Anthony & Ziad

Dear Birthmother,
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at our profile - a window into our life, our minds, and our hearts. We hope you'll see how excited we are to start a family. Please know that we're approaching this journey with an open attitude and a profound respect for you and the considerations you're making for your child.

Our Story
We met in April 2005 in line at a coffee shop - and nervously made plans to have lunch a few days later. It was a long lunch that ended with a kiss under a freeway overpass. We were both excited to discover that we shared common values and interests but also had strong individual points of view.

Anthony was leaving a few days later on a long business trip, so we squeezed in a second date before he left. Each of his plans for the date went wrong, but none of that mattered - since it made the date longer and helped us confirm that there was a connection. We talked every day Anthony was away - and Ziad even volunteered to pick him up at the airport when he returned. Our relationship had begun.

A year after we started dating, Anthony's job moved him to Australia. Despite the distance, we still spoke every day, talking about everything from what we ate for lunch to our future plans to start a family. Although it was hard, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves. Our relationship became even stronger as a result of the geographic separation.

Traveling to see each other was the only good thing about being apart. Ziad made several trips to Australia. Anthony made many trips home. And we met up in far-flung places like Japan, Israel, and Hawaii.

We moved in together when Anthony returned from Australia, and in the Fall of 2009 we bought a home in Los Angeles, California. We love being in the heart of the city with easy access to parks, museums and theaters - we can't wait to share all of that with a child!

From our first date onwards, even when our plans haven't turned out the way we've wanted them to, we've always tried to make the best of it because we love being together and feel that every experience is an adventure in the making. We are so excited to embark on the journey of parenthood together and have a loving home ready for a baby.

About Anthony
I grew up on the Central Coast of California with a family who enriched my life through a variety of experiences - from simple trips across town on the bus with my grandmother to helping my parents entertain business associates by serving drinks at their dinner parties to taking trips across the country on a family vacation.

I am a "Bicentennial Baby" - born just a few weeks before America's 200th birthday. This may be one of the reasons I have such an interest in history and politics. This interest led me to serve as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives during high school and as White House intern in college. Spending this time in the nation's capital helped me realize that I didn't want a career in politics, but it was incredible to see how our government works up close. The experience has made me take my civic duty very seriously. I actually research all the propositions that are on our ballots every election!

I was a rambunctious kid with a flair for the dramatic. My parents often wonder where I developed this love for drama... I tell them it was from the TV we watched together as a family: "Dynasty" on Wednesday nights and "Dallas" on Friday nights. My sister and I used to act out our favorite scenes every weekend. My parents nurtured this dramatic flair and helped me funnel it into acting, singing (off key!) and dancing (with two left feet!) in school plays. I eventually was able to turn this passion for arts and entertainment into a career in television.

About Ziad
I was born in Beirut, Lebanon to Christian Arab parents just before the war started in 1975. We left Lebanon when I was a baby and we landed in the Bay Area in California, where I had grandparents, aunts and uncles nearby. I learned from my parents at a very young age about the importance of taking care of family - in fact, we moved around quite a bit during my childhood as my dad looked for better job opportunities to provide for us.

When I was eight, we settled in London, England. Living in Europe was a great adventure - even though I didn't come out of it with an accent. I moved back to the East Coast of the States for college and then moved to Los Angeles in 1999. I am so lucky to have found a career in marketing that allows me to combine my left-brain and right-brain talents and interests - I get to be both creative and practical at work.

Some of my earliest memories are of singing country songs along with my mom, and I started learning how to play piano and viola, as well as singing in the school choir, as soon as I could. In my teen years, I added guitar and keyboards to the mix and started accompanying myself singing my own compositions (as well as covers of cheesy pop tunes). For years I've been mentally filing away songs that I'd sing with my future child - our son or daughter will live in a house filled with music!

Anthony on Ziad
Ziad is fearless. He brings this orientation to everything he does - to love, to work, to play... to life. We complement each other so well. Where I am sometimes hesitant, Ziad is bold. I came to realize this shortly after we met. It was my 29th birthday and we were celebrating at a karaoke restaurant in New York with a group of my friends he had never met before. He got up in front of the entire restaurant and sang "It Had to Be You" for me. It was amazing - I had never felt more special, more loved in my entire life.

I love seeing the world reflected through Ziad's eyes. When we go to art museums, he approaches a painting or a work of art ready to have an emotional response. My responses are usually more academic. His eyes give me a new way of seeing. His unique perspective on life sometimes makes me laugh hysterically even while other times it makes me think about things in new and different ways.

Ziad on Anthony
Anthony is one of the most engaged and engaging people I've ever met. He's always reading a new book or web site based on something he's seen that's sparked his interest. When we're planning a trip, Anthony will do much more than read a guide book - he'll read about the place's history, novels written by its most famous writers and get up to speed on the most popular sports. He is passionate and patient, and I can't wait to see him teach, and learn from, our child!

Anthony is a big goofball who makes me laugh at least once a day - and his sense of humor comes in very handy. When we got lost hiking in Yosemite last summer, I got super focused on figuring out where we were on the map, which got us more lost and made me more anxious. Anthony started doing funny voices to make light of the situation, and eventually my defenses came down and I burst into laughter - which was exactly what I needed. It relaxed me and together we were able to find our way.

Our Family
Together we've built a family of relatives and friends that provide us with an abundance of love and support.

We both rely on our own parents who thankfully live in the Los Angeles area. Ziad's brother and his family are also here. Anthony's brother and sister and their families are a short flight away in Northern California. A week doesn't go by where we don't see our relatives.

Our network of friends is an equally important part of the family we've built. There is a core group we can't imagine living without, many of whom are here in L.A., so we get to spend a lot of time together. Other friends are much further away - on the East Coast, in London and in Sydney. We are in constant contact and try to see each other as much as we can.

We can't wait to bring a child into this wonderful mix of people we love so much.

Our Promise

• We promise to work hard in every aspect of our lives - to be great parents and great providers.
• We promise to seek the advice of others from time to time because we won't always have the answers.
• We promise to be authority figures while showering our child with love and affection.
• We promise to communicate - to talk about little things and big things. To understand our child and to explain ourselves.
• We promise to develop and nurture our child's self esteem and their own inner motivation.
• We promise to open our child's heart and mind to a world beyond their everyday through travel and through simpler activities like reading, role playing and painting.
• We promise to teach our child how to stay healthy by emphasizing good nutrition and physical activity.

A Few Closing Thoughts
We started out in life as individuals - surrounded and supported by relatives and friends. Our world has become a much richer place since we've been together, and we're looking forward to expanding it even further with a child. We've thought long and hard about beginning this journey and look forward to the possibility of beginning it with you.

Anthony & Ziad

If you have any questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the "Contact Us" button below.

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