Gia and Joe’s Photo Gallery

The Village

When we told our friends that we were going to adopt, they immediately started planning fundraising events for our adoption. Their showing of support was incredible.

Our family and friends have given us endless support as we prepare to welcome a child. We want you to know that not only will our village support our future child, but they will become YOUR village.

Our Dog Lily

We rescued our 5 year old lab mix, Lily, at 10 months old. She immediately fell in love with Joe and rolled over for a belly rub when we met her.  We have kept her active ever since – she’s a natural on the agility course! We know she will be the best big sister & protector.

The Early Days

For the first two and a half years of our relationship, all of Gia’s friends got married. We had 5 weddings in one month. We got some opportunities to travel, both for weddings and just for fun, before getting married. These trips included Boston, Las Vegas, Arizona, and Colorado.

Our dating days also consisted of tons of concerts, sporting events, stand up shows, etc. We took lots of staycations, as well, spending weekends in the city and playing “tourist.” Luckily, we still set aside time to do these things but with a more family-friendly feel as we spend many weekends with our friends & their kids.

The Engagement

Before the kickoff of the 2012 wedding season (during which Gia would be a bridesmaid multiple times) we planned a weekend away for ourselves in Chicago that included a Blackhawks game and then a Shakespeare matinee the next afternoon. It was a perfect, relaxing weekend in anticipation of a busy few months ahead. After the Hawks game, Joe asked if Gia would be able to free up some time to spend with HIM at a wedding (and the rest of his life).

After the proposal, Joe shared that before our weekend away, he had already snuck in a dinner date with Gia’s Mom and Grandma, asking them to dote on him for the rest of their lives- that is, of course, until our future child arrives!

We soon after set a wedding day of July 20, 2013.

The Wedding

We were married on July 20, 2013 in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. We personalized the details of our ceremony with an officiant who was a high school friend; we picked our own readings & chose just the right family members to read them; we wrote our own vows and stumbled through both laughter and happy tears. The bridesmaids wore purple (Gia’s favorite color), and Gia walked down the aisle to The Beatles’ Here, There, and Everywhere (Joe’s favorite band). We locked up our vows to one another in a beautifully engraved keepsake box, along with a bottle of wine, all to be opened and shared on our 5th anniversary.

The night was filled with eating, dancing, and photo booth shenanigans. It all went off without a hitch.

The following Monday, we set off on a 10-day honeymoon to Maroma Beach in Mexico.

Joe and Gia

After getting married, we kept on attending lots of weddings, concerts, and sporting events. Our favorite new tradition is our annual anniversary trip to New Buffalo, Michigan where we enjoy the wineries and restaurants and hanging by the hotel pool.

Nieces & Nephews

Our nieces & nephews are the sweetest things in the world to us. They can’t wait to meet their new cousin! These kids have definitely kicked our plan to start a family into overdrive!

Halloween

We love the holidays. We take Halloween pretty seriously! We host Pumpkin Painting Night every fall for all the kids and creative friends. We always wear costumes to work and have fun going trick-or-treating with our nieces and nephews!

Christmas!

We also host an annual Christmas Party for friends. We’ve definitely become that family that wears matching jammies for Christmas. We can’t wait to place an order for a matching infant sized jammie!