We have always dreamed of having children. After years of trying to conceive naturally, we knew adoption was the way we wanted to grow our family.

When we decided to adopt, we felt a sense of peace knowing this is the path God has for us. Adopting is something we have talked about for a long time, and we are excited that now is the right time for our family.

We met in that classic, romantic way that so many love stories start these days - online! Despite having several mutual friends and even being in the same room at least once during college, we never met until a dating app matched us after we graduated and settled into our careers. We started chatting in late summer and were both a bit nervous to start dating with football season around the corner until we discovered that, as fate would have it, we were both Virginia Tech football season ticket holders. We met in person for the first time the night before our home opener, felt an instant connection, and the rest is history!

When Pete proposed on Valentine's Day, he suggested we get married on a specific day in October. Amy was thrilled because it meant we would share an anniversary with her grandparents. It also allowed us to have a long wedding weekend that was so very "us." We kicked off the weekend with a big tailgate before a Thursday night Virginia Tech football game and then had a beautiful wedding on campus on Saturday, just a short distance from where we first met. We had a fun reception following the ceremony to celebrate with our family and friends - including the Virginia Tech mascot, the HokieBird!

by Pete

Amy is my smarter, better looking, and far more organized better half! She is extremely intelligent and driven in all that she does, and I'm proud of all she has accomplished in her career.

There is nothing more important to Amy than family. She's incredibly close to her parents and sister. Rarely does a day go by where she isn't in touch with them, and we see them often.

Amy LOVES cooking. I think it is truly her love language. She is always trying new recipes - something delicious is always happening in our kitchen, whether it's just for us or a big meal with our family and friends.

Amy is also very passionate about giving back to the community. I often joke that she's a professional volunteer. She's always serving on at least one board and finding ways to help others.

In her spare time, you're equally likely to find Amy out in our garden planting flowers and vegetables as you are to catch her at a game, concert, or show at the theater.

• Career: Technology Policy Advisor/Government Relations
• Loves: Cooking (especially Greek!), live music, musicals, shoes
• Favorite High School activities: Field Hockey, Show Choir
• Favorite Dessert: Cherry Pie
• Favorite Artist/Bands: Taylor Swift, Backstreet Boys, and Reckless Kelly
• Favorite Foods: Tacos, Mashed Potatoes

by Amy

I'm lucky to call Pete my husband and best friend. He is kind and a true partner, supportive of my career and goals. He has a great sense of humor and brings joy wherever he goes.

Pete is a terrific friend - he's loyal and dependable. He likes to make sure everyone feels included and will do whatever it takes to help a friend.

He is incredibly smart - fun fact: he was valedictorian of his high school class! He can fix just about anything. His skills came in handy when he fixed our dryer during COVID.

Pete is the best uncle and is the favorite of our nieces and nephews - always ready to have fun, laugh at their jokes, or discuss sports. I know he's going to be an amazing dad and love the priority he places on family.

I've never met a bigger sports fan than Pete. He's a champion for women's sports and has unmatched sports trivia knowledge. I can't wait to see him coach any sport our child wants to play. And if they don't play sports, I know he will be in the front row cheering them on, whatever their passion.

• Career: Senior Manager at Fortune 500 Technology Consulting Firm
• Loves: Traveling, attending sporting events
• Favorite High School activities: Marching band, soccer, swimming, lacrosse
• Favorite Dessert: Brownie sundae
• Favorite Band: Dave Matthews Band
• Favorite Food: Philly Cheesesteak

We bought our house in 2019. Amy instantly fell for the big kitchen island, while Pete envisioned us watching sports in the basement. Our dog Skipper loves the fenced in backyard, where we have a vegetable garden each summer. Our house features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a finished basement that will be a fantastic playroom, and a large patio. Plus, we are very close to several parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, two libraries, and a brand new county rec center. We are also close to Washington, D.C., and able to take advantage of all the museums, theaters, and events the city has to offer.

Our home is a gathering place for family and friends. We love having friends over for dinner or cookouts in the backyard. With our large dining room table, we like to see how many people we can fit around it for holidays, like Thanksgiving.

We love our neighborhood because it has a real sense of community. There are a lot of kids in our neighborhood, and they are always outside, playing tag or sports. Every few months, our neighborhood has a block party - our favorite is the July 4th party with fireworks.

Birthday: August 14, 2022

Breed: American Cocker Spaniel

• She loves to play ball, be chased in the yard, and run after squirrels.
• She's named after the cannon at Virginia Tech that is fired after each touchdown.
• She loves being everyone's favorite coworker when we are working from home.
• Nicknames: Skip, Skips, Skip-Skip, Wild Thing

We are very close with my family and are able to spend a lot of time with them. We love going to Virginia Tech games with my parents. My sister lives a few states away, but she visits a few times a year. We love to hang out with my cousins, who are like an extra set of siblings. Eating dinner together was a staple of my family's schedule while growing up. Now we enjoy a family call during our morning commutes just to check in and we have an active family group text.

I come from a big family. I have one brother, two sisters, seven nieces and nephews, and nine first cousins. Two of my cousins are adopted, so we've seen firsthand how special it is to grow a family this way.

My parents were very involved in my activities, making time to attend games, swim meets, and band performances. My dad served as Scoutmaster for my Boy Scout Troop for several years.

My parents and siblings all live within 2 hours of us, which makes it easy to get together for birthdays, holidays, and other events.

We go on vacation with our families and treasure that time.

Pete's family has a mini reunion every July 4th. We love celebrating with everyone and then coming home in time for our neighborhood fireworks!

Amy's dad always fries a turkey for Thanksgiving, which frees up the oven for more sides! We spend time with both our families over the holidays. Amy loves cooking Christmas breakfast with her sister. Matching PJs are an annual favorite for both of our families.

We love sports and often find ourselves cheering at a game. Our favorite team is the Virginia Tech Hokies, and we can often be found at football, men's, or women's basketball games. Amy also loves the Texas Longhorns (and Pete is learning to!).

Traveling to cheer on our team is a great way to see the country - we've watched them play at Notre Dame, Stanford, Florida State, Kentucky, NC State, and Georgia Tech, among others.

We have a goal of visiting every Major League Baseball stadium. In 2021, we went on a road trip vacation, seeing games at 7 different stadiums in 8 days. We do not share a love for the same team, however - Pete is a proud Phillies fan while Amy loves the Nats.

Even when we are traveling for reasons other than sports, we often will try to catch a local game. We love to see different minor league baseball stadiums. On our honeymoon, we cheered on the University of Hawaii's football team. When in London, we went to soccer matches at Wembley and Chelsea FC.

We know sometimes family are those related to you by blood and sometimes family are those you choose. If you choose us to raise your child, know that your child will be loved and surrounded by a village of family and friends who will be there to support and cheer them on, no matter where life leads. We will speak of you and their adoption story with love and respect.

We promise to raise them in a loving home full of laughter and to give them every opportunity we can. We will celebrate life's joys and be there as a team to persevere through life's challenges. We will encourage them to chase their dreams, no matter how big they are.

We look forward to developing a relationship with you that works for all of us. Thank you for taking some time to get to know us. We hope to have the opportunity to get to know you. We are praying for you and your child and wish you the very best.