How others describe me

Meet Jordan

Jordan is the oldest of 11 (all of which are half siblings) and was adopted by his dad (step dad) when he was ~12.  He maintains relationships with all siblings and parents and greatly appreciates his bio-dad allowing him to be adopted.  It is because of his own non-traditional family experiences, that he supports allowing the bio family and child to be the guide to the openness of the relationship and is grateful that he was afforded the opportunity to be adopted and determine what that would look like and was able to maintain positive, regular relations with both families.  In fact, both families were an active part of the couple’s recent wedding and all love Paul – but what’s not to love.

Jordan was born and raised in Utah and moved to New York at 18 to attend college on a scholarship he got from participating in the international science fair.  He subsequently moved to/lived in Thailand, Spain, Antigua and Barbuda, and Utah over the next five years while he finished his Bachelors in Molecular Biology, MBA, and Masters of Education in Instructional Design. He later went to school to earn a Master’s of Science in Leadership and Management – primarily to get cheaper symphony and opera tickets and because work would pay for it.

Jordan currently teaches yoga at a five-star hotel and is about to start a job with the US Government as a Software Program Manager, in addition to some property management he does on the side.  He has previously worked at multiple startups and fortune 500 companies across the finance and biotech sectors and used to run a non-profit in Southeast Asia and a regional science fair in Utah.

Jordan has always had a strong desire to be a father, and told himself growing up that if he wasn’t married by 24, he would just adopt and be a single dad.  Well 24 hit and he realized he wasn’t quite in the position to be a father yet, so he became a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and has been volunteering with children in the foster system ever since. Then in 2019 he again felt a strong desire to mentor more, so he started taking classes with Utah Foster Care and Catholic Community Services and became a refugee unaccompanied minor foster parent.  When there was a gap in placements, Paul moved in and Jordan had to stop being a foster parent due to state policies around unwed couples cohabitating while fostering. Jordan was okay with this because it was all a step towards his ultimate goal of being able to adopt and he knew that there was something special about Paul and really loved his family values.

Jordan has completed training programs with Utah CASA, Catholic Community Services, Adoption Learning Partners, and Utah Foster Care (2019 and 2023) and is excited about the opportunity to adopt and be a full-time, permeant parent.

Jordan speaks English and Thai, some French and Spanish, and is learning Vietnamese.

Jordan (by Paul)

I have great admiration for Jordan and for his kindness and compassion. I still remember the first Christmas flight we took together to fly back to the Bay Area. Jordan brought a bunch of Korean paper facial masks to give to all the flight attendants and workers at the airport. He did so to show his gratitude for their service. I was impressed by his thoughtful gestures towards strangers and people around him.

Jordan is the most socially aware person I have ever met. He has a strong passion for social justice and is deeply concerned about underprivileged communities. He volunteers with several non-profits, and once a year he brings medicine to poor villages in Guatemala.

Jordan has a deep affection for his family and makes it a point to call his mother every day. He has a special fondness for children, particularly his nieces and nephews. It's heartwarming to see how much he adores them and is always on the lookout for opportunities to spend time with them, playing strategy board games and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Jordan serves as an inspiration for me to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle by purchasing sustainable products and volunteering in my community to help the underprivileged. He constantly reminds me to visit my mother's crypt at the church and say a prayer for her. I have always wanted someone like him in my life so that we can start a family together. His kind heart and tremendous dedication to making a difference in the world are truly remarkable.

I am looking forward to raising children with him.

Meet Paul

 Paul grew up in Vietnam and immigrated to the US at age 12 post the Vietnam war with his parents and three older siblings.  He remembers going “camping” in Vietnam with his family and coming back after only a few days.  Later he learned that the “camping” trip was a failed escape plan.  Paul and his family first moved to the Monterey, California area where his mother worked as a housekeeper at an inn.  Paul’s first job was actually a bell boy at this same inn that looks out to the Monterey coast. His family instilled a strong work ethic and worked extremely hard to get off of welfare, start a family business, learn English, and ensure the children were able to excel.  Education was a strong focus in his life and he graduated with Bachelors in Finance and Business Management, as well as an MBA. 

Paul’s professional career has been primarily in Tech working at Intel, Palm, Hewlitt Packer, Twitter, Square, and Coinbase with a three-year stint as a Deputy Sheriff for Santa Clara County, after the financial crisis in 2000.  Paul currently is a senior contract manager at Coinbase and also does some property management. Paul has lived primarily in California in Monterey, San Jose, San Francisco, and Chico, as well as abroad in Barcelona and Girona in Spain. Upon meeting Jordan, he quickly moved to Utah.

Paul has always had a strong desire to be a parent and has attended multiple parenting workshops and conferences on how gay and single men can start families, as well as completed training programs with Utah CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Utah Foster Care, and Adoption Learning Partners. Paul actually has had multiple offers to co-parent with other single gays/lesbians and lesbian couples, but felt that he wanted a more committed partner to best support and share loving the child with and is grateful he has finally found this with Jordan.

Paul speaks English and Vietnamese and some Spanish.

Paul (by Jordan)

Paul is one of the happiest, most genuine people I know.  The way he looks at life and the world, is as if he is experiencing it for the first time. He takes lots of pictures and is always on an adventure. His pure joy, for even the simplest things is contagious. It is crazy how quickly he is able to connect with others and make them feel special.  Seeing Paul interact with my nieces and nephews has completely demonstrated how great of a dad he will be and the positive impact he has on others. One of my nephews (age 4) that lives out of state, shared only a few days with Paul at my step-mother’s inn, in upstate New York, and almost a year later made sure that Paul was the one driving the Mars rover on his play expedition.  Or Another nephew (age 5) asked where Paul was, while riding a rollercoaster, because he liked hanging out with Paul so much – Paul had stepped away for an escalated work call, but quickly came back and rode a ton more rides.

Paul is a great partner and is super supportive, not only of me, but of other members of my family.  I truly appreciate how he prioritizes family events and finding way to individually support and connect with my immediate and extended family. Paul prioritizes people and the balance of living in the moment and preparing for the future.  He is extremely resilient and has far too many hobbies to list, as his main hobby is life, and living life to the fullest, with those he loves most.