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Justin & Mary

Thank you for checking out our family profile! We want you to be comfortable with the family you choose, so we have tried our best to show in our profile how much support, experiences, joy, and most of all, love that we will give your child. We know this is an incredibly important decision for you, and we would be thrilled and honored if you considered us!

About Us

Justin
Mary
Job
Vice-President and General Counsel
Chief of Staff, Office of Advancement
Education
Law
Communications
Children
None
Relationship
Legally Married
State
Virginia

Our Lifestyle

In Antigua, Guatemala - That's an Active Volcano Behind Us!

Our lifestyle is vibrant and varied. We have a steady foundation but we ensure we are always keeping things interesting. We love to host friends and family at our house for game nights, bbqs, karaoke competitions, etc. Each year, we take turns planning a mystery trip where the other person does not know anything about it. This year, Justin surprised Mary with a trip to Guatemala - she found out where we were going at the airport!

We love to balance hobbies and nights out with quiet, cozy time at home. We both prioritize work-life balance, ensuring that we don’t work long hours and making time for ourselves and each other. Justin is currently attempting to run every mile of our city. Mary is learning creative writing and (attempting) to make clothes in her spare time. You’ll often find them playing Racko at the dinner table or talking through a new binge-worthy show on Netflix or any of the other streaming sites they have and can’t keep up with!

Our lifestyle is one that is typically consistent, welcomes some chaos, makes time for each other’s individual growth, supports whirlwind trips to the Eras Tour in London (Mary went in June!), and tries to wring as much enjoyment out of life as we can.

Our Pet

Us and Gus at the Grand Canyon - it Was Hot!

Gus is one of THE most important parts of our lives. He is a 3 year old Cavachon, and the most fun thing we’ve ever done together (to date). He was a pandemic puppy and we only realized when he was five months old that he’d never actually been alone before (oops!). But that has been good practice on how to help this tiny thing - who has no idea what we are doing - adapt to our lives and also a crash course in humility on how to adapt our life to his.

For as much as we have given him, he has given us so much more. He has taught us valuable lessons in patience, unconditional love, empathy, self-sacrifice and gratitude. You have to really love Gus a whole lot to give up two nights of sleep to sit up with him when he had a bad reaction to anesthesia (Mary) or wake up every twenty minutes to take him out in the January cold when he had tummy troubles (Justin). But he makes it easy because he is the best, even when he’s eating our socks and scratching a hole in our door.

What it Means to Be a Parent

Hanging Out with Our Niece Juniper

Being a parent means unconditional love. When we discussed raising a child, neither of us were concerned about whether our child would share our interests, or grow up to look or be like us. We are incredibly excited to see how our child develops and who they become, and will nurture their passions no matter what. We will love them completely, asking only that they strive to be a good person.

We are excited to be parents because we believe in the strength of our own relationship - we are a great team and will share parenting responsibilities. Justin is looking forward to watching Mary instill a feisty spirit and the ability to self-advocate in our child, and Mary will eagerly watch Justin teach our child empathy and curiosity about others. We see in each other qualities we want to foster in our child. Finally, we are excited that they will have such a strong support system. Justin’s parents are exceptional grandparents, and Mary’s parents will be as well. The baby will have at least one cousin their age to grow up with, as well as the children of many of our friends. We love the people that surround us, and cannot wait to share them with our child.

Photos

Getting Ready for a T-Swift Concert with Close Friends!
Getting Ready for a T-Swift Concert with Close Friends!
Mary in Colombia
Mary in Colombia
Celebrating Justin's Sister's Wedding
Celebrating Justin's Sister's Wedding
Mary with Our Nephew Akash
Mary with Our Nephew Akash
At Giant's Causeway in Ireland
At Giant's Causeway in Ireland
Almost There!
Almost There!
Celebrating Gus' First Birthday!
Celebrating Gus' First Birthday!
Us in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Us in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Happy Moment During Wedding Reception
Happy Moment During Wedding Reception
Kayaking on Cape Cod
Kayaking on Cape Cod
At the Street Art Museum in Amsterdam
At the Street Art Museum in Amsterdam
Celebrating a Friend's Birthday Party
Celebrating a Friend's Birthday Party
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1 / 12
Getting Ready for a T-Swift Concert with Close Friends!
Getting Ready for a T-Swift Concert with Close Friends!
2 / 12
Mary in Colombia
Mary in Colombia
3 / 12
Celebrating Justin's Sister's Wedding
Celebrating Justin's Sister's Wedding
4 / 12
Mary with Our Nephew Akash
Mary with Our Nephew Akash
5 / 12
At Giant's Causeway in Ireland
At Giant's Causeway in Ireland
6 / 12
Almost There!
Almost There!
7 / 12
Celebrating Gus' First Birthday!
Celebrating Gus' First Birthday!
8 / 12
Us in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Us in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
9 / 12
Happy Moment During Wedding Reception
Happy Moment During Wedding Reception
10 / 12
Kayaking on Cape Cod
Kayaking on Cape Cod
11 / 12
At the Street Art Museum in Amsterdam
At the Street Art Museum in Amsterdam
12 / 12
Celebrating a Friend's Birthday Party
Celebrating a Friend's Birthday Party

Our Extended Families

Visiting Ocean Isle Beach

We’ve always defined family very broadly - ours is made up of both given and chosen loved ones. It includes people who have known us since birth and some who started out as friends but have become family along the way. We both have best friends of over 25 years that they consider siblings - diverse, smart, funny, talented people who help them feel seen, heard, loved, supported. Our families have knitted together, becoming friends themselves - some of them talk to each other even more than they talk to us! We laugh together - a lot! Whether it is with our family who live close by and are looking forward to helping with the baby on a day-to-day basis, or those who live further away who we stay connected to through frequent Zoom calls and fun family trips - laughter is the thread that ties both of our families together.

On a Christmas Light Tour

We like to host at our house - cooking and eating in our backyard, playing card games, and running around with our dog Gus. One of our favorite traditions is Pie Party, which we host twice per year - everyone is required to bring a pie. We end up very full and with a lot of leftovers but it keeps our family close. Everyone is very excited about the new addition! Our niece Juniper was born last year and we can’t wait to introduce her to her new cousin and playmate.

Our House and Neighborhood

Our Home

We live near the water in a historic neighborhood right outside of Washington, DC. You can see the Washington Monument from our street! Our home is a rowhouse with a finished basement and back patio. Justin makes sure that the flowers in the front yard bloom spring through fall, while Mary fills the entire inside of the house with small plants that stay green year round. Our child will have an upstairs bedroom right next to ours.

One of the best things about our neighborhood is how walkable it is. We walk to grocery stores, restaurants, the library, stores, and dog parks. We could walk to day care, elementary school, and middle school, and Mary’s parents live a 15-minute walk away. We have a very active neighborhood. There is a very nice recreation center one and a half blocks from our home with a pool, gym, and afterschool programming. There are playgrounds within walking distance as well.

There will be plenty of opportunities for our child to meet other children and play in a safe environment. Our town is very old so there are often family events held to celebrate the town’s history. For example, we have a Scottish parade and a St. Patrick’s Day parade each year where many children either participate or watch. As the town has people from many different countries, there are many international cultural festivals featuring different food, music, and art.

From Us to You

We cannot imagine how difficult and emotional the adoption decision must be for you. You will have many wonderful couples to choose from, so we are being very open and honest in this letter about who we are and what we envision for our child. We want you to be comfortable with your choice and know that you picked the right couple for you and your baby.

We are happy that American Adoptions has an “open adoption” model, so this letter and our pictures and video are not the only ways you will get to know us. If you choose us, we would love to get to know you further before the adoption. Even if that is not possible, we are fully committed to sending updates and pictures, and we are open to considering visits as the child grows older, depending on their comfort.

We have been married for a little over three years, and have been together for seven. We met at a karaoke bar through mutual friends. Mary’s first glimpse of Justin was him singing a 90s R&B classic, and Justin’s first sight of Mary was her singing back to him. It wasn’t love at first sight — we were friends at first — but as our friendship grew deeper we saw that we were right for each other. We share the same fundamental values: treat people with respect no matter who they are or how you meet them; assume good intent in others; be empathetic; be curious about the world; speak up for yourself and others; protect and love your family; and fill your life with as many experiences and laughter as you can stuff into it. However, we are definitely not the exact same. Mary is the “idea” person, constantly coming up with new projects, and Justin makes sure we focus and finish at least some of the projects! Justin described Mary in his wedding vows as a tornado, but instead of getting out of the way, Justin will always jump in her path so she can sweep him off to their next adventure.

We live a 15-minute walk from Mary’s parents. We see them and their two dogs a lot, and they are excited to be grandparents. Justin’s family is a bit spread out, but no one lives too far away. Justin has a great relationship with his mother, father, and sister. His sister just had a daughter, so our child will have a cousin around their age to play and grow up with. We have a wonderful network of family and friends that will help nurture them in their unique ways.

Mary is a woman of many hobbies. She writes fiction, sews, shops at vintage stores and bookshops (Justin begs her not to bring home too many books but has learned to live with piles of them in the house), takes fitness classes (she used to teach yoga), and even drums. Justin stays active by jogging and playing tennis, is a talented and accomplished singer, does musical theater, plays piano, and cheers on his Buffalo Bills and Georgetown Hoyas.

We are so looking forward to discovering what they will like to do and will always nurture and encourage their interests, even if they are not the same as ours. Maybe they will be musical, or athletic, or brilliant, extroverted, introverted…it doesn’t matter, as long as we teach them the values we mentioned earlier.

We have a wonderful marriage and relationship, and the two of us (as well as our good dog Gus!) have so much love to give. We are immensely grateful for your consideration. We know it is the biggest decision of your life, and it is the most significant decision we have ever made as well. If you feel a connection and that we are the right fit, we would love to get to know you and start a relationship so that you can rest easy knowing your baby is safe, cared for, and loved.

Justin & Mary

Favorites

Justin
Mary
Actor
Will Ferrell, Ryan Gosling, Jason Mantzoukas
Tom Holland, Sterling K Brown, Chris Evans, Michael B Jordan, Robert Downey Jr, Ryan Gosling
Actress
Eva Mendes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Tina Fey, Zendaya, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Ayo Edibiri
Animal
Our dog Gus!
Dogs, monkeys, penguins, highland cows
Author
Colson Whitehead
Ali Hazelwood, Ruth Ware,
Book
The Nickel Boys
I can't pick just one, there's too many that I love!
Candy Bar
Take 5
Take 5
Cartoon
Family Guy
Archer, Animaniacs, Rugrats
Childhood Memory
Going to the Atlanta Olympics in 1996
Childhood Toy
Sega Genesis
GameBoy
Children's Book
Encyclopedia Brown books
The Giving Tree, Where the Wild Things Are, Phantom Tollbooth
City
Nothing like my hometown of Buffalo, NY!
London
Classic Movie
Back to the Future
The Birdcage
Color
Blue
Pink
Day of Week
Saturday
Saturday
Dessert
Any and all pies
Pie, any and all kinds. We have a pie party every year and everyone brings pie to eat
Disney Movie
Beauty and the Beast
Big Hero 6, Aladdin, Wall-E, Inside Out
Dream Car
One that's paid off! (I'm not really a car guy)
Range Rover
Dream Job
NBA commissioner
Music Tour Manager
Dream Vacation
Around the world stopping in different cities
Sightseeing in a new place and then relaxing in the mountains or by the water
Family Activity
Traveling, family dinners, walks in neighborhood
Traveling, board games, reading a book together
Flower / Plant
Rose bushes
Basil plant, dahlias
Food
Chicken wings
Pizza, Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream (or really any flavor), popcorn, peanut butter
Form of Exercise
Jogging
Walking, high fitness/jazzercise, yoga
Fruit
Peach
Bananas
Game
Racko
Racko, Rummy Cube, Scattegories
Hobby
Singing
Writing, Reading, Sewing, Drumming, Making clothes
Holiday
4th of July
Pi(e) Day
Holiday Song
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (NSYNC)
Mary Did You Know, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Mariah's Version
Holiday Tradition
4th of July cookouts
Ice Cream
Mint chocolate chip
Anything Ben and Jerry's puts out, coffee oreo (sadly Ben & Jerry's has not produced this yet)
Junk Food
Girl scout cookies (mainly thin mints and samoas)
Leisure Activity
Watching sports on tv
Reading, bingeing Netflix
Magazine
The Atlantic
Simple
Memory with a Child
Celebrating with my mentee when he got into college
Celebrating her first Christmas with our niece Juniper
Memory with Spouse
Hanging out with our friends after our wedding
Cross-country road trip for our honeymoon
Movie
Still Back to the Future, but I'll also say Rounders
Harry Potter, Avengers - basically any Marvel movies, Notting Hill, The Eras Tour Movie
Movie Munchie
Bunch a Crunch
Popcorn and M&Ms mixed together
Movie Quote
"That's the way you do it, that's the way you debate!"
Movie Type
Comedy
Comedy, Action, True Crime Documentaries
Musical
Book of Mormon, West Side Story
Les Miserables, Hamilton, Blood Brothers
Musical Group
Tragically Hip, Eric Church, A Tribe Called Quest
Taylor Swift, the 1975, Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Kasey Musgraves, Megan Thee Stallion
Nursery Rhyme
Humpty Dumpty
Olympic Event
Track and field
Snowboarding
Personal Hero
Thurgood Marshall
Taylor Swift, Jose Andres, Jane Fonda, Harriett Tubman
Play
A Christmas Carol (good holiday tradition)
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Poet
Walt Whitman
Mary Oliver, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen
Quality about my Spouse
Intelligence, her knowledge of rap lyrics, selflessness
His endless curiosity, his taste in 90s r&b, his humor
Quote
"No dress rehearsal, this is our life" --Tragically Hip song
this is our place, we make the rules
Restaurant
Food trucks
I love local restaurants run by people in our community, I don't go to chains that much if I can help it
Sandwich
Grilled cheese, some bacon, maybe a little tomato
Meatball Sub
Shopping Store
Home Depot
Value Village/Unique, Target, TJ Maxx
Song
The Bones by Maren Morris (wedding song)
How could I pick just one! It depends on my mood honestly
Sport to Play
Basketball
Mini golf
Sport to Watch
Basketball
Hockey, Football if the Buffalo Bills are playing
Sports Star
Josh Allen, Allen Iverson
Chloe Kim, Serena Williams
Sports Team
Buffalo Bills, Georgetown Hoyas, Pittsburgh Pirates
Buffalo Bills, Washington Capitals, Boston Red Sox
Subject in School
Music, Social Studies
History, Music, Recess
Superhero
Batman
Favorite to Watch: Loki, Favorite Power: Mystique or Rogue
Thing to Cook
My wife is the better cook, I like helping her by making side dishes
I like to bake a lot but probably turkey chili
Time of Day
Early evening when it's time to relax
Early in the morning before everyone else is awake, it's quiet and it feels like I'm the only person in the world
Tradition
Annual summer baseball trip with my father
Our annual pie parties
TV Show
The Wire
Girls 5Eva, Parks and Rec, Never Have I Ever, 30 Rock, Frasier, Brooklyn 99, Arrested Development, West Wing, Derry Girls, Queen Sugar, Bridgerton
TV Show Character
McNulty from The Wire, Jake Peralta from Brooklyn 99
Gina Linetti from Brooklyn 99, Davie from Never Have I Ever, Chris Traeger from Parks and Rec
Type of Music
Rock
R&B, Country, Pop, Rap, Folk - mix of old and new of each
Vacation Spot
USA: San Diego; Foreign: Spain
England or anywhere I can sit and stare at a mountain
Video Game
NBA2K
Sonic the Hedgehog

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