We were introduced through a mutual friend at a coffeeshop in the downtown area. Our friendship was quickly established by smart conversation, and we were both impressed by how thoughtful the other was, and how open we were to new ideas. We remained friends for years. During COVID, we had to be very selective of who we spent our time with for safety reasons. We knew we wanted to see each other more, and it was during this time we realized our friendship was turning into something deeper.

Because we had to stay indoors for safety, we watched a lot of movies and shared our thoughts about the characters, the story, and what the movie was trying to say. This is our approach to movies, and to most things, where each of us tries to understand what the other thinks, and why.

Our first out-and-about date was a socially distanced visit to a winery, where we could sit outside among the grapevines and watch the sun set. Years later, we would serve that same wine at our wedding.

We're both incredibly smart, and constantly in pursuit of knowledge. Grace was debating between returning to university studies to get a masters in mathematics, or a more creative pursuit in cosmetology school. Justin completed his masters in creative writing in 2015 and has published five books.

We put a lot of thought into decisions both big and small, and we sincerely enjoy listening to one another explain the logic behind those decisions. We've used Hello Fresh to prepare dinner for several years, and we breakdown the flavors and textures to explain what we liked (or didn't like) about the meal. We have an imaginary "top 10 list" and move meals around, depending on what's most recently surprised us.

We use our combination of education and creativity around the house. Grace has a running duplicate of the house in the Sims, where she can move furniture, paint walls, and envision her designs. Justin has a lot of electrical and contracting experience building escape rooms, and Grace used to build homes for charity. We use our skills together to undertake big home improvements. The next upcoming project that excites us the move us is designing and remodeling the spare bedroom into an amazing nursery.

We have a nightly tradition: About an hour before bed time, Grace starts one of her color pencil projects. Justin puts on a "cozy show," which is usually a family sitcom. After an hour of wind down time, we brush our teeth together, then lay in bed and look at the Instagram reels we've sent each other over the course of the day. Our reels are usually funny pranks, baseball bloopers, science facts, and stunning glow-ups.

One of the two weekend days - Saturday or Sunday - is chores day. Justin works on the yard - mowing the grass, trimming the hedges, planting seeds - while Grace does laundry, vacuums the rug in the family room, and deep cleans our cats' favorite spots.

On the major holidays, like Christmas, we get out the decorations that we've carefully stored and organized from the year before. We set up a very nice tree, and we each buy one another a new Christmas ornament every year. Grace has a few Harry Potter and the Office themed ornaments, while Justin's favorite is his WWE Undertaker ornament. We love the idea that someday our tree will have dozens of ornaments for not only us, but also for a child: a kind of story, if you will, of what each ornament meant to them at the time.

Grace's parents and brothers live nearby and we get together with everyone once or twice a month for a family dinner. Grace's dad and brothers love to barbecue and make delicious food for everyone. We all go on vacation together every couple of years. Some years we go to the beach, other years we go deep sea fishing, this year we'll be going out to the mountains! When we're all together, our family loves to joke around and have a good time and they love to nerd out about science.

Our parents frequently see the grandkids, attending as many soccer games and dance recitals as they can. They also take care of our youngest nephew while his mom is in school during the week. We love having our nephew over on the weekend, taking him to the park and playing hide and seek.

Our family is excited to have a new member, and is very supportive of us adopting a child to join the family.

We live in a 3 bedroom ranch located in a small, safe, and creative college town in Kansas. Grace's great grandparents built this house in 1959, and it has been passed down through the generations. With his knowledge of escape room maintenance, Justin has modernized the house with automatic lights and GFCI outlets, combining an old-style home with modern features.

Our favorite room is the family room, which Grace designed in the Sims and then implemented in real life. Justin has installed safety brackets on all of the bookcases. The vibe is safe, comfortable, and cozy.

We're located just down the street from the main college campus, so the surrounding houses are home to professors and other academics. There are two brand-new parks within walking distance of our house, and many other legacy parks throughout the city. Each year, the city "rescues" Santa Claus from the rooftop of the oldest retail store in the United States, a downtown event where all of the kids get to meet Santa and local firemen, and then tour the downtown area for hot chocolate and candy.

The city also has extensive bike trails and offers many opportunities for art education and artistic expression. There is a nature preserve in town that hosts many science education events for kids. Our city library is one of the top libraries in the country, with an entire level dedicated to children's books and activities.

We both understand how difficult this decision must be. Even if you know that what you are doing is best for your baby, that doesn't mean it isn't going to be one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. Believe us when we say that we have given a lot of thought about you and your situation. The last thing we would ever want is for you to be left with challenging emotions. We want to help as much as we can, and while we know we can't make it easy, we want to make it easier for you.

Depending on what you are most comfortable with, we are excited to share pictures, little crayon letters, and other mementos from this child as they grow up. If you're having a mental health day and feel like you need to see a recent picture, we'll have several avenues of communication open to you, and you can reach out any time. You will have both of our email addresses, so we can send you larger files like video clips or a bunch of pictures.

If you need a quick update, or a picture of what's going on in the child's life right that moment, you will be able to text either one of us. I'm sure we'll have countless pictures on our phones, and it will be no trouble to blow up your phone with them. This will be on your terms, of course.

We'll discuss it together. We'll work with you to discover what is best. We will help you feel connected and close, and reassure you that the difficult decision you made was, indeed, the best for the child.

Sometimes you might feel like you need some distance from the situation. Maybe you need time to process and focus on your own life trajectory. That's okay! We want that for you. And we also want you to know that moments of distance will not change how important you will be when you decide you want to become more involved again. This is going to be a new experience, and everyone involved is going to have to adjust to some very powerful feelings. We understand that, and are ready to adjust to your comfort level at the time.

After Grace had gone through the emotional highs and lows of fertility treatments, we experienced first-hand how impactful these feelings can be. If left unaddressed, they can weigh heavy on a person. It would bring us no joy to know that our little addition to our family came at the cost of another person's turmoil. We don't want that for you, and we will do what we can to keep that from happening.

As this child grows and learns, they will be very aware of you as their biological mother and father. Those visits will be the most exciting, where you will get to see them and have them show you all of the little projects they've completed.

Sincerely,

Justin & Grace