Thanks for stopping by! We are Vlad and Marcus, a fun-loving, adventurous, and goofy couple that is always smiling and enjoying life! We’re looking forward to growing our family with an amazing little one!
About Us
Our adventure begins over 7 years ago at a Super Bowl party hosted by common friends, and we’ve had an inseparable connection ever since. Our journey has been filled with love, adventure, sandwiches and road trips, as well as Vlad trying to get Marcus to read more (a work in progress…). We are ready and excited to grow our family through adoption, and to share our lives with an awesome little munchkin
Our journey to growing our family has always included adoption – we are humbled and grateful to be able to welcome a baby into our lives, and openness with their birth parents is a meaningful part of that journey. Our relationship with our child’s birth parents is important to us simply because we know that it will be important to them, and we are committed to creating and maintaining a bond that will give them a sense of meaning and belonging. In our eyes there is no such as thing as too many people loving our child!
Our Story
To say that “opposites attract” would be capturing our relationship in the most positive of ways. One of us is short(er), the other tall; one of us is an extrovert and the other enjoys his quiet time; yet we both have the same strong family values, appreciation for naps, and overall goals in life. This has given us a well-rounded approach to life that creates a bond built on trust, love, understanding and really great taco bowls (we love to cook)!
We were married just over 2 years ago in the company of our family and friends. It was a no brainer to blend both our passions when planning our big day. We had our ceremony on the lake (Marcus’ childhood home) and our reception at a Science Centre (Vlad’s happy place). It goes without saying that we had our fair share of mason jars and Pinterest-worthy crafts and were fortunate to only have had one bridezilla moment saved by quick-thinking from the calmer one of the two (hint – Vlad is a great project manager).
We have a great support network of family and close friends who we have connected with over various stages of life (some going back as far as grade school!). We both value time spent with family over holidays, vacations, and as many dinners as possible. Marcus comes from a large family (he’s one of 17 cousins!) and Vlad from a smaller but still mighty one. Our parents and siblings get along like they have known each other for years, and our moms often text each other more than they text us. Family dinners are full of storytelling, laughs and hours spent catching up.
We currently live in Guelph, Ontario (the suburbs of the suburbs) where we both attended University and never left. The community is full of history, welcoming people and so many great walking trails. We have a hard time imagining any other place we would call home. There are many parks, schools, shops and unique restaurants that allow our spare time to be spent enjoying local culture and food.
We have both built careers in industries that we are interested in and love the teams that we get to work with. Without walking through a resume Vlad works in technology, food, and product development, and Marcus works in automation and sales. We are each proud to be able to empower others to reach their full potential and make an impact in our respective roles. Both of our employers are respectful and inclusive environments and are supportive of our growing family.
From a young age we both developed a wide range of interests and hobbies which we have had the pleasure of sharing with each other. We both enjoy being active, spending time outdoors, entertaining friends and family in our home, while also enjoying downtime to recharge, a good movie, and the odd pyjama Saturday to keep it simple. Marcus has a passion for sports (having played many in his younger years), landscaping, decorating/ design, and keeping an organized filing cabinet. Vlad is an extremely talented photographer (keeping an up-to-date photo album of our journey), with a natural skill in graphic design, technology, and learning new things. Sharing our passions with each other has created a well-balanced schedule of all the things we love, not to mention averaging a trip to Disney every 2 years.
About Vlad
Most people assume that Vlad is from Eastern Europe and are surprised to learn that he comes was born in the other side of the world, South America! His mom is Romanian and his dad is Colombian. The two met at university in Romania where dad was an international student, and the rest is history.
Growing up in Colombia was a great experience – they were a close-knit family of 4 doing the normal work/school thing on weekdays and spending time together on weekends. They lived in a countryside home for most of the time that Vlad can remember, and he and his brother spent their childhood riding bikes, playing with friends, and spoiling the family dogs.
Vlad is also super proud of the fact that he attended a Shakira concert way before she made it big in North America, although Marcus isn’t too impressed by that.
He came to Canada along with his parents and older brother when he was 9 (without knowing a word of English!) and had a very fast first year getting used to what seemed like a totally different world. He made friends very quickly and learned English by reading The Berenstain Bears, Little House on the Prairie, along with a wild mix of books from the Scholastic Book Orders.
As a side note – just about everything we see as common or basic in Canada was mind-blowing to a 9-year-old seeing it for the first time. McDonalds, drive-throughs, Home Depot, vacuum cleaners, those tiny coffee creamers, or even portion packs of ketchup.
Learning to do all of the typical “Canadian kid” activities was a blast – weekends were spent ice skating, skiing, visiting museums and popular Canadian landmarks, and camping. Over the years Vlad continued his love of reading and cooking with mom or on his own and discovered a passion for design and technology. He learned to build computers with his dad and together they spent weekends tinkering with some type of technology.
His passion for design and technology carried through to high school, where Vlad joined the Student Council as “Minister of Communications” (a cooler way of saying President of the AV club). He did well academically and got involved in a few extra-curricular activities, although sports in general weren’t his thing. He even starred in a high school play, but his finer work was behind the scenes running the lights and music. He remains close to most of the friends he made back then, and the group has welcomed Marcus with open arms.
After high school Vlad went to Sheridan College for Media Arts (film and TV production) but realized it wasn’t for him. He took the next year off and worked as an animator and designer for a small media company and enrolled at the University of Guelph the following year to study Psychology and Marketing. Vlad travelled to Malaga (Spain) for his 3rd year of university where he got to brush up on his Spanish, travel, meet lots of amazing people, and of course, go to school. His 4th and final year at Guelph flew by, and it was only at the very end of that experience that he and Marcus met through common friends!
Vlad is still a huge reader and is working on getting Marcus to sit with a book for longer than 5 minutes. The vast amount of new experiences throughout his life have made Vlad into a curious and easy-going person who loves to chat one-on-one or with smaller groups. He still has a soft-spot for the books and TV shows that helped him get used to life in Canada (Pingu is amazing and Vlad will debate anyone who disagrees).
About Marcus
Marcus was born in Northern Ontario. He comes from a very large extended family that values spending time together as much as they can. Family traditions are built around getting together on holidays and special occasions to share a meal, laugh and catch up.
Growing up in Northern Ontario came with many great experiences, many of which were shared with a huge group of cousins, aunts, and uncles. Time spent at the cottage also included boating, ATVing, or snowmobiling in the winter – just about every motorized and non-motorized vehicle you could think of! Countless hours were spent at his grandparents’ off-the-grid cottage where Marcus and his sister would pick wild blueberries or rotate between swimming in the lake or lounging in the sauna.
Marcus played many sports (some he was good at, and others he was only there for the socializing), including hockey, competitive swimming, basketball, volleyball, and curling. Having been exposed to so many different sports now means that Vlad bugs him to explain “what’s happening right now” whenever they watch hockey or baseball.
Marcus’ childhood home was an environment that encouraged openness at every opportunity. His parents taught Marcus and his sister to be inquisitive, share with the family, and ask questions on just about everything. He grew up being very close with his older sister who was either his partner-in-crime or who was competing to see who could out talk the other. Most importantly their friendship meant having each other’s back no matter what.
In high school Marcus’ family hosted an international exchange student, and this experience opened Marcus’ eyes to just how tight-knit their family dynamic is. It’s not unusual for Marcus and his mom to stay up until 3AM talking about everything under the sun.
If it wasn’t already clear, Marcus loves socializing and being with people. In school he looked for ways to be involved with different groups, including being Student Council President and hosting a Wellness Day for his entire school. He developed a close group of friends that continues to stay in touch, and despite a physical distance they get together whenever they can.
He moved to southern Ontario after high school to attend the University of Guelph, and his ability to meet new people helped him quickly connect with new friends. He even made a super smart four-legged friend when he volunteered to raise a puppy before entering the Guide Dog program!
Marcus inherited his mom’s love of decorating and entertaining, and he gets all the credit for making our home a warm and inviting space. He is in his element when we host family dinners, our annual Christmas party, or when making fresh muffins on a rainy Saturday morning. He loves being the social planner, always keeping in touch with our group of friends and making sure that not too much time goes by between visits.
Becoming an uncle to our two amazing nieces came naturally to Marcus. He and his sister are the oldest of 17 cousins so being around little ones felt familiar. He wears the title of “Fun Uncle” proudly, often planning activities to do with our nieces when we visit on long weekends.
Aside from being a regular at HomeSense, Bouclair, and Michaels, Marcus keeps busy by planning our next household project (currently a basement renovation), or relaxing by meticulously cleaning our cars (strange, but he actually enjoys this!). Most recently he discovered that he loves landscaping, so he is often peeking outside to make sure that the grass and trees are “still doing OK”.
Growing our Family
Meeting one another’s families was – in the best way – an eye-opening experience for both of us. Marcus’ huge family was incredibly warm and welcoming to Vlad (who took almost two years and a lot of diagramming to finally remember all the names and where they fit on the family tree). Vlad’s smaller family took to Marcus almost instantly and was delighted to meet someone with so many stories to tell. Our parents get along very well, often joining us up north for big holidays or hosting dinners at each other’s homes. Our dads geek out over whatever their latest project happens to be, and we joke that our moms text each other more often than they do us.
Watching our two nieces (6 and 3) grow and develop their own personalities has been an incredible experience, and we are grateful to have shared so many great memories with them along the way. From glitter crafts, playing school, baking, or water balloon fight, we cherish making these memories and look forward to making new memories as our family grows.
We have many more stories to share and hope we have the opportunity to meet you and chat! Thanks for reading!
