Claire & Wade

We’ve known each other since we were twelve years old. We met in sixth-grade, became part of the same friend group, and even “went out” in the very serious way only middle schoolers can. By high school, we had decided we were better as friends. Claire changed schools before our junior year, and we eventually lost touch. The summer after graduation, we found our way back to each other. Our first real date was watching Auburn play Georgia—which was probably a questionable choice since Claire is an Auburn fan, and Wade is a Georgia fan.

We moved in together in 2015, brought home Zeus in 2016, later added Macy, and married in May 2019 at a historic venue tucked into the woods in our hometown.

We’ve grown up together in a lot of ways. After more than a decade together, we are each other's favorite person to travel with, laugh with, come home to, and build a life with. We’ve already shared so many chapters together, and we can’t wait to see what the next one brings.

Home is probably our favorite place to be. We live in a quiet Georgia community with some of our favorite people close by—Wade’s parents live right next door, and Claire’s dad, Papa, is only about thirty minutes away. All three are very involved in our lives and have already perfected the grandparent role on Zeus and Macy.

Our house has an open kitchen where we cook together and a big library filled with books, games, puzzles, and Lego sets. Most evenings, you’ll find us there with both dogs nearby. We also have plenty of outdoor space for playing, sitting on the porch, and gathering with family and friends. It’s comfortable, usually has a little dog hair somewhere, and feels completely like us.

In our family, you rarely have to wait very long for someone to show up. Wade’s parents are right next door, and Claire’s dad, Papa, comes by several times a week to check on his “grandpups.” All three spoil Zeus and Macy terribly, so we’re pretty sure they’ve been practicing for grandparenthood for years.

Most weeks include a family dinner, and holidays usually mean even more people around. Wade’s extended family comes to town every Thanksgiving for a week of eating, shopping, sitting around the fire, and mostly just being together. Claire grew up especially close to her cousins, and that hasn’t changed as they’ve gotten older. Her family still gathers for birthdays, cookouts, and sporting events.

Our friends are mixed into all of it too—lake days, trips, game nights, book clubs, fires, or just hanging out at home. That’s probably our favorite thing about our people: nobody needs much of a reason to get together. A child joining our family would grow up with grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends who aren’t just nearby—they’re part of everyday life.

Adoption isn’t something we discovered after fertility treatment. It had been part of our conversations about family for years. We did try to have a biological child and eventually went through IVF. When it didn’t lead to a pregnancy, we gave ourselves something we really needed—time. For about a year, we stopped asking “what’s next?” and simply enjoyed being Claire and Wade again.

Eventually, the conversations about parenthood returned, and so did adoption. We could have pursued more treatment, but that choice didn’t feel right to either of us. That chapter felt finished. Adoption didn’t feel like the option we had left; it felt like the path we were ready to choose. So together, we did.