Jesse and Rachel met as students at BYU-Idaho and were married in 2010. They are currently living in Austin, TX with their three sons (ages 10, 10, and 8) where their two oldest attend Texas School for the Deaf. Their oldest son was born in Idaho with congenital CMV, causing a progressive hearing loss that resulted in profound deafness by his first birthday. Two years later their second biological son was born in Utah. He loves telling people he’s bi-lingual (and working on a third). After moving to Texas in 2018, they adopted their third son through the foster care system who is also profoundly deaf.

Jesse received his Bachelor’s degree in communications and worked in business, non-profit, and education for over 7 years before deciding to be a stay at home dad and part-time handyman. Rachel recently completed her Master’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation and is currently the Supervisor of Disability Support and Inclusion Services for Austin Parks and Recreation.