It was a hot- 90 degrees when we stepped off the plane and into the bustling streets of Chang Mai, Thailand. Of course, the first thing we did was try to find some food to get a literal taste of the culture. As we sat on the street gobbling down delicious morsels, we took it all in. The markets with the vendors calling out to tourists to buy their fair, different smells from all of the foods being crafted in the stalls, bright robes of the passing monks, soft dogs with sweet eyes. We knew we had just started an adventure and were so excited to dig into it.

Our greatest joy in life is experiencing different cultures and learning about different traditions, heritages, and customs. We both feel that travel is so important for getting diverse viewpoints and understanding cultures better. We have both been fortunate to have been able to travel throughout our lives. Britt studied abroad in Holland, while Derrick saw the world while in the military. Together, we have taken many trips both near and far. Everything from seeing the buffalo and bears in Yellowstone, to learning how parmesan cheese is made in Parma, Italy, to snorkeling in Puerto Rico. These experiences led to a curiosity that we share about the greater world and what different places have to teach us to help us grow. We look forward to sharing adventures with a child, as a family, and experiencing many new and different places.

We have always talked about becoming a family, and adoption has always been part of the discussion. Being a parent means being responsible to keep a child healthy and safe. To help shape them into being a good person and doing good things for themselves, others, and the world. Once, while clamming at the ocean with our nieces and nephews, Derrick picked up his nephew slung him over his shoulder and started carrying him out towards the surf. It was at that moment we both realized how much we wanted to become parents.

We are fortunate enough to have amazing parents who have given us so much we want to emulate. Both sets of our parents have always been hands on with us and grandkids. Derrick’s parents always walked him to school and took part in his extracurricular activities. They took him fishing, camping, and on trips in the RV to places like Alaska. Britt’s parents were equally as active in her life growing up. They have always been encouraging and deeply loving. Through their example, we want to cultivate a supportive life for a child.

We are looking forward to becoming parents, create memories, and share our lives. All the ups and downs, we are ready to take on, and love like we have never loved anything else.

Have you ever lit the menorah candles right beside the Christmas tree? Well, maybe not right next to it, we don’t want to have a holiday fire. Now that we remembered our fire safety, we wanted to ask because both of these traditions happen at our house. We are a couple with two very distinct backgrounds. Derrick grew up fishing, camping, riding dirt bikes, and snowmobiles. Britt on the other hand, spend her childhood doing arts and crafts, taking trips to the mountains to ski, and going to summer camp. When we came together, we decided we wanted to keep traditions from our past while also making new ones. Some of our favorite new traditions are making homemade pasta on Christmas Eve (Merry Carbs-mas). Followed by playing board games around the fireplace. Derrick makes delicious matzoh ball soup on Passover each year too. We also do a camping trip in the San Juan islands every summer, so we can see the whales that frequent the area. We have some smaller traditions that we look forward to taking part in as a family, as well. We eat dinner together every night and talk about our day. We take our dog, Moose, for several walks a day on beautiful trails close to our home. We grow a garden full of fruits and vegetables that we enjoy planting, taking care of, and eating. We look forward to sharing our traditions and creating new ones as our family grows.

Welcome to Western Washington! We purchased our home 4 years ago and constantly working hard to make it our own. The past owners of our house ran a daycare in it, so we have an awesome play house in the back yard as well as a jungle gym in our front yard! Our house has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, as well as 3 entertainment rooms. In the summer you will find us growing tomatoes in the garden, smoking some ribs, or playing with our dog, Moose.

We love our neighborhood and have the best neighbors. Our neighborhood is very young and there are children riding their bikes around the community at all hours of the day. We are lucky enough to live two blocks from an amazing park with a community center as well as a swimming pool. Our neighborhood constantly has community events and hosts multiple fireworks shows each year. There is a plethora of amazing parks near our house that we frequent to take our dog on walks. We live a short drive from the Puget Sound, and also live near the mountains which we love to escape to for a weekend of camping, hiking, or skiing. We live in an area that is small enough to feel like a community, but large enough to support any activity a child’s heart could desire.

We are so lucky to have amazing extended family and support in all areas of our lives! We are very close with our family on both sides and spend quality time frequently. Derrick's side of the family all live near us in Washington state, and we see them weekly. Typical weekly visits consist of playing at the park with our niece and nephews and also a family dinner. Britt's family lives in Kansas City, and we make trips to see them several times a year.

While we are in Kansas City we like to swim at Britt's dad's house in the summer and see the holiday lights around the city in the winter. Britt's family also travels to Washington frequently to spend time together. Our families like to do outdoor activities such as camping, boating, skiing, and hiking. We also like to get together to watch movies, play games, or go to sporting events. Our extended family is very interested and excited about the adoption process and cannot wait to have a new addition to the family.

Hello!

We must have put a pen to paper hundreds of times, trying to convey how appreciative we are to have you consider us for this opportunity. The truth is, there aren’t strong enough words that could possibly express our gratitude. Thank you for getting to know us, and we really hope that you find us to be the perfect match! Of course, we recognize there are a lot of wonderful people to choose from and we hope that you find the right couple/person to give your child everything they need.

Promises do not come easily, but we assure you that we can make a promise to you that we will not break. Before anything else, we promise you that we will use every ounce of ourselves to be the best parents we can be. We will do this by building on the strong foundation of our marriage, as we recognize that we must be fully committed to each other in order to provide an environment where a child can grow safely and thrive. We will foster their dreams and goals, and look forward to helping them find their own path in life. We will parent with patience, kindness, support, and above all, love.

We met each other on a winter’s night in Portland, OR. We went to the cutest little restaurant, and what we both thought was going to be a coffee date, turned into us closing down the restaurant at the end of the night. We laughed for hours and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. From there the relationship grew and we started spending vast amounts of time together. We decided to move in together about 3 years after we met. Since then we have gone through some major life events with the exception of growing our family. We are now ready to take that step.

One of the things we want to share with a child is that we are passionate that they follow their dreams. We are very fortunate that we both love what we do for a living and we really feel we were able to follow our own dreams. Britt has always been creative and worked in large photography studios. Now, she works as the Manager of Creative Services in marketing for a healthcare system. Derrick spent 6 years in the military where he toured the world and had many diverse experiences. Throughout that time, his path led to him speaking and eating with many different cultures of people where he realized his passion for food and food science. Now, he is a Registered Dietitian on a home based primary care team for the local Veteran’s Affairs hospital. We are so lucky we have the ability to work from home as well, which has given us flexibility and better balance.

We believe another important role of a parent is to provide a child with opportunities. Whether it be through traveling, reading, sports, art, or participating in clubs/activities this is where a child recognizes what makes them special. Whatever their aspirations are, we will be there to support them. We look forward to their journey and will be by their side every step of the way. We will encourage them, love them, and pick them up when they inevitably fall.

We fully understand that you will want to know how your child is growing up and the person they are becoming. We want you to know that we absolutely want to share these milestones with you as well! This journey presents a unique opportunity to get to know and welcome you to be a part of our family too. We look forward to sharing photos, letters and emails when we are not able to visit. We are committed to having a healthy relationship with you, as we recognize that this is what is best for the child, as well as for our families. Thank you again for considering us, we look forward to meeting you soon!

Derrick & Britt