We are Adam and Candice Gavran. We have been together for almost 17 years and will be married for 12 years in August. Adam has one sister and Candice has 3 brothers. Both sets of our parents live 20 minutes away in Wind Lake. We met in 2006 while both working at Walmart in Burlington. Adam had just graduated Pharmacy school and was the Pharmacy Manager and Candice was working as a Department Manager while attending college. Our relationship has been built on our love for our families and animals, shared interests in creativity and learning and our core belief in helping others. We love working on our house, both indoors and out. We are always working on a new DIY project. From knocking down walls to remodel our laundry room, designing and building a built-in library in our office to remodeling and updating our bathrooms. However, our main focus in life is our kids and helping them grow into the best versions of themselves. We volunteer as much of our time as possible in our community; by doing whatever we can to help at our kids’ school (Big Bend Elementary), coach as many teams as possible and by organizing fundraisers.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
The Gavran family is a party of five. We have one son (11) Parker who will be in 6th grade at BBES. Parker loves music, baseball, and video games. He has an infectious laugh that brings joy to everyone around him. We also have twin daughters Harper (7) and Paisley (7) that will be in 2nd grade at BBES. They are a unique version of twins in the way that they have different birthdays! Harper was born just before midnight, but Paisley decided to wait around for almost 2 hours so she could have her own special day. Harper loves school, sports, and video games. She is a bundle of energy and fun loving. Paisley is an animal lover to her core. Ever since she was first asked what she wanted to be when she grows up, she has said the same thing, an animal doctor. Our home gives our family plenty of practice in taking care of animals. In total we have 7 pets, so we spend a lot of time at End of the Leash and Animal House. We have two dogs, Louie who is a miniature Dachshund and Charlie who is an Aussie Doodle. We also have a bunny (BunBun), a chameleon (Ms. Crawley), an axolotl (Copter), a tortoise (Shelly), and a leopard gecko (Snowflake).
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Adam is a Doctor of Pharmacy. He has worked in basically every facet of pharmacy from hospitals, retail chains, veterinary medicine, managed care and pharmaceutical consulting. He went into pharmacy because of his love of medicine and desire to help others get and stay healthy. His favorite part of his job is simple, helping people. Sometimes being a good pharmacist is just about listening to people’s questions and problems and understanding that everyone is unique and has their own path to better health. The best medicine is sometimes not found in a pill bottle, but in sitting down and spending time actively listening to someone and working together to solve their concerns. Candice is currently a stay-at-home mom and the Vice President of the BBES PTO. She graduated from culinary school and was a pastry chef, but decided to hang up her apron when Parker was born and started her family. From when she was a little girl the most important thing to her was becoming a mom. She knows how fast the years go by and loves that she has the opportunity to always be available. She loves education and working with kids and feels that volunteering her time with the PTO at BBES can help keep our community strong and she loves watching our kids learn and grow.
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Adam: Antigua Real & David Alan Alan’s Candice: Fork in the Road & Badger Burger
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
Adam worked in Mukwonago from 2001-2004. We moved to Mukwonago 8 years ago in 2015 when Candice was 8 months pregnant with twins and we needed more room to grow as a family.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
Adam: Tom Kulinski is the most interesting person that I’ve met in our community. I worked with Tom at Walgreen’s when I was a pharmacist intern while I was still in pharmacy school. Tom was a great mentor to me and really taught me what it meant to be a good pharmacist. Working at the Mukwonago Walgreens while I was in pharmacy school helped lay the foundation for my professional career and I owe a lot of that to Tom. Candice: The most interesting person that I’ve met in our community is Heather Borgen. I first met Heather when she was Parker’s first grade teacher at BBES. Parker had a rough experience at his previous school and was very nervous to start at a new school. Heather’s patience, kindness and educational style erased any fears that Parker had and has instilled the love of learning into his life. I could tell almost instantly that Heather truly loves teaching and her students to her core. I love her mantra, “Once my student, always my student”. Heather is also responsible for me joining the BBES PTO as the Vice President. I love that she is very honest and open with me in all aspects of her life, and it allows me to do the same with her. She is very down to earth and makes people feel at ease when talking to her. In the years since I am proud to say that we have become close friends and she is now my neighbor too.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Adam: Australia – The entire idea of Australia fascinates me. I love exploring and adventure, so the fact that it is on the other side of the planet, and they have such a unique ecosystem makes it the one place on earth I’d like to adventure to. Candice: Hawaii – Hawaii is so beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. I love the weather and their overall relaxed environment. The rainforests, mountains, volcanoes, beaches, and ocean make it the place on earth I’d most like to travel back to.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
Adam: Movie(s) – I love comedies where I don’t have to think and can just laugh and be entertained; Step Brothers, Old School, Dumb and Dumber and Wayne’s World are my favorites. My favorite TV show right now is probably Ted Lasso, but of all time would be Lost (despite its flawed ending). Candice: Movie – I don’t know if I have a favorite movie, but my favorite genre would be RomComs. TV Show – Anything on HGTV. I love interior design and decorating, so I’m always watching HGTV.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Adam: The best advice I can give to anyone is very simple, yet hard to do – Stay Positive Candice: You never know what someone else is going through, so always be kind.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
Adam: I’d love to see all 30 Major League Baseball Stadiums. So far, I have been to 22/30, only 8 more to go! Candice: Bring our family to as many cool and unique places as possible.
Q: What is your go to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
Adam: My go to band is the Strokes, especially their first album, Is This It Candice: My go to music is Taylor Swift. I am an unapologetic Swiftie!
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Adam: Honestly, the business that makes me the most nostalgic about our community is Walgreens. As I said earlier, it laid the foundation for my professional career and will always hold a special place in my heart. Candice: Thomas’ Greenhouse makes me the most nostalgic about our community. I also love gardening and the vast majority of all our plants and trees are from Thomas’. I also love their seasonal boutique and home décor!
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
Adam: I’d love to have lunch with Bill Simmons. I absolutely love sports: playing them, watching them, coaching them. Besides my family and my profession, it’s my favorite thing in the world. Bill Simmons is a Sportswriter and Podcaster. I’ve been reading his sports articles since I was in college during his Page 2 days and listening to his podcasts on the Ringer is a constant in my daily routine. I’d love to sit down and have lunch with him to talk sports and I’d bring him David Allan Allan’s. Candice: I’d take my PTO moms to lunch at Fork in the Road. They are a great supportive group of women and I’m proud to call them my friends. It’s nice to talk about life, school and kids together. We all have different life experiences and come from different backgrounds, so it’s nice to hear about each other’s experiences and perspectives. They are the type of friends you can talk about absolutely anything with and can always be your 100% authentic self.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
Adam: I think it’s unique to have an exotic pet store in our community. I love Animal House. We have friends and family that travel from all over SE Wisconsin to go there, but it’s minutes away for us. I love going there to get food/supplies for our pets or just to walk around and look at all the cool animals they have. The staff is always so friendly and has been so kind to our family over the years. Candice: I love the multiple garden shops in our community. Having the small local garden centers like Thomas’, The Garden Mart, and Robert’s Nursey help make and keep our community beautiful.
Q: What have you done to make Mukwonago a better place?
Adam: The best thing I’ve done to make Mukwonago a better place is to just donate my time and be available for my friends and neighbors. I love coaching youth sports both for teaching kids how to play the game, but also about being better teammates and how sports can shape them as people. Sports were such a huge part of my life growing up and I still remember the best coaches I had and the impact they had on shaping me to who I am. I really want to be a positive role model in kids’ lives and show them that you don’t have to be the best athlete to enjoy sports or for sports to make a positive impact in your life. Our Mukwonago Muskies baseball team organized a Shoe Drive fundraiser to bring shoes to underserved communities. We partnered with E and S Sweets and BBES for our shoe drive and ended up collecting over 1,000 pairs of shoes! Working together with our families and friends to show the positive impact our community can make was a very rewarding experience. Also, coaching in the community has introduced me to so many amazing people and families. Candice: I really don’t know if I am truly making Mukwonago a better place, but the main thing that I have done and will continue to do is being a parent volunteer. I was hesitant to join the PTO because I am shy and meeting new people is something that has always intimidated me a little bit. However, since I joined it has opened a door for me into the community. Anything that I can volunteer to assist with at BBES to enable Mr. Waller and all the staff to run the best possible school and create the best learning environment is very important to me.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Adam: In 5-10 years I don’t see much changing. Our kids will still be in MASD, and I still plan on doing professionally what I’m doing. Albeit a little older and hopefully wiser. Candice: In 5 years all our kids will still be here in MASD, so I’ll still be volunteering and helping within the school district as much as I can. In 10 years when our kids are in college, I’m not sure what I’ll be doing and honestly don’t really want to think that far ahead right now.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Adam: I became a minister about 10 years ago to preside over a friend’s wedding and am still doing it today. I just married Candice’s cousin and her husband last fall. I love being such a big part in people’s wedding day. Candice: I love adventure! I’ve been diving with sharks in the Pacific Ocean, as a kid my family and I raced mini dragsters and I have been skydiving.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
Adam: Hawaii is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. It’s honestly paradise on earth. Candice: The most beautiful place that I have ever been to is Hawaii.
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
Adam: Favorite Month: December Favorite Holiday: Christmas Best Single Day of the Year: August 20th (Our Anniversary) Candice: Favorite Month: June Favorite Holiday: Valentine’s Day – I love, love! Best Single Day of the Year: Our Kid’s Birthdays
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Adam: I would rate Fish Fry Friday (Hickory Sticks), Sushi Saturday (SnowFox) and home cooked Mexican Monday dinners with our friends in the backyard on the patio as a 10:10. We have awesome friends and we’ve been doing dinners together and it’s definitely the thing I’d rate a perfect 10 out of 10! Candice: Exploring new places with our kids I would rate a 10:10! Seeing new sights and watching their faces light up when they see a huge waterfall or waves crashing on a beach is the best feeling in the world.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Adam: My father, Craig Gavran inspires me to be better. I had a great childhood, and he has been a great husband, father, teacher, coach, leader and is always there when we need him. If I can be half the man that he is then I know I will have a great marriage, give my kids an amazing life and be a great all-around person. Candice: My kids inspire me. They mean everything to me. I feel like I was put on this earth to be a mom and trying to give them the best possible life and set them up for the future inspires me every day.
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
Adam: Freshly cut grass, or the way the air smells after a summer rain. Candice: My favorite smells are any fall scents and fresh baked goods. The smell of sunscreen also makes me happy.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Adam: When I think of the word HOME the three words that I associate are: Family, Warmth and Happiness Candice: HOME makes me think of my family.
