David
Neighbor
Gender:
Male
Status:
State:
California
Religion:
Spiritual
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree
Profession:
Sr. Director - Data Strategy
Political Affiliation:
Lean Left
Erin
Caregiver
Gender:
Female
Status:
State:
California
Religion:
Spiritual
Education:
Some College
Profession:
Nanny
Political Affiliation:
Independent
My favorite place in the World is...
My home. I love to travel to new places and visit family, but nothing beats the comfort of being at home with David and our dogs. Sounds corny, but home is definitely where the heart is for me.
-Erin
I'm super competitive when it comes to...
Board games. It brings me great joy to beat David (which usually is the result 🙂) at whatever game we play. In all sincerity, we love board games and play them in the evenings a couple days a week.
-Erin
If I could have dinner with anyone—dead or alive—I would pick...
My Grandpa.
-Erin
If I could choose one type of food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be:
Mexican, Mexican, and Mexican. Growing up in southern California, it’s hard not to be addicted to Mexican food. I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 7 days a week if I could get away with it.
-David
My philosophy on parenting is...
Love, guide, build trust, and be supportive. I think teaching a child right from wrong, helping them make the right decisions when you can, and then always being there with love and support is very important.
-David
Dogs or cats?
Definitely dogs.
-Erin
If I could choose one type of food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be:
Pasta! I love pasta of all shapes and sizes, and with just about anything it goes with. I genuinely don’t think I’ve met a pasta that I didn’t love.
-Erin
What is the best word to describe our family?
Supportive. We’re really lucky to be very close to our immediate and extended families. We’re always there for each other, through both the challenges and celebrations that life brings us all.
-Erin
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the night sky?
How big and crazy this universe is… and how teeny tiny we are in it.
-Erin
If you had to pick a famous person to play you in a movie, who would it be?
Probably Chris Evans. Other than being fairly tall and having dark hair, we don’t have much in common. But Erin has a huge crush on him, so I feel like it would be the best chance to get her to watch the movie.
-David
Favorite season and why?
Winter! I love winter and everything that comes along with it. Holidays, yummy foods, parties and gatherings, celebrating. There is something so fun about getting bundled up on a cold brisk and bright sunny day (we live in CA). I also love when it gets dark early and all the bright twinkly holiday lights come on, it just feels so special and fun.
-Erin
My favorite YouTube video is: (paste the full link)
I love music, so at the minute I would say this video of one of my favorite groups - Band of Horses (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_veTZGGP9k&list=RD7_veTZGGP9k&start_radio=1). If you checked my Youtube history, 99% of it would be some sort of Rock, Blues, or Irish Folk music.
-David
I would never...
Intentionally eat mustard.
-David
My favorite Instagram account is:
https://www.instagram.com/loulouminidachshund/?hl=en is my favorite IG account for sure. We have 2 awesome weiner dogs at home, so that's what definitely drew me to the account initially. However, I keep going back because they give a lot of great advice on how to deal with breed specific issues for our dogs, they grow a lot of their own food like we do, and they have a bunch of other cool animals that they feature… but mostly it’s because I love weiner dogs.
-Erin
In five years our relationship with our child’s birth mother will…
It obviously depends on what the birth mother is ok with, but I hope the relationship between my wife, adopted child, myself, and the birth mom is very comfortable and open. I think it’s really important for the child to have an understanding of their entire background and extended family. Assuming it’s something the birth mother wants, I imagine it would be incredibly healthy and comforting to continue to see the child they gave birth to be raised in a healthy and loving family.
-David
Complete the sentence, “I can’t live without……”
Iced coffee. My favorite morning routine is to get my two dogs in the car, go get my iced coffee, and enjoy it at the park with them.
-Erin
I would never...
Skydive. I’m pretty adventurous, but I never really saw the point in jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.
-Erin
What scares you?
Clowns!!!
-Erin
My best friend would describe me as...
Tall (I’m 6’5”) would maybe be the first thing out of their mouth, but hopefully dependable and loyal would follow quickly. I have known some of my closest friends for more than 35 years. We have been there for each other through thick and thin, and they know that I would be there at the drop of a hat when they need me.
-David
In five years our relationship with our child’s birth mother will…
I hope that in five years and beyond, that our relationship with our birth mother is comfortable, familial, and continuing to grow. I genuinely believe that a healthy and transparent relationship between a child, it’s birth mother, and adoptive parents is vital for everyone.
-Erin
When we argue, what’s it about?
David and I tend to align very well in life’s serious moments. We save arguing for petty things like where to eat dinner, political banter, and of course the thermostat.
-Erin
Three years from now, I hope our child’s birth mom is…
Selfishly, I would like our birth mom to be some part of ours and our baby’s lives. However, most important to me is that she is healthy and happy in the place she finds herself, and confident that the child she gave birth to is being raised in a good home surrounded by love.
-David
My favorite website is (...not your Facebook page :)):
Super boring, but probably 3 or 4 different news websites. I tend to read 2 or 3 US-based news sites and one from Ireland every day. I don’t spend hours on them, but I like to check in on what’s going on locally and around the world.
-David
When we argue, what’s it about?
What we’re going to have for dinner. Erin is an amazing cook, but would likely tell you that the hardest part about making dinner is choosing what to make… and I’m not the best at thinking of what to make.
-David
What scares you?
Mustard!
-David
My neighborhood is a good place to raise a family because…
Our neighborhood is incredibly safe, full of kids, in an amazing school district, close to a lot of nature, and right in the middle of where all of our family lives. One of the reasons we have stayed in the area when we decided to move into a house is because we thought it would be a great place to raise a child when we decided to grow our family.
-David
We are the best choice because…
We are in the perfect place in our lives to start a family! We have a wonderful home in a very safe city and the perfect school district. We have an incredible support system. We are at a point in our careers and life that allow for a full time parent at home with financial stability. We are ready and we can’t wait.
-Erin
What is the best word to describe our family?
Close-knit. I’m not sure if that’s one or two words, but it’s how I would describe both mine and Erin’s families. We speak to all of our parents and siblings at least once a week, if not more. We babysit our nieces and nephews often, and we get together very frequently. I would even say the same for our extended families. We talk to aunts, uncles, and cousins, both near and far, at least monthly. We even had almost 40 people from Ireland fly in for our wedding!
-David
Complete the sentence, “I can’t live without……”
Other than my family of course, I’d say cheese. I have an obsession with just about any type of cheese I can get my hands on.
-David
My favorite place in the World is...
My home. Growing up our home was always the center of activity and comfort, and I feel the same way about the home that Erin and I have now. It’s where we spend most of our time, and I am super excited to raise a child here.
-David
Favorite season and why?
Probably summer. We live in southern California, and the summer usually brings great weather to be outdoors and warm ocean water to surf in.
-David
Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual?
I was raised in a fairly religious household, but I would definitely consider myself more on the spiritual side these days.
-David
If you had to live on an RV or sailboat for the rest of your life, which would it be?
100% a sailboat. I love the ocean so much. It always helps me relax and forget about any stress I might be feeling in that moment… plus, I feel like a sailboat would let me get to more exotic and interesting places than an RV.
-David
Dogs or cats?
Dogs! We have 2 weiner dogs that have been a really special part of our family for more than 13 years. No matter the type of day you’re having, seeing their tails wagging when you walk in the door makes things immediately better.
-David
Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual?
Spiritual. I grew up going to church every Sunday and I loved the community aspect of it. As an adult my “community” is filled with friends and family outside of religion but I have remained spiritual and live by many morals that were instilled in church.
-Erin
My neighborhood is a good place to raise a family because…
Our neighborhood is a great place to raise a family because it’s full of kids, is very festive during all the holidays, has a park where Santa and the Easter Bunny visit, and a bunch of annual events like a chili cook offs and 4th of July parades.
-Erin
I'm super competitive when it comes to...
Board games. Specifically board games that I’m playing against Erin. I usually come out on the losing side, which drives me crazy and probably fuels my competitive fire. In fact, 10 minutes before typing this answer, she beat me twice in a row at Rummikub - one of our favorites.
-David
If you had to live on an RV or sailboat for the rest of your life, which would it be?
I love the ocean and all of its beauty... but I prefer it from the safety of the shore. RV 100%
-Erin
My favorite website is (...not your Facebook page :)):
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/ . This is where I find my favorite recipes. Everything is super seasonal, and it leads into a lot of my favorite things to do like cook our dinners during the week and host family parties.
-Erin
My best friend would describe me as...
Fun, talkative, supportive, and caring.
-Erin