Hello! We are so honored that you are taking the time to get to know us! As you consider the courageous decision of placing your child for adoption, we would like you to rest assured that we are committed to providing them with a house full of warmth, laughter, and, most especially, love. We look forward to sharing with your child the unique opportunity to travel the world and live in different countries.
Our life changed irreversibly for the better in February 2023, when we adopted our son Elia. He has brought immense joy into our world, and we cannot wait to welcome another child into our family.
We look forward to the chance to meet you! We would welcome you having a continuing relationship with your child, if you desire.
No matter what decision you ultimately make, please know that we support you fully in your commitment to putting the best interests of your child first.
Love,
Dan & Riyadh
We met online while living in Amman, Jordan in the spring of 2014. Dan was in Jordan working for the U.S. Government. Riyadh had been living in Jordan for the previous four years, first obtaining his Master’s Degree and then using that degree to teach German at a local university.
We began dating almost immediately, bonding over our shared love of travel, cooking, and new experiences. We were soon taking trips together around and outside of Jordan to visit the Bedouin camps of Wadi Rum, swim in the Dead Sea, and cruise the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
In 2015, Riyadh accompanied Dan to the United States, where he met Dan’s family (parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) for the first time. They quickly came to appreciate him for his sense of humor and warmth, along with his amazing skills in the kitchen!
Following our trip to America, we dated long distance, with Dan working in Tunisia and Riyadh continuing to teach
in Jordan. We visited each other multiple times over our year apart, including a trip by Dan to Jordan to meet Riyadh’s visiting family. Dan hit it off with Riyadh’s mother and immediately bonded with Riyadh’s sister over their shared love of the movie “Frozen.”
During a trip to Thailand in February 2016, we decided to get married, tying the knot in August of that year.
Early on in our relationship, we knew that we wanted to bring children into our family. We hope to give them all of the advantages that come from the opportunity to live all around the world. Our son Elia, adopted in 2023, has been the light of our lives and we cannot wait to bring another child into our lives.
Helping Elia to grow and explore the world around him has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. He is intensely curious and quick to learn new skills. Whether it is mastering walking up and down stairs or shucking corn, Elia is a quick study. At the end of the day, his favorite thing is to curl up with us and to read a book. We cannot wait for all the adventures that are still to come with Elia and his future sibling.
OUR FAMILY LIFE
We live in a beautiful apartment in a diverse residential neighborhood in a large European city, brought here by Dan’s work. We have lived here since summer 2023 and will likely remain here for a couple more years. We love the amenities that a big city provides, from museums and restaurants to the arts scene, and the opportunity to travel with Elia around the region. Visiting amazing new sites has been wonderful to see. Elia has particularly enjoyed our visits to local petting zoos, where he has come face to face with animals he has read about.
We are lucky to have a strong network of close friends living in our neighborhood, many of whom have small children of their own. The playground at our apartment complex is one of Elia’s favorite places and a focal point for social activity. Children in the neighborhood have helped him to overcome his fears of high slides and scary swings. We often find ourselves in the kitchens and apartments of friends on multiple times per week as we cook meals for one another and play games. We even travel together frequently in the region, visiting nearby lakes and national parks.
Riyadh through Dan’s Eyes
Riyadh is simply unlike any other person that I have ever met in my life. While he will often hide it at first, Riyadh is incredibly funny and in a single deadpan word can bring a huge smile to my face. His humor is leavened by his genuine warmth. He gives so much of himself to the people with whom he surrounds himself. Whenever a friend or family member is in need, Riyadh is always the first one there to lend a hand or cook a meal. And you have not eaten a meal until you have eaten one cooked by Riyadh!
He is fluent in four languages (Arabic, French, German & English) and the way that I have seen him seamlessly slip from one language to another never ceases to impress me.
Watching how effortlessly Riyadh has transitioned into becoming an amazing father has been a beautiful thing to watch. The love and care that he devotes to everything involving our son has been an inspiration. I know he will be just as amazing of a father to another child.
Dan through Riyadh’s Eyes
What immediately attracted me to Dan was his charm, calmness and patience. After meeting his family, I knew where he got that from. The love and care he has for his family, friends and all people surrounding him makes me feel how lucky I am to have him as my husband by my side.
After all these years, Dan never stops amazing me with his broad knowledge in various domains. Thanks to him, I have been introduced to many movies, books, and activities I would have never thought I would enjoy.
My sister with special needs met him only once and they bonded immediately. She is always excited to talk to him over the phone and is telling me already about all the games she can play with him when she comes to visit us. Since the birth of our son Elia, I witness every day how loving, supportive, and engaged of a father he is. I can only imagine going in this parenthood journey with him because he is and will be the most awesome father to our children.
THE FUTURE
We are so excited about the possibility of expanding our family with another child and providing them with all of the opportunities and experiences that our life affords us to see and be exposed to different cultures. Elia is excited to be an older brother and we are excited to grow our family.
Dan’s job provides us with the ability to live all over the world and Riyadh is originally from Algeria, where most of his family still lives. During the course of our relationship, we have lived together in three countries on three separate continents. It is very important to us to instill in a child a global perspective that will benefit a child as he/she moves forward through life.
We don’t know where the future is going to take us, but wherever we end up we will experience it together as a family!
Love,
Dan & Riyadh
