Renee & Mark

We enjoy the outdoors from the mountains to the ocean and everything in between. Our honeymoon in Jamaica included (small) cliff diving, hiking up Dunn River Falls, and sailing lessons. When in the mountains, Mark prefers to ski and Renee prefers to snowboard. When traveling, we make time to visit beautiful places like the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Arches National Parks. At home, we live near many state parks and enjoy day trips to enjoy the natural beauty around us. We also enjoy kicking back and watching University of Texas sports, both live and from home. Our favorites are football, baseball, and volleyball. Renee also enjoys curling up with a book and a blanket on lazy days. For exercise, Mark is an avid daily runner and Renee enjoys a variety of cross-training activities including weightlifting, backpacking, and rowing. And everywhere we go, we are on the lookout for new and delicious food to try. If it sounds interesting enough, we will go out of our way to find a great meal.

We have a sweet dog that loves people and has never met a stranger. She will run up to people that she does not know with a ball in her mouth hoping and expecting that she will get a game of fetch. With her wagging tail and puppy eyes, she often does. She loves running around our place and will hurdle our rock fence like a deer! She also loves to chase after the deer that visit our house daily.

We have a large open 3-bedroom house on 9 acres in the Texas Hill Country and absolutely love it. We are a short drive from lots of state parks. With Austin and San Antonio being a short drive away, we feel blessed to live in a place with the comforts of the country with the conveniences of the city nearby. We enjoy a thriving community with our church who are wrapping their arms around us as we take this journey. We are thankful to have people in our church who have also chosen adoption and are excited for us. Working from home, we get to enjoy our space. We love walking around and working on making our place prettier and more comforting, planting flowers and trees. We are currently working on painting and decorating the nursery. The theme will be baby animals native to Texas.

We dream of having a home full of children and their friends, complete with pets and lots of fun. We chose our property so that we would have room for kids to run and explore as well as a place to have a horse or two and maybe some livestock project animals at some point down the road. Above all, we hope that our home will be a place of love and joy for all those who enter it. We also hope that it will be a place where our children have happy memories and will look forward to visiting when they are grown.

Renee is a kind and caring woman who loves her family very much. The love of Jesus is evident in her life and she shares that love with others. Renee loves her family and always takes time to engage her nieces and nephews individually. When you meet Renee, you'll notice her warm smile right away. She enjoys going to coffee shops and chatting with people. She works hard and is always ready to lend a hand to someone in need. Her kindness and love for others can be seen in everything she does. At work, she trains doctors to help people with epilepsy. Renee has a positive attitude and isn't afraid to try new things. She grew up around horses and loves animals. She enjoys working out, and her competitive spirit drives her. She loves to visit new places and explore nature, sometimes stopping to draw the beautiful scenery she encounters. She is smart and funny, always looking to share a laugh. Her gentle and loving nature will make her a great mom. Fun Facts - Renee has traveled to most states in the US for her job. - Outside of the US, she has visited Israel, Peru, and Denmark. - Renee knows dozens of brain surgeons and prepares courses for them. - Renee loves goat cheese.

Mark is one of a kind. He is one of the smartest people I know. If there are two sides to a topic, he can argue either one. He knows what he believes but he also has a natural ability to see the merits of all sides. What drew me to him after years of friendship was his steadfast character, his love for Jesus, and his love for others. He even volunteered at our church in the preschool ministry. Before we dated, I often found myself comparing other guys to him (and with that standard, none of them could make the cut). Even as a single guy, Mark always carved out dedicated time to spend with his family. He makes a point to play and talk with each of the kids in his family, and I’m pretty sure he is the favorite uncle of every niece or nephew in the family. He is a steady and committed person and I rest easy knowing that he loves me and loves our family. He makes being married so much more fun and joyful than I had imagined it would be. I can’t wait to see him as a dad, because he will be amazing at it. Fun Facts - Mark has qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon. His qualifying time was an average of 6:37 min per mile for 26.2 miles. - He is renowned in our friend group for being a very skilled baker and cook. His specialty is mini white chocolate-wrapped cheesecakes. - Mark and his friends canoed and carried their gear on a canoe/hiking trip that spanned over 40 miles through the Canadian wilderness.