Meet Ryan & Tammie
A video message from Ryan & Tammie
A Letter from Ryan & Tammie
We have been best friends for 18 years and have spent the last 11 years as husband and wife. Christ was the center of that deep friendship and has always been the foundation of our love and our marriage. We are both artists who believe in approaching life with an enthusiasm for lifelong learning and creativity, and are eager to cultivate our baby’s dreams, passions, and imagination. We could not be more excited about the possibility of giving your child a loving, nurturing, supportive home.
About Us
We met in college, and while we both had zero fashion sense at the time, genuinely clicked and became fast friends, bonding over our mutual interest in art and design, and ultimately our shared love for Christ. Throughout the years we became closer and closer until God opened our eyes and we realized that the Lord had more than friendship in store for us.
We enjoy movie nights, spending time with our extended family and friends, playing games, and a little bit of shopping (our fashion sense has had a bit of a glow-up from tie-dye t-shirts and anime polyester button-ups). We have cultivated a safe culture founded on openness and honesty that we would love to share with our little one(s).
About Tammie
Ryan says: Tammie’s superpower is finding ways to make people feel loved and special. Combining her creativity, love for people, and passion for hospitality she crafts experiences for people that are second-to-none. A dreamer at heart, she’s always coming up with new ideas for events, businesses, or even how to make our house a home with new interior decor and design projects. She loves exploring new cultures by trying foreign foods, movies/shows, and languages. And while she is an incredibly deep thinker who enjoys journaling, she doesn’t take herself so seriously. She loves to laugh, a sound that can be heard throughout the house as she talks on the phone with family, rewatches an episode of her favorite sitcom, or the occasional reality TV show.
Tammie looks forward to having heart-to-heart conversations with her new child and teaching them to grow into a well-adjusted, independent adult.
About Ryan
Tammie says: Ryan is intensely curious. Whether it is exploring history, science/nature, or other cultures, he is always learning something new, often being quick to share whatever random thing he’s learned that week as a fun conversation starter. He is a true people person who thrives on connection and making sure people feel seen and understood. He is also a self-described nerd who can effortlessly go from gaming and marvel comics, to 90s hip-hop or politics. Ryan also loves to cook and can often be found trying a new recipe or throwing something on the grill/smoker. The problem is that he often makes too much of whatever it is, which means that we have to find people to share it with (which we love to do!).
Ryan looks forward to teaching his new child how to embrace their own curiosity and learn “how to learn” new things. He will also probably teach them all about marvel comics.
Our Home in North Carolina
We live in a 4-bedroom home that is spacious and aside from our room and the (future) baby’s room, also has a design studio and a media room for game/movie nights. We live in a family-friendly subdivision that is close enough to the city for easy access, but far enough away to feel nice and quiet. Our community has a swimming pool, walking trails, and a playground. The neighborhood is very diverse, featuring a balance of families from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, with a particularly strong black presence. We live close to parks and our town’s downtown area, where there are always cultural events happening to enrich the lives of the townsfolk.
Our Family
Our families are excited about adoption, have been supportive throughout the process, and are eager to welcome a new member. Tammie comes from a very large, but close-knit family. Her grandmother had 10 children (giving Tam 9 aunts/uncles from that side alone), making family reunions a huge affair. Her sister has two sets of twins so the baby will grow up with plenty of cousins.
Ryan’s side of the family is smaller, but still very close. Just about every holiday is an excuse for them to get together for a good meal and even better laughs.
Some of the family traditions we look forward to celebrating with our child are campout nights (at home), picking out a live tree from the Christmas Tree lot, and yearly beach trips.
Our Promise to You
From the depths of our hearts, we want to express our profound gratitude for considering us as the potential parents for your precious baby. We want you to know that we approach this journey with the utmost reverence and respect for your choice. We promise you that your baby will be surrounded by lots of care, love, and support if they become a part of our family. From the start, they will be very special to us.
We know it’s important for a child to understand where they come from. Because we’re a black family, we will make sure your child learns about their background, culture, and history. We’ll celebrate their heritage through stories, music, and traditions. We want them to feel proud of who they are.
Your baby’s care and development will be our highest priority. We’ll help them follow their dreams, challenge them to try new things, and help grow in confidence and love. If you choose, we’re open to keeping in touch with you. We know you’re an important part of this child’s life, and we’ll always respect that. We promise to take care of your baby with all our hearts.
We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. Please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
Thank you, Ryan and Tammie
Learn More About Ryan & Tammie
Ryan | Tammie | |
---|---|---|
Our Education | Bachelor's of Industrial Design | Bachelor's of Art & Design |
Our Professions | Design Director | UX Designer |
Stay-At-Home | No, but works from home | No (working from home) |
Our Racial Background | African-American/Black | African-American/Black |
Some of Ryan & Tammie's Favorites | ||
Color | Red | Black |
Movie/TV Show | Jurassic Park | The Office (US) |
Food | Lasagna | Salad (a really dense salad with a bunch of different ingredients/textures) |
Era of Music | Late 90's - Early 2000's Hip-Hop/R&B | Late 90's - Early 2000's Hip-Hop/R&B |
Place to travel to | Toronto, Canada | Chicago, IL |
Seasonal activity | Summer grilling and swimming | Decorating for Christmas |
Thing to do on the weekend | Get together with friends/family for good food, good laughs, and good times | Chill and watch some good movies (thrillers, comedies, musicals, etc) |
More About Our Family | ||
Our Special Interests | TOGETHER we like to travel (we just got back from a trip to Chicago recently) and check out where the locals like to spend their time. RYAN has been getting more into sci-fi/fantasy audiobooks. He will probably end up reading our child to sleep with whatever new story he's recently sunk his teeth into. He also attends the occasional Tekken (a videogame) tournament. TAMMIE is a bit of a fashionista! She is always trying on something new. Our child will certainly not lack for style. | |
Our Faith | Christ is the center of our lives and our marriage. We also believe in asking tough questions and that God is big enough to handle those questions. We don't believe in just following rules, but instead learning to have a real connection with God that involves learning to wrestle with life's challenges in a real, authentic way, all the while knowing that God will lead, guide, and help us. | |
Our Musical Interest | Our musical tastes are all over the place, from gospel, hip-hop, classical, jazz, punk-rock, K-pop, afrobeat, electronica, and even a little metal. Our Spotify is truly chaotic! | |
About Our City & Community | We are near several big universities, museums, sports teams, and other community centers. We look forward to providing a rich, well-rounded experience to our future child where we can help them explore their interests and passions. The area is diverse and they will have friends from many different cultures. | |
We Prefer a Child Who Is... | ||
Age of Child | Newborn-3 months | |
Twins | Yes | |
Gender | Either | |
In Closing | ||
We have a deep desire to grow our family, to share our love with a child, and see them become the person God pre-destined them to be. We want to help them explore their creativity, their passions, and their gifting and dreams. We will help them build a connection to both their culture as black people and to their God, through faith in Christ. We will give them freedom to make mistakes and the courage to continue forward with a growth mindset. We desire to bring all that together in a loving, nurturing environment. We extend those same values to you as the birth mother. We would love to connect with you and talk more about how we can partner with you and cherish your baby in our home. |