Over fifteen years ago, we began our adventure together—and now we’re excited to start the next chapter as parents. We met in college, became each other’s first and only loves, and built a life based on curiosity, laughter, and shared dreams. Our journey has taken us across the world in our self-built camper van, inspiring a life of purpose, wonder, and connection. These experiences have strengthened our bond and deepened our appreciation for family and the world around us.
Through our travels, we’ve learned the value of flexibility, patience, and teamwork—qualities that we know will serve us well as parents. We believe in nurturing a child’s sense of adventure while providing a safe, secure, and loving home. Education is deeply important to us, and we plan to support both academic learning and hands-on experiences that help our child grow confident and curious about the world.
We look forward to celebrating our child’s individuality and guiding them as they discover who they are. Parenthood will be our greatest adventure yet, and we cannot wait to share our love, our lives, and our sense of wonder with our future child.
About Jennifer
My first 10 years in the workforce were spent as a mechanical engineer, and the last 3 years I’ve been working as a SQL database engineer. I love solving problems and seeing my hard work transform into something new. Bull-doggedly tenacious, I keep working at something until it is finished and give 100% to everything I do.
As a child of restaurant owners, food has always been important to me. I have perfected my buttermilk biscuit recipe after researching tons of recipes. Some of my favorite memories are learning to bake at my grandma’s elbow, and I hope to share that with my children. I’m an introvert who loves reading and watching shows, but I also enjoy challenges and team sports. On Friday nights, you will find me playing Ultimate Frisbee. One of my goals is to visit all the countries and continents in the world. I also enjoy exploring the local hiking paths and finding the beauty around me. On the weekend, you will find me eating ice cream at a local shop.
I have always been drawn to adoption, even as a child. As an adult, I recognize it as a complicated system that is both joyous and sorrowful at the same time. Even before I had a hysterectomy, adoption had always been my first choice.
About Jonathan
I am an engineer, working for an airline. The daily challenges of keeping our aircraft safe, reliable, and efficient are rewarding and interesting.
Some of my fondest memories are of fixing machines and tools with my Dad. Seeing something broken run again is deeply satisfying, and I look forward to passing those skills and experiences on to our children.
One reason I want to be a parent is to pay forward the time, thought, effort, and love I have been given.
Part of that is raising the next generation and imparting to them the lessons I have learned. I look forward to seeing another unique person develop and launch out under my care. I am very excited about fatherhood!
Our Lives
After many years of traveling and renting, we have decided to have a home base in Arizona. In 2023, we bought 2.5 acres near the mountains, and we are working towards building a home here in the next couple of years. With beautiful panoramic views of the mountains and good schools, it’s the perfect place for our family to grow.
Our 15-year-old cat has been with us for nearly as long as we have been married. She is a calm, mild-mannered lap cat that snuggles up with Jen as she relaxes after work.
Our neighbors and friends from church are friendly and are looking forward to lavishing love on our child. It takes a village, and we are gathering ours.
Our Family
Our families are supportive of our choice to grow our family by adoption and can hardly wait to welcome our child to the ranks. Our child will have cousins, including 2 sets of twins, on both sides, with more children expected to come in the future years. While our families live out of state, they are all looking forward to visiting and are even offering to come out and take the “night shift” of caring for our child. Nana and Papa (Jonathan’s parents) and MayMay and PayPay (Jennifer’s parents), and all their aunts, uncles, and cousins are looking forward to meeting them!
We alternate which family we visit on Christmas each year; on the 3rd Christmas, we celebrate our own way, typically with travel. We hope to continue the tradition of summer family lake trips filled with tubing.
Final Thoughts
We’re ready to provide a loving, secure home where our child can thrive, explore, and grow with confidence. Parenthood will be our greatest adventure yet, and we can’t wait to begin it together.
-Jonathan & Jennifer
