We view culture as an extremely important component of a person's background. It would be our privilege to parent a child of a different race than ourselves, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

Jeramy cultivated many friendships in college with people from different walks of life and has many friends around the world. He remembers many rewarding experiences like sharing a meal with his dear friend Hanouz or attending the worship services of the African-American church on his college campus. Jeramy later became one of the founding members of the African-American Business Resource Group at his company - the group's goal is to support inclusion and diversity efforts at the company and in the community.

Shay's parents took great care to teach their family about other cultures and religions. Shay's dad never met a stranger, and purposefully made friends with people from every socioeconomic level and background. He never discussed it or made a big deal about why he felt it was important to create culturally diverse friend group, he just quietly and fearlessly set an example with how he chose to live his life. We can only understand and relate to others unlike ourselves when we push past our comfort zones. People everywhere are different, but our differences are something to be celebrated and appreciated. Shay's mom says, "Just think how boring life would be if everyone was exactly the same. Variety is the spice of life!"

Shay About Jeramy: Shay loves Jeramy's cute sense of humor. He finds a way to make her laugh every day! Jeramy is such a good caretaker. He does little things (which turn out to be big things when you live with someone) around the house like taking out the garbage and emptying the dishwasher ... without being asked. He is a financial whiz and has put forth a sustained effort over the past 10 years to create financial security for our family. This means our children will be able to pursue whatever it is they want to do in life. Jeramy is so patient, kind and has impeccable manners (he attributes these qualities to Boy Scouts and his awesome parents). He is very intelligent, well-read and is adept at explaining the way things work. He is the best life partner anyone could ask for and he will be an excellent father.

Jeramy About Shay: Jeramy loves Shay's playful nature. He says she reminds him of Jane Austen's character, Elizabeth Bennet, with her penchant for long walks, reading good books and her pure enjoyment of anything ridiculous. He loves her wisdom, kindness and her ability to solve crossword puzzles. Shay possesses innate empathy and has a loving heart for all people (and pets) regardless of age, religion or background, and her kindness wins over every person she meets everywhere she goes. Jeramy can't imagine life without Shay and swears that they will grow old together and leave earth on the same day, Notebook-style.

We both feel very fortunate that we had idyllic childhoods. We were both raised in small-town environments where the community worked as a whole to keep kids safe and help them learn and grow.

Life is a beautiful gift. It's meant to be enjoyed to the fullest! We learned how to handle adversity from watching our parents go through tough times, and savor moments when a goal is accomplished or a milestone is reached. Parenthood for us means a lifelong commitment of helping our children learn how to live well and be happy, just as our parents taught us. They gave us themselves, their time and helped us understand this life. Our goal as parents is to develop our children into the people they were meant to be. Our parents are our role models and it would be our greatest joy to pass along everything we have learned to our children. We believe the greatest gifts that can be given to a child is our time and love.

We live in a small community with lots of fun things to do and we like to get outside and get involved. We chose our neighborhood because it is has many young families and it is located within walking distance to a beautiful park. The park hosts many events including concerts, sporting events like marathons, fishing tournaments, BBQ contests, and carnivals. Our back deck has the perfect vantage point for the annual July 4th fireworks display which is quite spectacular for our little town.

Our house is a charming ranch style with three bedrooms and three baths. We have a full, finished basement complete with a media room and an indoor play area for kids. Jeramy is a great cook and prepares many delicious meals (Shay is the sous chef). We have created a simple, peaceful environment, where we can relax and unwind.

The fenced backyard is our oasis, and we like working to make our yard beautiful, grilling or simply sitting on the deck enjoying the sunshine. On cooler fall nights we light the fire pit and roast s'mores. Our neighborhood is the hotspot on Halloween (renowned for having "full-sized" candy bars) and there are so many kids coming through that everyone makes a block party out of the occasion.

On weekends we can be found walking the dog in the park or going for a hike along the many walking trails around our area. Our dog loves to "go for rides" and we take him everywhere we can.

Jeramy's family is small and close-knit. His family is deeply rooted in the small town where Jeramy and Shay still reside today. His parents were very actively involved in his school activities and participated in Boy Scouts. Jeramy was an only child but made fast friends with a few other boys in his neighborhood ... they still remain as close as brothers to this day.

Jeramy's dad spent many hours helping perfect his fast ball pitches - all the practice led to his being a varsity pitcher in high school. Jeramy has a lifelong love of the sport and collects unique baseball bats and other sports memorabilia. Both Jeramy and Shay enjoy watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball (although Shay admits to a soft spot for the Atlanta Braves, her home state team).

Shay was born and raised in a small town in Southern Georgia but since then, her family has spread out over the US: Parents in St. Paul, older brother in Nashville and older sister in Dallas. Shay really appreciates her family living in places that are a lot of fun to visit! They all keep in touch through technology. Shay's 7-year-old nephew has even figured out how to FaceTime on his own, so she is sometimes treated to random weeknight conversations.

Our families are supportive of our decision to adopt and are excited as we begin this next chapter in our lives together.

Thank you for taking the time to read our profile and get to know us. We have been married for ten years and are still madly in love and totally committed to each other. Whenever we're apart, we still count down the hours until we can be together again. We met in the summer of 2007, introduced by mutual friends, and it was love at first sight. Let's just say in 4 months we were engaged and 8 months later we were married. Our wedding anniversary is the date that we met. We are each other's best friend and true partner in life. We feel so blessed to have found each other!

We live in a small, safe community with lots of fun things to do. Our neighborhood is family friendly and we have a large support network of extended family and friends nearby. Our house is within walking distance to a large park with several playgrounds. It's a little slice of heaven and perfect for fishing, hiking, picnics and various sports activities like baseball, soccer and disc golf. We also have a little dog, Mr. Bingley, or Bing for short ... he loves going to the park every day for a long walk. We enjoy hiking and we're always looking for new places to explore with Bing. Our area has an excellent school system and we live less than a mile from the school complex. We are members of the local YMCA which provides a summer camp and after-school activities for kids as well as an Olympic-size pool. We like to get outside and enjoy the outdoors and explore museums, amusement parks and concerts in the nearby city.

After a few years of marriage, moving ahead in our careers and enjoying a busy life together, we decided that it was time to grow our family beyond the two of us. A few years went by with no results and we began to wonder if anything was wrong. After going through multiple rounds of testing, surgeries and procedures, we found out that we would not be able to conceive on our own.

Relying on God's promise found in Jeremiah 29:11, we trusted that God had a different plan in mind for us and that the path forward would be creating a family through adoption. As Christians, we believe that children are never really ours; they are just entrusted to us for a time by God.

If it was not for the amazing love and strength of women like you we would not be able to have a family and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you do. Our promise to you is that we will love and adore this child with all of our heart, mind, soul and being. We promise to be patient, kind, loving and attentive. We will continue to travel, enjoy the outdoors, and show this child all that life has to offer.

We also promise that this child will know where they came from, know who they are and how much you love and care for them. We plan to keep in touch with letters and pictures and we are open to as much contact as you feel comfortable with so you will be able to see this child develop and grow up to achieve the life you have envisioned for them. We know that this is a challenging moment in your life, and we want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers as you face the decisions ahead.

Love,

Jeramy & Shay