Susan & Greg
Jersey City, NJ
Hello from Jersey City!
We are a loving and goofy couple hoping to grow our family through adoption. We sincerely hope you feel empowered to make the best decision for you, and are grateful that you would consider us.
You’ll get a great introduction to us on this website, and we would be honored to tell you more if you choose to reach out to us.
-Susan and Greg
We met on the summer of 2012 during a work party in NYC. Our bonding started over a game of Two Truths and a Lie and continued over a summer of trivia nights, live concerts, going to art galleries, and general shenanigans. When it became clear that we were spending all our time together, Greg moved into Susan’s apartment in Astoria, where we were surrounded by friends and endless fun (memories that will be cherished forever). During this time, we continued to grow together and individually. Susan, an Interior Designer, was taking on more responsibilities at work, and Greg finished Grad School and transitioned into teaching at Kean University. We eventually moved to Jersey City to ease Greg’s commute and have been living there ever since.
We got engaged during a trip to LA, which was magical to Susan not just because of the engagement, but also because we went to go see a live drag performance starring Trixie Mattel (the next year Trixie would go on to win their season of RuPaul’s’ Drag Race All Stars) — those two memories will always be intertwined in the best way possible. In the summer of 2018, on the 6-year anniversary of our meeting, we got married in an intimate ceremony in front of our immediate family and dearest friends. The day was filled with temporary tattoos, children (and adults young at heart) playing with balloons, the game Two Truths and a Lie, and an amazing after party in the hotel pool.
Currently, we spend the bulk of our time cuddling with each other and our 11-year-old adopted chihuahua named Letty. Life has become more focused on spending time with loved ones. We feel incredibly lucky to have been able to (together) build a life that reflects our values, whimsy, and shared sensibility.
—as written by Greg
“Susan is the perfect partner. A rare combination of responsibility and compassion, she puts her heart and soul into everything she does, especially our relationship and our home. She is a meticulous planner with very particular tastes, but keeps an open mind and a sincere desire to treat everyone around her with respect and care.
Susan’s upbringing is unique in America, but pretty typical to her native borough of Queens, NYC. She’s a product of immigrant parents who instilled in her a strong work ethic along with an instinct to question authority. During childhood, she spent summers in the Czech Republic with her grandmother. She kept enough of the language to help us navigate around Prague and her father’s home village of Žatec.
Her interest in arts led to her current career in Interior Design. She’s learned over her +15 years of practice that diligent planning and clear communication are as important to the success of a project as creativity and good ideas. She’s also discovered that mentorship and support for younger team members is vital for the long-term success of a studio. She even started a mentorship initiative at her company to help foster a supportive environment among her coworkers, who are not shy about sharing how influential she was early in their careers.
But she isn’t just defined by her job. Susan loves planning events with her friends, and participating in mutual aid efforts in our neighborhood. When I asked if she would be interested in helping with a food share for houseless neighbors during the height of the pandemic, she came up with a burrito recipe that became a monthly hit.
These are just a few examples of how she backs up her strong beliefs with real, concrete action, why she’s the love of my life, and why she will be an amazing mother.”
“Susan is the most caring person I know.”
—Greg
—as written by Susan
“Greg is the best person I know. He is kind hearted, thoughtful, funny, responsible, goofy, and sincere. We would be incredibly lucky to have the honor of adopting a child. Greg has always wanted to expand our family and will hopefully one day make an amazing father. He is an incredible partner and a loving and attentive dog dad to Letty.
Greg was born and raised in a tight knit community in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was raised in the house that his father grew up in and has strong bonds to his parents and two siblings. Though he is currently not a practicing Catholic, Greg feels a strong cultural connection to the German Catholic community of the west side of Cincinnati. Aside from their love of the Bengals, the Reds, Skyline Chili, and La Rosa’s, the west side of Cincinnati is a community with history and deep connections. Children will go to the same schools that their parents did, and adults personally know their pharmacist at the local Kroger’s. That sense of community is reflected in Greg’s actions today; manifesting itself in his volunteer work with a local mutual aid to help feed our local community or volunteering in a Lenape owned farm in upstate NJ. Greg cares about people and is willing to put the work in.
Since knowing Greg, he has been a Grad student, a Professor at Kean University, and an environmental graphic designer. All three are related to his creativity and care of people, though each has brought out something different within him. As a Grad student, Greg was dedicated, studious, and experimental. He made lifelong friendships and tried to find ways to connect his art to his activism. As a Professor, Greg was attentive, caring, and disciplined. He understood the investment that the students were making in themselves and their future and he worked diligently to try to prepare them to meet their goals. That same care has continued in his work and mentorship as an Environmental Graphic Designer. He is the best combination of creativity and pragmatism. As an Environmental Graphic Designer, he is dealing with both wayfinding and graphic design elements. Similarly in our life, he helps keep the two of us on track to where we want to go while planning for some fun detours.
Greg already is a fantastic partner and wonderful friend. He is a loving Uncle, and dedicated son and sibling. He puts deep care into all his friendships throughout his life. He is a constant learner. He loves a good meme. For these reasons (and many more) I believe that he will make an excellent father one day.”
“Greg gives the best advice AND cuddles.”
—Susan
Letty came to us shortly before we got married in 2018. She had recently relocated to from Oklahoma to a foster home in Brooklyn, NY. While neither of us had ever owned a dog before, we knew she was the one for us the moment we met her.
Nervous and shy by nature, she quickly warmed up to us as soon as she realized where her treats were now coming from! She loves sniffing around our place and our neighborhood and showing off all of her stylish outfits. She has also never met a blanket she can’t snuggle under.
But don’t be fooled by her big eyes, her timid demeanor, or her constant napping… if you are an intruder (or a squirrel) she will let you know who’s boss!
“AARF! Aarf!… Arf… … arf.”
—Letty
Originally, we moved to Jersey City to ease Greg’s commute to Kean University. We grew to love the quiet family vibe of our immediate neighborhood (Hilltop), which is footsteps away from the bustling and dynamic downtown area of Grove Street. Our location is highly convenient — whether it is a quick path train to work in the city (or Susan’s brother and Sister-in-Law who live in the Greenwich Village), a ten-minute drive to the Heights to visit dear friends (who just gave birth!), or a two-hour drive to Philly to see Greg’s Sister, Brother-in-law, and our baby nephew. Everything is easily accessible with plenty to do.
We live in a two-bedroom apartment in an art deco building. The building is filled with families and spunky dogs. Everyone is friendly and the holiday party is a highlight of the year. What drew us to this apartment was the space and the fantastic views from the rooftop deck. In the Spring and Summer, we love to spend time on our private balcony. Every year we try to improve our balcony garden, though admittedly, neither of us was born with a green thumb. We love to host dinner parties, Thanksgiving, and movie nights (that sometimes turn into dance parties).
Susan, an Interior Designer, has spent the last seven years perfecting our home. It is filled with art created by Greg, Susan, and our friends. Our space is designed to be efficient and practical; geared specifically to our needs. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that Susan is taking this whole nesting thing to a whole new level, and can’t wait to rearrange everything for our expanding family.
We span the country and the globe. We celebrate both Sankt Nikolaus and Ježíšek. We’re proud to have so many creative and adventurous people to call our family!
Susan’s father (Pavel), mother (Zuzana), and brother (Steve) emigrated to America as political refugees/dissidents in the early 1980’s. Though we didn’t have much growing up, our home was eager to laugh and filled with art and music. Pavel, a philosopher at heart, is extremely responsible and hard working. He was raised by his great grandmother while his single mom worked as a high-ranking Medic in the army. His musical influences range from Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, to Etta James. Zuzana is a social butterfly with the soul of an artist. She was raised in the city of Brno by her father (a journalist) and mother (a trained actress). Her musical influences include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Genesis. Zuzana is a voracious reader and an avid traveler. Though they wouldn’t describe themselves as such, Pavel and Zuzana are true explorers with an unquenchable thirst for life. They will make for epic grandparents. Pavel and Zuzana currently spend their life chasing good weather. They spend Fall/Winter living in Las Cruces, New Mexico where they volunteer in national parks and enjoy the warm desert heat. In Spring/Summer they live in Žatec, Czechia, where Pavel grew up.
Steve is a fantastic older brother who plans on being an active uncle. He is not only kind and caring, but also incredibly hard working. He has fearlessly lived his life pursuing art and music in varying ways. His musical influences range from Phish, to Wu-Tang clan and the Beastie Boys. Steve and his fiancé Elizabeth have seemingly endless energy. They are consistently attending or absorbing music, great food, and art. It is easy to spend hours talking to them about both everything and nothing.
Greg parents both come from big German Catholic families on the West Side of Cincinnati, OH. They first met in college, both majoring in psychology. But it wasn’t until a chance encounter in grad school in Dayton that Ted, the jock, really hit it off with Mary K, the quirky artist. This meet-cute quickly led to the marriage between Ted, the public school teacher, and Mary K, the social worker.
They were able to provide a comfortable life for Greg, his sister Kate, and his brother Max, bringing them up in the same house where Ted grew up. Mary K was always looking for opportunities to expose the kids to creative endeavors: acting lessons, art classes, musical instruments, even puppeteering. Ted took an active role in any athletic pursuits, often acting as assistant coach on our respective baseball or basketball teams.
Kate went on to major in linguistics and spent two years teaching English in both Spain and France after college. She actually followed Greg to Washington, DC a year after he moved there for his first job out of college, where she met her current husband, Tom. She stayed in DC to obtain her PhD at Georgetown: alternating years of study and teaching between the US and Oaxaca, Mexico. Kate and Tom lived in Brooklyn for a few years before ultimately settling in Tom’s hometown of Philadelphia, where they live with their son (Greg’s nephew) Theo.
Max, the baby of the family, managed to find himself on the East Coast with his siblings as started his college career in Boston. He followed a similar path to Kate, pursuing a PhD in Mathematics, which he successfully completed at the University of Texas in Austin. He was offered a post-doctorate position in Heidelberg, Germany, where he currently lives with his partner, Wendy, and their dog, Moose.
Now that Ted and Mary K are retired, their lives are very different from what the kids knew growing up. They both spent a lot of time caring for their elderly parents and other relatives during the last years of their lives. But perhaps the most surprising development has been their acting careers! Following leads from Mary K, they both have ended up acting as extras in movies shot in Cincinnati and surrounding areas. They’ve shared the screen with such names as Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, and Arnold Schwarzenneger. They even starred in a rap video!
Though spread across multiple cities and continents, Greg’s family makes sure to connect often through video calls and group chats.
We feel lucky to have a diverse group of friends who often feel like family. They are endlessly supportive and caring. They are goofy, witty, and humorous. They are musicians, comedians, poets, designers, sports fans, activists, and mechanics. They hike, camp, swim, bike, practice karate, and lift weights. They eat keto, vegan, and skyline chili. They are parents of both teenagers and newborns. They were placed in both domestic and international adoptions and or have adopted themselves. They are single and ready to mingle. They are each so very special to us and we are honored that they call us friends. They are also all extremely good looking.
We are so honored that you took the time to get to learn about us through our adoption profile. While we strongly desire to spread our love and grow our family, we really do hope you have been empowered to make the best decision for you. We are grateful that you would consider us, and we wish you the best.
Susan and Greg
