Us

We both come from the rural Midwest. Chad is from Minnesota and Mike grew up in Missouri and Arkansas, and he also lived in California. Chad’s interest in politics brought him to Washington, D.C., where he worked for Congress. Before settling in D.C., Mike worked overseas as an elementary and high school teacher. A friend introduced us in 2000, and it was love at first sight! We’ve been soul mates ever since, and in 2004 we made it official by becoming domestic partners. We have a lot in common. We’re both quiet, and a fun afternoon for us is to have friends over for dinner, talking late into the night, or watching old movies. We also like to cook. Chad is eager to share his grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe with our child, and Mike is looking forward to showing our child our favorite Thanksgiving recipes like pumpkin soup.

About Chad (by Mike)

Chad loves to be helpful. He has often thought of becoming a teacher because he likes to help people learn. He also loves to lend a hand to people finding their way around our nation’s capital. Chad is a lobbyist for our national parks. He tries to educate politicians about why our national parks are important. As part of his job, Chad gets to travel to national parks, and I love going with him. I can’t wait to see our child’s eyes get big when Chad points out a Sequoia tree that’s as big around as a house. Chad sometimes work from home and looks forward to being there when our child comes home from school. One of my favorite memories of Chad is from a wedding a couple of years ago. There was only one child there, and he was clearly bored with the adults. Chad joined him in playing with his action figures, and the boy became so attached to Chad that he followed him around all weekend long.

About Mike (by Chad)

Mike comes from a family that likes to play games together. Mike jokes that having a child will finally give him an excuse to buy toys! Crafts are also important in his family. Growing up, they made scrapbooks or models of things, and he looks forward to helping little hands finger paint and make popcorn garlands for our Christmas trees. I think one of the most interesting things about Mike is that he’s traveled all over the world. He has a passion for learning and seeing new things. It was because of this curiosity that we traveled to Africa where we saw gorillas, giraffes and zebras! I know he can’t wait to teach our child about different places and cultures. Mike works on budgets for the government. Mike has a flexible schedule, and he is looking forward to going on field trips with our child’s class or bringing in cupcakes for parties.

Our Home and Community

We live in Washington, D.C., where there are world-class schools from prekindergarten to college. We love to go to the museums, and we can’t wait to see our child’s jaw drop when he or she sees a dinosaur with big teeth or smile when he or she eats astronaut ice cream. Although we live in the city, we have a garden where we grow fresh vegetables. Mike is the main gardener in our family, and he looks forward to introducing our child to the seasons, animals, and how things grow in our little backyard paradise. We can’t wait to wash the dirt off of little hands that have been digging for earthworms and catching ladybugs, or to see our child giggle as a butterfly lands on his or her hand. Our neighborhood has a lot of children who can safely play in large open green spaces nearby. One of D.C.’s largest recreation areas is just a couple of blocks away, where we can play catch at one of the ball fields. We look forward to cheering on our child as he or she slides into home plate or finishes a swimming race!