Hello! We are Chip and Brett from Los Angeles. We are honored and grateful that you are considering us to be your child’s adoptive family. We appreciate the chance to share a bit of our life with you on this important journey. Family is important to us in so many ways, and we have always known we wanted to build our own family through adoption.

We promise that if you choose to give us the honor of being your child's adoptive parents, your child will be raised in a home that encourages the values we grew up with: love, support, creativity, individuality, service to others, and respect for all people.

We know your decision is not easy. Please know that we will always admire your courage, kindness, and selflessness, and will raise your child to know how much their adoption was an act of love by everyone involved.

When we met for our first date at a restaurant near us in Culver City, California, we hit it off immediately. We got lost in conversation for hours, talking about all the adventures we have had and want to have, including travel and family. There was a lot of laughter that night, and four years later, we’ve been entertaining each other ever since! We love hiking, traveling, spending time with family, and road tripping around California with our lovable dog Henri.

We have always wanted to start a family and are so excited to begin the adoption journey. We both have a lot of love to give and a lot of practice taking care of our friends’ children. We know adopting is the perfect way to bring a child into our home.

We love to travel – whether it’s a day trip, road trip in the U.S., or to another country. Some of our favorite trips include San Francisco, New Mexico, Hawaii, and France (where Brett finally got to practice that French he took in school). We often go to Colorado and California’s Central Valley to visit our families for birthdays and celebrations – great excuses for side adventures along the way!

We also love hiking, board games, movies, theater, art shows, and get-togethers with local friends and family. Every evening we take a “family walk” around our neighborhood with our dog Henri, where we can reconnect after a busy day.

After the crazy year 2020 threw a wrench into our wedding plans, we finally got married in May 2021. It was a beautiful, small ceremony on the beach in Hawaii, shared with just a few of our closest friends and the waves crashing beside us. Fun Fact - Brett collects one magnet from every trip -- our fridge is covered in them!

I'm a clinical psychologist and a professor at a university here in L.A. Luckily, my career gives me a lot of flexibility, which we'll need when a child joins our family! I grew up moving around a lot, from Japan, to Mexico, to Puerto Rico, to Virginia (my dad worked for the Army). I learned Spanish as a kid in these places and still use it today. After high school, I went to college in New York City before living in Connecticut and Chicago, and finally landing in sunny Los Angeles seven years ago.

My hobbies include hiking, writing, and exploring new places and adventures in L.A. and beyond. I also love reading. . . I'm kind of known for reading until I fall asleep because I can't put the book down. I can't wait to share a love of reading and storytelling with our future child, and to encourage them to discover their own interests and talents as they grow up.

Brett makes me feel loved and nurtured every day, and I know he’ll do the same for our child. There’s no one else I’d rather have on my side for any adventure, for any dance break, and definitely for any major trivia challenge. He’s smart, kind, loving, and always there to cheer me up or lend me his ear.. He brings a big heart, a big laugh, and a big love of life to our home and to our future family.

I come from a big family, which was a bit of a zoo at times, but I learned early on that sharing is caring (hand-me-downs go a long way!) and that keeping the peace helps build stronger families. I have a passion for both technology and people which is perfect for my current job at an online dating company, where I help bring people together. Since college I’ve lived in San Francisco, New York City, and now Los Angeles.

My hobbies include playing ultimate frisbee, trying out new board games, trips to the beach, and exploring new restaurants and bakeries. I can beat most of my nieces and nephews at video games, but they are quickly catching up in skill. I can’t wait to help our child play different sports, explore fictional worlds, and try new activities as they get older.

Chip is my best friend and the love of my life. He is honest, supportive, thoughtful, and affectionate, and cares deeply about the people in his life. He’s my “rock” because he’s so steady and calm, but he’s also totally hilarious and goofy. He makes me laugh all the time and I can’t wait to see him do the same for a little one. I know he’s always going to be available for a big hug, an encouraging talk, or just a fun adventure with our future child.

We both have big families! Chip’s parents and a brother live in Tennessee, two other brothers live in Hawaii, and his sister lives in Colorado. Among his four siblings there are 17 nieces and nephews.

Brett’s parents, brother, and sister live in Colorado, plus he has uncles, aunts, and about 50 cousins (really!) here in California. So a lot of our trips are to get together for birthdays, celebrations, and holidays!

We also have a lot of close friends here in L.A. and across all the places we’ve lived – it seems everywhere we go we have a friend to stay with! Lots of our local friends have young kids, so we know our future child will have lots of play pals and we’ll have the support of other parents.

Los Angeles is really mostly a city of smaller residential neighborhoods. We live in Mar Vista, a family-friendly neighborhood on the west side of L.A. There are tons of nearby parks with playgrounds, baseball fields, basketball courts, and even a hockey rink, in other words, lots of activities for kids. The elementary school and middle school are also right across the
street from our home. Fun Fact - Our neighborhood has a monthly Art Walk where the street opens up at night for artists and musicians. We went there for one of our first dates!

We brought Henri home from a shelter two years ago and he’s been our handsome scamp ever since. He is sweet and silly and loves to play. He is very lovable and his favorite activity is cuddling on the couch between us to catch up on Netflix.

Henri goes on lots of adventures with us and especially enjoys hiking, dog parks, and jumping in the car for road trips. He’s great with children and is going to love having a new little one around to love!

Thank you again for considering us. Being a parent is the greatest responsibility, and if we are chosen, we promise your child will be supported by all the love, happiness, and health we are eager to share with them. We hope you will choose to join us in this wonderful journey.

With Gratitude,

Chip & Brett