Family is our top priority. Through some of our life experiences, we've both grown to understand that family is the most important thing in this world. Money, work and physical possessions come and go, but the time you spend with your family and the memories you create, will always be there. We both make every effort to spend time with our families and let them know how much they mean to us.

In addition to family, kindness and empathy are extremely important. It sounds cliche, but we whole heartedly believe you should treat people the way you want to be treated. Not everyone is afforded the same opportunities in life, and we need to help elevate one another. Sometimes even small gestures, such as smiling at a stranger or holding the door open for someone can go a long way. Our world can always use more humanity, and we must never be too busy to treat someone with respect.

We're firm believers in work/life balance. No matter how busy our lives get, we always set aside time to spend together as a family--that includes us as husband and wife, but also our extended families. We frequently do things, such as taking walks, eating at new restaurants and even going on vacation.

And while we thoroughly enjoy spending time together, we also recognize it's important to have our own hobbies. You will hardly go a day without seeing Staci read a book or doing arts and crafts, not to mention, her fascination with cosmetics and self-care. Additionally, she loves baking cookies, brownies, you name it.

On the other hand, Jordan enjoys golfing with his brothers and friends, and staying active--at times playing baseball and basketball. Inside the house, Jordan is always trying new recipes and experimenting with new cookware. You can also find him working on various projects around the house, most recently refurbishing our dining room table.

We're excited to share our interests and hobbies with a child.

Jordan is Japanese and Staci is Mexican, German and Irish. As an interracial couple, we've had an opportunity to learn from each other and appreciate our cultural differences and traditions. We've been afforded an opportunity to continue to become open-minded and accepting of all cultures, and our families have embraced each other.

Growing up in Southern California, we consider ourselves lucky to be raised in very culturally-diverse families and neighborhoods. Through school, sports and jobs, we've cultivated many friendships with ethnically and racially diverse people--relationships we are blessed to continue to this day.

We have no doubt that any child would be welcomed and accepted into our family with open arms and enthusiasm. Our community and families are a melting pot, and we truly believe that the more culture you can introduce into your life, the more well-rounded you become.

And just like we've been afforded the opportunity for exposure to different cultures, we will do the same for any child. Whatever cultural background the child has, we will educate ourselves and make sure the child has resources to learn and embrace their culture.

About three years ago, we moved to our house in Southern California. It's a new community that has a fun mix of rural and newly urban aesthetic, but more importantly, it's very culturally diverse--one of the many reasons we love the area.

Our house is two stories with four bedrooms, a loft and a great room. We spend most of our time in the great room (oftentimes reading or watching television). We're also very excited about our loft, which serves as a library and game room. Additionally, we have a decent sized backyard with plenty of room for a child to play.

A little more than a block away, our community has a clubhouse that features a pool, basketball courts, a dog park, tennis courts, a children's library and even a movie theater that you can rent. There are also multiple parks and walking trails right next to our house. Our community regularly hosts family-friendly events, such as movies at the park, food truck festivals, children's activities (i.e. Easter egg hunts and painting).

Beyond the community, we try to take advantage of living in Southern California, and the short drives to Los Angeles, San Diego and the beach.

We are very close to both of our families, and in fact, we live within 30 minutes from the majority of our family members--and only five minutes from Jordan's older brother, sister-in-law and two young nieces. It's very normal that we'll spend time with either side of the family on a weekly basis.

We tend to have Sunday dinner with Staci's parents and her sister, brother-in-law and nephew. In addition to weekly dinners, oftentimes, we explore new eateries, museums, pop-up stores, pumpkin patches, county fairs and escape rooms with her entire family.

Beyond Jordan's older brother, who lives about five minutes away, we regularly visit with Jordan's younger brother, dad, step mother, two step sisters and two brothers-in-law, with a third niece on the way.

We enjoy hosting family BBQs and celebrating the holidays with both sides of the family--and it's common for card games, board games and the occasional Family Feud game to take place. Aside from family events at home, we go on family outings to sporting events, Disneyland and the park.

In addition to our immediate families, Staci has a large extended family (two uncles, one aunt, five cousins) and Jordan has an uncle and three cousins we visit with throughout the year. Family gatherings are full of laughter.

First, and foremost, we want to thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We can't begin to fathom how difficult a decision this is for you, but we want to assure you, we will embrace and love any child that comes into our family. We promise to give them a safe, stable, and nurturing home and environment. We hope that by learning more about us, it will give you peace of mind as you consider adoption.

Our story began 14 years ago, we were co-workers at the American Red Cross. While we were merely acquaintances for the first few months, we became fast friends and eventually started dating at the age of 21. It seems cliche, but our relationship was natural and easy; there wasn't a ton of effort because it didn't require it. And that's despite our differences. Staci is introverted and enjoys reading and arts and crafts, while Jordan is more extroverted and prefers playing sports. We are two separate personalities, but we embrace that. Simply put, we balanced each other, and still do. Fast forward to present day, and we've been married for seven years.

Now, that's not to say our lives have been perfect, no ones' are. We've grown and experienced life together; sometimes that included learning on the fly. From graduating college, planning a wedding, starting careers, renting apartments, consoling each other through family loss, buying our first home, and just navigating life in general, there have been plenty of teachable moments. But we've recognized that constant communication and a willingness to understand the other's point-of-view has enabled us to handle the good and the bad times.

And as we continue to grow together and move forward in our lives, we're excited about starting our family. We've talked about growing our family for some time, and feel the time is right. We both have so many childhood memories, and look forward to creating new ones as parents. But most importantly, we both have so much love to give.

In addition to leaning on one another, we're fortunate that both of our families have been supportive of our decisions and life together. While we have a nephew and two nieces (with a third on the way), our entire family is ecstatic about welcoming another child. Our families will be there to spend time with the child and offer the same amount of love we both experienced growing up.

But it's not just our family that will get the opportunity to see the child develop, we will share with you photos and letters/emails of your child's growth, experiences and milestones, if you so desire. Our plan is to be open and honest about the child's adoption story. That includes reassuring them how much you love them and how hard the decision was for you. You will always be a part of the child's identity, and we'll never let them forget that. But we also want you to know, you will always be a part of who our family is and becomes.

Again, thank you for giving us the time to tell you more about us and considering us as potential parents for your child. We're excited to expand our family and we will give every ounce of love and devotion to the child. We know the decision you have is difficult, and we are thinking of you as you continue through your journey.

Jordan & Staci