We are a family full of laughter, happy and organized chaos, and learning new things. Kim is a high school teacher, and the number of times she has been called “mom” or been asked for a mom hug is endless. Joanna, or Jo as most people call her, is a corporate restaurant trainer who travels the country making friends while helping others to realize their full potential as leaders in the company. Both of us were born out of state; Kim was born in South Florida, and Jo was born in Germany, where her parents were stationed. We have been in Virginia for the majority of our lives and love it. Kim loves to be outdoors, running, weightlifting, or just enjoying the sunshine. Whenever it is warm, you can find Kim at the beach with a book in her hand. Joanna’s hobbies consist of building Legos, listening to books and podcasts, and enjoying a wide range of documentaries. Jacob, our son, is involved with numerous extracurricular activities, such as Cub Scouts, soccer, and run club, and recently his favorite pastime has been playing video games, in particular Super Smash Bros, on the Switch.

Family and friend gatherings are a normal way of life for us. We love to travel together as a family as often as we can get away. One of our greatest joys is taking Jacob, our son, to visit family and friends and have them show us what makes their home city unique.

Joanna has a very large family on her mother’s side. Her grandmother was one of 13, so they were always around cousins, aunts, and uncles She was raised by a single mom with her sister. She is the oldest sibling of four. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her father remarried. Her dad has two children from his second marriage: Joanna’s half-sister and then a brother who was adopted as an infant.

Kim is the youngest of six, with one brother and four sisters. Her parents both come from large families. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager, and her dad has since remarried. Three of Kim’s siblings have kids, so she has multiple nieces and nephews. Holidays and summer vacations bring the family together for mini reunions every year. Recently, Kim has connected with her oldest sister, whom her mom placed for adoption right after birth. Her sister has shared many positive things about her life and is also grateful to expand her family after meeting all of us.

We live in a large, three-bedroom home located in the middle of a settled community. We bought the house a little over five years ago, and we fell in love with not just the space inside the house but also the size of the yard. The backyard is fenced in, which is perfect for not just kids but also our two dogs: a six-year-old mix named Woody and a two year-old Lab named Phoenix. Our son uses the backyard to ride his dirt bike, play with the dogs, and have the neighborhood kids visit to jump on the trampoline.

Over the years, adventures have been the name of the game. We started our relationship by starting a long driving adventure south toward Florida, stopping at Disney World for a day and continuing farther south toward Key West. Jo made friends with some very friendly roosters while we were there; they even tried to come home with us.

Each year we choose a spot, and we just go. Jacob has been included in every adventure from six weeks old. Some of our favorites have been the trip to Philadelphia, where Jacob had just learned to walk and we were able to practice walking while learning history. There was also visiting family in Kentucky and going to the Louisville Slugger museum and watching as they made new bats for the MLB. We also traveled cross country to go to Disneyland and explore San Diego for a few days. Our last major adventure was last spring to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where we explored the mountains and found bear droppings, walked across the sky bridge, and enjoyed time at Dollywood. We keep a map for our family adventures. Each year, a new adventure awaits our family, and we cannot wait to add another member to our adventure crew.