Hello, we are Michael and Patrick from San Mateo in Northern California. We have been together since 2009. 

Patrick is a homemaker who will be a stay-at-home parent, and Michael works in Silicon Valley and from home part of the week. 

We know that you are experiencing a great deal and going through big decisions. If you choose the path of open adoption, we’d love to get to know you better and speak to you about the hopes you have for your child’s life and future. We’ve been looking forward to welcoming a child into our home and lives, and we are thankful for open adoption. 

We have the time, love and attention necessary to provide a child a great home. 

Please read more to learn a little about us.

Meet Michael and Patrick

We met in 2009 when Michael was on a business trip to New York City. Patrick was taking classes and also teaching a course in traditional Thai dance at New York University. It was really a love at first site moment. We had a long distance relationship until 2012 when Patrick moved to San Mateo. We married in 2013 shortly after DOMA was repealed.

Being in California, we take advantage of all of the great local food and produce and enjoy seeing plays, Broadway shows, hiking and listening to live music.

Patrick loves insanely spicy foods but Michael can’t handle it. Michael loves sourdough but Patrick dislikes any food with a sour flavor. Patrick is a master at Asian cooking and Michael is pretty good at Western cuisine. Despite some differences in our cooking styles, of course fried chicken and ice-cream are something we have always easily agreed on.

Something important in our family is “State of Mind”. For example, Patrick checks in with Michael to see on a scale from 1-10 how stressful work was that day. We focus on being aware of our state so we can treat each other in a supportive way and not let the daily challenges get in the way of us enjoying each other and our lives. We think this “State of mind” exercise will be helpful in raising our child to communicate and share their feelings even when things are tough.

Fun Facts!

Patrick is a hardcore fan of Harry Potter. He took Michael along to Scotland for Harry Potter Pilgrimage.

Beignets with hot chocolate is Patrick's favorite. 

Patrick's dream place to travel is Tibet. 

Michael's dream place to travel is India. 

Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt history are Michael's expertise. 

Michael never says no to Chocolate Cake. 

About Michael written by Patrick

Michael was born to a large, extended family in Iowa and moved to California in 1996. Today he works as a Vice President for a software company in San Jose, CA.

He loves music and has played trumpet and harmonica since he was a little boy. He started as a music major in college, but graduated with a degree in public relations from Iowa State.  He loves fishing, photography as well as cooking. He considers cooking as a form of meditation to tune out after a long day at work. He’s doesn’t often follow a recipe, but nine times out of ten it’s pretty good!

The greatest thing about Michael is that he has a golden heart. He treats people nicely and with respect whether they are a successful business person or someone on the street having trouble.  I can picture him in the future calmly explaining to our child why it’s important to value people, or relaxing with our child to catch a fish on a camping trip. He would like to teach our child to enjoy good, healthy food made with love. He loves to read, and can't wait to introduce our child to some of his favorite stories.

About Patrick written by Michael

Patrick is a full time homemaker managing everything at home. He is originally from Bangkok, Thailand where he worked in the theatre and later advertising. He came to the U.S. to complete his Masters degree in Acting, but ended up finishing with his MBA in International Business. He sometimes teaches a Thai traditional theatre as class as a special guess at Theatre Mitu Company in New York City. 

Patrick is incredibly open and sweet. He has changed my life and taught me to be my true self. Sometimes I think he might have just stepped out of a Disney movie. Children and dogs gravitate towards him, and the kids in my family can’t wait to swarm him at family events. They beg him to tell stories. He’ll tell them some crazy (made up) tales or Thai folklore stories, and make their jaws drop and have them burst out laughing. 

He loves Disney’s films and Broadway shows and we see plays almost every month. He is an excellent cook too! He makes us delicious traditional Thai food, and is usually singing some happy song at home. I picture him teaching our child music, dance, kindness and the importance of watching out for other people.

Our Home and Our Dog

Our home is nice and clean but has never been spotless. It’s definitely messy with fun and love. It’s also cozy and full of memories and stories — and by stories we mean books. There are books everywhere in our home. Our neighborhood is safe and full of kids. There is a park, playground, school, and the San Francisco Bay all within one block of our home. Kids yelling while playing, roosters crowing, and someone practicing piano are the acoustics of our neighborhood.  

Claudia is our sweetheart, a 4 year old German Shepherd. She was a rescue dog we received from the German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California. She loves to be petted and hugged.  When she first met our friend’s preschool aged daughter, she just sniffed and gave her a warm kiss to welcome her to the pack. She is very calm and only barks when someone comes to the door. Claudia loves kids and will be a wonderful companion and guardian to our child.

In the evening we love spending time in our backyard, or hiking with our dog on the San Francisoco Bay trail next to our house. Our family room will be a great place to play a game with our child, or we can sit on the deck reading a story together. We're home bodies who enjoy the natural beauty of the area we’re lucky to live in.

Our Farm Family

Michael and his two sisters were raised on a farm in Southwest, Iowa. His older sister and her family live on the family farm today, and his aunts, uncles and cousins live and have farms in the area. His family came from Germany in 1840 and were the first settlers in the area.

We own some land next to the farm and grow corn and soybeans, so we get to stay involved with farming. Our child will surrounded by sheep, horses, and get to experience the clean, beautiful, rolling hills of green in Iowa. Michael’s family is extremely close and gets together for every occasion. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, immediate family is currently 53 people, with 12 of those kids under 10. We can’t wait for our child to meet their cousins!

Thank You for Considering Us

We would like to offer our warmth, positive outlook and love of life to your baby. Our dream is to provide a safe, loving (and probably a little silly) home to your child.

Our promise to you is that we will not raise your child to have more than we had, but we will raise them to be more than we were.

We realize that this is a difficult moment in your life, and we would like to thank you for reading our profile and considering us to raise and love your child.

Thank you- Michael and Patrick