We are Joy and Eric from San Francisco. We feel so grateful that you have taken the time to learn more about us as adoptive parents to your child. We respect and admire the path you’ve chosen by considering adoption and know that you must be a loving and brave woman to do so.

Building a family is our greatest hope. We’d love nothing more than to give your child every opportunity to dream big and find their passion in life. We’re both deeply invested in creating a home full of unconditional love, just as our families created for us. Choosing adoption is an honor for us and we’d love to be a part of your journey from this point on. -Eric + Joy

10 years ago, we were set up by mutual friends on a blind date at a music venue in Baltimore, Maryland. Right away we connected over our shared love of concerts, travel, and family. Before the performance ended we had already made plans to see another concert together. We both knew that we had found our soulmates, and at a music festival in Chicago a year later, Eric proposed.

We had an amazing summer wedding at the Baltimore Arboretum surrounded by friends and family. Right as we exchanged our vows it started to rain which we count as good luck to this day! Two weeks later we took a leap of faith and moved across the country to San Francisco to attend graduate school. We fell in love with the west coast and have spent the past 8 years building our lives together in Northern California. We are choosing to adopt as Joy is a childhood cancer survivor, which prevents us from having children naturally. Knowing this early on in our relationship, we have been dreaming about building our family through adoption ever since we said, “I do.”

I grew up in a suburb just outside of Baltimore, Maryland with two sisters and two amazing parents. My family has always been close, and to this day, we talk regularly and make plans to see each other as much as possible. I went to college in a small Pennsylvania town, where I earned a dual degree in Business Information Systems and Management.

I lived in Baltimore City after college until Joy and I got married. Together we would make the decision to move to San Francisco for graduate school. With the support of Joy and my family, I followed my career dreams in Information Technologies and now work as a Lab IT Analyst at a pharmaceutical and life sciences company. Fortunately, I have a flexible schedule that will allow me to be home to spend time with our family.

“Eric is the easiest person in the world to talk to. He’s always genuinely interested in whatever new hobby I’m trying my hand at and quick to share a funny story from an article he’s just read. His jovial
nature and eclectic taste in movies, sports, and music makes him the life of the party at our gatherings with friends and family.

From the moment I met Eric, I knew he was going to be the best and most loving dad. He’s proven this time and time again with our nieces and nephews through his endless piggyback rides, animated storytime, and comforting hugs when they have a skinned knee. There is no question that Eric is going to work endlessly to be the best father for our future child and I can’t wait to become a parent with him.”

I grew up in a rural town surrounded by rolling green hills in Pennsylvania. My 3 siblings and I spent our childhood developing a deep love for learning and exploring. To this day, my tight knit family still reminisce about the outdoor adventures, skiing, swimming, and fort building we had growing up.

After attending college in Oklahoma, I moved to Washington, DC to work in Human Resources at a non-profit. I quickly realized my passion for helping people build successful careers and have been doing it ever since. Today I work as the Director of People Partners for a global tech company and love the impact I make through my work.

Eric and I both have generous adoption leave policies, so we are able to be home for most of the first year together with our child. I can’t wait to cook them their favorite meals, explore the outdoors with them, and help them pursue their passions as they grow up.

“Joy is the most wonderful person I know. Growing up in a large family has made her extremely patient and understanding. I’m in awe every time I see her teach our nieces and nephews a new game or when they keep asking ‘why’ on repeat.

I remember the first time I met her, I was immediately drawn to her sense of humor and her curiosity. She’s always pushing me out of my comfort zone by planning a new trip, trying out a new recipe, or dreaming up a home improvement project for us to tackle together. Joy works in Human Resources, which means she’s compassionate and great at communicating with others. I like to think that some of those skills have rubbed off on me, and I believe that it will help us be great parents.”

We are extremely fortunate to have a close knit family. Although Joy’s family is spread out between Pennsylvania and Kansas City, we visit at least 3 times a year. We also look forward to our annual Florida beach trip with Joy’s sisters, Sheri and Kassy, and her mom, Dee, where we swim and have our famous puzzle competition.

Eric’s sister, Erica, and her family live just 20 minutes away. We are constantly over at their house grilling with our brother-in-law, Paul, and being the “fun” uncle and aunt to their two small children, Sam and Gabrielle.

Friends are also a huge part of our life! From childhood friends to our neighbors in California, we feel so lucky to have such a supportive network to celebrate this next stage of life with.

We live in Brisbane, California, which is a small community just 5 miles south of San Francisco. Our sunshine yellow house is at the center of the neighborhood and has a large patio and succulent garden that we planted just last year.

There is a park with a huge playground down the street by the elementary school that we can’t wait to bring our future child to. We also live close to hiking trails that wind through the San Bruno Mountains, as well as the outdoor neighborhood pool, where Joy does water aerobics.

We are thrilled that our child will not only have access to lots of activities in our community, but also have the benefit of city life, full of nearby museums and restaurants.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us! We feel incredibly blessed that you are considering us as a part of your courageous decision. We hope to meet you soon and share more about our promise to love your child unconditionally. -Eric + Joy