“We love the friendly atmosphere of the neighborhood and thought it was a perfect location in town,” says Katherine Callahan of her home in Oak Creek. She and her family, which includes her husband, Ethan, their son, Harvey, dogs Miko and Bruce, and cats Ollie and O’Malley, have called Oak Creek home for the last five years.

Both Ethan and Katherine were born in Nacogdoches. Katherine moved to Jacksonville when she was a year old and grew up there. She has two younger sisters; one recently married in June and attends nursing school in Longview, while the other is a first-year teacher in New Braunfels and a graduate of UT Austin. Ethan grew up the son of a coach, which required the family to move, taking them from Nacogdoches to places like Center and Quitman. He has an older sister who lives in College Station with her 2-year-old son, Luke, who the family says has the best personality.

Ethan and Katherine first met right before the beginning of the pandemic. “Ethan read a Bible verse and said a prayer to the congregation at church,” Katherine says. “I happened to be visiting that church for the first time, and I quickly noticed him and thought he was cute. We didn’t meet that day, but I asked around to find out what his name was.” A few months later, they were parked beside each other, and Katherine, recognizing Ethan from church, waved at him. Ethan responded by driving off. To make her next move, Katherine followed him on Instagram and he messaged her. A week later, they were on their first date. Five months later, they were engaged. Five months after that, they were married, and in May, they will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.

On Feb. 4, Ethan and Katherine welcomed their first child, Harvey Scott, into the family. “He likes to eat, sleep, and look around at the new things around him,” Katherine says. “He is an answered prayer and he couldn’t be more perfect.” Harvey joined the Callahan family via a gestational carrier. In 2017, Katherine was involved in a major car accident that resulted in multiple abdominal surgeries, and she was later told that carrying her own child could be dangerous for her.

Ethan and Katherine started IVF last April and transferred their embryo in May. “This means the embryo was ours, but another woman carried our baby for us,” they share. “Our surrogate, Sophia, was someone I’ve grown up with and known my whole life. The process was so amazing, and we couldn’t have chosen a better person to carry our child for us.” Katherine attended all the appointments with Sophia and even worked out with her throughout the pregnancy, as Sophia is a personal trainer and owns Dynamis Athletics in Jacksonville. The birth was especially meaningful, as Katherine, Ethan, Katherine's mom, and Sophia’s mom were all able to be in the room.

Katherine is a stay-at-home mom with Harvey. Ethan works at ABC Supply, where he has worked for almost four years in outside sales and could not love it more. In her free time, Katherine enjoys playing mahjong, while Ethan loves collecting sports cards, coins, and minerals. He is also a member of the Tyler Coin Club.

Around town, the Callahans enjoy going to The Grove, where they were married, as well as Bernard’s, Javi’s, and Villaggio. When they travel, they love going to Telluride, Colorado. “I grew up skiing there and I’ve loved getting to share it with Ethan,” Katherine says. “We also love traveling to new places and exploring new things.”

At the end of the day, the Callahans are most grateful for their family. The past year has seen hardship for the Callahan family, including the loss of Ethan’s mother, Sherrie, who was a friend to everyone she met and a devoted grandmother to Luke. A week after Sherrie passed, Katherine’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through all of this, the Callahans remain faithful. “Without family and our faith, we couldn’t have gotten through the past year,” they say. By continuing to lean on family, faith, and friends, the Callahans will persevere.