Survivor, Schitt’s Creek and New Girl.

Book: Lisa: Enjoys autobiographies and just finished reading the “It Ends With Us” series.
Eric: Likes to read books in the Sci-Fi genre.

Hobby: Lisa: reading and swimming
Eric: playing Pokémon and football
As a family: Going on walks, playing at the beach and spending time with family and friends

Food: Lisa: ribs and anything sweet for dessert
Eric: burgers and ice cream

Vacation: Our favorite trip we went on was to Greece for our honeymoon. We also loved Aruba. Every year we go upnorth in Wisconsin with Lisa’s family and stay on a lake where we play games, kayak and swim.

Family Tradition: Some of our traditions are:
-Friendsgiving with our friends and their kids
-Going to see the Christmas lights
-Eric’s turkey bowl football game with his friends & brothers
-Going trick-or-treating

Holiday Memory: The 4th of July is always fun because we live on a lake and everyone sets off fireworks. You can stand in our driveway and see 3-4 firework shows at one time. It’s pretty cool to see!

Fun Facts: We are both from Milwaukee and started dating in high school. We’ve lived in IL for the past 8 years. We enjoy a mix of sports teams, Bears for Chicago and the Bucks and Brewers for Milwaukee.

What Friends Say: “No couple would make better parents to any child than Lisa and Eric. They are an incredible team that always works together even during the most challenging of times. They truly are two of the greatest people I have ever known. Lisa and Eric always put others first and open their hearts to everyone they meet. After the love, kindness, and playfulness that they have shown my children, I know that any child would be incredibly blessed to call them Mom and Dad.” -Arielle (friend)
“As a couple, they show nothing but love and respect for each other. They work perfectly as a team and have been amazing parents to their daughter. They have a strong partnership, shared goals, and nurturing personalities.” -Becky (Lisa’s mom)
“I can attest to their character, their skillset that will make them great parents, and their ability to provide a safe and welcoming home, which they have already done for their daughter. They also have a strong support network of family and friends.” -Sam (friend)