Peggy & Graham

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Thanks...

…so much for taking a look at our profile! We're excited about introducing ourselves to you and hope that if you decide that adoption is right for you, that you will consider us.

Our Home...

…is in a semi-rural town in a four bedroom house on five acres at the end of a cul de sac. Our block is filled with children, which makes this a great place to live. We're not too far from New York City where we go to plays, do some great shopping and visit museums, which means our lives have a good mix of the big city and a small town.

the side yard

the stone patio

We share our house with our two best friends, Pandora and Athena (our dogs) who are wonderfully playful as well as sweet and affectionate. They love kids; in fact, they love everyone. Peggy's an interior decorator and has plans for creating a fantasy bedroom for a new little boy or girl and we have plenty of space to create a big play room as well as almost 5 acres of property to run around on.

We have a pond which means we also have frogs and turtles that the neighborhood kids love to visit and we live on a big hill which makes for some terrific sleigh riding.

the pond

Pandora on the deck

the living room

Our neighborhood has some great families and every year we have a block party, a Christmas tree lighting on a huge evergreen in the center of the circle and a Halloween party for all the kids after everyone goes trick-or-treating together.

pictures from our last block party...

Our Families

…are very close. Graham is the youngest of four brothers all of whom have families of their own. We get together with his entire family every July and every December. Graham and his brothers play guitar, play golf, watch hockey games or go to car shows together and we visit his parents all the time.

Graham's family in their Christmas red

With two of our nieces

Graham's Dad

The Clarke girls on the beach

Graham with two of his
brothers in Central Park

Graham and his brothers

Peggy's had these friends since she was 10

Peggy has one sister who has two kids who live in the area. She and her sister are very close and spend a lot of time together.

Peg's sister and her family near our house pumpkin picking

Her parents are also nearby so it's easy to shop with her mom or cook dinner with her dad. Everyone in our families is so excited about the possibility of our having children. Peggy's first cousin was adopted so we know what a gift it is to enlarge a family this way.

Peggy grew up close to where we live and her parents and sister and her nephews are nearby as well as some friends she's had since elementary school

She's been a teacher and a minister at a local college which has meant that she has long-term deep connections in the area. Graham has family all over the eastern seaboard, but his parents and one of his brothers aren't even an hour away. We see them often. We're both lucky that we like our families so much and that we can be part of each other's lives.

Peg's parents

For a living

…Graham is a children's musician. In college he was in the honor's program and had a double major in English and Philosophy. When he graduated, he taught high school English for a little while and then decided to get a PhD in philosophy. While he was in school, he made money by playing guitar for children at parties and in schools. He became so successful at it, it became a full time career. He's been doing it for more than a decade now and couldn't be happier. He often says that if they didn't pay him, he'd do it anyway. There are thousands of kids who see him every year and even more who listen to his five CDs.

Having a job he loves and working for himself, has created a free and flexible lifestyle for both of us.

Peggy has presided at many of our friends weddings

Peggy has degrees in religious studies and peace studies. She worked with homeless and runaway kids for a while and then taught college for about ten years. Recently, she stopped teaching and started to pursue becoming an ordained minister. She also became a certified interior decorator and recently started decorating houses which it turns out she also loves to do. We're hoping one day, Peg will be a stay-at-home mom.

Peg with her students in Florida learning about migrant workers

My wife Peggy...

… is an asset to the world. We are much better off with her here. I love her deeply and really like to be around her even after more than 15 years, but more than that, I think very highly of Peggy, and I'm very happy that she decided I was worth committing to. We were friends before we started dating because we just liked each other as people and that friendship is the center of our relationship to this day.

Peggy is "generous of spirit". She's the one who stands up for the disenfranchised. She's the one who sees injustice in the world (locally and globally) and actually does something about it. Everyone who meets her, likes her and they all want to be friends with her. (I'm not sure I can even count all her friends.) And when things go wrong in their lives, when their fathers die, when their husbands leave them, when they get sick, it's Peggy who they turn to and it's Peggy who is there for them.

And that would be enough to call her a good person and a human being of worth, right? But she's much more. Her talents are boundless. She is a gifted artist. She's a professional interior designer who made both of our houses into places that I feel so good in. And even before she went professional she was generously helping all our friends and family with their homes, making them places to be proud of, even if they thought they couldn't afford to do so. And then there's her cooking. I can not overstate how good of a cook Peggy is. She is just naturally gifted. What a home she makes for me and our puppies! What I like is that Peggy doesn't hide her talents, she gives all her gifts to the world.

Also, she laughs easily. She has a wonderful smile. She's very honest. She warms me when I talk to her. She's forgiving and completely disarming. I'm very lucky to have her in my family. I think a child could not be in any better hands than Peggy's.

My husband Graham

…is the guy everyone wants at the party because he's incredibly funny and he enjoys being around people. But what I really fell in love with is his honesty and integrity. The first thing people notice about Graham is how much fun he is, but I know that there's so much more to him than that. He reads histories and politics of different countries as often as he reads comic books. When he hears something on the news, he immediately goes online to try to get the background of the country and to read different people's perspectives of whatever's happening. I appreciate how thoughtful and serious he can be sometimes.

At the same time, a lot of our time is spent in our house on the deck or in the living room with a big group of friends and plenty of guitars and hand drums and lots of people singing, always with Graham at the center of the crowd. He's got a vibrancy and a generosity of spirit that people want to be around.

He's also crazy popular with kids. I went with him to work one day and when he pulled up, the kids (ages 3 & 4) started chanting his name out the windows. Admittedly, I think the teachers organized it because they're just has happy to have him around. Parents tell him that their kids pretend to be Graham at home and kids tell him that they love music because of him. His passion for music along with his energy and gift with children make him an infectious entertainer.

More than anything, though, I've learned to trust Graham. He says what he's thinking, he's kind and sincere and warm and there's nothing I want more than to create a family with him.

From Ashley…

My name is Ashleigh and I am a 20 year old birth mother. I placed my son for adoption when I was 17 years old. First, I would like to let you know that Friends In Adoption really helped me out. They were there when I needed them and gave me plenty of space when I was feeling unsure of myself and my decision so I could think things through in my own time.

I'd like to tell you about the people whose packet you are now reading. I have known Peg and Graham for 5 years. Peg was actually an active supporter in my adoption process. She lead a gathering of several women at my home after the adoption solely for the purpose of supporting me with my choice. They are both the most down to earth people I have ever met. They are gentle, fun, and caring. There is no question in my mind that if they were looking to adopt when I was pregnant I would have welcomed the idea of them raising my baby boy.

Peg and Graham are great with children, and they are a warm and welcoming couple to all who come into their lives. Graham actually is a singer song writer Peg is an amazing cook and anytime you go to her home there is the wonderful smell of something warm and delicious baking. You instantly feel at home. I believe their home and their love for one another, as well as their capacity to give to and love others, would make them an excellent choice to raise your child.

During my adoption process it was very important to me that the couple I selected be understanding and considerate of my feelings and boundaries as I explored my own areas of comfort and discomfort around an open adoption. I believe that Peg and Graham will be there in this way for you.

I know you will have no regrets if you select Peg and Graham as your baby's adoptive parents. Choosing them will ensure that your child will be well cared for, supported in being anything he or she wants to be, and receive endless amounts of love growing into adulthood.

With warmth and understanding, Ashleigh (Birth Mother)

We're so happy…

…you took the time to read about us! We'd love to hear from you.

Peggy & Graham

We can be reached at Friends in Adoption toll-free at 1-800-844-3630