Our story
Our early years
I met Allison on the first day of my first full-time job. I was hired to write about Tyson Foods for a Northwest Arkansas newspaper — making me a glorified chicken reporter. Allison was a features reporter who, due to layoffs, had been relegated to working the front desk in the mornings. She juggled phone calls from customers angry about missing crosswords with trying to write stories about interesting people in the area.
I walked in, eager and full of excitement, and the first person I found was Allison. She was sitting at the front desk, deep into a story, past deadline, and clearly frustrated to be answering customer calls and forwarding messages on top of it all. My arrival wasn't exactly what she needed at that moment and it showed. Thankfully, a colleague rescued me (us?) and guided me to my desk.
-Brian
Not everyone remembers the first time they saw their spouse, so I guess I should feel lucky to remember the exact moment I first saw Brian. He had suddenly appeared, standing directly in front of my desk. My first thought was that he was cute. My second was hoping he’d leave me alone. If I could go back to 2014, I’d tell myself to be nicer to the new guy.
When Brian came into my life, I was going through a tough time. I had little money, a beat up car, student loans to pay back and little-to-no social life. I didn’t see a path forward for myself and had little confidence.
And it only got worse when my car broke down. I couldn’t afford to fix it or buy a new one. I was completely shattered and overwhelmed. The only thing I could think to do was to call Brian.
-Allison
It took a few months for Allison to warm up to me. I started sharing lunches with her as she didn't always have something to eat. When her car broke down, she called me for help, and we spent hours after work in the newsroom parking lot fixing her radiator fan. She wanted to do it herself so I just guided her through the process. When it fired up, she gave me the biggest hug then bought me a sandwich and a beer as a thank-you.
-Brian
I’ll admit, I wasn’t the happiest person when I first met Brian, but that started to change as I got to know him. He was warm, kind, funny and thoughtful. He cared about his friends and family. He was devoted to his work and future. He was capable and generous. I liked that.
Something changed in me when we started dating. I became more confident and ambitious and excited about our life together. I wanted my happily ever after, and knew we could work together to make it happen.
-Allison
In April, 2015, I was offered a job covering state politics in Little Rock. We moved into a tiny yellow house with a dirt yard, moldy siding and almost no furniture. Together, we made it a home. We bleached the outside of the house, planted flower beds, fixed up the yard, and scavenged Restore for furniture to refinish and repaint.
Allison brought along her pet rat, Wilson, and soon found two stray cats, Georgie and Echo, wandering in the yard. We didn't have much, but we created a life that I was proud of.
- Brian
Moving to North Carolina
We decided to move to North Carolina in 2017. Arkansas was far from family and Ali found a job that offered nearly double her previous salary. Before we left, Ali finished her master's degree at the University of Arkansas, and her name was carved into the sidewalk in Fayetteville.
During a family trip to the Outer Banks, I proposed to Allison on top of a lighthouse exactly 3 years after we first met at the newspaper. We moved into a beautiful, new townhouse in Cary, NC. On the day we arrived, I received a call offering me a job at a software company.
- Brian
By the time we both got new jobs and moved ourselves and two not-so-happy cats 1,200 miles, we were engaged and planning a June wedding.
One June 2, 2018 — exactly 4 years to the date we met — we married. One of Brian’s best childhood friends officiated, and my best friend and fellow Arkansas reporter stood by my side. We got married in a coffee shop above a music venue that featured a disco ball and a glowing sarcophagus in the floor. We ate tacos. It was pretty rad.
- Allison
This was a huge change for both of us. I loved being married and feeling secure about our future together, but I hated that townhouse and our new neighborhood. There were no stray cats, bizzare neighbors, thrift stores within walking distance, or broken windows to duct tape back together. I felt lost without the challenges that made our life unique. So, we decided to buy a house — a place where we could build a home together.
- Brian
Making a home together
I don’t know what I expected from our first home, but when I saw the blue house on the hill, I knew it was mine. Brian — always the more careful decision-maker — needed a little more time to be ok with it.
We moved into our new home in the Linville neighborhood of central Cary in December, 2018, and the very first thing I did was to trip and fall on the icy driveway. We forgot to change over the gas and electric, so we used a propane heater to keep the pipes from freezing the first night.
But it was our house, and the place where we could build our future and raise our children. We picked out our offices, started painting the walls. We got to know the neighbors, and I found a tribe of women to love and support me. During COVID lockdowns, the house was our refuge and home base. Today, our house is also my office, as I work from home full time. I wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe a few wall colors!
- Allison
Owning a home has been everything I hoped for, but it didn’t start out that way. When we moved in, the house hadn’t been touched since the 1990s. Seafoam green walls, a bright red accent wall, old carpet, water issues, foundation problems, and overgrown landscaping were just the start. We painted every wall downstairs, repaired the trim outside, and tackled the interior. We replanted the grass, built a rock retaining wall, and took up part of the deck to shore up the foundation.
I wanted a project and the house gave me something to work toward, but the best part wasn’t fixing the house — it was finding a community.
Kids sled down our front yard in the winter, and there are always dogs to pet and neighbors to chat with. There’s a park within walking distance. For the first time, I feel like we’ve truly found a home — both in the house we’ve worked so hard for and the neighborhood we’re lucky to be a part of.
- Brian
Starting a family
A few years after moving into our new home, Brian and I got serious about wanting to start a family. But after a year of trying, it became painfully clear that it wasn’t going to be straightforward. After a fertility consultation and testing, we discoverd that we couldn’t conceive naturally and would need to undergo IVF for a chance.
Like everything else we’ve done, we leapt in with both feet, hoping things would work out if we just tried hard enough. Over 18 months, I endured 3 surgeries, 155 needle jabs and 26 blood tests, only to lose the pregnancy nearly as soon as it had begun. I can’t describe the feeling of intense loss that comes with losing your chance to carry your child to term and to say goodbye to something so precious and wanted and desperately loved before you can ever put your hands on it.
It was very difficult to decide to stop IVF treatments, but it was ultimately the right choice for us. Our hearts and heads are completely ready for our adoption journey, and I can’t wait to hold my child. The complicated and challenging road to motherhood will have been worth it.
- Allison
I am excited and ready to adopt a child. This journey has been nothing like what I expected, but I know that Ali and I succeed when we put our minds to something. When we first considered adoption, I was excited to give a baby a home that needed one. The reality is different — there are lots of wonderful parents looking to adopt and you have plenty of options for your baby.
Ali and I worked hard to build our life together and we would like a baby to be a part of our journey. I promise that we will adore your child, love it endlessly, and give him or her the best life that we can offer. I hope our story and this website helps you get to know who we are.
Please get in contact if you’d like to speak to us.
- Brian
