We always escape to the mountains or seashore for a vacation. The seashore gives you innumerable opportunities to go beachcombing for shells and collect keepsakes like shark teeth, sea rocks and sea glass. On a recent trip to Maryland, we dreamily walked more than two miles of shoreline hand in hand, the waves kissing our ankles. Looking at the sea gives one the ability to dream on in life. The salty sea breezes and views bring on happy vibes and positivity, reminding you that possibilities and opportunities in life are as limitless as the sea.

Mountain retreats on the other hand bring a sense of peace and tranquility. On occasions when the cool crispness in the air is coupled with a blanket of snow, one feels like one is in heaven. Mountain getaways look pretty in the holidays- with the quaint little towns all lit up, warm and cheerful. We especially liked the cabin retreat we traveled to in the North Carolina mountains when Priti's mom visited during the holidays. We had a beautiful stream flowing down from the mountains and wrapping around two sides of the cabin. Memories of hot chocolate, winter morning walks, cracking pecans in the warmth of the wood stove and dreaming away on the hammock looking at the stream will never fade away. These are some wonderful travel experiences we would like to share with our child.

We love to travel, garden, explore new places, read and paint. We believe in good education and encourage educational pursuits. We like to have movie nights at home on weekends and also catch a movie at the theater once in a while. We love food! We mostly cook our meals at home, but also dine out and do takeout once in a while.

Vinod likes to spend quality time in his garage maintaining the vehicle and keeping things in order. He is proud of his tool collection, he has a ton of tools which help him do fixes on the car and around the home. He also has a flair and talent for photography. Priti often spends her time painting watercolors and acrylics.

We visit the state parks often and love the outdoors. We have enjoyed camping in many state parks in the past and cannot forget the experience of waking up inside a tent to the wild sounds of nature heard in the wee hours of morn. We will definitely teach and encourage respect for nature and wildlife in the child, since these are the opportunities that set apart the lifestyle in our country from many other places in the world.

At home, our child will be brought up with roots of respect for cultural diversity, her/his own culture and American culture. An open-minded outlook towards other cultures is also necessary. As our child grows up, English would be the primary language of communication. But learning another language would be encouraged, especially because it would improve adaptability to new environments in the future. We believe that sensitivity and respect towards cultural diversity would make the child more creative, innovative, knowledgeable and competitive in various circumstances. Seeing the good in other cultures while having respect for one's own is essential to complete personality development in the child. Tolerance and appreciation of other cultures builds better school, workplace and public place environments and fosters peace. Cultural diversity would be addressed at the family level through food and travel to places of different cultures. We would also encourage our child to learn about other cultures with the help of movies and books.

We live in a suburb in Texas. Our neighborhood consists of single family homes. Our city has its own amphitheater where movies are aired during summer. We also have a great network of parks and game fields throughout the city. We have a community center with gymnasium, meeting rooms, aquatic park and natatorium. The community center hosts annual events which include but are not limited to tree giveaways, summer adventure camps, art camps, dance and ballet classes. We also have an informal Trick or Treat event in our neighborhood on the eve of Halloween. There are a lot of kids in our neighborhood with whom our child will have good times.

Our home consists of three bedrooms and two and half bathrooms. We have a good backyard where we garden and grill often. Vinod likes the mezzanine level area surrounded by house plants, and also the garage. Priti likes the library room which has a good collection of books and her favorite art supplies. She also likes the window seating areas where she often dreams away for hours with a good book, coffee and Tia (cat) on her lap.

Priti talks to her mom every day and Vinod video chats with his family weekly. We meet our family every couple of years. Our parents stay in India, but we have cousins in the United States. When our family visits, we show them around local places, but also make road trips to distant places. We like to catch up on movies, like to travel and spend time together to garden and grill in our backyard.

When Vinod's sister and family visited us last summer, we made a trip to Galveston. We had fun strolling the beautiful beaches to collect seashells and observed the plethora of sea birds there. We stayed in a cabin just two blocks away from the sea. The best part of the stay was the cabin deck with a sea view, where we enjoyed coffee and a hearty breakfast everyday morning. We also spent time daydreaming on the deck and watched the pelicans soar above the shoreline.

While we celebrate festivals in our culture, we always look forward to the festive season here, and celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with equal enthusiasm. We are excited about all the good food during these times, be it candy, Apple Pie or cookies. We look forward to bring up the child to respect cultures, appreciate, celebrate and develop a wonder for exploration. Our families are open hearted towards other cultures. We are sure that the child will be accepted by both our families with love.

We are Priti and Vinod. We live in Texas and have been married for 10 years now. We do not have children of our own. We feel blessed to have this opportunity to reach out to you at this time when we both need the hand of God to make a miracle happen in our life.

"God's will is like a jigsaw puzzle, you won't be able to see the whole picture until all the pieces are together."

We understand that this is a very difficult time for you in your life. We commend you for your courage and respect you for the decision you are considering for your child. We are here with you to offer strength and moral support, and assure you that we will be by your side. We would like to promise you that we are going to take care of your child like our own. Both our extended families will be delighted to meet and embrace your little angel into our families with all their hearts. Let me tell you a little about ourselves and our life.

"Home is where the heart is."

We live in a three-bedroom home in a quiet suburb in Texas in a green neighborhood. We wake up listening to the tweets of birds and watch squirrels having breakfast at our birdfeeder, as we ourselves have breakfast. We live with our darling cat Tia, who loves to spend time on our laps whenever she can and watches a lot of cat TV. We like to read, travel, watch movies and love the outdoors. We also spend quiet time indoors and at home, often to paint, garden, grill in the backyard and spend time with Tia. We mostly eat at home and look forward to the comfort of a home cooked meal. We like to try out new American recipes and also time-tested old ones. Desserts are considered mandatory!

"Wonder is the beginning of wisdom."

We visit the state parks here often for a hike and a picnic lunch. Both of us like to travel to new places and explore the culture and specialties there. We make road trips to other states for a vacation and enjoy a cabin stay in a beautiful setting, letting us unwind and get back refreshed to normal routine. We specifically like mountains and shorelines. We look forward to include one more special person in all our travel escapades and encourage qualities of sense of wonder, curiosity, open-mindedness, exploration and discovery in a young mind.

"Where there is hope, there is faith. Where there is faith, miracles happen."

Please know that your child is going to remain close to your heart through our correspondence with you through letters and pictures. If you prefer it so, we are also open to keeping communications open with you via exchange of emails, phone calls and visits with you in the future as the child grows up. We feel honored and blessed to be able to bring a child into our family. You will remain in our hearts forever.

"Be strong because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever."

Considering adoption is an admirable choice. We look forward to showering this child with unconditional love, emotional and financial support, a safe and stable home and a good education. We hope you find it in your heart to consider us adoptive parents for your little gem. God Bless You!

Sincere regards,

Vinod & Priti