We come from very different backgrounds. Cara is half Chinese, half Okinawan, but was born and raised in Hawaii, which has it's own unique customs. We celebrate all of these cultures through food, music, and other traditions. Family gatherings are special. Whether it's to celebrate a holiday or just because a cousin is in town visiting for the weekend, we love seeing each other, catching up, eating special dishes that an Aunty may have made for the occasion, and sometimes, a "kanikapila" which is Hawaiian for "jam session" where cousins and friends bring their acoustic guitars, ukuleles and beautiful voices.

Steve is Caucasian and from the east coast, but spent a lot of his childhood in the south. He loves to cook and share the cuisine that he grew up with such as Maryland crab cakes (he uses "Old Bay" seasoning on everything), gumbo, and dry-rub ribs. The importance of family was also instilled in Steve growing up and he talks to his mother or grandmother everyday, even though they are an ocean and a continent away in Florida.

We love learning and discovering new things about each other and our cultural heritage. A lot of it revolves around food! But we are fortunate that we both enjoy trying new types of food and cooking and love that we can share this with each other.

Cara is an incredible baker and in 2020 started her own custom cake and dessert company. She enjoys creating new cakes for kids based on their personal interests (cartoon characters, animals, movies, etc.). She also enjoys yoga, hiking, and traveling.

Steve's favorite hobbies are jiu-jitsu and cooking. He started jiu-jitsu classes several years ago and has competed in dozens of high-level tournaments across Hawaii and the U.S. Cooking is also a passion of his; he is always in the kitchen creating all sorts of delicious dishes that span many different cultures. We routinely have friends and family over for themed dinners including Spanish, Russian, Italian, Greek, Korean, and Indian foods. We hope our child will be open to trying new food and help us in the kitchen with cooking and baking as fun family time.

Together, we like to golf occasionally and spend a lot of time playing with our English Bulldog, Winston.

Even though we were not adopted, we both have friends and family members who have been adopted or are in the process of adopting children. Steve's sister has been a foster parent for several years and is anxiously awaiting her adoption date for three of her children. In the 1970's, Steve's grandparents adopted four children from Vietnam in a time where Vietnamese were going through extreme hardships. We were fortunate to recently meet one of Steve's uncles who still refers to Steve's grandmother as "Mom." Cara has several close relatives and friends that have been adopted, one of them her Aunt who she is very close to. We also have a neighbor that adopted their daughter from China, a now teenager that spent a lot of time with our family as a child. Being surrounded by many people who have gone through adoption in some way has shown us how caring, supportive families can provide a loving home for a child and we are excited to have this opportunity.

We live in a cozy two-bedroom house. Our home is new, but it is on property that has been in the family for 75+ years. We share the property (of two individual houses) with Cara's sister's family and have a shared outdoor patio where we have dinner together almost every night. We have a large front yard that our nephews and their dog are always playing in and has become a local gathering spot for neighbors walking their dogs and for neighborhood children to play on the tree swing. We have kind, friendly neighbors that we have known for many years and always keep a lookout for one another.

Within two miles of our home are the local elementary, middle and high schools, neighborhood parks and the beach. We are also within walking distance to a "main street" with many local restaurants that we love to support, and studios where Cara practices yoga and Steve trains in jiu-jitsu. On Tuesdays, we walk to a nearby park where the local mailman (who also happens to be a dog trainer) holds a doggie training class for those who live in the neighborhood. Every December there is a Christmas parade with participation by the local merchants, first responders and elementary school children. We live in a great neighborhood and are lucky to live no more than 30 minutes from "downtown" and from our workplaces.

Steve was raised in a large city on the east coast and Cara is from a very small town in Hawaii. We have many different traditions and have been lucky to share them with each other and our families. Most of Cara's relatives live in the same town and we often spend the holidays together. Every year, we go on a fishing trip with Cara's siblings and their families. Cara is half Chinese, and we celebrate an annual Lunar New Year dinner with extended family. Our family loves watching Sunday football together to cheer for everyone's favorite teams. Two of our nephews (ages 7 and 10) live next door so we often have movie and game nights together. Steve's family lives in Florida, so every other year we visit them and get to eat all of the different types of foods that we cannot find in Hawaii. We cannot wait to introduce all of these traditions to this child, and can only hope they will love living in Hawaii as much as we do.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn a little more about us. We know that a very difficult decision lies ahead of you, and we hope that learning more about our lives gives you some peace of mind as you consider adoption for your child.

We have been together for almost five years, and got married on June 30, 2019. Early in our relationship we learned that we would not be able to have biological children together, but we knew that we wanted to build a life together and have a family. We started learning about the adoption process a few years ago and now we are ready for this amazing experience. We have a lot of love for each other, and a lot of love to share with a child.

The two things that we value most are family and education. We want to ensure you know that any child that we welcome into our family will have a loving and caring home, as well as a very supportive network of extended family and friends. We cannot wait to watch a child connect with our nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We are a biracial couple and are continuously learning about each other's cultures. We are excited to share and celebrate our diverse backgrounds with a child, as well as learn and celebrate their heritage if different from ours.

The neighborhood that we live in has many excellent schools, one of them being a public elementary charter school 5 minutes from our home which our nephews attend. We feel that a good education is extremely important; we both enjoy learning and Steve has several Masters degrees! However, above all else, we hope to raise a child to be kind, considerate, have good morals and grow to be a decent human being.

Steve works as a project manager and is also an adjunct professor at a local University, and Cara works in contracting. We work full time but have flexible schedules that will allow us to both provide for a child and be present and active in their lives. We look forward to watching them grow and develop. We are excited to see their expressions the first time their toes touch the sand, learn to swim in the ocean, and see a rainbow in the sky. We can't wait to take them to our favorite restaurants and have them be a part of our family vacations.

We plan on being open and honest with a child about adoption, and will be sure they know how special they are and how much you love them. We hope to maintain a healthy relationship with you, and we want to be sure you know how much we admire your courage. We will always have respect for you and for your decision. We hope that you will be open to us sharing this child's growth and experiences with you through photos, letters, and emails. If you wish, we are also open to in-person visits in the future.

We are excited to have this opportunity to grow our family and can not wait to see what our future holds. Thank you again for taking the time to get a glimpse of our world. Please know that you will always have a special place in it.

Steve & Cara