Welcome! Meet:

Greg + Mary-Grace

Judge / Attorney/ Government Relations

Kentucky

Caucasian

Christian

All About Greg & Mary-Grace
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Greg & Mary-Grace

Greg likes to think of himself as serious, but light-hearted and easy-going. He is more musical than athletic, but has taken up the hobbies of running and bicycling and spends most of his free time outdoors. He was an only child and was raised primarily by his mother, as his father was always away on business. He has been practicing law for over thirty years and continues to do so now as a judge. This job allows him the flexibility to prioritize his family first.
Mary-Grace has always dreamed of being a mom. She is an only child and was raised in a small town in south-central Kentucky by her mom after her parents’ divorce.

Her mom showed her what unconditional love truly meant. Mary-Grace wants to be a mom so she can pass on the love, devotion, and understanding that she felt as a child. Mary-Grace is an attorney and solely practices government relations. Her job has flexible hours in which she can be a stay-at-home mom except for a few months out of the year.
Together we have a marriage that is filled with love, laughter, and happiness. While our life is nowhere near perfect, we pride ourselves that we work together to ensure our marriage is strong and that we each feel supported. We share responsibilities around the farm and the house, and we both know that the other is willing to help when we need it. More than that, though, we enjoy helping each other and some of our most cherished memories are of us working together on daily tasks. We truly enjoy each other’s company and laugh with each other constantly. We are not only each other’s partner in our marriage, but also each other’s best friend.

Why Adoption?

Mary-Grace has always thought about adopting a child. We discussed early in our relationship our desire to become parents and the different paths we could take to fulfill that dream, including adoption. After we had difficulties having a child biologically, we decided to begin our adoption journey. We believe that adoption is how parenthood begins for us.

Family & Home

We live on a beautiful 140-acre farm that overlooks the Kentucky River. We raise produce that Mary-Grace sells to local restaurants during the summer. Our home has a wrap-around porch where we get to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets and watch the windmill in our yard turn with every breeze. We spend most of our time outdoors and our property allows us the freedom to explore. We have multiple trails that we hike or run on. When we are inside, we have a large, open kitchen that Mary-Grace cooks and bakes in, including for Thanksgiving every year. Our house is where almost all family functions occur.
Although we cannot see our neighbors from our house, we live in a close-knit rural community where we know everyone around us. We truly live in a community where you can stop by your neighbor’s house to “borrow a cup of sugar” so you don’t have to go into town and we have had that actually happen (but it was celery seed) to us. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and the community we live in embraces that old adage fully.
We believe love is what makes a family. Because of this, our family tree is not like most. Some of our family shares our DNA, some of our family is related to us legally, and still yet, others are family because they love us.

How others describe me

Mary-Grace tries hard to always do the right thing, even if it is to her own detriment at times. She takes care of me at home. She is smart and is always there to discuss things before decisions are made. She takes slow consideration and balances out my quick decision-making. She is beautiful. She is diligent in her faith. Most of all, she is always there for me.

Greg loves me exactly as I am. There is no judgment and there is endless support. I always tell Greg that I love him because he’s my everything. What that means is he is my foundation. He is there to lift me up on my bad days and celebrate my good ones. He is always there to help me complete any plan I have. He is my partner in life for whatever life throws at us. And he keeps me laughing at all times. He is funny and quirky and balances out my seriousness. He is extremely caring and giving. He wants to be everything for everybody and tries to help however he can.

How We Met

Our meeting was by happenstance. We met when Greg was at his dad’s house one day and Mary-Grace dropped something off for him. We continued to see each other occasionally for a year and a half when Greg would come into town for work and Mary-Grace was visiting family. It wasn’t until Mary-Grace messaged Greg after his employment changed that our relationship began. A month later, we went on our first date. We grew close quickly and soon became inseparable. We lived three hours away from each other but were together every chance we got - putting thousands of miles on our vehicles over the years to come. Two and a half years (to the day) after our first date, Greg proposed at the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina and Mary-Grace, of course, said “yes.” We planned our wedding on our anniversary and got married on our farm four years after our first date. After years of long distance, we now live on a farm in the town we originally met in. We have now been together a total of over six years and are happily enjoying the life we have built together!

Advice to Future Child

No matter how life treats you or who you turn out to be, we will always have nothing but unconditional love for you.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

Optimistically, open adoption is a wonderful pathway for a child to be loved in different ways by multiple families. Pessimistically, it’s confusing and scary for all parties. Realistically, it’s somewhere in the middle. As attorneys, we fall in the cautiously optimistic end of the spectrum. We know that each situation is unique to a birth family, adoptive family, and child. With that said, we do enter adoption with an open mind and hope to create a relationship with the birth family for our child that is in his or her best interest. We plan to be open and honest about all aspects of their background, and will allow them to dictate how much information and interaction they want (while keeping in mind what is in their best interest as a parent should).

Favorites

Greg

Favorite Movie: The Godfather Trilogy
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: hosting our annual 4th of July Cookout and Fireworks Party
Hobbies/Interests: running, cycling, learning new farming techniques
Dream Vacation: St. Regis Bora Bora
If I Could Choose a Superpower: psychic

Mary-Grace

Favorite Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas Eve service at my childhood church then visiting with extended family and friends the rest of the evening
Hobbies/Interests: cooking, volunteering, singing, gardening
Dream Vacation: somewhere exotic and full of adventure (Costa Rica? Ecuador?)
If I Could Choose a Superpower: teleportation