Charles and Mathew

We are Charles and Mathew from Southern California. First and foremost, thank you!

We’re so appreciative of your time and consideration and are amazed by your courage and strength to choose adoption for your child. We’ve always known we wanted to be fathers and are so thankful to be in a place in our lives where we can finally do just that. We have been together for just over 10 years now and married since 2014.

A few tidbits about us:

Making Our Dream Come True:

Growing up we always wanted to get married and have kids, two things we thought we would never be allowed to do

Silly Coincidences:

We went to different Universities, in different states, but both had the Lumberjack as a mascot, school colors of green and gold, and were both nestled in majestic forests

The Artist and The Geek:

As a child Mathew wanted to sing opera, and Charles always wanted to make computer software, today we’re both living those dreams

About us: We met on a rare sunny summer day in San Francisco, California, where Mathew was picnicking with his friends while dog sitting the most adorable puppy, Biscuit. Well, Biscuit got loose from his leash and found me nearby, it was pretty much love at first sight… for us, though Biscuit was pretty cute too.

We  both grew up in small towns, and probably because of that our appetite for travel is great. Only a few months into our relationship we started planning a 3-week trip to Europe. Since then we’ve had the amazing privilege to visit Southeast Asia, India, Hawaii, and more. We want to make sure our future child has the same opportunity to see the world too.

Earlier this year, we decided to move from the bustling city of San Francisco to the much more laid-back, family friendly City of Irvine in Orange County, California to focus on building our family.

Some of our favorite things:

Foods

• Charles: Mexican & Japanese
• Mathew: Thai Food

Kid’s Book

• Charles: The Hobbit
• Mathew: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Movie

• Charles: Star Trek 4
• Mathew: Memoirs of a Geisha

Hobbies

• Charles: Baking, spoiling our dog, Building LEGO, Hiking
• Mathew: Piano, reading, Judge Judy, Hiking with our dog

Places

• Charles: Disneyland, Hawaii, Napa
• Mathew: Thailand, Lake Tahoe, Opera

I’m a California native, born in Sacramento, raised in Lake Tahoe, and I attended college at Humboldt State, in the beautiful Redwoods at the top of Northern California, where I received my degree in Graphic Design. I have one sibling, my younger brother Dennis, who is literally my opposite. He is an officer in the Marine Corps. He’s a jock, and I’m a total nerd.

I’ve loved computers since I was 11, when I built my first PC, in 1993, before there was Internet. For the last 18 years, I’ve had my dream job as a Software Designer and have been with my current company for the past 6 years. When I’m not in front of the computer, you can find me baking, playing with our dog, Susan, or building a Lego set.

More about Charles, by Mathew: When I think of words to describe my husband the first and most imporant one is: kind. He treats everyone with respect. Next is: intelligent, not only with computers and design, but in all aspects of life. Most of all he cares—about people, the world, and the way we treat both. And, just between us, he’s a huge lover of Disneyland. My favorite Disney memory was the first time we went together, the moment we entered he pointed and shouted “Mickey!” with a huge smile. It reminded me of a kid’s first time seeing their favorite character.

The greatest thing is already knowing that he will be a great father and role model for our child. When he’s with our nieces and nephews it’s almost as if the other adults disappear. I’m excited to see him raise our kids, and I look forward to seeing how they’ll grow up when someone as devoted as Charles is in their life.

I was raised an Air Force kid, born in Texas, but grew up in Japan, Washington and Arizona. I attended college at Northern Arizona University, nestled in the majestic mountains of Flagstaff. I have my degree in Vocal Performance, it was my dream to be an opera singer, and I am lucky that I have been doing that for 15 years. I’ve sang for opera companies all over the country, and for 12 years led music services as the Cantor for a church in San Francisco, where I also taught children’s chorus.

I’m the middle child, with 2 siblings. I am closest to my little sister, Chelsea, who is a teacher in Wyoming.

I love to travel and got to study abroad while in college, performing music all over Europe: in Amsterdam, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Austria. I speak German and some French, I would love for our child to learn a second language early in life. I can’t wait to share my passion for music, art, travel and culture with our future child.

More about Mathew, by Charles: Mathew is my best friend, confidant, travel companion, movie buddy, and love of my life. He is the most empathetic person I’ve ever met; he cares deeply about other’s well-being—whether advocating for LGBTQ+, BLM, and the environment, or even just shedding a tear when that one Sara McLachlan ASPCA commercial comes on TV. He has a beautiful musical talent, and a voice that could make an angel cry.

He is my perfect complement. When I’m acting too hasty, he slows me down. When I struggle with indecisions, he talks me through it. He’s funny, witty and selfless. I can’t wait to see Mathew hold our future baby for the very first time. I know he is going to make an amazing father. He will be a fantastic role model, friend and teacher.

We are fortunate to live nearby both of our parents. Charles’ mom, Barbara, and stepfather, Ron, still live in his hometown South Lake Tahoe. Mathew’s dad, Dean, and stepmother, Pam, live in Phoenix. Both are a half-day drive from our home, and there is no doubt we will all make the drive often so that the grand baby can be properly spoiled. Charles’ brother Dennis, and his wife, Dana, live an hour away near San Diego, both are in the US Marine Corps, stationed at Camp Pendleton. Dennis and Dana have 4 kids, Makayla (14), Aiden (12), Gavin (10), and Alexa (8). Mathew’s sister, Chelsea, lives in Wyoming with her husband, Travis, and their 8-year-old son, Waylon Rowdy. There will be plenty of cousins to go around!

Mathew’s grandparents have passed away, but Charles still has his maternal grandparents, Mike and Betsy, that live in Northern California, and step grandfather, Dick, lives in Northern Nevada. All of whom can’t wait to add another great grand baby to the family.

We generally spend the year-end holidays splitting our time between our parents, and often see our aunts, uncles and cousins while we are in town.

Our dog Susan: Susan is our 7-year-old Labradoodle, we’ve been her parents since she was just 8 weeks old. She still has loads of playful energy and absolutely adores children. We’ve never seen her happier than when our 5 nieces and nephews go crazy playing with her. She is so gentle, and most of the time just loves to snuggle… and beg for treats. She will make an amazing big sister.

Five of our holiday traditions:

1. We light the menorah for the 8 nights of Hannukah
2. We setup our Christmas tree on Dec 1, and take it down on the 31st
3. Mathew leads the children’s chorus service on Christmas Eve
4. The week before Christmas we visit Charles’ family, the week after we visit Mathew’s
5. Attended SF Ballet’s The Nutcracker for the last 5 years

We currently live in a beautiful apartment community in Irvine, CA, one of America’s safest cities. Our community has a lot of young families, and is well appointed with swimming pools, and outdoor areas. We are only 20 minutes from Disneyland and have been Annual Passholders for 7 years; we simply can’t wait to share the magic of Disney with our future child.

In the next couple of years, we’re planning to buy our forever home. If we don’t stay in Orange County, we are looking at the Hollywood Hills area (in Los Angeles) where  there are tons of outdoor activities and is close to Downtown Los Angeles for the arts, theatre, opera, museums and multi-cultural foods that we love.

Some things we like to do together:

• Hiking with our dog, Susan
• Hosting dinner parties
• Bingo nights with our dear friends
• Exploring restaurants
• TRAVELING! Together we’ve been to Amsterdam, Paris, Versailles, Berlin, Tuscany, Milan, Bangkok and Phuket Thailand, Southern India, Japan, and annual trips to Hawaii and NYC

As parents, we promise:

• We will love without conditions, and accept your child for who they are
• We will do everything we can to provide every opportunity
• To fill our home with love, laughter, support and kindness
• To provide the best available education, cultural experiences and travel
• To encourage them to try new things, and support them on their journey to discover their role in the world

Thank you!

Thanks for taking the time to get to know us a little better. It’s impossible to share everything about ourselves in just a few pages, but if you’re interested in learning more about us please reach out!

We would love to get to know you better and learn about your journey, we know first-hand that family is more than blood, and we are humbled by your consideration.

With love,

Charles & Mathew