About Yaara, Jon, and Eli

We met in Tel Aviv, Israel when Jon was looking for a room to rent. Yaara was looking for a roommate but after meeting Jon, she was more interested in a date. Jon didn’t realize that Yaara had asked him out instead of telling him he should meet the other roommates. However, the date (or meeting) went really well and we both realized we had found soulmates.

Our love for each other has only grown as we moved from Tel Aviv to San Francisco and now back to Jon’s birthplace in Indiana. Our son, Eli, was born in April 2019 and has been an amazing joy for us. We love playing, reading books, and having dinner together every day.

We have always been travelers looking to discover new places in nature, cities, or towns. We have each traveled to over 30 countries and between us 46 states. Each month, we take our son, Eli, on camping trips and nature hikes, so that we can all experience the outdoors as a family.

We feel blessed to have large supportive families. Every year, we have big family vacations, so that we stay close no matter where we live. Last year, we went to the beach in Michigan and Yosemite National Park. Eli loves the opportunity to play with his many young cousins.

Our Family, Friends and Traditions

‘Family comes first’ has been a lifelong motto for us. We love spending time together, learning new things, traveling, being outdoors, or just hanging out at home.

Recently we got an invaluable opportunity to move close to Jon’s family. We meet Eli’s grandparents every Friday night and many more times during the week. Yaara’s family lives in Israel. They visit us very frequently, talk daily with Eli, and send a package full of gifts every month.

We frequently take short fun weekend road trips or nature getaways with family and friends. Once a year, we like to take a long vacation. Last year, we traveled to Argentina for a month with Eli’s grandparents. Eli loved hanging out in Buenos Aires, seeing the beautiful mountains of Patagonia, and trying out new foods.

One of our favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. Jon's family has a long tradition of hosting a large and delicious Thanksgiving meal with over 50 people from our extended family and friends. We kick off the event with everyone sharing what we are thankful for and stay together for the entire day.

Meet Yaara

The first thing I noticed about Yaara was her huge smile. Yaara’s smile warms rooms and her caring heart brings everyone together. She is incredibly quick to laugh, never says a bad word, and always sees the world in a positive light. Yaara is a caring, nurturing, and patient mother who showers our son, Eli, with love every day making him the center of her universe.

No one puts family first more than Yaara. When her parents were coming to visit us in San Francisco, there was never a question that they would stay anywhere but with us in our small one-bedroom apartment - for three weeks!

Speaking of both of our families, we moved to Indiana to be closer to my family. While I worked, Yaara would take Eli to my parents and grandmother's houses so that my family would have regular family visits - while they were quarantining during COVID-19. To Yaara, it was incredibly natural and quick to “adopt” my family as her own.

There are so many great things I can say about Yaara as a wonderful mother and life partner it is actually hard to not write many pages. However, I’ll end by saying that I wake up every morning feeling blessed to get to live my life with Yaara.