Hi! We’re David and Marley! Eight months before we got married in 2017, David was diagnosed with leukemia. This was the beginning of our journey to adoption. While the fight through cancer was difficult, it brought us together and helped us realize the beauty of the ordinary days. We were blessed to welcome our daughter, Amelia, through the gift of adoption in 2020. We get the joy of raising this human who does not look like us but acts like us in every way possible. Even though there is immense joy, we also feel the heartbreak that comes with adoption. The struggle and trauma that is present through this process for everyone involved is not to be ignored. We talk about Amelia’s birth family often and talk to her about her adoption through books and our personal stories. She will know her story and her important place in both her birth and adoptive families’ lives.
We were both born and raised in Arizona. We currently live in Mesa and are close to many family members, our church, work, and tons of fun activities. We are both Catholic School teachers with David teaching high school and Marley teaching first grade. We love to go on adventures around town as a family. Museums, parks, the zoo, the library, splash pads, or the movie theater are typically in our plans on the weekend. We are the family that is constantly laughing, singing, and dancing around the house. We enjoy cooking together, doing crafts, reading, or playing board games. Trips to Flagstaff, Sedona, or San Diego are some of our favorite escapes. If Amelia could choose though, we would be in Disneyland every week. Amelia loves going to preschool, swim lessons, dance, and gymnastics classes. She loves playing pretend, drawing, dressing up as Rapunzel, and riding her bike. Amelia prays for her brother or sister daily and looks forward to being a big sister one day.
