We both love reading and movies, with a soft spot for science fiction and fantasy. And we love to try new restaurants and seek out new foods to try. Travel is also high on our list when time allows.

Joy loves to create. She works with clay, sews, and crochets. Music is also very important to her and she has slowly been expanding John’s knowledge of classic rock, folk, and soul music.

Being active is important to both of us. John loves to swim and play racquetball. He has recently helped Joy to learn to ride a bike and encourages her to get out and practice even when its intimidating. We both attend group workouts several times a week and enjoy getting out into nature whether it be in a Kayak or on a trail.

We also just started playing more board games and have found it to be a really good way to spend time together and cut down on screen time. Our favorite right now is Terraforming Mars.

And underneath all of this, our church community is a big foundation for us. We attend a weekly small group meeting that is our primary social circle and we volunteer to serve at events throughout the year.

Joys favorite childhood memories include bedtime stories with her dad and learning to cook with her mom. Her dad encouraged a love of reading at an early age. She realizes now that the cooking lessons were primarily so her parents could get free breakfast served up on weekends. But she still enjoys the memory of making something everyone enjoyed.

John also grew up with bedtime stories and reading is an important part of his life. One of his favorite memories is taking the train to go visit Disneyland when he was a kid. He also really enjoyed playing little league baseball and going on bike rides and other adventures with his friends.

Joy about John: I love how thoughtful John is in everything he does. He is logical and practical which makes him an excellent sounding board when trying to work through some problem or anxiety. I admire his ability to keep a cool head. And he has a mind for strategy and numbers. He will always be the reason our budget makes sense and that our credit card points are utilized for maximum efficiency. Finally, I love his sense of humor. He can always make me laugh at even my lowest times.

John about Joy: I love Joy’s authenticity. She is incredibly honest, kind and open with those around her. She sees the world through the eyes of an artist and I am in awe of the vicarious wonder she enables me to experience by helping me see things of beauty and promise in this world that I never even knew were there. Finally, I respect her ability to overcome the tragedies and struggles of life. She does not minimize or bury the scars that hardship brings, but always gets back up. Sometimes she does not realize her own strength.

We are fortunate that we both have amazing families that support us and who can't wait to be part of this child's life!

John's mother and sister live in San Diego and we try to see them as often as possible. John's mom can not wait to be a grandmother. Her heart is for the children in the family, and she remembers the birthdays of all her brother's 20+ grandkids as if they were her own. John's father lives in Branson and looks forward to teaching his future grandchildren to ski.

Joy's parents live only 2 hours away in St. Louis and we see them often. They like to come to Columbia to ride the Katy Trail on their bikes. And we like to visit them and Joy's younger brother in St. Louis. They are anxiously awaiting being grandparents as well.

John has a big extended family with someone in just about every state, but is especially close with his uncle and cousins here in Missouri. They all have large families with lots of kids so we know there would be plenty of playmates!

Some of our favorite family events have been Fourth of July at John's family's lake house, Christmas in San Diego, and giant Thanksgiving gatherings with John's family here in Columbia.

We live in smaller city in Missouri that benefits from many amenities you'd find in a larger city because of a large university. It is two hours away from two big cities and we enjoy taking fun day trips to state parks, hiking trails, or hobby farms in the area. We have fantastic restaurants, and a few good concert venues.

Our neighborhood is a suburban area on the western edge of town that is very close to lots of farm land and nature areas. We have good schools and lots of playgrounds nearby. There are even a few municipal waterparks!

A big part of our life here is our church, where we have been going for over four years. We joke at just how many large families we have at church, and they have a lot of love for adoption and foster kiddos. We will be in good company as adoptive parents and cant wait to share this amazing community with our child.

Falling in love has been the most exciting adventure of our lives. Joy loves to work with her hands and create art in many forms. She works as a graphic designer while creating pottery in her free time. John, however, struggles to draw stick figures. a pragmatist, his path took him straight from college, to law school, to working as an attorney. Prior to meeting John, Joy had been on many bad dates wanted to let her online dating accounts expire. John on the other hand had been so focused on his professional development that he had largely neglected pursuing romantic relationships. But thanks to some (not so) gentle encouragement from friends and family, John decided at 32 it was finally time to create his first online dating profile. When John first saw Joy’s profile he was immediately drawn to her smile. It was kind yet mischievous with a hint of mystery. When Joy saw John’s profile picture, well, she was not impressed with his selfie skills. But she thought he was cute and decided to give him a shot. Just over a year later, they were headed to Costa Rica for their honeymoon and what would be the first of many adventures together. The years since have been filled with the joy of getting to know each better, deepening our love for one another, and learning who God intends us to be as a family.

Due to some unfortunate heath issues and a recent miscarriage, we have come to the conclusion that it is unlikely we will ever be able to have biological children. But in spite of that sadness, we can still say that God is good! He has been teaching us that adoption is not simply a way for us to become parents, but a reflection of the perfect way He chose to show us His Love for us by adopting us into His Family as sons and daughters to be co-heirs with Christ.

And that brings us to this moment. We are incredibly humbled that you would consider us to be parents to your baby. We can’t imagine what a difficult decision this is for you, and we are already praying for you. Our hope is the same hope that we are sure you have for your baby, that he or she will be adopted by a couple who loves them unconditionally, provides them with the support and security to dream incredible dreams, and makes sure they have the resources and opportunities to achieve those dreams.

We place high value on education and travel and want to create opportunities for imagination and exploration. And we feel it is important to be courageous, kind, and have strength of character. If you choose us, we promise to share our love with your child and show them that they are a unique and amazing individual deserving of unconditional love. We will laugh with your child, celebrate their first steps, comfort them when they inevitably encounter the pain and sadness that is part of life, and will strive to always be mindful of the joy and privilege it is to be a part of the amazing journey God has planned for their life.

And we are eager to meet you as well! We understand that by adopting your baby we are also inviting you to become an extension of our new family. We take that very seriously and want to honor your decision throughout this child's life. We want to set up a way to share our lives in whatever way works best for you. We are happy to send email updates with pictures and stories, and to help mark milestones in ways yet to be discovered. And, when appropriate, we are open to arranging visits. We look forward to telling your child about how incredible you are, as the woman who not only selflessly gave them the gift of life but also had the wisdom and strength to make the difficult decision to choose adoption so that her child could have the life she dreamed of for them.

Thank you again for reading our story and considering us. We wish you all the best with your many decisions ahead!

John & Joy