Lauren & Richard In Washington

Our dogs are the reason we met! We were initially living next door to one another, and our dogs would try to play with each other through the fence. One day, Richard put Nanaki over to play with Linus and Larry and the rest has become history. We're here today all because our rambunctious little animals insisted upon being each other's best friends.

Professionally, we have both enjoyed careers working with the public, albeit in quite different fields. Lauren has had a long career in medical administration and was recently promoted to the role of billing specialist with Vera Whole Health. Richard's career has been more circuitous: a former Marine who went on to acquire a BA in filmmaking, Richard found his way into Federal service in 2015 and currently serves as a claims representative with the Railroad Retirement Board.

Happiness, love and experiences are our primary goals in everything we do. We love anything outdoors. Hiking, yard work and walking our dogs being our primary activities. All of our experiences are opportunities to grow as people, even spending a relaxed night in with friends.

We both have soft hearts and treat each other and everyone around us with respect. Lauren's warmth compliments Richard's strength, and together we are better for it. We accept others for who they are and hope to pass on these values.

In December 2020, we bought a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Auburn, WA, and have been busy updating it ever since! We both enjoy DIY projects and plan to slowly improve our home over the coming years. Our backyard is spacious and enclosed, featuring a beautiful old pear tree that produces more fruit than we know what to do with. Lauren has hidden several fairy gardens throughout the yards to grant the house an air of whimsy. The neighborhood is pleasantly quiet, culturally diverse and located near to several parks and schools.

Lauren comes from a family with a rich history in music. Most days this means she is humming or singing as the day goes on. Lauren is very close to her immediate and extended family, with most of them living locally, and they have welcomed Richard as one of their own. Lauren’s mother lives with Richard and herself and is excited to spoil her first grandchild! Her younger brother and his wife are looking forward to soon becoming parents as well. Her father and stepmother, whom they are also very close with, spend their time between the Seattle area and Eastern Washington, providing a great excuse to visit the beautiful resort town of Chelan, Washington. She also has five aunts and eleven cousins, most of whom have children of their own. Family gatherings are always larger than life and a lot of fun. Family professions include nanny, mechanic, teacher, engineer, paramedic, stay-at-home mom and physician. So much love, so much fun and a ton of support surround them!

Richard’s family lives in the gorgeous mountains and forests of northern Idaho. His mother and father have embarked on a new journey, selling their home of twenty years and buying an RV to explore the country once his mother retires. He has two younger brothers, both of whom have children with their wives and live within ten minutes of each other. Family professions include hospitality, long-haul trucker, mechanic, mining specialist and stay-at-home mother.

We love visiting Richard's family in Idaho. The family always welcomes us enthusiastically when we visit and brings us along on the sorts of family outings you can only engage in in the unspoiled wilderness of rural America: swimming and fishing in pristine rivers, mountain trekking in side-by-sides, and camping beneath the stars to name a few. We try to visit twice a year, in summer and winter, though we plan to visit more often once schedules allow.

When the weather permits we enjoy gardening and yard work, taking walks through our neighborhood with our dogs, and other outdoor activities, like cycling, swimming, fishing and especially hiking. Throughout the year we read, play video and board games, watch all kinds of movies and take weekend trips to the coast. We love the beach whether it’s sunny or raining! We travel less than we would like because of work requirements and ongoing COVID restrictions, but when we do travel we tend to visit family in Chelan or Pinehurst or else take a weekend to ourselves out in Westport. Individually, Lauren loves to cheer on the Seahawks whether they are winning or losing, while Richard loves to exercise and fix up the house. We also have a small group of tight-knit friends with whom we are quite close.

Adoption has long been how we imagined becoming parents. We each have a significant “found” family made up of friends we love like our own blood, and we both had the idea of adopting our child before we ever broached the topic with one another. Now that we’ve started this process, we are so happy that we have this opportunity to build our family.