Dan & Amber In Pennsylvania

We met when we both got accepted into a training program at work. We quickly became friends, and both found ourselves excited to get into the office because we couldn't wait to see each other. It didn't take long for us to realize we had met our soulmate. After a year of dating, Dan proposed at one of our favorite places - a pumpkin patch! We have now been married for over eight years and together for eleven.

We’re still best friends and love doing everything together. Our favorite things to do are try new restaurants, hang out in coffee shops and attend sporting events, although most days we like to spend time at home with our three cats, watching movies, playing board games and doing crossword puzzles. We like to travel and try to take one nice vacation each year, usually either Disney World or a cruise!

Family is the most important thing to us, and we both have strong, local family ties which allow us to spend a lot of in person time with the ones we love. We are very close with our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins so there is no shortage of love and support in our lives. We are so excited at the prospect of adding a child into our family because we have so much extra love to give!

Dan is a Pittsburgh native who is passionate about his roots. He comes from a family of five, with an older sister and younger brother. While he is the middle child, he does not have “middle child syndrome” as he has a bright and energetic personality! An eternal optimist, Dan frequently sees the silver lining in life and opts to highlight the strength and beauty in those around him. He is very active – he played baseball all through adolescence and now plays ice hockey and soccer. He loves to watch professional sporting events, but also enjoys sitting on the couch with a cat on his lap watching the latest Marvel superhero movie! He has a close-knit group of friends – his best friends since high school - but he considers his family to be his closest friends. Dan got his bachelor’s degree from Penn State and his masters from Carnegie Mellon and now works as a Senior Financial Analyst for FedEx.

Amber is also a Pittsburgh native and loves all the activities the city has to offer – especially the zoo. She is an only child but grew up in a full house with her mom, grandparents, uncles, and cousins. She does not consider herself an only child because her eight cousins are like siblings to her. Amber is not quite as active as Dan, although she does enjoy taking walks in the park near their house. Her favorite things to do are cook, read and watch movies – either at the movie theater or under a blanket on the couch. Amber met her best friend, Justine, in kindergarten and they still talk every day! She is also very close with her parents and grandparents. She loves trying new restaurants with her mom and stepdad and visiting her grandparents as often as possible. Amber has her bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University and her masters from Robert Morris. She currently works as the manager of customer insights in the corporate office for one of the largest grocery store chains in the country.

Family is the most important thing to us, and we both have strong, local family ties which allow us to spend a lot of in person time with the ones we love. We are very close with our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins so there is no shortage of love and support in our lives. We are so excited at the prospect of adding a child into our family because we have so much extra love to give!

We are both Pittsburgh natives. Dan comes from a family of five with an older sister and younger brother. Amber is an only child, but grew up in a full house with her mom, grandparents, uncles, and cousins.

Amber has a very close relationship with her mom and stepdad. We often hang out with them for dinners, to watch sporting events or just a low-key visit at home. Amber and her mom also take a mother-daughter trip together every fall. Amber's grandparents are a big part of our lives, too. We visit them often and Amber, her mom and grandmother attend afternoon tea every month at a local restaurant. We also spend a lot of time with Amber's aunts, uncles and cousins. We sometimes take large family vacations to Disney World, Universal Studios or the beach. Amber's cousins are like siblings to her, especially her cousin Pete, who has become a great friend to Dan as well!

We are also very close with Dan's immediate family, living within 15 minutes from his parents, brother and sister. They celebrate most holidays together, but also get together at least once a month for a dinner out or a game night at home. Dan considers his brother, Mike, to be his best friend. We see Mike and his girlfriend, Tessa, often and like to go to Dave and Buster's to play games, go to the movies, attend sporting events and watch Dan play soccer at the park. We are also fortunate to live near much of Dan's extended family and see them as often as we can.

We have a great group of close friends. Amber met her best friend, Justine, in kindergarten 31 years ago. They still talk every day, and we are very close with Justine, her husband and their two sons. Dan's friend group was formed in the early days of high school and remains as tight today as it was then. Dan and his four friends talk frequently and hang out about once a month, either for a guys' night or a couple's night out with all of their wives, who have also become close.

We like to take one or two trips each year, if possible. One trip is usually a long weekend away to our favorite city, Columbus, OH. While there, we like to enjoy the restaurant scene, attend sporting events and go to the country's largest Irish Festival. We also usually take one big trip per year, either to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, FL or on a cruise to the Caribbean.

Sports are a big part of our lives. Dan plays both ice hockey and soccer whenever he can and both of us like to attend professional sporting events to support our favorite teams.

We’re ready to expand our family and have long known that adoption was the right path for us. We’re so excited at the prospect of being able to raise a child and show them all of the things that we enjoy most in life, which includes our families, friends, pets, hobbies and holidays.