Rachel & Chloe In Pennsylvania

Rachel and I met 8 years ago while working at Ohesson Manor, a nursing home in our area. I was attracted to her warm and bubbly personality, and she loved the way my smile would light up the room. We both have continued our education and remained in the nursing home profession. Rachel is an admissions and discharges coordinator and I am an activity director at the same nursing home.

I am laid back and have an easy going personality. I am reserved, but once I warm up to you, I enjoy connecting through humor. Rachel is very bold and very strong in her convictions. She also has a very quirky side and likes to break out in song at any moment. Overall, we really like to have fun, and enjoy doing entertaining things that make lasting memories.

We like connecting to nature. We have a garden through the summer, many houseplants and we enjoy spending weekends at our camp in New Lancaster Valley. There we like to relax by the fire, playing games and cooking good food. We are very family oriented, traveling to and vacationing with our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins often. We live next door to Rachel’s parents, Dan and Pam, and see my parents regularly through the month. We have a family home in Florida that we vacation to every March.

We have a small core group of good friends who we like to be with as well. Rachel has a handful of friends who she has known since high school who have brought me into their circle. Each of them have children, and we are so excited to potentially watch our children grow with theirs.

We work through the week and have off most weekends, and we make it a priority to remain active locally. Rachel and I enjoy the arts. We make it a priority to go to concerts, musicals and shows. Sharing the arts and connecting with people is important to us. We like a variety of artists and love to see things that offer a new light on life.

Our ten year old Miniature Pinscher, Charlie, brings lots of laughs and love to our home. Rachel got him when he was two from acquaintances who could no longer care for him. When Rachel got him when he was two from acquaintances that could no longer care for him. When Chloe came into the family, he quickly warmed up to her and formed a special bond. He’s comfortable with his large extended family at gatherings, and is playful and friendly to younger children.

Two years ago, we made the decision that we wanted to build a home together. We carefully chose plans that would give us room to grow; we picked a three bedroom ranch design. We were fortunate to build beside Rachel’s parents, in a rural development that put our home nestled in the woods, but minutes from downtown Lewistown. We live in a small rural community, but also live in a densely populated borough where locals travel to shop. We have a large yard, and share a backyard with Rachel’s mom and dad. They have a pavilion and a pool which is where many friends and family gather when the weather is warm.

There is one county school system here, the Mifflin County School; we also have a few private school options. There are two parks in our town, and a thriving downtown full of restaurants, shops and activities. Every year Lewistown holds Kid Connection downtown, where local businesses organize events that support Mifflin County youth.

We are in Central Pennsylvania and the Appalachian Mountain Range runs through it. During the fall, our mountains have some of the most breathtaking views. The Range creates many unique mountain and valley areas in our area; the most famous being Happy Valley which leads you to State College, the home of Penn State University. This area is more diverse and is where we will take our family for arts and music festivals, and where we will travel for Church.

Chloe's parents both live close and we see them often. Her mom has picnics at her home where we gather with Chloe's sisters for good food and laughs. Chloe has three sisters. Jillian is the oldest and she has two sons. Donte is grown and lives in Buffalo, NY and Grayson will be graduating high school next year. Jillian is a nurse at a nursing home in her area, and she cannot wait to be an aunt. When Chloe's mom married her husband, Dave, Chloe gained another older sister, Lacey. Lacey has two daughters, Brooklyn and Riley, who live nearby. They are younger and are excited to have a little cousin to play with. Amy is Chloe's youngest sister. She lives close and we spend the most time together, camping, biking and spending time with our father.

Every year, Rachel, her parents, her two brothers, Nathan and Alex, and her sister, Chantel would go on vacation. These vacations are some of Rachel's favorite memories as a family and will always cherish them. Our yearly vacations continue, sadly, Chantel is no longer with us.

Chantel was hit by a drunk driver on January 20, 2019. We spent 8 days in the hospital as Chantel fought for her life. She lost her fight on January 28, 2019 at the age of 17. Chantel was such a loving and giving person. She was an organ donor and was able to help many people through her gift of organ donation. There is not a day that goes by that we do not think of her. This loss has reshaped who all of us are. We have an even greater realization how important family time is, and cherish our time with each other.

Now that we are older, we have begun to form some of our own family traditions. Rachel has a very large and extended family that comes to our home for holidays, and we welcome everyone to our table. She has many aunts, uncles and cousins who have deep family roots.

A few years ago we began hosting Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings at our home. It’s special to us to continue a tradition that was passed down to us by Rachel’s mom, who is still here to always offer guidance and support when hosting a big group.

Rachel knew she wanted to adopt from a young age and her desire to adopt grew when her family adopted her siblings. Chloe always considered adopting but was especially inspired by Rachel's family. We both want to adopt to open our home and hearts to any child who needs us.