Amy and Sarah
Dear Expectant Parent(s),
We’re Amy (L) and Sarah (R). We’ve been together for six years and married for three. We are a fun-loving couple who likes to get goofy and silly. We’ve been known to sing entire conversations in rhyme – just ‘cause it makes us laugh! We both come from close-knit families where holidays and Sunday dinners were, and still are, important bonding times. We can’t wait to add on to both our immediate and extended families through open adoption.
Sarah is a primary care physician and works four days a week at a small clinic. Amy is a fiction writer and also teaches English for an online university. Amy will be a stay-at-home mom when we are blessed with a new addition to our family. As a couple, our life philosophy is to pursue our dreams, even if it means taking risks. A few years ago, we bought a 1984 VW van, imagining ourselves tooling around the Pacific Northwest, camping as we go. The day we bought it, we ended up on the side of the road and had to call a tow truck! That was the first of many side-of-the road adventures. But we knew that to achieve our dream, we’d have to take risks… and invest in AAA.
Amy on Sarah: Sarah is a very quiet person. But don’t let that fool you – she is also one of the funniest people I know. She drops these clever little one-liners that have me clutching my sides! Sarah is also very dedicated and committed. She is the type of person that always keeps her promises, no matter how big or small. Her best gift to me was to support my decision to return to graduate school to pursue my passion for creative writing. Her constant support and positive feedback have helped me overcome many obstacles.
Sarah on Amy: Amy is one of those people who walk into your life and completely change your world. When she decides to do something new, she just goes for it. And then sticks with it until she masters it. For example, she taught herself guitar and is currently learning the banjo. Because of her “go-getter” attitude, we have accomplished so many things that I probably wouldn’t have experienced without her—like bringing our amazing dog, Bwindi, into our family, and purchasing our VW van. She is a positive and uplifting force in my life.
We’re a low-key couple, and we’re equally comfortable being outdoors or spending time at home. Our summers are punctuated by hiking, camping, and tending to our vegetable gardens. Our favorite hike is a difficult trail filled with uphill zigzags, but it’s worth the effort for all the small waterfalls along the way. For camping, we head to the coast so we can break out the wetsuits and boogie-board. In the winter, we hunker down in front of the fireplace to listen to audiobooks and drink plenty of hot apple cider.
Traveling is one of our shared passions; it gives us the opportunity to learn about other cultures and ways of life, and it stretches our comfort zone in a good way. Once, we spent the night in a thatched hut at a Ugandan National Park to see the tree-climbing lions. Though we were told that fires would be lit to keep wildlife away, we awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of crunch-crunching outside. Opening the small shuttered window, we found ourselves staring at the grey butt of a hippopotamus having a late-night snack just outside our door! No bathroom breaks for us that night!
We’re incredibly excited to fulfill our dream of becoming parents! We choose open adoption because, as a gay couple, we know how secrets can hinder positive self-esteem, and we value honesty and respect in our lives. We believe that having a warm, mutually supportive relationship will be an enriching experience for ourselves, for our child, and for our child’s birthparents, too. We respect the enormity of the choices that lie ahead and hope for peace in whatever decision you make.
Best Wishes,
Amy and Sarah