Rylan and Andrew

Hi, we are Rylan and Andrew from Northern California. We are so incredibly thankful to you for your strength, bravery, and openness in considering us as adoptive parents.

From the moment we met, we have always talked about adoption and building a family. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to have a family of our own, but adoption was always in our plan. We want to build our family out of love, compassion, and openness. Family goes beyond blood and is built on a desire to love. We have wanted to become parents for a long time now and couldn’t be happier in starting this journey. We hope your journey leads you to the right choice for you and your family.

Parenthood is all about the journey…the journey to grow in relationships, to learn and to teach one another, and leave a positive impact in some way. We are excited to begin this new chapter in our lives and share our passions with our future child. They will be in a home filled with love, music, and art. Our journeys will take us to parts of the world where we can learn about culture and other ways of life. We want to cultivate a place where they will be open to explore and become their best self.

About Us: It started with a profile on Match.com that had the heading of “a mix between Sheldon and Howard,” from the Big Bang theory. A few days later and messages sent back and forth, we met up for a movie. Ever since then, we have been by each other’s sides.

Marriage was discussed early on in our relationship, but neither of us imagined a formal or conventional approach to that next step in our lives. We proposed to each other on Valentine’s Day in 2014 and four months later we exchanged our wedding vows with just the two of us present in Florence, Italy!

We love to go on adventures around the world and explore new foods, cultures, and landmarks. We truly enjoy the cinema and one of our mottos is “There is nothing like a good movie”. We love to watch a movie that makes us laugh. We both love to cook and are always up to try a new recipe!

Five Things Our Friends Say About Us:

• Geeky and fun
• Wear our hearts on our sleeves
• Love hockey
• We’re silly
• Always there for others

Things That We Will Teach Our Future Son or Daughter:

• To find joy in the small things
• Love the world and what it can teach them
• Lead with love and always see the best in others
• Explore and ask questions
• To know they are loved for who they are
• To love learning even if it is hard

I was born and raised in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa Ontario. The city is very much a government town, but in the 1990’s it developed a fairly large tech sector and earned the name “Silicon Valley North”. Because of this, technology was an important part of our school system and I very quickly latched onto programming computers. Much like Rylan, I switched my career choice from doctor to Software Engineer because I realized my passion for computers.

I had never really thought about having a child, until January 2013 when my sister had her first child. I scheduled a trip to Ottawa to visit and meet my niece. While I held her in my arms for the first time, I realized that I wanted a family of my own. Just a few months later I met the love of my life, Rylan.

More About Andrew by Rylan: Andrew is going to be an incredible and loving father. Andrew is a thoughtful, kind, and compassionate person. He loves to learn new things and is driven to be the best version of himself. I love him because he understands my independent nature and accepts me as I am. He has a very witty sense of humor and will always use a quote from one of his favorite movies.

He loves to embrace his inner child and will bring his goofy joy to our family. He wears his heart on his sleeve and cares deeply about those around him. He will encourage our future child to follow their passions and love others unconditionally.

Andrew’s Fun Facts:

• Grew up watching movies at his parents’ video store
• Enjoys playing ice hockey
• Loves playing board games

I grew up in a small immediate family with just my mom and dad. Even though I grew up as an only child, my childhood was filled with soccer games, arts & crafts, and playdates with my cousins and friends.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to become a doctor. When the reality finally came of going to medical school, I realized that I wanted to be surrounded by children and to teach. I attended the University of California, Santa Cruz to earn my Masters in Education. Since then, I have taught 1st and 2nd grade for 15 years. There is nothing like seeing a child learn to read and recognize that they are a reader! This truly is the best part of my job.

I love to cook, paint, read, and get outside in nature. My deepest passion is to travel. I have been to over 37 countries. Each time I visit a new place- it’s like breathing for the first time! I hope to instill a love of the world and all of its possibilities with our future child.

More About Rylan by Andrew: When I met Rylan, the first thing that I was attracted to was her love of movies, especially some of my favorites and that she is a huge hockey fan. It gave us some common ground which created really interesting conversations. I knew that she loved to travel, but I didn’t comprehend at the time how much that was a part of her life. I had never taken up travel, but after meeting Rylan she has taken me to so many amazing places. It is truly her life inspiration.

Rylan is always considering the people around her. She has a saying “friends are family” and when one of them is in a bad place or achieving something great, she is quick to build a gift basket filled with heartwarming trinkets.

Because of the way she cares for others and her students, I am excited to see her shine as she becomes a mother.

Rylan’s Fun Facts:

• Grew up performing and dancing in children’s theater productions
• Enjoys swimming and surfing in the ocean
• Loves hiking and hugging trees
• Loves to explore the world and try new foods
• Geeking out and binge watching a new show

Rylan’s mom and dad, Barbara and James, live about 10 minutes away. They are both now retired and we see them weekly. Rylan loves to travel with her dad all over the world.

Andrew’s family is all back home in his native Canada. His mother, Darlene, calls him weekly and they chat about life. His sister, Jennifer, has two children, Baylee and Rileigh, whom we love to spoil, and we enjoy hearing about their adventures.

We believe that it is important to stay close to our families and visit as often as we can. Our friends and family are all excited for us to start a family as they have seen our deep desire to be parents!

We believe that friends are family, and our friends play an integral part in our life. Rylan’s friends, Megan, Michelle, and Eva, formed a tight knit bond when they started teaching together. They love to travel, hike, and spend time together. Rylan’s friend Kathy, is like a second mom to her and she has been an influential part in her life.  Andrew came to California from Canada with his best friend Peter and although he recently moved to Colorado, Andrew talks with him weekly.

Holiday Traditions:

• Celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in October
• Cutting down our Christmas tree every Thanksgiving
• Watching “Scrooged” and “Holiday Inn” every Christmas

Winchester is a 4-year-old Golden Retriever. He joined our family when he was a puppy and has been loved from day one. He has an enormous amount of energy and loves everyone he comes in contact with. He loves to play and cuddle. Winchester loves all people and will always say hello to anyone he meets!

Hobbes is a 4-year-old, Siamese Tabby who we rescued. He is very mischievous and likes to chase Winchester all around. Hobbes is very excited to have a new baby brother or sister to snuggle up to!

Our Home and Community: We live in a warm and beautiful 2 bedroom town home in Northern California. Our home is filled with natural light, pictures of our families, and artifacts from our travels around the world. Our community is filled with children of all ages and lots of dogs. We are very lucky to be surrounded by the redwoods and the Pacific Ocean. Nature is all around and provides us with so many opportunities to explore the great outdoors. We enjoy going to our local Mexican and Thai restaurants and heading to our favorite used bookstore!

Our Final Thoughts: Thank you for getting to know us a little bit more. We value and appreciate your time and your consideration of us as adoptive parents. We would be thrilled to be chosen, but any family would be so very lucky to welcome your child. Follow your heart!