We met in Virginia nine years ago when Taylor was attending VCU and Silas was in the Navy. We were a match immediately, and for the next three years, while Taylor finished school, Silas spent every weekend he had visiting. After Taylor graduated, we bought our home and have loved it from day one. We now work together as realtors. Silas spends his free time giving back to the community, as the vice president of the Virginia War Museum Foundation and the president elect for our local Rotary Club. Taylor loves everything real estate and development, and he spends his free time researching and educating others on the benefits of homeownership and the impact it has on a community. Raised in Boy Scouts, Silas is eager to teach a child the wonders of the outdoors and how to enjoy them safely. Similarly, Taylor grew up near the water and is excited to share the joys of summer with a young one.

Taylor’s family is small and tight knit, with every member being an integral part of our lives. His aunt and uncle live near historic Williamsburg on the James River, his mother lives ten minutes away, and his dad lives 20 minutes away. We see them all multiple times throughout the week.

Silas was raised in a very large family (19 cousins!) that he spent every Sunday with for family dinner. They all live within 25 minutes of each other, surrounded by mountains in Central Utah. We travel to see them annually, and his parents and brothers travel out to see us regularly as well.

The contrast in our upbringings has provided us with unique and loving traditions that we are excited to instill in a family of our own. Silas shares a love of history with his father, making every visit an exciting and educational tour of historic sites nearby. Taylor shares a love for innovation and personal progress with his mother, regularly finding new ways to improve themselves and our family. We both grew up exploring the outdoors, whether that was camping in the high alpines, road tripping across the country, or spending 90% of the summer with toes in the sand.

Our home is located in a historic neighborhood in Virginia, only minutes from the ocean, two blocks away from the elementary school, and four blocks from multiple large parks. It is an adorable four-bed, two-bath colonial home built in the early 1900s and we have loved all the work we have put into it to bring Taylor’s vision to life. It is kept loud and fun with our two dogs: Max, a Rhodesian ridgeback who is the biggest lap dog we’ve ever met, and Maya, our energetic and cuddly chihuahua, both rescues from the local shelter. Constantly sneaking around the house is our lovable tuxedo cat, Maggie, a rescue from the streets, who isn’t afraid to let us know when she wants a treat!

Our greatest desire in life is to create a warm and loving family, and we decided together that adoption is the best path toward that for us. Adoption is not foreign to our family; Taylor’s uncle and Silas’s cousins were all brought to our family through adoption. We know we have a strong support system around us to help along the way and look forward to growing our family through adoption.