On this page we will tell you about ourselves.

About us

Family is important to us and being parents is central to our lives right now. While our lives are very full and busy with three kids we feel that we are ready to add to the mix. Children come to you as unique and marvelous individuals but who they become is a magical combination of the inate and special qualities that they bring and he people who love them. Our next child will have plenty of people to love them! The discovery of who each of our children is has been like unwrapping a gift. it is a marvelous and exciting journey. To see the dynamic and interesting interplay of children in a big family is something that we treasure. We think that parenting this brood has been the most exciting journey that we have undertaken and look foraward to adding one more unique individual to the mix.

Duane is the love of my life. He is a real live Rocket Scientist. He works at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. It is his dream job. Duane wanted to be an astronaught as a child and studied astrophysics in college. In grad school he switched to geophysics and planetary geology, which is the study of the geology of a whole planet using data from space craft. Duane is the rational half of our family. He is the one who plans and saves. He is the one who makes sure that we all have the safe space to reach for our dreams. He works hard but tries to spends as much time as he can with his family. Last summer he and one of our neighbors lead Nathan and 12 other Boy Scouts on a 5 day trek thru the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They packed over 30 miles reaching mountain passes of over 11.000 feet. During our vacation he took the older kids hiking in the Rocky Mountains. They Hiked several of the trails he discovered as a child with his family. He ended the trip with a 14,000 foot climb up Longs Peak.

Duane is the oldest of four children that grew up in Wyoming. He has one brother and two sisters al living in the mountain West. I am the oldest of two children and grew up on the East Coast. My parents are from the South and moved to New York City when I was a baby. Because my cousins and grandparents lived down South we spent allot of time with family there. Extended family is very important to both of us.

Lisa is the dreamer in the family. My loving partner and sometimes exasperating ring master of this circus. She trained as an Industrial Designer in college. Industrial design is product and furniture design. It combines drawing, sculpture and knowledge of manufacturing techniques. She learned learn to sew,weld, cast metal, plastic, ceramics and glass in school. She is the only women I know who gets excited about power tools! Now a days, she uses all that knowledge to make halloween costumes and design sets for church pageants. She enjoys being a full time mom, being home allows her to continue to volunteer at school and stay on top of all of the kids activities. She helps plan Scout trips and make costumes for Rachels synchronized swim team. Being at home also allows her to help in our community and to teach our children the value of community service. The other big project she has been working on (besides the kids) has been our house. She designed all of the renovations and did a large part of the work herself. She can cook and swing a hammer.