Hi, we are Justin and Lisa. Thank you for taking the time to learn about us.

We met nine years ago through mutual friends. We were both immediately attracted to one another but were afraid to make any moves. So we started off as friends...

One day while driving down the interstate to another town, Lisa got a phone call from Justin. He was only an hour away from her and asked if she wanted to hang out. It was an hour in the other direction, but she just could not pass up the opportunity; Lisa knew they were just meant to be together! She exited the highway and made a U-turn to head in Justin's direction.

We had the most amazing time together that weekend---even dancing in the rain---and as they say, " the rest is history...." Justin proposed in Peru, and we were married a year later, in 2015. That U-turn was the best detour Lisa had ever taken!

Four years into marriage, we were blessed to have our son, Carter. We loved how our family had grown and were hopeful for a second child, especially since Carter had asked to be a big brother. After trying for a few years and going through infertility treatments, we learned from our doctors that it was extremely unlikely we would ever conceive again. Lisa is adopted, and we just knew in our hearts then that we were meant to adopt.

Lisa was a planned adoption. Her adoptive mother could not have children, so a close friend offered to be a surrogate for her. She received donated sperm, so she does not know who is her biological father. Most importantly, she maintains a relationship with her biological mother and adoptive parents. She knew growing up, she was adopted, and it was explained to her in a manner that did not make her feel uncomfortable. She is grateful for the woman who gave her life and the parents that raised her.

Lisa is a charismatic wife and an exceptional mother to our son; I cannot imagine my world without her. She has been a medic in the Air Force for 21 years, and I admire all her career accomplishments. She has traveled the world, helped the sick and injured, and led many young service members in her sections.; they all speak so highly of her. She will retire from the service in March 2024. As a wife, she is my foundation. She is always organizing and decorating our home, planning family activities, or cooking amazing meals in the kitchen. It is what I love to come home to.

Being a mother to our son just comes naturally to her. She comforts him when he is sad, gives him affection, and never loses her patience, even during temper tantrums and potty-training days. When I deployed overseas, she did it all and never faltered. She kept the three of us connected through FaceTime calls and care packages. She continued to give our son experiences with trips to the beach, family visits, pool parties with neighborhood kids, and getting dirty playing in the mud outside every now and then. I am lucky to have her in my life.

I did not know a man could make me feel so loved until I met Justin. I will never forget our first date; it was sprinkling as we walked outside the restaurant, and I instinctively began to run to the car. He grabbed my hand, held me back in the rain, and asked me to dance. I honestly thought that only happened in the movies. But it was my reality, and that is when we fell in love.

To this day, I am drawn to his ambition and intuition. He often reads books or listens to podcasts about investing, technology, business, and psychology. I jokingly call him a nerd;!However, it has inspired him to start our business with investment properties, install security cameras in our home by himself and connect all the smart technology in our house, from lights to locks. I am also proud of his service to our country, as he serves in Army Special Forces and is three years shy of retiring. He has seen all parts of our world and has positively influenced his peers. He is finishing his bachelor's degree and looking forward to a civilian career in business and cyber security.

Justin shows our son love each day as they build toy cars together, fix broken furniture, and sit and read together at night. He is always showing Carter something new. They find lizards outside, talk about how cars work, and debate which monster truck is better. I absolutely love to sit back and watch their time together.

Carter is an independent, affectionate, and active three-1/2-year-old who loves outdoor and water-related activities. He loves splashing around in our pool and visiting the beach, and playing in the sand. Spiderman is his favorite character. He likes arts and crafts and loves to help in the kitchen. His favorite time of the year is Christmas, when he gets to make and decorate cookies with Grandma. He has such a creative mind that he often tells us stories at bedtime of dragons, castles, and faraway lands. Carter goes everywhere with us, and we love to share the world with him. One of his favorite family traditions is the family cruise we take every year. He often speaks of "going on big ships, " dancing, eating ice cream, and playing on the water slides and splash pads.

He has a kind, gentle heart and has been asking for a brother or sister since he could talk. He enjoys spending time with kids of all ages and especially pretend play. If we have friends that visit with younger children, he always asks to help hold, feed, and care for them.

We bought our forever home almost two years ago, and we love it. It is an open floor plan with plenty of space to host family gatherings. Our backyard is one of our favorite places, where we love spending time in the pool or around the fire pit. We spend many evenings under the covered patio watching movies on the outdoor screen. There is a large paved area in the back for riding tricycles and a lovely swing in our front yard. Inside, we enjoy the smart lighting that changes colors and the garden tub for big bubble baths.

We could not ask for a better neighborhood. There is a park right around the corner where the local kids like to play. There is a neighborhood chapter that hosts events and activities in the park; egg hunts for Easter, Friendsgiving every November, and the Santa Clause parade every Christmas. We love that there is not a lot of traffic, and we often see families walking around the block and kids playing on their front lawns.

We have several favorite spots we like to visit in our community. There is something to do for every age---even adults that like the kid stuff. We love outdoor activities like the beaches, splash pads, water parks, and the zoo, but if there's inclement weather, there are plenty of indoor options for fun, as well. A few of our favorites are the trampoline park, roller skating park, science center, and aquarium.

Being dual military parents is unique, challenging, and rewarding at the same time. The challenging part is the time we spend away, like going through a deployment. Thankfully with today's technology, it's easy to stay in touch through video chats. The military has wonderful programs to help families that spend time away from each other such as sponsoring a parent night out, family retreats, and child-focused activities. Justin has one more deployment left, then will retire in 2026, and Lisa will retire in 2024; this will give us more time to be home with family. Lisa will likely work part-time and get an opportunity to have more time at home. With retirement right around the corner, we have bought and moved into our forever home and have no intentions of moving again.

We both grew up with extended family, all in the same city, but that changed when we joined the military. Thankfully we have several close friends, though not blood-related, that have become our family. We share Thanksgiving meals, celebrate birthdays, and take family trips together. Recently, Lisa's parents moved just 20 minutes away to be closer to us.

When we want to have a date night together, someone always raises their hand to watch our son, which is wonderful. When we told our friends and family we were hoping to adopt, all were supportive and could not wait to welcome a new family member.

Justin's parents live out of state, but we FaceTime every week, and they visit often. Carter's favorite time is when Grandma and Grandpa travel down with their camper. They stay a month at various campgrounds, and he absolutely loves camp time. Grandpa always lights an outdoor fire for roasting marshmallows, and Grandma prepares the blankets for sleeping. Beautiful campgrounds near the beach are perfect for walking and building sandcastles. We also love traveling to spend time with them in the winter because we see the snow, which we typically do not get at home. The first time we put our son on a sled was priceless; the smile on his face lasted for days.

We swap hosting Christmas between our home and Justin's parent's home. The Christmases at our house are warm and sunny, and we even get to the beach. When we celebrate Christmas with Justin's parents, we play in the snow and make Christmas cookies with Grandma. It never fails that Grandma gets all the kids matching pajamas so we can open presents in matching PJs.

We love having the opportunity to experience a different season each year. We love to decorate for Halloween, and we have a favorite neighborhood to go trick or treating; the whole town goes there for the best-decorated houses, candy, and costumes.

Our favorite thing to do is anything outside in the water. We have a pool in our backyard, and it is wonderful to just step out on the back porch and go for a dip. We love going on boats and playing at the beach. We have a water park close to home with the best slides and a lazy river to float on.

Hosting at home is our thing. We will randomly turn the grill on, invite neighborhood friends and throw a backyard party just to have fun. Lisa makes amazing pulled pork in the crockpot for delicious tacos, and we like to experiment with baked desserts because every Bar-B-Q is complete with sweet treats.

Lastly, a family tradition is movie night. When the weather is nice, we back our truck up to our outdoor TV, throw in our blow-up mattress, pillows, and blankets, pop a mean bowl of buttered popcorn, and watch a flick. It is like camping in our backyard, and we love it.

We thank you for taking the time to read about our family and for considering an adoption plan.

Lisa is adopted and understands how special it is to love and welcome a child into a family. Lisa loves her birth mother and adoptive parents and feels, in her heart, that she was meant to do the same for another child. She grew up knowing she had a "belly mommy" that carried and loved her and that she also had parents that cared for and raised her. We vow to do the same for this child.

Your child will have Carter as a big brother to look after them, a college fund we will start at the time of placement, and a warm, loving home with family and friends who cannot wait to meet them.

No matter what level of openness you prefer, if you choose us, we promise to share their story and ensure that they know they are loved by you and us.



With love,

Lisa and Justin