We met through an online dating app back at the very end of 2011, where Mike said hello to Mark. After some introductions, we agreed to a date, and the rest, as they say, is history. We got married in 2014 at Kingsland Bay State Park, in part because of the beautiful setting showcasing Vermont in the fall and in part because Mark had worked for the state park system in his youth. Mark works from home now as an information security professional, and Mike is a homemaker. Mikey likes to collect comics, particularly Marvel, and Mark is an avid reader. Mark does the outside chores, and Mikey does the inside ones. We love to take care of our home and enjoy our time there. We love to travel, and we love to visit with friends and family.

We have a lot of traditions we do with each other’s families as well as just the two of us. At the start of the year, we usually entertain Mike’s mother for a winter visit. At times this can include skiing and sometimes various nieces and nephews in tow. We often travel in June to Montreal for St. Jean Baptiste Day. It’s a good excuse to visit the closest big city for a summer weekend as well as get in a little practice of the French language. Mark was a former exchange student to Germany and still stays in close contact with his host family. We generally visit them for two weeks in early fall. It is always a warm visit with the families. As a couple we also take side trips to various different places in and outside of Germany.

Last but not least are the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Each year we alternate homes for these particular holidays. Mark has an older brother and a twin sister, and Mikey has his half-brother and half-sister; his other two sisters have passed away. Various cousins play roles in our lives as well as aunts and uncles.

Our home is a four-bedroom colonial house on a larger plot of land in a rural setting. We have lots of wooded land, a great hill for sledding in the winter, and a large apple tree with a swing on it. Berries grow all around the property. We live in a small town that has a popular park, several conservation areas where we also like to hike (when we’re not hiking on our own property), and a close-knit community. A neighboring town adds the high school, a skate park, and other sports and community activities. Marie is our “black panther,” a 10-year-old black cat that loves lap time and occasionally running around the house during playtime.

We have always spoken about having a family since we have been together. We decided we had to achieve other goals to get to this one however. First we wanted to get married, and then we moved to Vermont, where we had always wanted to settle down and plant roots. Once we were finally able to purchase a house together, we knew our next big step would be finally making adoption the next part of our life.