Always on-the-go, Mark and Misty have a laundry list of accolades, achievements and favorites, but number one for both of them are their children, Hunter, 13 and Morgan, 6. Hunter is in the 7th grade at North Broward Preparatory School where he enjoys Math the most. Morgan is in Kindergarten at Heron Heights Elementary and her favorite “subject” is Recess. Mom says with a giggle, “Can you blame her?”
Hunter is a forward on a Boston travel hockey team, flying there just about every weekend. As we go to press, his team is traveling to Slovakia for a tournament where he will play with the Junior Bruins. Not as into sports, Morgan loves anything to do with dancing and singing. Mom and Dad both agree that she just loves people, making them smile and laugh.
Mark’s athletic background and accolades could fill this entire magazine, but let’s just say he’s a Jock (note the capital J)… he played four years in the NFL and then pursued an MBA. He’s been a partner in a financial firm for quite some time. Misty has alway reached for the stars. “I took various acting programs until I landed with modeling agencies in NYC and Miami like Ford and Wilhelmina.” She also landed a two-year gig hosting a nationally televised travel show, “Get Out!”
“After getting married and having children, I felt that being home was most important,” Misty says. Because of her passion for photography and others, she went on to create “Clicks of Love” at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital where she serves on the family advisory board. “I provide free portraits for children fighting terminal illnesses. These families have enough worry on their hearts, God has given me a natural gift that I use by serving the children fighting for their lives.” Misty also volunteers at the Sawgrass Wild Life Center and Mark traveled his first mission trip to Haiti last year, saying it was something never to be forgotten. They hope to take a family mission trip in the future.
Living in our area for almost 10 years, Misty says, “We love it here and feel very blessed to have the ability and opportunity to raise our children in this wonderful, active community.” As far as family time goes, Misty says, “This one is tricky. Having kids 7 years apart, we always have to be creative with fun family time that grabs the interest of both Hunter and Morgan. We love movies, often find ourselves at the park, and love playing with our new dog, Casey.” They also enjoy watching sports, grilling out and playing beach volleyball and nurf ping-pong. “We can have some pretty intense nurf ping-pong games, too,” Misty laughs. “Real brackets made up…the whole works!”
Mark and Misty are big fans of one-on-one dates with their kids as well as each other. “We feel that’s its important to spend time together as a family, but its also important to share individual time with each member, too. Some of the best conversations with my kids are on our date nights with them,” Misty relates.
The Baniewicz family currently attends and serves at Parkridge Baptist Church. “We just love the friends and families we have built relationships with,” Misty says with enthusiasm. “We are grateful that our children love going to church and we love helping our church serve our community.
