I am Rita and my husband is Brian and our story begins on a blind date in September of 2002. Our first evening together was definitely fun and laughter at first sight! We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant (our favorite type of food) and talked and laughed for hours. We dated for three years before Brian proposed—then we took a year to plan our wedding and tied the knot in September of 2006. We’ve been together for 7 years, married 3½, and we both agree they’ve been the best years of our lives!

As prospective parents, we know the values we share will help to shape those of our children. We were both raised in Christian homes attending church on Sundays. We continue to hold the lessons and traditions of our upbringings close to our hearts. A child raised in our home will learn to treat others as they would like to be treated; to be forgiving and non-judgmental; and to love. We place a high value on a good education, but the level and type of education that our children pursue will be their choice. We will give our kids a strong foundation of learning, with every opportunity to pursue their hopes and dreams.

We live in a northwest Chicago suburb, well known for its good schools and strong family-centered community. We have a fenced-in backyard with a large deck—this is where Brian hosts his best BBQs with friends and neighbors! We love our neighborhood; it has three parks within four blocks, an indoor/outdoor community pool, and many nature preserves and hiking trails that we enjoy walking through with Libby, our sweet, playful five-year-old dog.

We both work in the marketing field (we’re classic right-brained people!). We think completely out of the box, we love to laugh, and we enjoy the arts—especially theater and music. Brian works for a small company doing promotions for the food industry, and I work for a large staffing company, developing recruitment messaging. We both really enjoy our jobs and the creative aspect of being marketing professionals.

Other things we like to do include: going to the movies, exploring the city of Chicago, and entertaining. We both have some theater in our backgrounds, so our weekends often involve going to see the latest movie that has come out—usually including Jessica (Brian’s 15-year-old daughter from a prior marriage) and our teenage nieces. We both love visiting museums, walking along the Chicago lakefront, and taking in the sights. We love to entertain our friends, play board games, and try out inventive new recipes (Brian is the master chef in our household!).

We also like to travel. We often visit my parents at their beach home in Florida. Last summer we took Jessica to Hilton Head for some kayaking and dolphin watching. We both feel it’s important to get away as a family as often as possible. Sometimes family vacations involve extended trips to other countries, and other times we simply get in the car and take a road trip to fun places nearby. Seeing new places through the eyes of a child is an amazing experience! We know that our travel adventures will enrich the lives of every member of our family and allow us to form bonds and make memories we’ll hold for our entire lives.