Hello! We are Sarah and Ed. We live in London, England. We have a loving home in a vibrant city, and we are lucky enough to have family and friends all over the world. Sarah is an expat from Minnesota, Ed is an expat from Australia, and we now call London home. We are choosing to adopt from the US because it is one of the only countries in the world where the birth mother gets to choose the adoptive parents, which we think is an incredibly beautiful decision. We respect your process and are humbled by your bravery. We promise to love your child. We are so excited that you are reading our profile and taking some time to get to know us.
Dear Birth Mother...
Why Adoption
We have always wanted to have children. When we found out we couldn’t conceive naturally, and after unsuccessful attempts with infertility treatments, the idea of adoption became clear in our hearts.
In the UK, the process to become approved as adoptive parents is long - it took us 10 months and over 100 hours of learning and meetings. We feel even more committed as we have walked down this path together, and we are so excited that we are getting closer and closer to meeting our future child! One day, we plan to adopt a sibling as well so that our children will always have each other.
Our Story
We met when Ed held the door open for Sarah on her first day of work at Ed’s office. Sarah was impressed by this tall, kind Australian man who helped her, and Ed thanks his boss to this day for hiring her and bringing them together. Our first date was during our lunch break, having sushi on the steps of St. Paul’s cathedral in London. It is not often you have to spend the rest of the day with someone after going on a date! From there we explored Europe and London together, followed by an engagement in Australia and a wedding in Hawaii (the halfway point between our two worlds). We both are very close to our families and are auntie and uncle to eight nieces and nephews. We spend our weekends walking our two-year-old dog, Goose, and seeing our family and friends. We genuinely love spending time together and are very proud of our strong bond and marriage.
A Little About Sarah, by Sarah
I grew up in Minnesota and moved to New York City to go to college and chase my dream of becoming an actress. It was a fun and exciting time, and I made the best friends in the world, who are still like sisters today. A girls trip to New York every year to see them is very important to me. When I was an actress I performed in New York and in a couple of theater tours all over the country - once as the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. People are often surprised I did not play the Good Witch!
I now work as an Executive Assistant as well as a part-time yoga teacher. I am also getting my certification to teach yoga to children which I am really excited about! We have always planned for me to be a stay-at-home mom, and this is a huge dream of mine. I have wanted to be a mother my entire life and can’t wait to spend my days taking care of our child.
When I was a kid I came to London every summer to visit my Granny, and I have so many happy memories of her taking me out on great adventures in the city - like to see Paddington Bear at Paddington station. I can’t wait to recreate these memories with my own child.
Fun Facts About Sarah
- Can’t Live Without: Coffee and home improvement shows
- Ice Cream Flavor: Vanilla - not boring, it’s classic!
- Instrument: We have an electric piano (that Ed surprised me with on my birthday!) that looks and sounds like a real piano. I love playing it and can’t wait to play music to our future child.
- Place to Take Children: Now that my oldest nieces are young teenagers, it is really fun to take them shopping and watch them discover their style.
More About Sarah, by Ed
If I had to describe Sarah in a few words I would say she is bubbly, funny, smart, kind, caring, and down to earth. She always has a smile on her face and brings a good energy to the room.
Sarah has wanted to be a mother her whole life. She loves looking after and caring for children and making sure they are happy. She is a great Auntie to my brothers’ and sister’s children as well as her own nieces and nephew. I know she will make a great mother when the time comes.
One thing I love about Sarah is how excited she gets at Christmas time. She always turns it into a big event and makes sure there are lots of presents for everyone.
I also like the fact that she’s always up for an adventure. Like me, she loves to travel, hit the beach, and see new places.
A Little About Ed, by Ed
I grew up in Melbourne, Australia as part of a big family. Growing up, we lived a typical Australian lifestyle. I spent a lot of time playing sports with my brothers and friends. On the weekends, my family and I would go to the beach and have BBQs for dinner.
After university, I worked in finance for a few years before taking a trip overseas to backpack around Europe with friends. Europe was great fun – I visited countries such as Spain, France, and Portugal and met people from all over the world, many of whom I’m still friends with today.
My plan after backpacking was to move to London for six months. However, when I got to London I fell in love with the city and decided to stay longer. 17 years later, I’m still there! In London, I worked in banking for a decade before quitting my job to start my own business as a financial analyst. I enjoy being my own boss and having the opportunity to work from anywhere.
Fun Facts About Ed
- Place to Take Children: I love taking my nephew swimming at the beaches I grew up going to, and I enjoy watching him get braver and braver with the waves each year.
- Musical Instrument: As a teenager I played the trumpet in the cadet band at school. My friends and I created a jazz band and played at high school parties - we are still best friends to this day.
- Likes to Collect: I like collecting watches and researching the different styles. I think it’s a good way to jazz up an outfit!
More About Ed, by Sarah
Ed is an incredible partner. He works so hard as a provider to make our dream life come true, and he is the absolute rock in our family. He always takes time to consider decisions and is patient and sweet natured.
When we were dating, the thing that set him apart from other guys, is that he is such a good person. He’s kind and fun, and he treats me so well.
Ed loves his job, because he likes helping people build a better future, and he cares about the people he’s working for.
I think people don’t know this about Ed at first - but he is super silly! He is always goofing around at home and with our dog, Goose, and he will do almost anything to make a child laugh. I can’t wait to see him as a father - he will do everything in his power to give our child everything he can, and he will be a loving, gentle and present dad.
Fun Facts About Us as a Couple
- Vacation Spot: We stumbled upon the sweetest little beach town in Portugal a few years ago and keep being drawn back. There are children and families everywhere and it is so laid back and beautiful. We now return to the same sandwich spot and pizza restaurant every summer. We can’t wait to travel with our future child and show them the world!
- A Perfect Day: Sleeping in, cuddles with Goose on the couch, a walk in the park with a good coffee - and magically ending up on a beach somewhere by evening!
- Inspired by: Kindness and compassion
Our Hobbies
We have to keep in shape to keep up with our energetic dog and nieces and nephews! On the weekends, we love to take really long walks in the parks or explore a new part of the city, always stopping to try out the best coffee or ice cream spots along the way.
Sarah is a yoga teacher, and it is very important to her: she loves the ancient traditions. There is a gym on our street where she goes most mornings as well. Ed enjoys running, playing tennis, and working out, and he has been a part of a Monday evening soccer team with the same guys for the past 16 years.
Ed does most of the cooking in our house, but Sarah chips in as the assistant chef. He loves to showcase his Australian BBQ skills, while Sarah loves to decorate our house (she loves a houseplant!). Sarah also learned how to knit during lockdown and is working her way up from scarves to sweaters...slowly.
Undoubtedly, travel is a huge part of our life and our biggest passion. We love being in Europe where you can get to amazing cities and countries really easily and quickly. Since we are both from different parts of the world, this will always be a priority, and we plan to show our child all the world has to offer and make sure they see all the possibilities available to them.
We Love Our Home in London
We live in a 150-year-old Victorian home that we have lovingly restored over the past couple of years; it feels like a cozy, welcoming place to be. We live on a quiet residential street, but around the corner from a bustling city center. We are next to a train station that connects all over the UK (and only three hours to Paris!), as a well as a main street with restaurants, boutiques and a pedestrianized outdoor dining street that is packed in the summer. It is a multi-cultural area that is home to families and people of all ages - you get to see everyone here, which is something we love.
We can walk to most things and take trains and red double decker busses everywhere else. We live near two huge parks, and on the weekends it seems like every person in our neighborhood comes out with their dogs to watch their kids play soccer on the fields. In the summer there are picnics everywhere and if it ever snows in the winter - every single person comes out to see it. In the UK, adopted children get to go to their first choice of school, and we are very near some of the best. We love that it is a safe area and full of opportunities for children to have adventures and an exciting upbringing.
We are sure you might be wondering how we ended up in this city together, and it’s all down to the love of travel our parents instilled in both of us.
Our parents were born in four different countries: Sarah’s mom in England and her dad in America, Ed’s dad in Australia and his mom in Singapore (when Ed’s grandpa was stationed there in the army). It is because of this sense of adventure and curiosity that we find ourselves together, despite growing up on opposite sides of the world. We will always find a place in our home for the traditions of our child’s heritage.
The Best Things About Our Community
- Amazing parks and playgrounds
- Every other house has a dog
- Easy to connect to anywhere in the city from the train station at the end of our street
- On a sunny summer’s day everyone drops everything and heads to the ice cream store
- Seven pizza restaurants within a 15 minute walk
The People We Love
When we get together with our combined families, it is a loud, exciting and chaotic event! Ed has two brothers and a sister, and Sarah has one brother. When you add their four partners and eight children, plus both sets of parents - we are a big group! We feel lucky to be led by strong 45+ year marriages on both sides of our families and also the focus and effort everyone makes to be together. Despite the fact that we are made up of family members from all over the world (America, Australia, England, Canada and Scotland), rarely two weeks go by where we do not see family.
Ed’s brother and sister and their families live in London, and we spend a lot of time babysitting our niece and nephew and enjoying time together at BBQs and at each other’s houses. We often run into Ed’s sister out in the neighborhood with our baby nephew. Ed’s mom and dad come to visit twice a year for a month or two, and Sarah’s parents do the same, as they have kept a home in London since Sarah’s mom is from here.
We also make trips to Minnesota and Melbourne each year to visit the rest of the family. In Australia we like to spend time at the beach with the family, and Ed’s mom always pulls out Ed’s childhood toys (He-man!) for the little kids to play with. In Minnesota, Sarah’s brother takes us out on his boat on the lake with the kids to enjoy the great weather...we tend to avoid going to the midwest in the winter! Though last time we did, Ed was amazed at the snow and built his own snowman. It is one multi-cultural, big, loving family.
Family Traditions We Love
- Secret Santa at Christmas at our house - often 15 family members in attendance
- Sunday BBQs with Ed’s family in Melbourne, Australia
- Boat rides on beautiful Minnesota lakes with Sarah’s family during vacation
- A beach vacation every summer
- Ed buys Sarah roses every Thanksgiving
Lessons We Will Teach Our Future Child
- Honesty: we plan to be very transparent about our future child’s adoption story. They will always know where they came from.
- Emotional Understanding: Our future child’s feelings will not be ignored.
- Trust: we want our future child to know we will always be there for them. No matter what happens in the world or at school, our home will be a safe and loving space.
Our Thoughts About Parenting
We really feel that it is our calling to become parents and raise a family. It is how we imagine the rest of our lives looking; weeks filled with soccer games and ballet recitals, lazy summer vacations and a big, loud Christmas. No matter where we live, we will be surrounded by family and your child will grow up knowing their cousins and grandparents.
We will encourage our child’s interests and hobbies in school and will support them in achieving their dreams. We want our house to be a beautiful safe space where they can tell us what they need to without fear.
We would really love for our child to know where they come from, and we will always spend time in the US as we are forever connected through Sarah’s upbringing and family. We plan to be transparent and honest with them about their adoption as they grow up. We are open to an open adoption, and we already believe that you will always be an important part of our family.
In Closing – Thank You
We know that adoption will not always be an easy path, for you or for your child. But we also know that families are formed by bonds, not blood. A lot can be accomplished through the transformative power of love. And we have had a lot of practice. We have an endless amount of love to give; our lives have been inordinately blessed, and it is time to share those blessings with a child.
We believe in this choice that you are making; it is your right to decide this for your child, and if we meet one day you will be able to feel our heartfelt love for you. We wish you and your child all the very best in this world.