Ted & Verna

Let us start by stating that it is our deepest wish that what we have written about ourselves will serve to lessen your fears and, in some small way, help you make what must be a truly difficult decision somehow easier. We are truly grateful that you consider us in this most important decision. Know that you are loved, that your presence makes a difference, and that our lives, as a result, may never be the same because of you. Preferred Gender: Male

Ted Verna Job Description News Manager Producer/Writer Education Master of Business Administration Bachelor of Arts in Journalism Favorites Author Walter Mosley Author Amy Tan Form of Exercise Walking Form of Exercise Karate Hobby Reading Hobby Blogging Childhood Toy Train Set Childhood Toy Chrissy & Velvet Dolls Thing to Cook Seafood Thing to Cook My Mom's Gumbo Children None

Ted, Verna and Barack

We grew up in families with lots of traditions. We believe that meaningful family traditions create a sense of identity, belonging and security. For us, traditions are little things like praying together before meals, eating dinner together, or the special way we sing happy birthday. They are big traditions that everyone, especially the kids in our families, look forward to, like gathering every Thanksgiving and Christmas, summer vacations, family reunions, and the special traditions reserved for times like graduations and weddings. Big or small, they are important to us, and something that neither of us would ever think of missing. Sitting down to dinner together is something each of our parents did with our families. Work can be tiring, but making sure to break bread every day together ensures that there is a connection on a daily basis that family members can count on. It is a built in reminder to us that our family is first! At home or away, we always put up a tree and decorate it in a unique way. Together, we've collected very special ornaments reflecting our heritage and culture, and Ted constructs a village complete with two trains that run through it. Another big tradition is summer vacationing. Ted has fond memories of picnics and trips to the beach that he was so excited about as a child, he slept in his swim trunks! When Verna starts preparing food for the car ride, Ted remembers his own Mom frying chicken and making preparations and can't wait to share the excitement with a child.

Fun traditions include toasting a family member's accomplishments with "Success Glasses".Everyone salutes the accomplishment, but the person who is being toasted gets a huge glass. At their wedding, Ted and Verna toasted with heirloom glasses used by every newly married couple in her family dating back to the 1800's! Her family also "second lined" - a traditional dance from her New Orleans heritage.

Our spiritual traditions are attending church on Sundays and going for Pancakes afterwards. Looking back, we can see that as our families practiced traditions, we were each strengthened and the family grew as a whole in unity and love. Our traditions bring us closer to God, fortify commitment to each other and teach important principles we want our children to understand and live by.

We Love the Water!
Martha's Vineyard

There are two spots on the whole planet where you will find Ted and Verna every single summer- Martha's Vineyard, and Disney World! While they are two very different destinations, we love them both and get excited as soon as the weather gets warm.

Ted with His Princess (Verna) at Disney

Martha's Vineyard: The trip to the Vineyard is really a different type of vacation for us, starting with the fact that you can only get there by boat. Verna loves everything about the trip including the hours in the car just getting to the ferry. We sing, eat sandwiches and take in the beautiful scenery. There's something about the long ferry ride over that sets the tone. For Ted, the fun begins once they're on the island. We love riding our bikes to see friends, or to the campgrounds to see the "Gingerbread Houses". We take trips daily to one of the beaches, swim and build castles with our friend's children, grab freshly caught seafood to throw on the grill, and talk under the stars about what next year will be like with a child of our own to share it with.

Disney World: Vacationing or taking a long week-end at Disney is something we can't get enough of. We love the parks with exciting rides and Disney styled adventures and the amazing themed hotels (our favorite so far is Animal Kingdom). We've taken our entire families with us. Our nieces and nephews are always beyond excited, but what we like best is there is no shortage of things to do to suit kids and grown ups. Disney isn't just about the rides and parks, there's swimming, golfing, boat rides to downtown Disney, outlet shopping and more. It really does feel magical and we are so glad to know that this is an experience that will bring so much happiness to a child.

The rhythm of our lives is set by family events and celebrations of friends that arise a few times a month. We may travel to Chicago to welcome a friend's new baby, entertain overnight guests at home (always exciting - Verna's best friend has 8 children who visit from time to time from Atlanta) and end the month with a trip to Maryland for a family gathering. We look forward to the travel and new surrounding that those occasions bring us, and make the most of the chance to be in another city. Between those events, we enjoy activities near home.

Ted likes to get up early on weekends to hit the golf course which keeps him in top shape. By late morning he's back at the house taking care of yard work and getting things done around the house. He likes to set up the patio so that he and Verna can spend the afternoon soaking in the sun, reading and relaxing in each others company. Later, we may go for a walk in our neighborhood or to the puppy park with Barack or head out to visit Ted's Mom nearby. During the week, Verna cooks for the family, but on week-ends the family is treated to a gourmet meal prepared by Chef Ted! A big passion of Ted's is photography. He picked up a camera when he was 8 and hasn't put it down. His sister remarked that she's amazed by what the love of photography brought him from such a young age - which is an entry into his exciting career field. Most of Ted's photos are of family members and vacations.

Verna is an officer in her sorority, a national community service based organization that aims to improve social and economic conditions through its programs. She may host a meeting at our home on a weeknight or conduct an event on a Saturday morning. Other hobbies include cooking classes (she'd like to perfect all cuisines from her birthplace, New Orleans and has already mastered Gumbo, Jambalaya, and bananas foster served every Christmas Eve), Tae Kwon Do in which she has competed, and she dreams of picking back up the piano that she played through her teenage years. Karate, music and sports are activities we want to share with a child.