We love visiting Siesta Key in Florida when we are in need of a vacation. Steven's grandfather lived in a house two blocks from the beach and we were fortunate enough to be able to stay with him whenever we went down. Sadly, he passed away two years ago due to COVID, but his family still owns it, and we are able to continue to stay there.

Siesta Key is a great vacation spot for families! Its beach is one of the top beaches in the country, sporting crystal blue water and white powdery sand. The water itself never gets too rough since it's on the Gulf side so it's perfect for wading and floating. There is a little downtown, within walking distance of the house, that provides shops and restaurants with the coolest beachy vibe.

Siesta Key has a very special place in our heart, and we cannot wait to take our child there for the first time!

In our leisure time we like to spend time with our family and friends. Since we live a distance from a majority or our friends and family, when we can see them, we make it a priority to.

In addition to spending time with our loved ones, we love to golf together. We love playing new courses and even got the chance to play on our honeymoon in the Bahamas. Talk about gorgeous! Each hole was set on a cliff beside the water!

When we aren't golfing, we enjoy walking/hiking with Penny. Whether it's just around our neighborhood or a quick trip to a nature preserve, we always have a good time.

We have a lot of fun together and we look forward to finding new hobbies and interests as a family!

We are very blessed to already be dog parents to a stubborn, funny, loving Beagle-Basset Hound named Penny Lane. When we bought our house and saw that we had a fenced in backyard, we both immediately knew that we wanted to get a dog. Upon a random trip to Tractor Supply in need of some things for the yard, a local animal shelter was having an adoption drive. The moment we saw Penny in her kennel it was over. We knew we had to bring her home with us. The first few nights she was so skittish to even come inside. But it wasn't long before she was rolling around on the rug and enjoying her new fluffy bed, we purchased her. Over the years, we have taken her with us on numerous car road trips and she does wonderfully. She loves to travel just as much as we do.

We are very fortunate to live in a small, close-knit community in Southwest Ohio. Our town is small but has a lot to offer. We live within walking distance of the high school's football stadium, multiple tennis courts, a walking path around a creek, the elementary school, a playground and the center of town where there are lots of shops.

We live in a brick ranch-style home with 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a large, finished basement and fenced in backyard with a deck. We are very proud of our house because over the past few years since we bought it, we have done major renovations making it feel like a home. We love spending time on our back deck, eating dinner or just taking in the fresh air.

There is a sidewalk that goes past our house and leads to the walking path and through downtown. The street we live on has many families with little children so there is plenty of activity on any given day.

We both value family time and traditions very much. Even though Steven's family mostly lives in northwest Indiana and the Chicago suburbs, we make it a point to go back for as many events as we possibly can. Luckily, Ashley's dad and brother live relatively close, and we are fortunate enough to see them. Ashley's dad actually stops by twice a week for dinner and conversation.

Over the past few years, many of Steven's cousins have gotten married and started having families of their own and we've grown very close with them. We like to go to concerts and sporting events with them when we are able.

Both of our families enjoy family traditions and are big on the holidays! Every year we are able to spend Thanksgiving together and we make it a point to see both sides for Christmas. When we are all together, we usually end up playing board or card games. Both families are very competitive and love games! Steven's family loves to play various card games and Ashley's family loves a good game of Uno.

When our families heard about our plans to adopt, they were through the roof with excitement! They have all been very supportive and are looking forward to being active in the child's life.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little bit more about us. Hopefully by reading our profile, you are able to get a sense of who we are as a couple and what kind of parents we would be. We don't pretend to know how difficult this decision must be for you, but we do know that we admire your bravery. We want you to know that if you chose us, we would provide a safe, nurturing, loving and stable home from your child.

When we met 8 years ago, we both knew that we wanted a family, we just didn't know when. As our relationship progressed and we began trying we were heartbroken to realize it wouldn't happen for us the old-fashioned way. We prayed a lot about what to do and it was clear to us that adoption was the right choice for us. We both believe that we can give a wonderful life to a child, and we cannot wait to become parents. We were lucky to have such great parenting role-models and our parents will be just as hands on with our child as they were with us.

While we love our life together and feel very blessed, we know that adding a child to our family will complete us in a way we've only dreamed. We will raise our future child with the same ideals we grew up believing. Treating others with respect, working hard, valuing education, and being a caring member of society are just a few. We want our future child to excel in any area that interests them and we will do everything in our power to ensure that is a possibility.

We will share updates with you through e-mail, letter and/or pictures if desired. We want to be as open with our future child as possible and want them to understand their adoption journey from a young age. We want them to know that they are loved by not only us but you as well and explain to them how hard it was for you to make this decision.

Again, thank you for considering us as potential parents for your child. We have wanted to be parents for some time and are ready to offer a child continual love, support and devotion. We know that you have a difficult decision to make, and we want you to know that you are in our prayers as you navigate this journey.

Thank you again for your courage and consideration,

Steven & Ashley