We met 8 years ago on Tinder and quickly bonded over our shared experience of having grown up abroad and our love of travel & swimming. We look for places to swim wherever we go, whether it’s swimming with penguins in South Africa or bathing in hot springs in Japan.

Together, we love to skate and to ski. In the winter, depending on the weather patterns, we’ll drive to whichever corner of New England can offer us a chance to skate on a frozen pond, or cross-country ski through a forest.

Additionally, we swim every chance we get, even if it’s a polar plunge. During the summer, we love to swim across a nearby lake, called Walden Pond. Hayden chose the middle of this pond to propose to Peter! Peter was very surprised when Hayden pulled a ring out of his swimsuit pocket.

Hayden has two sisters.  His younger sister is nearby in New Hampshire with her husband and adorable dog named “Breakfast”.  His older sister lives in Colorado and has two daughters who will be great cousins.  We all meet up in Arizona where Hayden’s parents live.

Peter’s parents bounce between Washington DC and Finland, and his brother lives in Finland.  We usually meet up as a family in the summer at a lake house in Finland where Peter spent his summers growing up. The lake is Peter’s favorite place in the world and we look forward to picking berries in the woods nearby with our child.

We thought about various options for growing our family, and ultimately adoption felt like the best fit for us.  A biological connection is not an important part of being a parent for either of us.  Since starting down this path, our conviction in adoption has only grown stronger.

We live in a townhouse with a small flower and herb garden in the back and a large public park a few feet from our front door.  Our neighborhood is leafy and safe.  We are within a short walk from schools, public transportation, grocery stores, restaurants, public parks and much more.  We love getting around without needing to jump in our car.