Let’s start with “hello”. And it’s always nice to include “thank you”, too. So, hello and thank you for taking time to learn a little bit about us. We are still learning about us so, it seems, we’ll all be learning together. That feels right to us.
The basics:
Tom is a full-time elementary music school teacher in Hilliard, Ohio and has taught for the past 9 years. He is also a very in-demand multiple woodwind musician. He’s played 58 productions of musicals in multiple states, on original cast recordings, and for various other theater projects. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Minnesota and a master’s degree from The University of Wisconsin. In his spare time, Tom is a big video game fan, challenges himself on the Peloton bike, and is a terrific cook.
Andrew is a full-time composer and lyricist. He wrote “Evil Like Me” in Disney’s Descendants (and earned a Gold Record), he has had several musicals produced on Broadway (including The Addams Family and Big Fish), off-Broadway, film/TV, and recordings. He is also a conductor and actor and has performed and/or seen productions of his shows in over 15 countries. His bachelor’s degree is from The University of Michigan. In his spare time, Andrew likes to swim/workout, and he is building an HO-scale model train set in the basement. From scratch!
A bit more:
Tom is efficient. Andrew often zigzags. Andrew is patient. Tom has infinite patience for children and animals, not as much for grownups. Tom is tall and thin. Andrew is tall and has always had a dialogue with those extra ten pounds. Andrew is drawn to social situations, has always been president of the club or team, likes to have people over for dinner, eats the same thing for breakfast every day (blueberries, bananas, muesli, mixed nuts, almond milk), and loves most things Star Wars. Tom rarely eats breakfast but loves popcorn (not for breakfast). He prefers time at home to time at parties, plays flute/clarinet/saxophone/oboe/English horn and is a lifelong learner. In a different life, Tom might’ve been a doctor (he’s great at math and science) or a lawyer (he’s a fierce and rigorous debater). Andrew, in a different life, might’ve been a rabbi (he’s Jewish) or a politician (he’s taken leadership courses and may yet run for local office).
Our marriage:
Tom and Andrew got married on March 19, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio.
We got engaged on New Year’s Eve, 2020. We thought we’d get married later that year but, um, a little something called Covid-19 came along. Andrew planned out the engagement, bought a ring, popped the question. Since Tom plays instruments, many of which are made of wood and silver, he asked for those elements in his ring. Andrew had a ring made for him out of African blackwood and silver.
Andrew: That New Year’s Eve, Tom and I went to see a musical at a theater in town where he often plays in the pit. We know lots of folks involved with this theater and good friends of ours (Thom and Adam) were in cahoots with me and all the planning for the big question. We saw the show (it was the musical “Saturday Night Fever”!) and there was a party in the lobby and bar following the performance. Right near midnight, everyone was ushered back into the theater to toast the new year (little did we know what 2020 would bring!) and I gently grabbed Tom’s hand and said “We’re going to go this way…” as I led him into a VIP room that Thom and Adam had decorated with flowers, candles, and chocolate. I had a very long proposal – a full page, single-spaced! – and as I got to the moments before “will you marry me” we heard the crowd that had gathered in the theater shouting “5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” Right as they shouted “Happy New Year!”, I popped the question. It was like something in a movie: Unbelievable and deeply satisfying.
Tom: I said “Yes.”
Some other things you may want to know about us:
• Tom grew up in Minnesota, and after college he moved to Columbus, Ohio and has been here ever since.
• Andrew grew up in suburban Detroit but was born in Leeds, England. His extended family is in England and Australia (Melbourne. Andrew’s been there to visit.). After college graduation he moved to New York City where he lived for over 30 years until he met Tom and came to live in Columbus.
• Tom and Andrew love dogs and have a labradoodle named Cooper.
• Andrew is an ordained Interfaith minister and graduated from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in NYC in 2013. He serves as President of the Board of The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF.org) and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC.org).
• Tom is an avid gardener and has built (and rebuilt!) our front and back gardens multiple times since moving into our house in late 2019. He is also a gamer (he’s taught Andrew how to play a few easy ones), a World of Harry Potter aficionado, and a fantastic cook.
Why we want to adopt your child:
• Tom: I have spent my entire adult life around children. Right after graduate school, I got a job teaching pre-school and have been a teacher ever since. Children make sense to me. I understand their struggles, how to encourage them to grow, and how to comfort them when they are upset. I also have a strong sense of social justice and community responsibility. Therefore, there is no question that Andrew and I are able to raise a child who needs a supportive, loving, reliable family. We would love to be those people in a child’s life.
• Andrew: I am 57 years old and have spent much of my adult life mostly focused on my career. But work isn’t everything and, in the past ten years, I’ve built a life that daily includes family, my service to others, and now, my deep relationship with Tom. After meeting (and then, getting to know) Tom, my heart opened to being a parent. I was married once before and my husband and I weren’t the right pair to parent together. Tom and I, however, we are – and I mean this as humbly as possible – ideal. Why? Tom is a magnificent man with a heart as big as the sea. His ease with children is apparent every time I see him teach or with one of our nieces or nephews. And me? I’m gleeful and silly sometimes, ordered and no-nonsense other times. Co-parenting with Tom would be the most loving, giving, and enriching experience I think I will ever have. And more, I think the love in this home will help a child grow, be healthy, and help them be a good and kind person.
Finally, we will give a baby a loving home, yes. We will give a baby a loving family, a dog (the aforementioned Cooper), a safe and warm home, yes. We are fortunate that we are able to give a baby some advantages in life – a good school; opportunities to travel and learn from other cultures; exposure to and enrichment from the arts. We will give a baby our time, our talents, our treasure, and our total commitment.
We can’t wait to meet them.
Here’s one of the best (and most obvious) parts: We couldn’t have and love a baby without you. And we want our baby tolearn as much about you as we will. When our child asks questions about how they were born, how they were created, who was responsible, our answers will include you and the miracle you made and trusted us to care. We hope the relationship we build with you while you are pregnant is one that we can carry with us and share with our baby. Our baby – our child - will know you and, we hope, build a relationship with you, too.
No one can accurately predict the future. But, through the thicket of unknowingness, we see you. While we don’t know you yet, we feel you. While we don’t know our baby yet, we know for certain you do. And it’s you who will introduce us and allow us to open our hearts.
It’s you giving us the greatest gift you can give us: Parenthood.
Let’s start with “hello”. And it’s always nice to include “thank you”, too. So, hello and thank you for taking time to learn a little bit about us. We are still learning about us so, it seems, we’ll all be learning together. That feels right to us.
The basics:
Tom is a full-time elementary music school teacher in Hilliard, Ohio and has taught for the past 9 years. He is also a very in-demand multiple woodwind musician. He’s played 58 productions of musicals in multiple states, on original cast recordings, and for various other theater projects. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Minnesota and a master’s degree from The University of Wisconsin. In his spare time, Tom is a big video game fan, challenges himself on the Peloton bike, and is a terrific cook.
Andrew is a full-time composer and lyricist. He wrote “Evil Like Me” in Disney’s Descendants (and earned a Gold Record), he has had several musicals produced on Broadway (including The Addams Family and Big Fish), off-Broadway, film/TV, and recordings. He is also a conductor and actor and has performed and/or seen productions of his shows in over 15 countries. His bachelor’s degree is from The University of Michigan. In his spare time, Andrew likes to swim/workout, and he is building an HO-scale model train set in the basement. From scratch!
A bit more:
Tom is efficient. Andrew often zigzags. Andrew is patient. Tom has infinite patience for children and animals, not as much for grownups. Tom is tall and thin. Andrew is tall and has always had a dialogue with those extra ten pounds. Andrew is drawn to social situations, has always been president of the club or team, likes to have people over for dinner, eats the same thing for breakfast every day (blueberries, bananas, muesli, mixed nuts, almond milk), and loves most things Star Wars. Tom rarely eats breakfast but loves popcorn (not for breakfast). He prefers time at home to time at parties, plays flute/clarinet/saxophone/oboe/English horn and is a lifelong learner. In a different life, Tom might’ve been a doctor (he’s great at math and science) or a lawyer (he’s a fierce and rigorous debater). Andrew, in a different life, might’ve been a rabbi (he’s Jewish) or a politician (he’s taken leadership courses and may yet run for local office).
Our marriage:
Tom and Andrew got married on March 19, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio.
We got engaged on New Year’s Eve, 2020. We thought we’d get married later that year but, um, a little something called Covid-19 came along. Andrew planned out the engagement, bought a ring, popped the question. Since Tom plays instruments, many of which are made of wood and silver, he asked for those elements in his ring. Andrew had a ring made for him out of African blackwood and silver.
Andrew: That New Year’s Eve, Tom and I went to see a musical at a theater in town where he often plays in the pit. We know lots of folks involved with this theater and good friends of ours (Thom and Adam) were in cahoots with me and all the planning for the big question. We saw the show (it was the musical “Saturday Night Fever”!) and there was a party in the lobby and bar following the performance. Right near midnight, everyone was ushered back into the theater to toast the new year (little did we know what 2020 would bring!) and I gently grabbed Tom’s hand and said “We’re going to go this way…” as I led him into a VIP room that Thom and Adam had decorated with flowers, candles, and chocolate. I had a very long proposal – a full page, single-spaced! – and as I got to the moments before “will you marry me” we heard the crowd that had gathered in the theater shouting “5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” Right as they shouted “Happy New Year!”, I popped the question. It was like something in a movie: Unbelievable and deeply satisfying.
Tom: I said “Yes.”
Some other things you may want to know about us:
• Tom grew up in Minnesota, and after college he moved to Columbus, Ohio and has been here ever since.
• Andrew grew up in suburban Detroit but was born in Leeds, England. His extended family is in England and Australia (Melbourne. Andrew’s been there to visit.). After college graduation he moved to New York City where he lived for over 30 years until he met Tom and came to live in Columbus.
• Tom and Andrew love dogs and have a labradoodle named Cooper.
• Andrew is an ordained Interfaith minister and graduated from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in NYC in 2013. He serves as President of the Board of The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF.org) and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC.org).
• Tom is an avid gardener and has built (and rebuilt!) our front and back gardens multiple times since moving into our house in late 2019. He is also a gamer (he’s taught Andrew how to play a few easy ones), a World of Harry Potter aficionado, and a fantastic cook.
Why we want to adopt your child:
• Tom: I have spent my entire adult life around children. Right after graduate school, I got a job teaching pre-school and have been a teacher ever since. Children make sense to me. I understand their struggles, how to encourage them to grow, and how to comfort them when they are upset. I also have a strong sense of social justice and community responsibility. Therefore, there is no question that Andrew and I are able to raise a child who needs a supportive, loving, reliable family. We would love to be those people in a child’s life.
• Andrew: I am 57 years old and have spent much of my adult life mostly focused on my career. But work isn’t everything and, in the past ten years, I’ve built a life that daily includes family, my service to others, and now, my deep relationship with Tom. After meeting (and then, getting to know) Tom, my heart opened to being a parent. I was married once before and my husband and I weren’t the right pair to parent together. Tom and I, however, we are – and I mean this as humbly as possible – ideal. Why? Tom is a magnificent man with a heart as big as the sea. His ease with children is apparent every time I see him teach or with one of our nieces or nephews. And me? I’m gleeful and silly sometimes, ordered and no-nonsense other times. Co-parenting with Tom would be the most loving, giving, and enriching experience I think I will ever have. And more, I think the love in this home will help a child grow, be healthy, and help them be a good and kind person.
Finally, we will give a baby a loving home, yes. We will give a baby a loving family, a dog (the aforementioned Cooper), a safe and warm home, yes. We are fortunate that we are able to give a baby some advantages in life – a good school; opportunities to travel and learn from other cultures; exposure to and enrichment from the arts. We will give a baby our time, our talents, our treasure, and our total commitment.
We can’t wait to meet them.
Here’s one of the best (and most obvious) parts: We couldn’t have and love a baby without you. And we want our baby tolearn as much about you as we will. When our child asks questions about how they were born, how they were created, who was responsible, our answers will include you and the miracle you made and trusted us to care. We hope the relationship we build with you while you are pregnant is one that we can carry with us and share with our baby. Our baby – our child - will know you and, we hope, build a relationship with you, too.
No one can accurately predict the future. But, through the thicket of unknowingness, we see you. While we don’t know you yet, we feel you. While we don’t know our baby yet, we know for certain you do. And it’s you who will introduce us and allow us to open our hearts.
It’s you giving us the greatest gift you can give us: Parenthood.
JustChoice's number to text 614 - 551 - 4642
