Hello! We are Anelise and Charles. We are happy and grateful to be able to share a bit about ourselves with you!

We both grew up in NJ and met in high school on a spring day, playing frisbee in a park. Anelise had come with a group from the high school literary magazine. Charles had come with a group who had been building sets for the theater. We connected immediately and quickly became fast friends.

We reconnected in college as adults and fell in love. In the past eighteen years, we've had quite a few adventures. We moved to New York, got a rescue dog named Max, and then lived in North Carolina and California before returning to the Northeast to finally settle in Maine. We love the Northeast because we can be close to our extended families and our chosen family of friends---many of whom were there the day we first met!

We want to grow our family in the strong tradition established by Charles' grandparents. After they were told that it would not be safe for Charles's grandmother to give birth, they did not stop the growth of their family. Instead, they adopted three children, including Charles's father. Charles's uncle went on to also grow his family through adoption.

Adoption was always our first choice. We want to continue in the loving traditions established by Charles's grandparents and grow a loving family of our own.