We met in Chicago in October 2014 through online dating, and our connection was immediate. Greg was new to the city and was drawn to Jeff’s profile, which highlighted his interests in the Wisconsin Badgers and volleyball. We quickly discovered we both attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, just one year apart, and shared a deep passion for travel and a strong desire to build a family.

After years of adventures together, we were married in 2020 by Greg’s sister-in-law in the intimate and beautiful setting of Jeff’s parents’ backyard. In 2021, we were finally able to celebrate our reception with all our friends and family at a local brewery in Illinois. Our journey since then has been filled with laughter, shared hobbies, and a growing anticipation for parenthood. We are excited to eventually share our story with this child and show them how a family can be built on a foundation of mutual respect and honest communication. We look forward to creating a home where our history together serves as a stable and loving base for this child to grow.

Kindness, open communication, and family time are the essential pillars of our lives. We were both raised to believe that treating others with dignity and respect is the most important thing a person can do to make the world better. We prioritize spending quality time with our loved ones, whether that’s a weekly dinner or a large holiday gathering. We believe that clear and honest communication is the key to a healthy relationship, and we practice this daily in our marriage. Our primary goal as parents is to raise a child who is empathetic, humble, and kind. We want this child to grow up knowing they are unconditionally loved and that their voice will always be heard and valued in our home. By modeling these values, we hope to prepare this child to navigate the world with integrity and compassion. Our commitment is to ensure that family always comes first, providing a secure and loving environment where this child can truly thrive.

Travel is a major part of our lives, and we love exploring new places together to broaden our perspectives. While we do not have one particular vacation spot, we make a point to visit a new city each year, usually equipped with a highly color-coded and organized agenda. For example, in the past few years, we’ve been to a variety of both domestic and international destinations including New Orleans, Austin, Prague and Munich. While we love the excitement of a new destination, we also find great peace in our frequent trips to Jeff's parent's vacation trailer park in Michigan or Greg’s family’s annual trip to Hilton Head. Whether we are navigating a bustling European city or relaxing by the lake, we value the perspective and new experiences that travel provides.

We are excited to introduce a child to the beauty of the world, teaching them to be curious about different cultures while always having a comfortable and familiar place to call home. We believe travel develops curiosity and a better understanding of different cultures, and we look forward to seeing the world through this child’s eyes as we explore new horizons together.

We are incredibly blessed with a wide, supportive community that is eager to welcome a child into our family with open arms. Jeff's parents and sister live in Georgia with his extended family primarily in the Chicago suburbs. A special highlight of our year is spending summertime weekends at the lakeside trailer park community in Michigan where Jeff made lifelong friends as a child. Jeff’s parents and younger sister join us there during the summer months, and we are excited to introduce this child to that loving, shoreside community.

Greg has an older brother in Ohio and an older sister in North Carolina who lives down the street from their parents. We regularly travel to visit our six "niblings" for birthdays, holidays, and other milestones. Greg has famously earned the nickname “Uncle Wonka” for the bags of candy he brings from his work at the candy company, while Jeff is affectionately called “Uncle Deaf” by the kids because of his hearing loss in one ear. Our local friends, including our "Taste Buds" dining group and a decade-long book club, live within walking distance and are a core part of our daily lives. We cherish our traditions, like decorating the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and sharing fondue on Christmas Eve. Our network of family and friends are ready to offer this child a life filled with kindness, laughter, and unconditional love.

We reside in a vibrant and family-friendly urban neighborhood in Chicago, where we have called our apartment home for nearly ten years. Our favorite room is the kitchen; it is the heart of our home where we spend hours cooking together and tinkering with Jeff’s various creative projects. Jeff has an ever-curious “Mad Scientist” side, rooted in his professional background as a biomedical engineer, and Greg loves encouraging these experiments - whether Jeff is brewing kombucha or making candles. Greg’s upbringing in six different cities made him outgoing and adventurous, and he is always the one finding the next unique neighborhood “experience” for us to explore, from suburban rodeos to local street festivals and themed social events.

Our street is constantly filled with the sights of new strollers, and many of our closest friends live just a short walk away, providing a tight-knit and immediate support system. The community is perfect for a child, offering numerous daycares, lively parks, and quality schools all within walking distance of our front door. We value discovery and laughter in our home and are excited to share our love for adventure and science with a child.

Allow yourself to take a deep breath - you’re about to make one of the most courageous yet difficult decisions of your life, but you are choosing not to do it alone - and that’s amazing! Now that we are joining paths, we wanted to share our journey that led us here to you. As you continue to travel, we want you to know how grateful and honored we would be if you selected us to walk alongside you.

We are Greg and Jeff, and we’ve been together since 2014 and married since 2020. From the very beginning of our relationship, we talked openly about wanting to build a family. That dream has guided so many of the choices we’ve made together, and it’s what brings us to you now - with steadfast commitment and a great deal of gratitude.

Our life together is rooted in laughter, curiosity, and connection. While we tend to plan trips with robust, color-coded itineraries, we still happily veer off course for something spontaneous or unexpected - every moment is a new adventure and new story to tell. We stay active, reading and learning together, exploring new places, and finding joy in small traditions - whether that’s cooking a favorite meal, cheering each other on at volleyball matches, or wearing silly, homemade costumes to a themed event. Our home is always warm, welcoming, and full of conversation.

Family and community mean everything to us. We’re surrounded by close friends and extended family who are excited and ready to welcome a child with love and enthusiasm. Our lives are filled with large extended families, lifelong friends and chosen family who show up consistently and joyfully, and they are eager to share their love and support. We believe any child can thrive when they are immersed in a supportive community, and we are committed to providing a child exactly that.

If you were to choose us, your child would grow up in a home where kindness is practiced daily, questions are encouraged, and individuality is celebrated. We value open communication and believe feelings - both big and small - deserve respect. We promise to create a space where this child always feels safe being themselves and confident knowing they are deeply loved.

We are also committed to honoring your child’s story. Adoption will never be obscured in our family; it will be spoken about openly, honestly and with pride. Your role in their life will be acknowledged with respect and gratitude, and we will help them understand how loved they were from the very beginning. We plan to share letters and photos regularly, and we are open to ongoing communication in whatever way feels comfortable and healthy for all of us - including texts, emails or future visits. Our hope is to build a relationship rooted in mutual respect and trust, guided by what is best for this child.

Thank you - truly - for taking the time to consider us. While we cannot fully understand the difficulty of the decision that lies ahead of you, just know that we are here as companions, if you’ll have us. Please know that we already appreciate you, and we hope to be able to share more about our story and learn about yours. As future parents we are fully committed to raising a child with all the unconditional love that we have.

With open hearts,

Jeff & Greg