Our favorite vacation spot is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We enjoy relaxing on the beach with the waves crashing at our feet. There are so many activities to do in and around Myrtle Beach along with delicious food. One of our favorite activities is taking a short drive to Georgetown, a small coastal town and taking a sea shelling and lighthouse tour to North Island. Along the four hour excursion, there is a brief history lesson of Georgetown and the nearby plantations. Once at North Island, there is a plethora of unique shells that you can collect and the naturalist on board will help you identify. While you are on the boat you have the opportunity to see dolphins as well as the Georgetown Light, South Carolina's oldest and operational lighthouse. We like getting fresh sea food at Murrells Inlet and walking along the pier watching the fishing vessels come in. There are also two locations, Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing, that have excellent shopping and restaurants. Myrtle Beach also has plenty of miniature golf courses with fun themes and we love having a friendly competition on who can get the best score.

Taking long hikes has become one of our favorite leisure activities after completing a seven mile hike in the Smoky Mountains to Rainbow Falls. Since then, we love exploring the wilderness looking for hidden gems such as waterfalls, remains of stone houses and wildlife to name a few. We also enjoy exploring and trying new things such as ziplining through the mountains or canoeing down the Little Miami River. During the warmer months we like to tend our flower and vegetable gardens, expanding with something new every year. Visiting amusement parks is also a passion of ours (especially since that is where we first met) and we love riding all the roller coasters and thrill attractions. Overall, we love adventure and being outside and we hope to bring our child on future hikes and teaching them about nature. When we are unable to be outside, we love to play board games with family and friends and play video games. Lately, we have been enjoying playing the older game systems, Sega and Nintendo 64. In our individual free time, Heather likes to cross stitch, crochet, sew and build jigsaw puzzles. David enjoys playing the piano, golfing, wood burning crafts and reading/researching watches (timepieces).

David - My parents divorced when I was 12 years old. My father was a traveling businessman so I always had my mom being the main parent. She is my role model who taught me to shoot for the moon. My mom realized when I was younger that I had a theatrical ability to memorize movies very easily and recreate everything I saw after only seeing it once. She enrolled me in a Summer Theatre program and from there it took off. She wouldn't let me give up on my dreams.

Heather - Growing up I never realized how much of an impact my mom had on my life until I became an adult and especially after she passed away. She was always supportive of my ambitions, dreams, career aspirations and pushed me to be my best both academically and personally. She was the center of our family and brought us all together through delicious food and family traditions. After she passed, my younger brothers look to me for the same guidance, advice and unconditional support and to continue our traditions. I admire her tenacity to give us a better life than she had, her hard work ethic and dedication, caring personality, humor and I'm glad to be her daughter.

We live in a small suburb located in Southwest Ohio, the Buckeye state. In our community, there are numerous parks with walking/biking trails, soccer and baseball fields and playgrounds. Just a short drive away we have access to several state parks, Metroparks, zoos, aquariums and amusement parks.

Our house is located in a subdivision with a variety of family backgrounds and kids of all ages. It is an inviting and welcoming community, where neighbors help neighbors with anything from house maintenance to pet sitting to gardening. We live in a two story house with four bedrooms on the upper level, a kitchen/living/dining/play room on the main level and an unfinished basement. Our house sits on a half acre lot and there is plenty of room to play and garden in the fenced-in backyard. Our favorite room in the house is the living room as it tends to be where all our family congregates. It is a large, open space that the kids can run back and forth, play games and where David serenades us all while playing the piano. We are both fans of Disney and are decorating the baby's room with our favorite Disney memorabilia.

Getting together with our families is very important to us and we are fortunate that the majority live nearby and we are able to spend quality time with each other often. Although not all of our family are local, we make it a priority to visit them at least once a year and Skype regularly. Across both of our families, we have six nieces (two sets of twins) and one nephew. One of our favorite activities is visiting a local amusement park, Kings Island, and riding rides with them. It is always a joy seeing their faces light up on the rides, telling us how much fun it was and that we shouldn't be scared. Sunday dinners were always a tradition in Heather's family and we still continue this tradition. We take turns alternating who is hosting and cooking, but one thing is always guaranteed-plenty of laughs, bubbles, games and crafts. We also love reading stories to our nieces and they love how Uncle David can do funny voices, imitating each of the characters and bringing the story to life. Our families are very supportive and excited about our journey to adopt. They offer encouragement, assistance with fundraisers, have an overall curiosity about the process and are inquisitive about the adoption process and where we are at in the journey.

Thank you for considering us as loving parents for your child, we are David and Heather. We have been together for six years and married for four and a half. We live in southwest Ohio in a community rich in history from the underground railroad to historic downtown Main Street. Throughout the year, there are numerous festivals and events that bring our community together. Some events include listening to local musicians in the park, supporting small businesses, biking through town and a haunted hot dog roast telling historical stories of our community. A local favorite (and ours) is visiting the K&W, an ice cream shop in town, and enjoying an arctic swirl while walking Main Street reading about each building's history. We enjoy being outdoors as much as possible visiting local parks and hiking through the woods looking for new adventures and discovering unknown treasures. Another favorite activity is going to an amusement park nearby (which also happens to be where we first met) and riding all the attractions. We love the thrill and adrenaline rush of the roller coasters but also enjoy family friendly rides such as the antique cars and the carousel with our extended family. Our families are very important to us and we stay connected as much as possible with Sunday dinners, frequent Skype sessions, game nights and helping each other with home improvement projects.

Throughout our relationship we talked frequently about having children and building a family of our own to share adventures, pass on family traditions and experience the joys of parenthood. Our dream of becoming parents has been quite challenging with hurdles along the way from facing infertility challenges to several failed IUIs. We strongly believe everything happens for a reason, even though it may be hard to understand at first. It was through these challenges that led us on the path to adoption and believed it was God's way of telling us this is the direction we were meant to pursue. Both of our families are extremely supportive and excited for us and our decision to adopt. They can't wait to share traditions, experiences and their immense love to your child.

Though we have not met, we are in awe of your compassion and courage. The gift of adoption is the ultimate act of profound love and selflessness. If you choose us, we promise your baby will be loved, protected, celebrated and surrounded by family, friends and a community who will love them unconditionally. Our greatest hope is to raise a child in a happy, loving home where they will have every opportunity to enjoy life. We will allow your child space to explore their interests and grow into the individual they are meant to be. We want to provide your child with the best education, providing support and guidance to achieve their career ambitions. We will nurture your child to become a caring, compassionate and respectful person, making sure they know that their incredible birth family placed his/her needs above their own. We are open to corresponding via e-mail, sharing updates, accomplishments and pictures throughout the child's life. In addition, if both you and the child both desire to meet one another we are open to future in person visits.

We want you to know that we have the greatest respect for you and for the brave decision to consider an adoption plan for your baby. We can't imagine how you must feel, but our hearts and thoughts are with you in whatever your decision may be.

Sincerely,

David & Heather