The first thing you might notice once you step into David and Matt Clark-Sally’s Madison home are photos.
Photos of their friends and loved ones in their entryway. Photos of family members covering their living room wall. Photos of loved ones in the rooms of their daughters, eight-year-old Madden and seven-year-old Kate.
“They’re so representative of who we are and what we value,” explains David. “It’s a great reminder that wherever you are, you’re with people you love.”
That reminder is important, as none of the couple’s immediate family members live in Wisconsin. David, who works at a nonprofit building a young-adult community, hails from Indiana, and Matt, who works in healthcare marketing, is from North Carolina.
But Madison is home now, and the family has found much to love about it. They often visit the Madison Children’s Museum, the Dane County Farmers’ Market and the State Capitol. And they’ve become huge fans of DreamBank, a community space on East Washington Avenue run by American Family Insurance.
“We love DreamBank, especially in winter, when it’s so cold outside,” David says. “The space is amazing and everything is free. We’re always trying to see what they’re doing next.”
And the Clark-Sallys appreciate the openness and acceptance they’ve found in Madison.
“The culture here is really conducive to gay people trying to raise kids,” says David. “Inclusivity is taught in school, and the kids have friends whose families look different than the traditional nuclear family. We feel really included and affirmed.”
The family stays busy with the girls’ activities — including swimming for Kate, piano for Madden and Girl Scouts for both — and their interests at home.
“Madden is very creative. We buy her adults coloring books and she can sit and color those forever. And she fills up journals so fast with her drawings,” David says. “Kate is more tactile and loves Barbies and LOL Dolls.”
Whether curled up for pizza and movie nights, reading together at bedtime or riding bikes around the neighborhood during warmer times of year, spending time together is a priority for the family.
“At the end of the day, it’s important for us to show up for each other,” David says.
And that extends to those relatives living out of state, thanks to a sweet tradition the foursome has started.
“For all our immediate family members, we make birthday cards,” David says. “It’s expressing how we feel about the people we care about. We’re not in close proximity, but we can make them feel special.”
Photo (top) by Brown Stones Photography.
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and her family is always up for an adventure.