Welcome! Meet:

Ben + Sarah

Communications & Marketing / Nonprofit/Philanthropy

Oregon

Caucasian

All About Ben & Sarah
Video
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Ben & Sarah

We are a loving couple of 15 years (and a 13+ year old dog) who live in Oregon. We have thoughtfully approached our decision to become parents through adoption, and we are so excited to start a family through open adoption.

Sarah (as written by Ben) is the most energetic, hilarious person. She brings life to every relationship she enters, be it her work with local nonprofits, her friends, or our relationship at home. She will be such a good mom because she cares deeply about the people in her life. She is honest, empathetic, and will drop everything to help the people close to her.

Ben (as written by Sarah) is incredibly thoughtful, kind, and patient. No matter what’s going on, he has a very steady presence that makes people feel reassured that everything will be ok. I love how he is a curious person who always wants to learn new things. Ben already has the dad jokes ready to go, and he will be a patient, caring dad and a wonderful source of support for this child and our family.

Trix is a lazy old lady who has calmed down quite a bit from wilder puppy days but still likes to play.

Together, we love to travel, hike in the Pacific Northwest, watch scary movies and comedies, and spend time with our friends and family. We love cooking because we love to bring people together over food.

We both prioritize family and look forward to being devoted parents who will always put our child first. Thank you for considering us.

Why Adoption?

Over the last few years, we realized that we wanted to start a family. We chose adoption as our first option because we have so much love and energy to share with a child who needs a home. We look forward to having an open adoption and expanding our definition of family because we believe that the more people care about a child the better.

We grew up in homes where extended family and friends were always part of our celebrations. We are excited to raise a child in an open, supportive family structure. We have a warm, welcoming home, and our extended family and friends are also looking forward to embracing and supporting us.

Family & Home

We live in a quiet neighborhood in east Portland, Oregon near great parks, bike paths, and even a college summer league baseball team. We love to host our friends and family for games and holidays. We are walking distance from an Italian bakery/coffee shop, a movie theater, and more.

Our Dads, Ben's sister Morgan, Sarah's brother Bryan and our friends make up the people in our community. We’ve built long-term friendships in the different places we have lived and have wonderful friends in Portland and beyond.

Both of us lost our moms to breast cancer in 2017-2019. Our home is full of things

that remind us of them, including photos, original watercolors by Ben's mom, questionable artwork purchased by Sarah's mom and lots of photos. We are both very close to family, and family is our top priority. We love traveling and often visit Ben’s dad in the Washington, DC area and Sarah’s dad in Nashville, Tennessee.

How others describe me

How We Met

We met in our early 20s when we lived in Washington, DC. We both worked at the same non-profit. Ben was too shy to talk to Sarah, but at a few events out of the office we had some time to get to know each other and it turned out we had a lot in common. We both loved movies and music – one of our first dates was going to a concert.

It wasn’t long before we were rescuing a dog and moving across the country to Portland, Oregon. Fortunately, that ended up being one of the best decisions of our lives, and we are still happily together 16 years later.

Advice to Future Child

We hope to be the best, most supportive parents possible. Sarah’s advice to anyone is always “be kind to yourself,” and we will apply that even more to a child growing up and trying to navigate identity and relationships. We want to help instill confidence and kindness in our child, and we would also give ourselves and our child the advice to lead with empathy and curiosity, trying to understand others’ experiences. We also think it’s important to share that big emotions are ok and normal, and that healthy conflict is ok. Families are made of complex humans and no one is perfect.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We understand that open adoption is the ethical way to build a family through adoption and absolutely the best thing for an adopted child. The more loving adults in any child’s life, the better - and open adoption fosters a sense of connection that can really help address the sense of disconnect and loss that can come with adoption.

Open adoption is focused on what’s best for the child. Maintaining a connection with birth parents and other family members will support the child in feeling more safe and secure. We are fully committed to doing everything we can to make our child feel secure, supported, and loved. Being open-hearted applies not only to the child's birth parents but also to being open to questions and comments from your child that will be challenging, and we really believe in the importance of all of these aspects of open adoption.

Favorites

Ben

Favorite Movie: The Princes Bride
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: I love Christmas. While my family isn’t religious, we always made a really big deal out of Christmas Day. It’s not all about the gifts … It's the meal! Sarah and I have a new tradition of cooking a large Italian meal that usually includes arancini (fried rice balls, stuffed various fillings) and caponata (a sweet and savory eggplant dish served on bread).
Hobbies/Interests: biking, chess, reading Science Fiction, basketball
Dream Vacation: circumnavigating the Mediterranean in a yacht
If I Could Choose a Superpower: predict the future

Sarah

Favorite Movie: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas Eve was a big deal in my family. On my mom’s side, we’re Italian-American and celebrated the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Special meals (and desserts) are still my favorite part of any holiday.
Hobbies/Interests: cooking, yoga, very slow running, hiking, trivia and board games
Dream Vacation: East African coast/Zanzibar
If I Could Choose a Superpower: ability to speak and understand all languages