Cody and I (Cameron) met while volunteering at a community center in Barrie, Ontario in the year 2017. Initially, I was just volunteering to get out of the house, meet new people and make friends. We shared Facebook and stayed acquaintances for a couple years when I sent him a Christmas bear over Facebook. We got to more in-depth talking, found we actually had a lot in common (i.e. hobbies and world view among other things). We started seeing each other for a while until we decided we wanted to date. We took it slow, about 2 years before we moved in with each other in May of 2024 and we could not be happier.

We love to laugh and have a similar sense of humor which makes it even easier. We are, at times, silly but life is too short to be worried about missed opportunities. All we have is now and it’s up to us to make the best of it for it will never come around again. It is very important to us that we keep it real. We are direct and to the point and support each other in all things. We love life, we love music, food and family.

Cameron
I was born in Brampton in 1982 and my upbringing was in a nuclear family with a mom and a dad. My grandparents and a few siblings of my parents were also quite involved. My parents have always been loving but my mother was always more perceptive and thought outside the box more often. She realized quite early on that I was not like other children and raised me accordingly. Fresh food where she could get it and made by hand usually. She also made clothes that were quite nice and was always there to help with homework. She was a traditional stay at home mom while dad went out to work and was always quite involved with the teachers, scheduling, etc. My parents taught my 2 siblings and I the value of ‘being a person’. By this, I mean how to treat others decently, to be considerate and to think for ourselves.

Until 3, my brother and I were raised in an apartment in Brampton, Ontario. After this, my grandfather (Lou Rice) had a house built for us by Rice Construction (which by now also included my sister) in Richmond Hill. My dad was normally the ‘fun’ one while my mother was the one who ran the household and she did a good job. I don’t remember much at this address except that I loved the house. It was strong, sturdy and properly built. My mother says we moved around the time when my sister was in kindergarten so around 90 to 91. There were no other children on this street though and it was dangerous waiting for the bus. We had to wait on Bathurst and there were no side walks either. The house was getting small too. We eventually moved to a house around the block that was poorly built and cost a lot. There was *always* something with this house that needed attention. The house was on Houseman Crescent. My parents put up a jungle gym in the back yard and would often take us on vacations either by car to the galleria mall in Buffalo or by plane to locations further south.

I have always loved food through all my life but it wasn’t until after I moved out on my own that I went to chef school then started experimenting with growing food. Later I went for my nutritionists credentials in Mississauga. It was originally to help myself then I found I love how I feel when I help someone else. My sister had her daughter around this time. I moved to another part of Barrie and met my partner while volunteering (though neither of us knew it yet at this point). We live together now in a house all our own near the town of Orillia in Ontario.

Cody
I was born in Barrie, Ontario in 1995. I have a twin sister and a younger brother, as well as a younger half-brother. My mom was (and still is) an ambulance dispatcher, and my dad was a crane operator until heart issues forced him to quit. My parents divorced when I was about 7, but they both remained in our lives. We travelled between the two houses until we were old enough to stay home alone, at which point we stayed mostly at our mom’s (as it was closer to the schools we went to). After I graduated high school, I volunteered at various places around town, and met Cameron in the process.

I never thought I wanted anything to do with children until my sister had a daughter. I helped her take care of this new life including changing diapers and realized I wanted one of my own. At this time, I was single but I was not going to let that stop me. I looked up how a gay guy could have children, did my research and decided that Create Fertility was where I would look into. Covid certainly made things… challenging but it was a mixed blessing as I met the man I call my partner. He has been with me for most of the journey. Even when Dr. Sharma said my test results indicated I was infertile. My family is important to me as is its history but more important is that I am relieved we won’t be raising a child alone. We currently have 3 tested embryo’s ready to go and are looking forward to starting our family. We couldn’t be happier to have a child we can love, teach and treasure.

We live in a 3 floor split level house outside the nearby city in what some would probably call a rural area where, on some warmer days, we hear cows. One of the reasons this house was bought is to be able to grow food which is something we both enjoy doing though we have much better luck growing a lot of different kinds of fruit then we do vegetables… A new subdivision went up across the road and there is a nearby school in walking distance. There are plenty of places to walk and play in nature nearby.
We plan to raise our child here and teach him or her to love and to respect oneself and others.

Cameron
I went to school for nutritionist and found that I love to help other people with their health. Though I was not able to get a job doing this, I still help others though crypto currency and investments is where I make money. I would love to have a cat with Cody though we decided to wait on that.
I love growing food, love to make food though my love is for baking sweet and savory. I like to read, work out, go for walks in the nearby woods, play games, window shop, absolutely *love* to help others and I like to teach. Trying to get back into the piano (but the space within is too small for me 😛 ) I have always had a love of the sciences, space, physics, anatomy and how things work.
One of the many things I love to do for fun is to watch movies, play games and cook with Cody. Or raid the fruit trees or bushes with him.
Music is, perhaps, the most important to me. I believe you can evoke certain emotions or states of mind with the right piece of music and can sometimes be more descriptive then any spoken word. I love to make people laugh, in particular, Cody. He has the most wonderful laugh.

Cody
I enjoy listening to music, reading, and playing the odd video game. I love helping Cameron in the garden and the kitchen, as well as watching movies and TV together. We are also considering raising chickens for eggs.

I went to school for nutrition to help people and I’m pretty sure this would be useful. We would be perfectly happy to help in any way including conversations/video chat, moral/financial support or just to talk about the weather.

We are all people who all have their own lives and we hope to be respectful. That said, we are friendly and love to talk. If the surrogate is willing, we would like to share in her journey as we would love to have her share in ours. If not, then that is ok too. If the distance is not too far, we would love to offer more support then just over the phone or digitally and, if the surrogate and any applicable partner is ok with it, we would love to be present for the birth. Ultrasounds would be pretty cool too. We would love to maintain some form of contact with this amazing woman at her discretion.

Family is important. Thank you for taking the time to peruse and thanks for considering being an honorary family member.