About us
We met in 1998 at a café and have been together for nine years. After a few dates, Liz knew that Mike was the one - she continues to be enamored with Mike’s kindness, perpetually calm demeanor and the gentle way that he cares for his cat, Freeway. Mike finds Liz to be fun-loving, free-spirited and the breath of fresh air he needs in his life.   

We got married in 2001, and added to our family by welcoming our dog, Moya, a St. Bernard mix, from the San Francisco SPCA. One of our favorite weekend activities is to take Moya on long hikes in the many scenic locations that the Bay Area has to offer.

Our Home
We live in a rambling Victorian duplex in West Berkeley, an area that is full of diverse cultures and young families. We reside in the top flat and have a tenant and her dog in the bottom flat. Our house is a constant work-in-progress: we have installed a kitchen, re-done several rooms, put in a front garden, poured concrete for a new driveway, in addition to many, many other projects. We are looking forward to converting our somewhat-cluttered office into a nursery full of bright colors, mobiles and other sources of visual stimulation for our baby.

Mike about Liz
Liz grew up in Berkeley, and has spent most of her life in Northern California. She very much enjoyed the year she spent in France while in college and the year she spent in rural Georgia working with public housing residents. However, she remains a steadfast fan of the eclectic nature of the Bay Area.

Liz has a wonderful spirit and a deep concern for people in need. After spending several years working in the education field, Liz now works as a special education teacher for middle schoolers. Known as a fun and sensitive teacher who cares deeply about her students, she has received many hand-written notes of appreciation from them describing how much they have grown from having her as their teacher.  

In Liz’s spare time, she loves nothing more than relaxing with a quality cup of tea. She can also be found baking extravagant cakes, swimming on a Master’s swim team and canning fruit from the plum, apple and peach trees in our back yard.

She is very excited about teaching our child to swim and baking all kinds of cakes for him or him or her! I know she will make a wonderful mother!

Liz about Mike
When I met Mike it was as though I had found a well-worn pair of jeans that were a perfect fit. Put quite simply, we are a good match.

Mike is one of the most calm, intelligent and thoughtful people I have known. He is unfailingly kind and fair, and is invariably thorough in his work. Enchanted by his playfulness, all children and animals want to be around Mike. Mike loves to take care of things, both living and non-living. Truly a renaissance man, Mike is an avid gardener, a patient and loving dog owner, and a masterful cook. He is able to take several obscure ingredients and effortlessly transform them into a restaurant-quality meal. He has also turned a slightly run-down Victorian into a showpiece.

After moving several times, Mike spent the bulk of his years growing up in San Jose. He pursued graduate work at UC Berkeley, and has held a number of structural engineering positions.  He currently works for the Division of the California State Architect, managing construction on schools and junior colleges. 

Mike is also generous, both with his time and money. He spends a great deal of time volunteering for a structural engineering organization that provides disaster relief services, and in the past has tutored political and religious refugees.

How we spend our days
Most days find us taking our dog on long, leisurely walks. One of our favorite activities is to take Moya camping in the many beautiful spots that Northern California has to offer. One of our most frequented spots is Mount Madonna in the Santa Cruz mountains.

We also like to spend time with our nieces and nephews whenever we can. Favorite activities with them include playing basketball, reading books with them and taking them to ride the trains and visit the little farm at Tilden Park.

Another favorite activity is having friends and family over for dinner. Mike gets a kick out of making elaborate meals from the exotic ingredients that he gets from the Farmer’s Market, and Liz loves baking and decorating the accompanying desserts.

Our Families and Friends
Liz’s parents, two of her sisters and their families live ten minutes away in Berkeley. We enjoy gathering at Liz’s parents’ house Saturday mornings for Liz’s dad’s famous pancakes, biscuits, omelets and waffles.

She has another sister who lives in Washington D.C., and lots of extended family in various places in the south.  Liz’s family also has a family farm in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, which provides both an adventurous and relaxing spot for visiting.  

Mike has two sisters in the Portland area, and a brother in the Seattle area. His mother lives in Omaha, where Mike was born, and his father and his wife reside in the Phoenix area. We have been enjoying taking car trips to the Pacific Northwest to visit Mike’s family; we had a fantastic time playing flag football, eating a huge Thanksgiving meal and generally goofing off during our last trip. back to top