Hello! I’m Sarah from Bethesda, Maryland outside of Washington, D.C. I'm so grateful to have the chance to tell you a little about myself as you make this incredibly brave choice. As you read more about me, I hope you will see my passion for building a life full of love, adventure and opportunity.

I have always wanted to be a mother and adoption has always felt like the path meant for me. A big part of why adoption has felt right to me is because growing up I got to see a very close family friend adopt two beautiful children. They became just like surrogate younger siblings to me and I've watched them grow into happy, healthy amazing adults. So now I'm embarking on my own journey to create a loving family like the ones I've grown up around and I could not be more excited.

Family has always been my safe place. I am extremely close with my parents who live just 10 minutes from me in the same house I grew up in. They both had jobs working on environmental issues and it inspired my own career in sustainability. I am a senior vice president at a public relations agency where I work with companies and organizations on sustainability and social impact programs.

Outside of my parents, my chosen family is extremely important to me. My three best friends are Jen, Sarah and Ricardo. We all went to high school together and have been in each other's lives for over 20 years.

Jen lives four blocks from me and on Friday nights you can find us at my house making dinner, playing with her dog and watching the latest Netflix show. We also like to be outside and on the weekends will walk the trails in Bethesda. Jen and I also love music, so during the summer love going to concerts together.

My friend Sarah also lives nearby with her husband and two kids. I am godmother to her 3-year-old daughter. I love bringing art projects and activities over to do with the kids or meeting up with them at a museum on the weekend.

Ricardo is like a brother to me since we both grew up as only children. Ricardo, his husband, and their son (my godson) Luca, recently moved to Minnesota where I visited them for the July 4th holiday. We are looking forward to planning more visits!

I grew up in Washington, D.C. It was an idyllic place to live. It was close enough to downtown to experience the buzz and excitement of the city, but had the neighborhoods that were safe enough to ride bikes down the street.

I was always eager to live outside DC though and spent nearly 10 years in Los Angeles. It taught me independence, and helped me build my career and develop confidence and strength as an adult. I also made amazing friends who I still visit there.

What ultimately became most important to me though was finding a community where I could raise a family and that's Bethesda. It's just outside of D.C., near where I grew up. I live in a multi-generational condominium that's within walking distance to parks, playgrounds, great schools and all the necessities one needs, including delicious restaurants and weekend arts festivals! I love living here and looking forward to raising a family here.

I love traveling! It's been such a fulfilling part of my life and has opened my eyes to new cultures, experiences, and friends. I feel very fortunate to have been to over 15 countries. It was a trip to South Africa that really gave me the travel bug. I was taking a South African history course my senior year in high school and during spring break we got to travel there. It was a magical, spiritual and eye-opening experience. In college, I spent six months in Australia, where I met friends from Norway that I'm still in touch with today and have visited Most recently, I went to Ireland and Scotland with some friends. Right before the pandemic, my job took me to India, another incredible experience. I look forward to giving your child all the adventures and experiences traveling to new places can provide.

In addition to travel, I'm also a big sports fan. I love watching ice hockey and share tickets to see the Washington Capitals with my parents every season. My dad played hockey growing up so that's where my love of the sport came from. I also grew up playing soccer, basketball and tennis and still love watching those games.

I love being active. Bethesda's walking trails go right behind my home giving me great access to nature and the outdoors. I'm excited to give my future child access to it all.

I've also honed my cooking skills over the past few years and enjoy cooking for others. I'll host friends and family and cook dinners.

I currently work at home, but try to go into the office once a week. Office days will probably increase over time, but my work and boss are big advocates of flexibility and want schedules to be whatever works best for people. I feel very fortunate to have a supportive workplace.

Outside of work, sports and cooking, I'm also a big reader and can often be found with a book during my downtime. I'm a fiction reader and love the escape it gives you.

“We have both known Sarah for 25 years and she is nothing short of phenomenal. Sarah is the most loyal, caring, loving, self-less, and kind-hearted person. She is always there for her family and friends; her dedication to those she loves goes unmatched. We can always count on her for anything we may need, whether it be a hug or a good laugh. She has an amazing personality, sense of humor, and welcoming presence about her. She is fun and comfortable to be around. She is patient with others, and her warmth is palpable; there is a reason why out of all of the people we know, we chose her to be our daughter's Godmother. We know that Sarah will be in our lives forever. When you find someone like Sarah, you hold onto them. She comes from a wonderful family. She is "good people" as they say; to know her, is to love her. Just as Sarah has always been there to support us, we will always be there to support her. It is no question that she will be an amazing mother, and we know she and her child will have an extremely special bond."

– Sarah and Doug

“Sarah is the epitome of “cool, calm, and collected”. As new parents ourselves we can attest that these qualities are extremely important for raising a child at any stage of life. Whether it’s middle of the night feedings, late afternoon colic spells, or getting peed on while changing a diaper, having a child is a never ending series of tests of one’s patience. Sarah is more than ready to meet all of these moments. Sarah once accompanied me on an overseas trip for a wedding. Her luggage was lost by the airline and contained all of her toiletries and clothing, including the dress she had packed for the wedding. Her bag was missing for over a week; however, Sarah decided to enjoy the trip, never once complained, and even had a great time. Parenting is nothing if not a series of improvisations when plans get turned upside down. We love Sarah deeply and are so excited for this next chapter as well as welcoming and loving her future child as our own niece or nephew."

– Ricardo and Jeff

Bethesda is a suburb outside of Washington, D.C. Bethesda is a 35-minute drive to the White House. The community is very family oriented, with families who have been there for generations and new families moving in. Everything is walkable, which is something that's important to me. I live about 200 feet from a playground, basketball and tennis court; a block from the grocery store. It's a growing area too and has that community feel, but down the street from me is Marriott's headquarters and the District's local FOX station is another mile after that. Bethesda is buzzing and has great public and private schools. I live in a large condo with a very diverse group of residents. There are people who have lived there for 40+ years and younger families. Every year they do a Halloween walk for the kids and the social committee hosts activities on the first Saturday of every month. It has a pool, gym and walking trails. It's an incredibly happy place and I can't wait to raise my future child here.

A frequent guest in my home is Max, the family dog. He currently lives at my parents’ house because of their great backyard, but if I'm honest, I'm the one he listens too most. He loves Bethesda, the trails and spending time with family and friends.

I have a strong village of support who are all ready to give their love to my future child.

My aunts and uncles come in many forms! My mom's brother, Uncle Brian, lives in Manhattan. He doesn't have kids, but my mother would bring me to New York to visit him each year. We'd go to dinner and see Broadway shows. Staying with him in the city was always fun and I continue to go up there and visit him when I can.

My Godmother, I call her my Aunt Jen, is not far from me in Alexandria, Virginia. She's a second mom and someone I can always count on. She's my mom's best friend from college. Her son is my age and our families grew up together. My family and I will visit Aunt Jen at her summer house in Maine this year.

Another rock in my life was someone my mom has known from work for 30+ years, Linda. She adopted her two kids from Russia. I consider them younger siblings and have gotten to watch them grow into amazing people. She has been a wonderful resource during this journey and constant source of support and wisdom throughout my life.

I don't consider myself very religious, but I respect the solace and social outlet it can provide. My mother is Jewish and my father is Lutheran. I grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah and plan to continue that tradition. I believe that encouraged a tolerance and openness in me when it comes to faith. There are beautiful things to be taken from different religions.

Every Christmas Eve we'd go to my Godmother's house with about 30 other family friends. Part of the evening is spent singing carols and 12 Days of Christmas has become a real production. Growing up all of us kids learned a dance (I can't remember where it came from), but as we sang we'd perform it. It became a tradition and as we got older and started our own families, we have passed the dance down to those kids. We now send each other videos each year of the next generation doing the 12 Days dance. I can't wait to teach it to my future child.

Every summer growing up my parents and I would meet our family friends from Minnesota up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts for 2 weeks of beach, seafood and fun! These were some of the most memorable trips that led to traditions and memories I deeply cherish today. I learned how to make drip sandcastles, went whale watching and ate lobster. I hope to create that kind of experience for my child, discover a place they can look forward to every year that brings excitement and joy.

I'm grateful to my parents for all the places we went and the memories we made with wonderful family and friends. It was a truly magical childhood. I was encouraged to explore so many interests. While I gravitated to sports I also took piano, participated in plays, took dance lessons and did girl scouts. I may not have loved them all, but I'm so thankful for the experiences and opportunities to try different things and see what sparked my interest. It's something I will strive to give your child - opportunities to experience and discover.

I promise to create a home full of love, laughter, and adventure - a safe place where my future child can grow into the best version of themselves.

I promise to open doors for them so they can experience life to the fullest and choose the path that's best for them. I promise to surround them with a supportive, loving and open-hearted family who bring different backgrounds and life experiences and will show them that there is no one path in life.

I also cannot wait to build those annual traditions that they'll look back on fondly - whether it be summer vacations to the same place each year or festive holiday traditions.

I know I am meant to be a parent and that this is the right path for me. Since I was young, adoption was on my radar you could say. I wasn't sure when or who would be part of that journey, but I am on it now and feel incredibly excited for what comes next and for the years ahead.

I am so appreciative that you're taking the time to get to know me as you consider what I can only imagine is an incredibly emotional and complex decision.

You are truly brave and the love you have for your child is evident. I promise they will know of your strength and their beautiful adoption story.