Our Letter

WHY HAVE WE DECIDED TO ADOPT?  

We would want to know if we were you.  We have considered adoption since the day we married over 8 years ago.  Adoption has already touched both of us and we want to continue to have it be a part of our lives.  

Melissa with her birth mom
Let us share our history with adoption with you.  I, Melissa, sadly lost my mother to cancer when I was almost 16 years old and, although, my mother was married there was no legal or emotional ties to my mother's husband.  I was then adopted by my mother's brother and his wife.  Their example of lovingly opening their arms and their home to me without any hesitation has affected me in such a way that I knew I would someday adopt.
  
Adoption has also touched Mark's side of the family.  He has a cousin that was adopted at birth nearly 23 years ago.  He is such a delight to be around and we can't imagine not knowing him.  So, needless to say, our families are so supportive of our decision to hopefully add to our family through adoption.

HOW WE MET
Our Wedding Day
We met each other almost 12 years ago in Washington State and became friends fast. We were dating other people, so we weren't even considering dating one another. For some reason, though, we each had a special place for each other in our hearts. Three years later, we found out why, we fell in love in June 2004 and got married in September 2004. Yah, we didn't waste any time. Now, after 9 years of marriage, we can truly say we are best friends and our loves grows stronger each year.

                     A LITTLE ABOUT US
Mark studies and worked as a graphic designer and now works at a design college as a department head for the design programs. I, Melissa, worked as a hairstylist for 10 years. After moving to Michigan just over a year ago, I decided to not continue being a hairstylist. So, now, I watch friend's children throughout the week and absolutely love having more time to be domestic. Mark doesn't mind either! ;)
Although, we are both very independent, we love being together. We have fun together no matter what we do. Here's some of favorite things to do, along with a little more about us:
Race day for Mark's brother, Mike,
Melissa & Mark
1. BEING ACTIVE. A few years ago, Mark, started running and I followed his example. We have enjoyed racing and we participated two years in a row in a relay race, called Ragnar. If you want to see some of the fun we've had at Ragnar, check out our photo album. I must say, though, our knees haven't been happy with us lately, so we've taken a rest from running and have now been enjoying bike riding. We have this awesome trail behind our apartments we love to ride on.
2. BEING OUTDOORS. We enjoy going camping and just being in nature. After taking a vacation to the Caribbean, moving to Michigan and visiting Lake Michigan, we've discovered we LOVE the beach!
3. OUR DOGS. We have two small dogs, Milo and Pancho, that we just love to pieces. We take them on walks often, because, just like us, they love being outside. We have pictures of them in our photo album if you want to check out how cute they are.
4. ROAD TRIPS. We absolutely love to explore and see new places. Last summer (2012) we made our move to Michigan by a big, long roadtrip and we had a total blast. Our time in Michigan has been great because we are so close to all these beautiful, new places. Recently, we took a little trip to Niagara Falls with another couple and our dogs. All I can say is WOW! What a sight! If you haven't seen Niagara Falls, take a look at our photo album. Mark and I got a picture taken in front of them.
5. MOVIES. As much as we love the outdoors, we also love watching movies together and we really love documentaries.
6. CHURCH. We can't leave out one of the most important things about us. We are devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It truly is the foundation of who we are both individually and as a couple. We attend church every Sunday and are very involved.
Lego building with the nephews
7. OUR FAMILY. Who doesn't, right? We are lucky to have awesome families! They are thrilled with our decision to pursue adoption and we feel complete support from them. Mark is one of five kids and has a twin brother. Melissa is the only child, and really didn't mind it!
Now that you've gotten to know a little about us, we want to express to you that we are so excited for the possibility of parenthood. Both of us come from families with strong values and we look forward to sharing those values with a child. We have worked hard and saved harder so Melissa would be able to stay at home with our child. We know parenting won't be easy, but we will find joy and sometimes humor in the challenges.
Lastly, we want to express to you that we can't even imagine what emotions and turmoil you may be going through right now. We know without any doubt that giving a child up for adoption is one of the most selfless things a person can do. We want you to know we are open to maintaining a relationship with you or your family, because we believe it's important for a child to know who and where they come from.
We would like to end our letter by saying how grateful we are to you for taking the time to learn a little more about us. We thank you for your consideration and wish you nothing but the best. We know you have very difficult decisions ahead of you and we hope that you will be comforted and find peace in whatever decision you make.
With love,
Mark and Melissa








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