4
Virginia
Anglican
Benji 3 yr
Benjiro “Benji” joined our family in July of 2022. His name means “lover of peace” in Japanese. We chose this name to honor Matt’s Japanese heritage.
Benji’s showing to be a good friend and considerate of others. He has a kind heart and wants to help everyone with anything he can. He loves his hats, and you’ll frequently see him sporting his favorite - a fedora. Cars, airplanes, and anything that transports are his favorites right now! On a trip this summer, Benji realized he enjoyed little coasters and rides at an amusement park. He’s also started learning to ride his bike “fast like Lightning McQueen.”
He is very excited with the thought of having little siblings, and has even been practicing rocking his stuffies.
0
Hello friend! It’s a pleasure to meet you! We’re Matt and Amy, and we live in the mountains of Virginia. We have one son, Benjiro “Benji,” and one daughter, Sylvia, who is in Heaven.
While our home base is outside Lynchburg, we have the coolest opportunity to travel to different states for Matt’s job. Over the last three years, we’ve gotten to go to 14 different states, and we’ve also received the opportunity to visit friends in Germany and England recently. Each of these travels provide a variety of experiences to try and a variety of people to interact with.
As a family, we love spending our free time playing board games, hiking, or watching soccer. Our favorite team is Charlotte FC, and we try to see games in person once or twice a year. We post semi-regular on our family Instagram @theevanhoes if you want to see more of our daily life. We hope you enjoy getting to know our family!
I was raised in Dayton, OH. Growing up, my mom taught me the value of relationships. I spent many days exploring, playing, and doing dumb stuff with the kids in my neighborhood. My Mom was the best at hosting and loving others. She inspired me to do the same, and we like to have folks over when we can.
Amy would often say she loves me for both my brain and my heart. I know all sorts of random facts about random things. I’m certainly an engineer in that regard. However, Amy would also say I have a compassionate and gentle heart. I feel and process my emotions well, and I’m generally the one tearing up at the end of movies.
I have three siblings, of which I’m the oldest. My first younger sister is divorced with two very smart girls and works at a local business. My second younger sister is married with one little girl. My brother is single and works in accounting. My Mom was my hero and recently passed from cancer. My Dad took a break from work to take care of my mom, however he is back in management and travels frequently for that. The majority of my family lives in Ohio, which makes it so we only see them two or so times a year.
I have a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor in Material Science and Engineering, which I received from Wright State University. I also completed a Master in Chemical Engineering from University of Dayton.
I work as an engineer at an international company in nuclear energy. While we have several local offices, I often travel with a team to work on power plants throughout the country. We tend to stay in one location for a few weeks up to a few months at a time. My company is wonderful and makes it easy for Amy and Benji to travel with me. This allows us to have more time as a family and get to experience different parts of the country together.
I have a love for board games and occasional video games, grilling, and spending time with my family. I also enjoy hiking and reading - science fiction is my preference. Being ¼ Japanese, I love pretty much anything related to Japan and have visited many times.
I love exploring different types of food, except for strawberries, and can make my own homemade sushi. We no longer have this kind of car, but I have a deep love for driving a stickshift. I’ve experienced a large variety of experiences, including becoming certified in scuba diving. And Tangled is by far the best Disney movie. I may or may not have watched it four times in theaters…
I was raised in the touristy town of Williamsburg, VA. I grew up without a dad, which did impact me and my siblings a great deal. It also created a special and strong bond between all of us. Because of my history in this, my family is my greatest priority. I’m a big feeler and enjoy getting to love those around me well.
I have three incredible siblings - two older brothers and one younger sister. My oldest brother has a lovely wife and two little boys. My second brother is single, but is very talented and tends to be spread out among multiple different avenues. My younger sister is my best friend. She works at a Christian Retreat Center in management. She is also single, but will likely be marrying her boyfriend within a few years. My Mom frequently comes to visit us when she has time off from work or isn’t babysitting my brother’s children. My family is within a few hours, which allows us to see at least some of them very often.
I have a degree in Christian Ministry and was a children’s director for about a year and half. I’m now a stay-at-home-mom to our three-year old son. Being at home gives me the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the little moments. My background also gives me the skills to include movement and Bible basics consistently in our lives. I’m deeply thankful I have the opportunity to provide stability and consistency for our son and all our future children.
I thoroughly enjoy movement and a good, extra-hot cup of coffee. Board games and attempting to play video games with Matt are some activities I enjoy too. You’ll often find me walking and exploring around town, especially when we travel to a new place. I find great pride upon discovering a good thrift store find. I absolutely love the stars and feel closest to God when stargazing.
I was a dancer beginning in ‘04, and even a dance teacher for many years until we moved in 2022. Christmas is my favorite season and I love creating the magic and traditions of the different seasons for my family. When I have down time, I like doing sudoku or puzzles while listening to a podcast or story. During the winter months, we tend to watch movies or shows after Benji goes to bed. Our favorite will probably continue to be Andor from Star Wars.
Benjiro “Benji” joined our family in July of 2022. His name means “lover of peace” in Japanese. We chose this name to honor Matt’s Japanese heritage.
Benji’s showing to be a good friend and considerate of others. He has a kind heart and wants to help everyone with anything he can. He loves his hats, and you’ll frequently see him sporting his favorite - a fedora. Cars, airplanes, and anything that transports are his favorites right now! On a trip this summer, Benji realized he enjoyed little coasters and rides at an amusement park. He’s also started learning to ride his bike “fast like Lightning McQueen.”
He is very excited with the thought of having little siblings, and has even been practicing rocking his stuffies.
Our home includes three bedrooms and 2 ½ baths. We have a large living room and a patio outside that we built ourselves. Our family color is blue, and you’ll find the color frequently throughout our home. We have the sweetest neighbor next door to us and treats our son as her grandkid. When we travel, we stay in a Grand Design Transcend with plenty of space for everyone and our items.
Lynchburg is unique in that it contains three different colleges, which provide quite a bit of diversity and a variety of events throughout the year. Our favorite is the Bright Nights around the Christmas season. We enjoy visiting one of the two regular Saturday farmer’s markets nearby. We’re about 15 minutes from Downtown Lynchburg and live within an hour of multiple State Parks. Crab Tree Falls - our favorite hike - among many many other great hikes are within an hour or two of our home.
One of our favorite places to be during good weather is our backyard. We personally dug out and built our patio to provide space for meals, bonfires, and all the outdoor play. Another favorite activity is to walk or bike one of Lynchburg’s many trails. Our city also includes several art theaters, a children’s museum, multiple parks, and some of the best sourdough pizza we’ve ever had.
Our world can change with our travels. Some of our favorite places we’ve been to would be Arizona - the hikes are incredible, Charlotte, NC, and England. We love the ability to meet new people and live in different cities and states.
