We met almost 8 years ago on Friday the 13^th while Nyla was on vacation in Florida. We do not believe in bad luck and we think fate brought us together.  Neither of us particularly wanted to go to the mall that day, but were tagging along with family and friends. We were both walking in the mall and bumped into each other. We exchanged phone numbers and we’ve talked every day since. At first our relationship was long-distance, taking turns visiting each other. Long distance made us stronger. We learned to talk about everything and it’s still how we manage conflict. We talk everything through. We also learned about trust. We trust each other completely.  Dating long distance taught us about trust and making the most of our time together.  After 2 years of dating, EJ proposed and we eloped.

We’re always laughing; laughter fills our home. We’re both friendly, so we keep our home lively and we love hosting parties. We like to do things together like cooking, go to movies, and travel. A totally random fact is that we like to visit museums and see Broadway plays. Our favorite museum has been the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. EJ’s favorite musical is Motown and Nyla’s is Hamilton.

Our favorite tradition is Ugly Cake Day. Every year we bake a cake to celebrate the day we met. Nyla made the first cake and it was hideous. Since then, we bake a cake every year and the cakes are never pretty. It’s fun!

Why I love EJ

When I first met EJ, I loved his honesty and charm. We met in a crowded mall and time stood still when we met.  The connection was instant and felt genuine. He made me feel like I was the only and most beautiful person in the mall.  He still makes me feel like I’m the prettiest girl in the room. EJ is a gentle giant. He has a big guy with a big personality but he’s always kind, protective and supportive. He always has my back and supports my wildest dreams. He’s very outgoing and he’s fun to hang out with. He talks to everyone and he is always the life of the party.  EJ has an adult daughter that lives in Florida and I’ve seen him be a great dad to her.  I know EJ will be a great father for our future child. Our child will feel loved, safe and supported with EJ. They will also always be entertained and well fed. I can’t wait to see him teaching our child to cook and about cars.

Why I love Nyla

When I met Nyla, I was mesmerized by her beauty. Those were actually my first words to her. She laughed when I told her this, but I meant it. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and Nyla is still the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever met. When we met, Nyla was all smiles. She’s still the same way. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t hear her laughing. She finds joy in everything. She’s always in a good mood and is calm. I feel grounded when I’m with her. She is nurturing and always has a listening ear. She listens well to me and I’ve watched how she treats her family and friends. She is supportive of everyone. It makes sense that she’s a nurse because she is so nurturing to people. Nyla has more energy than me and keeps me on the go. She’s the adventurous one.  She’s always reading about something new and trying a new hobby. That’s why I call her “my little nerd”. I’ll definitely never get bored with her and she’ll keep me on my toes. I can’t wait to see her as a mother. She will keep our kids active, teach them to try new things and care about people.

Parenting Values

We believe that our home should be a safe place for our child and their friends. We are both Christians and grew up in Christian homes. We believe in love, forgiveness, honesty and acceptance. We will have unconditional love for our child and encourage them to find hobbies that they like.

We knew early on that Nyla could not carry children. We are excited to grow our family and provide a child with a loving, stable home.  When our child comes home, we look forward to taking time off to spend together as a family. Once we go back to work, we find a nanny or small daycare. We want our child to have lots of attention while they are small.

Our Support System

Family and friends are everything! We are blessed with a big support system who is cheering us on. Our child will have lots of love from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Since we have family in Florida, our child will definitely spend lots of time there. We love family vacations. It’s not always easy getting everyone together, but we try to get at least a few of us together for family time. We also like to hang out, play games, eat and just talk. Spending time without family keeps us connected. EJ’s family has an annual Thanksgiving dinner in Florida which is their time to reconnect.

We both have been blessed with lifelong friends. Our friends are our family. As EJ says, we “like to hang out”. During warm months, we have cookouts. During the winter months we get everyone together for local indoor events. We spend time with our friends’ families as well. Our friends have children of all ages.

We live in a big city, so we have access to a children’s museum, zoo and local parks. We live near a state park and have annual passes. We look forward to spending time there as a family. We also live near multiple soccer fields, city parks and walking trails. We’ll be able to get lots of sunshine as a family. We also look forward to teaching our child how to swim, EJ is a big swimmer. So our child will take swimming lessons early. We also want our child to have a sense of community. We are looking for a local church that we can join as a family. Places of worship usually have lots of child friend activities.

We are excited to welcome a baby into our home and we look forward to getting to know you.