Dear Birthmother,

Hello. Thank you for taking the time to read about us. You can feel secure and at peace knowing that a child will feel love, caring, and unity within our group of family and friends. As children, we both experienced homes where we could grow, explore, and flourish to become happy people. We want to give that kind of joy, strength, and love to a child.

We have been married for five years. We always joke that we met through the “Internet Gods”. Rob had just returned from Okinawa, Japan where he was doing research and visiting family. We met for lunch and have been together since our first date, which was seven years ago.

After many years of infertility treatments, we knew we needed to move on with a different path. Our desire to be a family unit is so strong that adoption seemed the next natural path for us. We both have very close friends who have adopted children and know that they feel so blessed and loved.

Sandra has been an elementary school teacher for 17 years and teaching is her passion. From the time she was young, she taught dance, art, and tutored kids. Becoming a teacher was the most natural thing in the world for her to do. Sandra loves to walk and has participated in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk many times to raise money for research, education, and treatment of cancer. She enjoys working in the garden, scrapbooking, and writing poetry. She loves to read and often falls asleep with a book in her hand. Her mom teases her that she has been doing that since she was a little girl.

Rob is from Okinawa, Japan. He is extremely proud of his heritage, culture, and philosophy. Rob has been a college professor of World History and Asian Studies for fifteen years. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with kids of all ages, and whenever he comes to my class, he shows areas on the atlas for the kids to see and learn. He plays sports and has been on the same basketball team with his brother and their buddies for over twenty years. His belief in family is a part of everything he does in our home. He enjoys cooking in our new kitchen. Rob has done almost all of the remodeling in our home. He is a fabulous handyman and his main hobbies are woodworking and building things. There is not a fix it job that he cannot conquer. He even created a Winnie the Pooh garden style bedroom with soft green walls, white molding, and a tree made out of plaster painted on one wall and part of the ceiling. We plan for this room to be the baby’s nursery. He really needs a helper to wear a mini tool belt and work alongside of him.

We feel fortunate to be able to provide a financially secure and loving environment for a child. Since we both work in the educational field, our schedules are extremely flexible. Also, with our parents being retired, and family and friends nearby, we will never have to leave our child in day care.

Our home life is very important to us. We live in a beautiful, family-oriented neighborhood. Our home is very close to the beach, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and museums. Our ranch style home is warm, open, bright, and serene.  We have a garden that is bright and alive with colorful flowers and trees. We love to sit outside to drink coffee, read, and talk with neighbors. Our community park is only three blocks away and is always full of children and adults enjoying life. The schools and shops are within walking distance, too. Our neighborhood is so friendly and we are fortunate to get along with all of our surrounding neighbors. Our families live very close to us and our home is a central point for many get togethers and dinners.

We love to visit and explore new places. Traveling is a major part of our lives and we intend to continue traveling with our child. The experience with different cultures and areas is the best way for a child to learn about people and places. We love to take trips along the coast, visit museums, zoos, and the ocean areas. One of our favorite local destinations is San Diego to visit Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park. We’ve traveled around the United States, went horseback riding in New York, took a carriage ride, went hiking in Oahu, and kayaking in Kauai. We recently took a cruise to Mexico and were amazed at how many wonderful and well-behaved children of all ages were on the ship. Our next cruise will definitely include our child. We cannot wait to see these sights and new ones of the world through the eyes of a child.

We both have a phenomenal and close relationship with our parents. Our families and friends are so supportive about our decision to adopt. Sandra’s best friends of over 20 years are like her sisters. One of her best friends was adopted and her experiences formed her positive outcome. Her other best friend has two children who call her Auntie Sandra. She helped raise them and was even in the delivery room when her little girl was born coaching and taping the birth. Rob is very close to his brother. They are best friends. Since he lives only five minutes away, they get together frequently for lunch, to play basketball, and watch their favorite sports teams. Both moms are retired and live about 15 minutes away. They are already figuring out the grandparent’s privileges. Sandra’s dad has even started building a hope chest to keep our memories stored for the family. We all get together for the holidays. Our favorite times are the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas time where we get a crowd of 25 to 30 people, including family, friends, and kids. This is great time for Rob to show off his cooking skills and Sandra her home decorating.

We believe very strongly in the value of education. We both have advanced degrees and continue to take courses to improve our knowledge. We have a strong value system centered on respect, kindness, and self-achievement. Our partnership is strong built on trust, support, love, admiration, and respect. We love to travel, bike ride, walk along the beach, spend time with family and friends, and play with our animals. A child would complete us as a family.

Once again, thank you so much for reading our story and considering us. If you want to find out more about us, please call one of our adoption advisors at AdoptHelp toll free at 1-800-637-7999.

Sandra and Rob