Welcome, we are Eddie & Taryn! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking a moment to get to know us.
Our story began in 2014 when we were hanging out with a group of shared mutual friends in Eddie’s hometown. We were introduced for the first time by Taryn’s cousin, and it was an instant connection. Her cousin joked at the moment, “You two should date!”
We dated long-distance, texted all day, had long phone/Skype calls, and made visits to see each other whenever we could. Ultimately saying “see you soon,” got hard and Eddie moved so we could be closer. Our love for each other continued to grow stronger the more days we spent together and we were married in our church in June of 2018. Faith is the foundation of our family and provides us guidance and structure in life.
As a child, Taryn had numerous abdominal surgeries and was told at age 14, she would not be able to have biological children. Raising a family is something we both dream about. Since our dating years, we have openly talked about our options of having a family, and Eddie jumped right on board with adopting. Soon after getting married, we officially started our adoption journey and could not be more excited to see where this road leads us.
Taryn grew up on five acres on the outskirts of a town in Michigan. Being the youngest in her family has taught her how to hold her own but also how to lean on others for support. Becoming an aunt at a young age sparked her love for children.
Taryn was born with a chronic illness that affects her intestine, which involved long hospital stays and extensive surgeries as a child. This has made her into the strong, courageous, caring, and patient woman she is today. She channels these qualities into her career as a pediatric nurse.
Taryn is very creative with her gardening and crafts. Our home is her happy place but she also loves traveling and being in the sun. She is not a fan of winter but absolutely loves Christmas. She’s excited to share this holiday with a child, from picking out a tree, making Christmas cookies, and wearing matching pajamas.
Taryn is very family-oriented and enjoys spending as much time as she can with the ones she loves. She loves to host crafting sessions, play games, and read books with her nieces and nephews. Her imagination, playfulness, and goofy side are going to make her a wonderful mother someday.
Quick facts:
Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite Book: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Favorite Hobbies: Gardening, Crafts, Shopping
Eddie grew up in the country of a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Being one of the oldest of twelve children has made him into the family man he is today. When we hang out with our families, many times you can find him holding the babies, reading books, and goofing around with the kids. Eddie is all for babysitting the nieces and nephews to help the family out when they need it. He is such a fun-loving and caring uncle already that I’m sure he will be an awesome dad.
Eddie is more quiet and reserved in nature but has humorous and serious sides as well. His goofy side comes out after you get to know him more; he cracks jokes and knows how to lighten the mood. He channels his seriousness into his work as a corrections officer.
He is very hands-on around the house and enjoys doing home improvement projects, working on cars, and keeping the lawn looking nice. He is in his element when spending time outdoors especially on the water; fishing, boating, or kayaking. He is looking forward to teaching a child how to fish and having a fishing buddy one day.
Quick facts:
Favorite food: Any type of seafood
Favorite Book: Harry Potter series
Favorite Hobbies: Fishing, video games, working on cars
This past year has been full of up and downs with the pandemic. One of the hard parts was not being able to go visit my gramma (She prefers gramma, she says grandma is too formal). Previously every Tuesday was lunch with gramma day. Where the ladies on my mom’s side, aunties, nieces, and kids not in school, would get together for the afternoon. If I wasn’t able to make Tuesday lunch, I would alway try my best to go visit her a different day. So this past year only being able to wave to her through a window at the assisted living home has not been the same. I missed our conversations and just sitting in the sunshine with her, that’s her favorite activity. It was very heartwarming being able to finally visit her again with my mom. Although we weren’t able to hug and get close to each other, it was so wonderful to visit and see her smile again.
If you tell my gramma “I love you”, she will alway say “I love you more”
With love,
Taryn
Today was a typical spring day at our house. I (Taryn) weeded my flower gardens, while Eddie did yard work. He cleaned out the house gutters and pressure washed the house. We then enjoyed a homemade rib dinner outside on our deck. After dinner, we went for a walk around our town. Of course stopping at our local ice cream shop. This was our first of probably many walks to get ice cream this year. We shared a cup of the Michigan pothole ice cream, both of our favorite.
This past month has been busy for us. We went up north to visit Eddie’s family. Our highlights of the trip was going on a four wheeling adventure exploring the woods and watching his siblings basketball games. At the end of March, I went to Fort Morgan Alabama with some of my family. Eddie wasn’t able to get another week off of work this month so he had to miss out. On our days off, we have been working on updating our bathroom and getting our vegetable garden ready.
We hope you are enjoying the warm spring weather as much as we are. We wish you many happy sunny days ahead.
When we started looking for a house to call home, this house came on the market and we knew it was the one. It’s a cozy updated house with some charming original 1930s features. We fell in love with a small room off of the master bedroom. The couple who lived here before us had it set up as their nursery. We have kept this room empty in hopes to use it as a child’s own special place.
Moving to a smaller town was on the top of Eddie’s list. Having grown up in a country town in the Upper Peninsula and moving to a more populated area in the lower peninsula, this town gives us the best of both worlds. It’s close enough to shopping and activities for Taryn and less traffic than the neighboring cities for Eddie.
One of the best things about living in our town is we are within 30 minutes of all Taryn’s family. When our families come over, we love to hang out in our yard, walk to the park, and to the local ice cream shop. The sound of kids playing fills our neighborhood and older couples who admire the younger generation live here too! It truly is a great place to raise a kid.
People are always shocked to hear we come from such big families. Eddie has 11 siblings and seven nieces and nephews and Taryn has six siblings and 21 nieces and nephews. We absolutely love it and cherish each and every one for the person they are. Welcoming children in our extended families is always a blessing and each one brings so much more happiness and love into our hearts
We think our parents are amazing; they made our childhoods wonderful. Now, watching them be grandparents to our nieces and nephews is so special! We can’t wait to introduce a child to their love and see their relationship grow.
Living close to Taryn’s family means we can all get together for any and all reasons; cookouts, birthdays, and over the top holiday parties. Christmas Eve at Taryn’s parent’s house is a day-long celebration with gifts, food, and games.
Even though we don’t live close to Eddie’s family, when we do see them, it’s like no time at all has passed. Time with them is filled with laughter. We especially love to visit them up north in the summer for family camping trips and beach days. There is nothing like summertime in the “yoop” (Upper Peninsula of MI).
We spend the majority of our time with our families and are excited to have a child join in on the fun. Here are some of our favorite activities throughout the year:
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us more. We have prayed not only for a child but for you as well. We pray that you find peace and comfort in the days ahead as you choose what is best for you and your baby. Thank you for bringing a wonderful child into this world and for showing so much bravery and love.
We have so much love in our hearts to give to a child. If chosen an as adoptive family, we promise to give your baby endless love, support, and guidance. Along with providing for their daily needs, we hope to give them their wants without spoiling them too much. We are wishing to pass down the values we were taught as kids: love, family, faith, and forgiveness. Growing our family in faith with regular Sunday church attendance is important to us.
We promise you that your child will grow up knowing you and where they came from. We will support your choice in the level of openness you desire and know no matter what your child will always know the love you have for them.
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