Hello, we are Kelly and Matthew
We are excited for you to get to know us better!

We both really value our connection to each other, as well as our relationships with family, friends, animals, and community. We enjoy going to public events, such as farmer’s markets or attending art, music, and cultural events. It is important to us that we spend quality time together, but also create space to have time to ourselves. We met on a blind date through a mutual friend, and our shared interest in outdoor activities, gardening, and mindfulness allowed our relationship to grow very quickly. We met in 2017 and celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary in August 2021. We consider ourselves to be a good team because we communicate well, support one another, and balance each other out in our strengths and weaknesses. We have similar values and find meaning and purpose in being caretakers for the environment, taking the time to quiet our minds and connect with our hearts, experiencing care and compassion for others, and honoring diversity and multiculturalism.

Kelly grew up in the Midwest and moved to western Oregon in 2008 for the natural beauty and to be close to some family. She grew up loving creative expression, such as crafting, cheerleading and dance. Kelly has worked in the mental health field as a mindfulness and body centered counselor for the past six years; before this, she worked as a massage therapist and health coach. In her free time, Kelly enjoys connecting with friends, participating in women’s circles, doing art, practicing yoga, walking, hiking, stand up paddle boarding, listening to podcasts, reading books, and watching movies and TV.

Matthew grew up on the east coast and spent the early part of his adult life going to undergraduate and graduate school in Virginia and Massachusetts. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology and has been a professor at various universities since 2010. Matthew moved to western Oregon to accept his current job at a local university. He chose this university over other job opportunities because of the beauty of and outdoor recreational opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. When Matthew is not working, he enjoys spending time with friends, outdoor adventures, drumming, dancing, weight training, listening to podcasts, watching movies, and playing video games.

Open adoption appeals to us for many reasons as it is aligned with our values and hopes for our future child. We want the best for the child who will join our family, and we look forward to getting to know their birth family and maintaining a connection with them throughout our child’s life. If they are not local, we are committed to using technology and travel to help maintain the relationship between all of us.
Becoming parents is exciting to us for so many reasons. We both want to experience the adventure of raising a child together; providing a child with nourishment, connection, and safety when they are young, providing guidance and helping them learn as they grow older, and providing the support they need to find meaning, satisfaction, and direction in life as they approach adulthood. We look forward to the many moments of joy and happiness in connecting with and supporting a child, but also realize there will be moments of challenge. We welcome the full range of parenting experiences!

We wish you the very best
Matthew and Kelly