Welcome! Meet:

Mitch + Eli

Account Executive / Music Educator

Minnesota

Caucasian

Christian / Catholic

All About Mitch & Eli
Video
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Mitch & Eli

Hi! We’re Eli and Mitch.

We live in South Minneapolis, MN and love it! The neighborhood is diverse and we are a short walk away from parks, Dairy Queen (dangerous!), and a long walk or short bike ride from Minnehaha Parkway and Lake Nokomis.

We keep busy with our jobs, Sullivan - our dog, friends, and extended family. Eli teaches preK-8th grade music, directing a children’s choir and the school musical. Mitch works from home for a payments technology company, serving Credit Unions. We are often on the go - visiting our families on the farm or family cabin, making yummy food with friends, walking Sullivan, going for runs and hanging out playing games. We also like to relax and recharge by reading a good book or catching the latest mystery series on Netflix.

In June of 2023 we took a family trip (9 of us ages 11 to 82!) to Norway to visit family, experience our histories and take in the spectacular sights. It was 2 amazing weeks that we will never forget. In June of 2024 the same group of us went to Colorado for a week. We love traveling as a family!

Why Adoption?

We have a loving home and family and dream of sharing that love and our home with our child. We look forward to the busyness of being parents and growing with our child as they develop into adulthood.

Family & Home

We enjoy living in our neighborhood in South Minneapolis, MN. The neighborhood is diverse and we are a short walk away from parks, Dairy Queen (dangerous!), and a long walk or short bike ride from Minnehaha Parkway and Lake Nokomis. We love walking our dog Sullivan, Sully for short, around the neighborhood. He usually gets a few shoutouts for how cute he is. Our neighbors are nice, and we can rely on them to water our plants and watch our house while we are away.

Our house is a warm and cozy space where we like to relax after busy days at work, or a weekend visiting family. We often call it lived-in…meaning it’s nice but there are often dog toys everywhere and dirty dishes by the sink!

Our families mean everything to us! We are lucky to live close, and we enjoy spending time together, whether on Eli’s family's farm or with Mitch’s family at their little cabin in northern, MN. We get a lot of joy out of spending time with our nieces and nephews - we have seven! They range in ages from two to seventeen! At the Myre family cabin we enjoy spending time on the pontoon, kayaks, walking the trails, and enjoying meals with extended family.

Both of our families have an annual reunion/fun celebration. For Mitch’s family it’s Farmapalooza! Farmapalooza is a weekend each summer where we gather on the family farm. About 30 people set up tents in the yard for the weekend and enjoy fun activities like bonfires, bean bags, live music and karaoke, food, food and more food! :) For Eli’s family, there’s a very similar celebration however it’s called Farmfest! Everyone gathers on the original family farm (that’s been in the family for 150+ years!!) for soccer, kickball, water balloons, fireworks, tractor rides and walks back in the timber. It’s a fun way to honor family and stay connected!

How others describe me

Eli spent his younger years in a small community in northeast Iowa. He grew up on a farm where cows, corn, hard work and family bonding all flourished. Eli was super involved in all school activities - from football to speech and basketball to band.

After high school, Eli relocated to a different part of Iowa - Luther College! Here he formed lifelong friendships and got his degree in music education. After college, Eli found himself moving up to Minneapolis where he found a permanent home. He’s touched many lives through his music leadership, teaching and his commitment to caring for others.

Mitch’s upbringing in rural Southern Minnesota instilled in him the value of community and family. Driven by the desire to do well in his work, Mitch connects with the mission of the Credit Unions that he has worked in throughout most of his life, supporting the employees so that they can support the members and community that they serve.

It’s time with family, and friends who have become family, however that brings Mitch the most joy. His gym friends/family push him to new challenges in his running and health. He’s completed multiple ultra marathons. And he shares the most ridiculous humor with his 17 year old nephew. They can send each other into fits of laughter with just a look.

How We Met

Depending on who you ask, the story of how we met differs :) Both stories involve a Super Bowl party and two awesome friends conspiring to bring us together. Eli will tell you that Mitch was painfully shy and not talkative at the party. According to Mitch, the party was crowded and the focus was on group fun. All was not lost because shortly thereafter we had our first date and the rest is wonderful history. That first date was February 2013, and five years later we got married in Decorah, Iowa - where we both went to College! We’re super fortunate to have the support and love of our two wonderful families as well as many friends and co-workers.

Advice to Future Child

We believe that we will provide a safe, loving, and supportive home so our child can experience a balance of structure and independence to grow into their full potential. Our goal as parents will be to help our child succeed in all ways while helping him/her become a person who honors family, cherishes relationships and helps others. Our greatest hope for our child is that they know and share love, practice kindness and experience the fullness of life.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We are looking to create an open relationship with our child’s birth family. We will welcome and embrace various levels of openness depending on what feels best for you and us. That may mean occasional visits, or it may mean contact through social media, phone, mailed letters or email. We want our child to feel grounded in who they are and that includes the richness of their birth story. We are committed to supporting our child’s adoptive identity from an early age.

Favorites

Mitch

Favorite Movie: Trading Places
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Lake time at Christmas
Hobbies/Interests: running + reading
Dream Vacation: European tour!
If I Could Choose a Superpower: Change hearts + minds (for the good!!)

Eli

Favorite Movie: Dances with Wolves
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Making Lefse with my husband's extended family the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Hobbies/Interests: singing/singing in Choirs
Dream Vacation: travel around Europe by trains
If I Could Choose a Superpower: memory like a filing cabinet