Heidi & Andy In Washington

About Heidi

I was born and raised right here in Washington State. I attended pre-k to 8th grade at the local school where my mother taught preschool and home-economics. I was raised in a Lutheran Church, and my mother also taught Sunday School which she attended weekly. I attended the local community college and received my AA degree. I was raised with values of love, kindness, compassion, empathy for all beings, and that family is everything.

I've always had a love for the outdoors. Growing up, my sisters and I spent most of our time either exploring the 7-acres of property we lived on, biking down the road to our best friend’s house or hiking up into the tree farm across the street to explore the wilderness. My mother had a green thumb, so there were many garden and flower beds to tend to.

I was also raised to be an avid fisher woman, as my dad loved to be on the water. Twice a year, we would travel to the family cabin on Vancouver Island to fish. My father and I shared a passion for building things, learning and fishing. I also enjoyed working on cars, and my sisters and I were taught at a young age how to change the oil and work on our own vehicles. Unfortunately, Heidi's father passed away suddenly about 7 years ago. He was one of my best friends and it was tragic for the entire family.

Later that summer, I met Andy, and he completely changed my life. Not only had I found best friend, but I had also found my partner in life. We bonded very quickly; sharing a love of travel and the outdoors. I had never been so happy in all my life. We married in the early summer of 2019. It was the most magical day on the waterfront, the weather was perfect, our families were together, and most importantly Andy and I were together.

Things started to change that fall. I left my job after 18 years, and I started to work for the family business at the hardware store. Andy and I wanted to start a family right away; we were both getting older and wanted to share this beautiful life with others, and we have always loved children. I enjoy seeing the world through their eyes. How they learn, what they learn and what they can teach us about life. How sometimes things don't need to seem so difficult, and children can help us reflect on that. We are so excited to become parents!

I love food, and I love to cook. I also like to volunteer my time during the holidays to support the local food bank with a gift giving tree. As well as at our friend's and local breeders house for neuro stimulation with newborn puppies. I really enjoy art; in that I like to experiment with art forms. I enjoy painting, writing, storytelling and creating colorful artwork at the local glass shop where I am a member. I still love to be in nature, and whether it is in the woods, the mountains or the beach, I am at home.

About Andy

I also grew up in beautiful Washington state. I am an only child and am very close to my parents to this day. I learned the importance of communication from them. We also knew how to have fun. We spent many nights playing games and watching movies together, laughing as much as possible. I would work in the woods outside my childhood home with my dad, building trails and chopping/stacking wood. To this day, I still get a thrill when I am outside working in those same woods. I had many childhood friends, many who are still my friends to this day.

After college at the University of Washington, I joined a travelling children’s theater company and spent a year seeing the entire United States. After getting bitten by the acting bug, I decided to move to Los Angeles. I spent 12 years down south, acting, writing and producing projects. I even worked as a tour guide on the Paramount studio lot! It was an eye-opening, once in a lifetime experience. The things I learned during that phase of my life I use daily.

I have always wanted to start a family of my own, and so I returned home about 10 years ago. My parents were getting older, and I wanted to spend more quality time with them. Our family business also needed some updating, and I knew with the skills I had learned, I could really help support it. Most importantly, I was eager to find a wife who wanted to start a family with me. When I found Heidi, I knew she was the right person. We have built an amazing life together, and I know we are ready to take the next step towards being parents of our own. I can’t wait to share the experiences I had as a child with my own children.

We live in a beautiful Farmhouse-style home that we built in 2022. Part of the planning with this home was to share the living spaces inside and out. We live on a wooded 2.8-acre lot. We have larger windows in each room to take in the view of the forest that surrounds us, as well as incorporated a large wrap around porch where you can sit anywhere you like. We love to spend time both inside and outside. The kitchen is the heart of our home. We designed this space to gather, talk, relax and eat. We love that the kitchen and living area is one big open room. Our guests can gather and enjoy the inside spaces connected between the kitchen and living room or they can step just outside and enjoy the scenery of the woods that surround us.

Along the outside of the porch is a rose garden where we see the birds daily and love feeding the hummingbirds. We built this house with the intention of filling the bedrooms with our future family members! Andy’s parents live on a lot connected to ours of 2.5-acres. We have several trails and paths through the woods connecting our homes. We enjoy walking our dogs through the woods daily.

The schools in this area are well respected. Andy attended these schools from elementary to high school and received a college-level education. One of the best things about the area is that we are in a rural zone but are only 45 minutes away from Seattle. This means we have the natural beauty and privacy of a rural setting, but the cultural and educational opportunities of a big city. We really get the best of both worlds here. There is also quite a selection of private schools in our area as well if we decide to go that route for education.

We live on a private road with a few homes and all our neighbors are nice. We are thankful to have good friends and neighbors so close by. Many of these neighbors are still the same residents and families that Andy grew up with, while others are new families with young children. We look forward to
connecting more with them when our little ones become mobile. We are so grateful to live in the beautiful place that we do.

Family is very important to us. We both communicate with our family members either daily or weekly depending on the situation. Since we get to work with half of our family and live nextdoor to them, it is easy to say we see them daily, which we really enjoy. When we leave for work, our dogs take a short trip through the woods to “Grandma and Grampa’s” house to spend the day with them (and get plenty of treats). Our parents love spending the day with the dogs, and they give them extra attention and interactions while we are at work. We are blessed to have this connection and community so close to home.

Our other family members live on the beach. We all enjoy the beauty and serenity that this place holds. The dogs are free to run and play, and we love beach combing and gathering rocks and buoys on the shore. The sunrises are spectacular! It has been a tradition in our family to celebrate Christmas at this home, and we plan to keep this home in the family for many generations to come.

Our family lineage is mostly from the islands of Europe. Heidi’s family comes from Norway & England, and she is a first generation American. Andy’s ancestry is from Ireland, Scotland and England, and his family has been in North America for a long time. During the weekends, birthdays and holidays our family gathers to celebrate life. We spend the days helping each other with projects inside and outside. In the evenings we talk, eat and play games together. Some of us are more competitive than others, be we always laugh and have a good time!

Both of us love food and enjoy eating. Heidi is a great cook and loves to cook in our new kitchen. She can almost always be found in the kitchen making something up, sautéing or creating the next great thing. Food is one of her love languages and has always been very important to her lifestyle. Our diets consist of healthy choices, almost all fresh food. We shop at our local co-op for most of our food and believe that what you fuel your body with makes all the difference.

Andy produced a movie while living in LA before coming back to settle in Washington. This was a 5-year journey from beginning to end, supervising all aspects of making a film, from writing to production design. It was quite an amazing experience; a wonderful yet difficult journey. It certainly wouldn’t have happened without the dedicated support of his friends and family.

After struggling with infertility for years, we decided this was the next big step. We know there is someone out there who may not be prepared for or able to support a new baby, and we just know we can be and want to be parents! We know there is a child (children) out there waiting for us, and we will wait for them to find their way into our hearts and home.