Our favorite way to spend our leisure time is by traveling! Whether it be a quick weekend getaway, week-long vacation, road trip or flight we will always use every day of vacation to our advantage. When we're at home, we love to go to concerts and watch or attend sporting events. We're fortunate to have three major league sports teams in our city to see regularly and enjoy supporting our state university teams and favorite NFL football team. We also enjoy more low-key experiences with family and friends such as barbecues, game nights and even just spending quality time together. Most of our close friends already have children and we are excited to add another to the pack! We also enjoy volunteering at our church and on local young professional boards throughout the year.

We also each have leisure activities we do individually too. Brian enjoys golfing every chance he gets and is in a weekly golf league and adult softball league. Sam loves to read every book she can get her hands on and is famous for baking her made-from-scratch chocolate chip and family-recipe oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

While we can't wait to take our child to their first baseball game or on their first vacation, we're also very excited to spend more time at home, enjoying the little moments of watching our child grow and learn every day.

We have two dogs, a 6-year-old golden retriever named Remy and a 4-year-old yellow lab named Yeti We enjoy taking them for walks in our neighborhood regularly, hitting a tennis ball in the backyard for them to retrieve and going on adventures to our parents' houses or even for an ice cream treat. They have taught us so much which we believe will translate into raising children. Through raising our dogs, we have learned the true meaning of responsibility. They rely on us to be fed, to make it to their vet appointments, to get exercise and of course for lots of love! We've also learned patience is virtue; learning takes time and accidents happen, that's part of life. Finally, and most importantly, they are a prime example of unconditional love in action. We can't wait to see our boys become big brothers and get to experience the love between a dog and a child.

Last year we moved to a highly sought after, tree-lined neighborhood into a 3-bedroom ranch style home. We live on ¾ of an acre which makes for a fantastic backyard for kids and dogs alike to play. We love to host family & friends in our large living area which includes a second, smaller living room that will transition into a playroom.

Our neighborhood is really the place to be. It's most beautiful after a fresh snow or in the fall with different colored leaves on the trees. There are neighborhood hosted events such as an Easter egg hunt, ice cream socials, fall festivals and even visits from Santa which attract families with kids of all ages. The school district for the neighborhood is consistently rated as one of the top districts in our town. They've just recently built a brand-new high school and we can see the school bus stop from our front window.

The area surrounding our neighborhood includes walking trails, playgrounds, and community swimming pools but the most exciting family attraction is what can most closely be considered a small zoo. Attractions include taking tram rides through the park grounds to see animals such as deer, longhorn cattle, llamas, zebras and so much more up close. Additionally, other hands-on activities include bottle feeding baby goats, riding camels and carousel rides. We live so close to this attraction, we walk there!

One of the first things that bonded us when dating was that we both prioritized the importance of our families. Both families live in neighboring suburbs, and we see them quite frequently. Not only are we close with our families separately, but we also enjoy spending time together with both families and know this time will only expand once a child has joined the crew. Both grandmas have even volunteered to take on most of our workday childcare needs.

Some of our favorite things to do with Sam's family are to take a quick weekend trip out of town, celebrate each family member's birthday with a homemade dinner at her parents or even something as simple as a game night. Sam's extended family celebrates "Sequence" (our favorite board game) tournaments, and we travel to the same city in Florida every other year for a week. We're up to 50 people and we can't wait to add one more!

With Brian's family, we enjoy tailgating most fall weekends to watch our nephew play college football, visiting the local lake where Brian's parents live and having family barbecues. Brian's extended family is just as enormous as Sam's. Their most memorable tradition is getting together to make their family recipe made-from-scratch tamales. It's a special way to celebrate their Hispanic heritage.

We are so blessed that both families have been so supportive in our journey and can't wait to love their grandchild, niece, nephew, or cousin.

We want to thank you for so many things! Thank you for being brave, thank you for being strong and considering adoption and thank you for taking the time to read our profile and this letter. While we won't ever fully be able to understand what it feels like to be in your shoes in this moment, we want to find a way to express our gratitude that you're here and open to our story.

We have been married for six years and together for a total of 9 years. Becoming parents is a desire we both feel so strongly and something we bonded over when dating. When we were dealt the infertility card, it didn't deter us from our aspiration to become parents. We embraced the idea of an alternative route and know that adoption is right for us.

Part of the reason Sam fell in love with Brian was because of the way he interacts with children. He lights up a room with his infectious smile and playful demeanor. It doesn't take long for kids to flock to 'Uncle Brian' as he's known to many close friend's children. Brian has similar sentiments about Sam. From the way she cares for our dogs, is always the first to offer to babysit for a friend or family member, and how she persisted through our challenge to become parents, there's no doubt she's meant to be the mother of our children.

We have many hopes for a future child. We hope they are happy, safe, secure, and above all else loved beyond measure. We plan to foster an environment for a child to feel these things by providing a safe home and neighborhood, continuing to work in our jobs that we love to provide a secure future, finding activities they are interested in that create happiness, and remind them each and every day how loved they are and how thankful we are they are part of our family. Some outings we specifically look forward to are visiting our zoo (among the top 10 in the US), visiting a farmers' market, swimming in our community pool, and traveling on the weekends and in the summer. We also look forward to day-to-day joys when we'll read books, go on walks, play with toys, and focus on learning. We will encourage a child to be respectful, love equally, accept differences, honor God and be the change they wish to see in the world.

A future child will not only feel our love but will also feel the love of our family members and close friends. We are incredibly close with our families in relationship and in distance. They can't wait to add another member to the family for holiday celebrations, pool parties, vacations, you name it. Our moms will even be taking on most of our workday childcare needs. Our close friends are more like family and similarly can't wait to add another to the crew. Needless to say, we have an incredible support system and so will a child in the future.

We are excited to continue this journey with you by sharing milestones and daily activities through photos, letters, and emails, if that is desired. As mentioned earlier, we know we won't ever be able to truly understand the difficult journey this must be. But please know there will never be a day where your child isn't aware they were adopted and reminded how loved and cared for they are and especially loved during this journey.

It's only fitting to end this note with a final thank you. We appreciate you for being you and for taking the time to read our profile. We wish you the very best today and all days.

Brian & Sam