Adoption has played a significant role in our family. Our sister-in-law was adopted when she was a baby. She and her husband (Megan's brother) have adopted two of their four children. They are fostering another of their sons with the intent to adopt. It has been neat to watch their journey of becoming parents, and seeing how that has had an impact on them as people.

All three of their adoptive children have had some sort of special medical needs, and it has been nothing short of inspiring to see their journey of growth. Their tenacity and zeal for life is a testament to all that is good in the world.

Our niece and nephews have brought a newfound joy to our family and we can't imagine life without them. As their aunt and uncle, we have been so profoundly blessed to watch their personalities take shape, and to see the wonderful people that they are becoming.

One of our greatest passions in life is travel. We love to explore new places together and create memories. Our travel can span from camping in the woods with our friends to exploring other countries. We find that travel allows us to learn about other cultures and have time to bond without the distractions of daily life.

Recently, we decided to take a trip to Spain with Steven's brother and our sister-in-law. The experience was incredible and we are already trying to figure out when we can go back!

Steven loves to travel anywhere with a beach, and Megan would prefer to spend all of her time in Disneyland! We have found a good balance to make sure our travel plans have something each of us will enjoy.

Both of us traveled with our families as children and young adults, so we look forward to continuing the tradition with our growing family!

Education is extremely important to us because education is the foundation for growth. We have both committed to lifelong learning, and would encourage our children to do the same. For us, education is not something that is limited to the classroom, although that is an important way to learn. We believe that the most impactful ways that one can learn are learned from experiences.

For this reason, we will encourage our children to pursue the things that interest them. If they are excited to learn a sport, we will encourage that. If they would like to dedicate their time to art or to science, we will encourage that as well. The most important thing to us in this area is that they dedicate themselves to something challenging, and that they be willing to put themselves out there. We would love to see them dedicate themselves to a purpose that is larger than their own wants or desires.

From a formal educational standpoint, it is tough to say what their specific path will be, as every child will have different needs and paths, but we are absolutely willing to invest time, energy and resources in learning. That will have a profound impact on how they grow and the people that they will become.

What we love most about New Mexico is the accessibility of the outdoors. Our home is in a historic neighborhood and is the location for many fun events throughout the year. We love the parks with mature trees that are within walking distance of our home, and we visit them often. We initially chose this area because of the proximity to the different amenities that our city offers. Our neighborhood has an old, eclectic, slightly artsy vibe, and we really enjoy that. We are located near a major university that we enjoy taking walks to. It is a popular part of town for young professionals so there are many young families in this area.

Our house was built in the 1930s and still has that old-world character despite various updates over the years. We have two bedrooms, and a guesthouse. The guesthouse is especially handy if our many out of town friends come to visit, as we each have our own space. We spend most of our time in our comfortable living room at the center of the house. Because the house was built in the west in the 1930's, we have a larger lot than most. This means we have a huge backyard with mature trees. In the late spring through early fall, we enjoy spending a lot of time outside for this reason.

Steven's parents live about thirty minutes outside of the city that we live in. Steven loved growing up in the country. When they were growing up, Steven could be found exploring the woods behind their home with his younger brother and sister. Steven's extended family has a cabin in the mountains of Southern Colorado. His family makes it a point to travel there every year to enjoy time to relax, hiking, and exploring all that the mountains of Colorado have to offer. Even into adulthood Steven and his family maintain a love for the outdoors and try to get outside whenever we can. Steven's brother lives in Colorado with his wife, and Steven's sister lives in Florida.

Megan's parents live in the same city as us, and they are thrilled to have another grandchild in the family. Growing up, they would regularly take Megan and her older brother on family vacations. This is where her love for travel began. Keeping with the tradition of our childhood, our family still enjoys taking family vacations together. Megan's brother lives in Washington with his wife and their four kids, three of whom were adopted. Part of our desire to adopt has come from our experience with our niece and nephews. They have brought so much joy to our family and we look forward to growing our family even more.

Adoption is an interesting process. On one hand, there is an immense feeling of joy. You are having a beautiful child. Their opportunity is limitless, and they have yet to experience all that makes life both wonderful and crushing at the same time. On the other hand, beyond the scope of the child's consciousness, life has not gone as planned for all the adults involved. As prospective adoptive parents, our life has not gone as planned. As the birthparent, we imagine you can relate. Upon much reflection of this idea, we are supremely confident there are no accidents in this life. Things are going exactly as they were intended, and while that can be devastatingly painful in the short term, we believe hindsight has a way of demonstrating its perfection.

Having a family is something we have wanted for a long time, probably since before we even knew that was a desire. That yearning is nearly impossible to convey with words. We believe part of that desire was inspired in us by our wonderful parents. We would love to create the relationship with our child that our parents have fostered with us. To be able to love, care for, and challenge our child in that way would be the ultimate gift to us, our families, and to everyone in our life who has been quietly hoping, praying, and desiring this for us.

Our hope for our child would be that they never have to question whether they are loved. In life our hope would be that they live with abounding joy. As parents, our goal will be to empower them to foster and pursue their passions, so they live life to the fullest. As they discover their place in this world, we would hope they always seek opportunities to contribute to a worthy cause larger than themselves so they can experience the joy and fulfillment of a lasting impact on others.

As you are considering this decision, with all its gravity, we would like to share our thoughts on ongoing interaction, and the narrative of how they came to be adopted. First, we plan to discuss how tough this decision was, and the depth of character necessary to place them for adoption. We want our child to know their birth parents love them so deeply, and completely, that they were willing to accept profound personal sacrifice so that they have the best shot at a wonderful life. We do not want them to feel as though they were an inconvenience or mistake, but rather that they were meant to be given the gift of life by you, to be raised by us, and are destined to live a life of purpose. Lastly, we will always be conscious of sharing that you want them to be deeply loved, to thrive, live fully, and be their very best.

We would like it very much, if possible, for you to be a part of our family. You will have given us a priceless gift that no one else could. Your decision to entrust us with raising your child shows the depth of your character, and we would love for our child to know you. While this is our hope, relationships take time to build. As we write this letter, we have never met. Considering this, we cannot fully grasp the details of our long-term relationship. We feel that the specifics of our ongoing contact will need to be determined over time. This will allow us to better define what works best for everyone. At a minimum, we are committing to share pictures, to update you (especially early on), and to be available as needed.

We do not believe in accidents. Life does not always go the way we plan, but it always works out better than we could have hoped. It is our deepest desire to become parents. That is a responsibility we do not take lightly. We look forward to the adventure and many memories it will create. We want to thank you for your consideration. Without you, this life would not be possible for us. We look forward to getting to know you more.

All the best,

Steven & Megan