Jack & Rachel

Hi! We hope that in reviewing this page, you will clearly see who we are through learning about aspects of our active outdoor lifestyle, our involvement in our church, and some of the routines and values we’ve cultivated together.

We are currently a family of three: an energetic and fun dad who loves making and capturing memories when he is not working his account management job from home, an attentive and creative mom who enjoys applying her knowledge and skills as a speech language pathologist to her new role as a stay-at-home mom, and an adorable and playful baby girl.

We are thrilled by the hope of welcoming a child into our family and life through open adoption and would love to talk with you.

Our Story

Although we spent much of our childhoods in the same county, God did not cause our paths to cross until 6 years ago, when Jack started attending the same church as Rachel. We progressed through the stages of friendship, dating, engagement, and marriage and have now been together for 3 years. Entertaining guests for meals at our home, exploring the great outdoors, and listening to podcasts are just a few of the many things we like to do together.

During the first year of our married life, we focused on setting a solid foundation on which to build our family while discussing our future hopes and dreams for our family. Being parents was a strong desire for both of us and we had adoption on our hearts from the beginning, so once we had established ourselves as a couple, we wasted no time in taking steps to pursue adoption and the birth of our biological daughter has made us even more confident of our desire for adoption to be a part of our family story.

With Rachel being an only child and Jack having 3 siblings within 4 years of him, we see the advantages of multiple children close in age growing up together and hope to have this dynamic in our family through a combination of adoption and birth. We also recognize how adoption brings two families together in a unique way and we are excited about the potential for gaining meaningful extended family relationships through this process.

About Rachel

According to Jack: Rachel is an extremely caring and selfless individual with a deep passion for nurturing and protecting the vulnerable, especially children, which she manifests in a variety of ways from rescuing stranded animals to being the nursery coordinator at our church.  Her love for serving God and consistency in putting everyone’s needs above her own, along with her ability to maintain the perfect balance between fun-loving spontaneity and serious intentionality, are her greatest qualities.

Rachel really enjoys cooking and trying new recipes as well as keeping our house feeling like a home, whether by picking flowers from her garden and arranging them in a vase to make the kitchen table more festive or finding the perfect place to feature the most recent travel souvenir amongst the living room decor. Additionally, she loves languages, being proficient in both Spanish and American Sign Language, and utilizes both of these through serving at our church. She enjoys teaching and passing her skills on to others and looks forward to helping our children learn these languages too!

About Jack

According to Rachel: Jack is very outgoing and good at making conversation with a variety of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles through asking genuine questions. I admire his balance of being versatile enough to adjust to different settings and groups of people, but not so compelled to fit in that he would compromise on his values and standards. He is also very strong and athletic, and he not only uses these gifts for hobbies like sports, but also frequently uses them for the service of others, like when he volunteers to help friends or acquaintances with a move. At the same time, he is humble and quick to seek out and pursue mentorship and feedback from trusted role models.

He is generally pretty lighthearted and humorous, but takes the most important things very seriously. Jack strives to be an efficient and productive worker, and the extent to which he is able to achieve this amazes me. He values tidiness and organization, which likely contribute to this success. Most of all, it is clear to anyone who knows Jack that his relationship with the Lord is very important to him and undergirds his life as a whole. With Jack’s love of sports, including ultimate frisbee, golf, and tennis, he looks forward to teaching our children the skills to achieve excellence in these sports and the value of exercise and the sportsmanship of teamwork.

Our Home in Virginia

Our home is a modest but full of character 3-bedroom single level house that was built in the 1950’s and recently renovated. Since we live in an older neighborhood that is located close to campus in a university town, we are surrounded by a diverse group of neighbors including students, refugees, elderly, and young families.

We love that our house is situated within walking distance of our church, nature trails, and parks, so we can access many of our most frequented locations this way. Probably one of our favorite things about where we are located is that both of our families are just a short drive away, which makes it easy for us to be regularly involved in one another’s lives.

Our Family

Rachel grew up as an only child, and her parents and both sets of grandparents were heavily involved in her life. One of her grandmothers and her parents are still nearby and we visit with them on a weekly basis. Similarly, Jack’s parents live close to us and we see them regularly, as well as Jack’s younger brother who is local. Jack also has two sisters who live out of state that we get together with at holidays and vacations. Many of our memories with Jack’s family surround food. They are very generous about treating us to experiences at new restaurants and sharing recipes that we discover. His younger sister has even compiled a book of family recipes. Rachel’s family is big board game fans, so it is not uncommon to find us sharing a game of cards with them and getting competitive over scores.

Since the arrival of our daughter, Azalea, in January 2025, some of the sweetest moments for our immediate family have been weekend mornings where we can take things slow and soak up all the morning smiles and snuggles. We also love watching her connect with extended family members as we seek to raise our children with close-knit bonds both inter-generationally (like with Rachel and her grandparents) and with family members of their own generation (like Jack and his siblings).

Our Promise

We promise to do everything in our power to provide your child with a home life where they can grow and thrive. We will devote our time, financial resources, and our hearts to investing in him or her during the lowest of lows to the highest of highs, and every average day in between. All of this will be motivated by the love spoken of in 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us”.

Developing a relationship with you at the pace and depth you are comfortable with is something we look forward to as well. As we navigate what that looks like, all conversations regarding the topic of adoption will be handled with honor, vulnerability, and candor.

If you would like to learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.

In Closing

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little bit about us and the life we would be honored to welcome your child into. Should you choose us, please know that we have the utmost respect for you, which would be reflected in all our conversations about adoption, and if you'd like to keep in touch as your child grows up, we’d embrace an ongoing connection with you. If you have any questions or would like to just get to know us more, we would love to hear from you!