Hi! Thanks for taking the time to learn a bit more about us. We hope that in some small way, you'll get to know us via this blog.
We were introduced by a mutual friend in the summer of 2001, and while we didn’t date for awhile, we kept bumping into each other. Philip finally asked Eleni out at a barbeque in May 2002. That summer was one of the best of our lives, as we spent as much time as we could together doing some of our favorite things: dining out, taking in Cubs and Sox games, enjoying Chicago’s summer festivals, going to movies, taking long walks, and spending time with family and friends. We were engaged on New Year’s Day 2003 and married seven months later.
Soon after we married, we moved into a comfortable ranch home with a large backyard, hoping that we would soon be filling it with children. However, after struggling with infertility, we realized that what we desired most of all was a child to share our love. After some soul-searching, it became clear that adoption was the best way for us to build our family.
We both come from Greek ancestery, so food, family, friends and faith play vital roles in our lives together. Christmas is our favorite holiday, and for the past six years, we have hosted Christmas dinner at our home. Eleni is now an expert at preparing the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, along with several traditional Greek dishes. We have so much fun decorating the tree and our home in the weeks prior to the holiday. Philip’s mom, Helen, always shows up with a tray filled with dozens of different kinds of Christmas cookies. Eleni also enjoys baking Christmas cookies--this past year, Eleni headed to Helen’s house to record some of her recipes for generations to come. Thank God she did because we lost our dear mother Helen this past February.
While the winter months are a special time, our fenced-in backyard and three-season porch make summer the ideal time to entertain family and friends. We have been blessed with five godchildren, a niece and nephew, and several good friends who have children. We try to host at least one large barbecue and several smaller ones each summer. Philip likes to experiment on the grill, so sometimes we serve traditional barbecue food like burgers and hot dogs, and other times we have grilled pizza and vegetables.
We both love to learn and experience new things; while Eleni would be constantly on the go if she could, Philip is more of a homebody. This contrast has helped Eleni learn to slow down and to really enjoy the simpler moments of life, while Philip has had some adventures and experiences he might have missed out on otherwise. We enjoy traveling and try to take at least one vacation somewhere new each year. It doesn’t have to be somewhere exotic, just somewhere we’ve never been before (think of Jim Carey’s visit to Lincoln, Nebraska, in the movie “Yes Man” as an example). We also have our favorite places that we hope to return to often in our lives.
Another vital part of life is our church. We are fortunate to attend a parish with lots of families with young children. There is a married couple’s ministry that we used to lead and now enjoy attending, as it provides us with the spiritual food we need to keep our marriage strong and healthy. Our church has a strong commitment to service towards those less fortunate, hosting Feed-the-Hungry events, providing opportunities for parishioners to visit homebound elderly (an activity we really enjoy participating in), collecting food, etc.
