Hi! We’re Steve and Laura

Greetings from Burbank, California: We’re Steve and Laura and we wanted to start off by expressing our appreciation for your decision to help people start their families. Steve was adopted and so we understand perhaps more than most what your decision can mean for the future of your child. Our excitement is growing as we start down this path to parenthood and we’re looking forward to talking with you about our plans and your feelings, too. We’ll all have questions and expectations to address and we want you to be comfortable with your decision. We hope to meet you in person soon. Thank you.

How we met and life today: When online dating first became fashionable, we both tried it. At the point when Steve contacted Laura, she had already gone on a couple of bad dates and told him she wasn’t interested in dating and was about to close her account. Steve asked if he could still e-mail with her and just be friends. Laura agreed and they started writing everyday. Laura discovered that Steve had a great sense of humor and she could tell he was very intelligent. Although neither felt comfortable meeting in person they decided to talk on the phone. During their conversation Laura mentioned that she was having a Birthday party that night at a local bar. Steve showed up to her party and they had an immediate connection. They wound up hanging out all night. They both felt like they’d known each other their whole lives and they knew right away they would get married. We’ve been married 17 years and planned to start a family once we had our careers established so we could provide a comfortable home life for our children. We didn’t want to “make it work” on shaky financial ground, but that also meant it took us longer and we are no longer able to conceive naturally. Adoption was always on our minds as we planned our future together. Since Steve’s adoption was such a positive experience, we felt it would be right for us too. We have a dog, two cats and a horse. We also compete in horse shows a few times a year. Laura enjoys cooking and makes healthy home-made meals most of the time, but we enjoy going out to our favorite restaurants too.

Things we love to do:

• We both love music. Steve is a very talented singer and has been the lead singer in many bands over the years. He recently started learning guitar. Laura grew up in a musical family and learned a variety of instruments.
• We love spending time outdoors. Our main interest is our horse, but we also love to hike in the hills near our home. We enjoy boating and are lucky to have family and friends who take us out on their boats.
• Steve has a passion for old cars and motorcycles. He especially enjoys restoring old Volkswagens. He is also an avid reader and his favorite books are biographies about Supreme Court justices and other historical figures.

Plans for the future: Our plans for the future include buying a cabin in the local mountains so we can take our children there for long weekends and summer vacations. It’s a great way for the family to spend time together without busy daily routines.

A little about Steve

By Laura: The first thing that impressed me about Steve, aside from his good looks, was that he made me laugh. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is always up beat. Even if he has a bad day at work, he never brings it home. He is always happy to see me and says hello to the pets, even before he says hi to me. He’s ambitious, creative and sensitive. I always knew Steve would be the world’s best dad from the way he interacts with children. He is so comfortable with kids and engages with them so easily. I’ve always admired that about him. He loves projects and I know he’ll spend his free time assembling toys and taking our kids on outings.

More on Steve: He is also very helpful around the house so I know he’s going to help me with the children whenever I need it. He’ll do the dishes, laundry and will take out the trash all without me having to ask! I’m the envy of my horse friends because they wish their husbands rode horses and would help around the barn the way mine does. I will never take that for granted!

For work: Steve has been practicing law for over 12 years, the last two of which he’d been a partner at his firm. Last year he opened his own office nearby, but works from home most of the day.

A little about Laura

By Steve: What I love about Laura is that she’s funny, charming and very thoughtful. She cares about others’ feelings and always wants to help. In her job as a massage therapist, she works exclusively with people who are injured. She is very compassionate toward their issues, both emotionally and physically. I know that as a mother, she’ll have that same kind of sensitivity toward our children.

More on Laura: With Laura’s intuitive nature and my analytical side, together we are unstoppable! She always seems to know what our pets are feeling and what they need. I know she’ll be in tune with whatever our children need and how they are feeling too. She’s also an excellent teacher and care giver. She’s shown this through her work with our rescue dog and her training with horses. Laura is very patient and really understands the principles of learning and consistency which will translate easily to raising kids too!

For work: I love how Laura has a great head for business and organization. She ran a small growing business, started her own massage practice from the ground up and now works part-time from her home-office. She also does all of the bookkeeping and office management for my law firm. She’s amazing! If she doesn’t know how to do something, she will get the education she needs to learn how to master it. She is my rock and I couldn’t succeed without her.

Our Village

Our Family: We have extended family all over the United States. Laura’s family is in Southern California and the east coast and Steve’s family is in Northern California, Texas and North Carolina. Laura’s sister, Nancy, lives about an hour away and we visit her family several times a year. Our niece, Haylee, can’t wait to babysit. Laura’s stepfather, Jim, is also in that area and we include him when we all get together. Sometimes we go out on their boat and we always have a good time catching up and cooking a meal together. We see Steve’s sister, Becky, and her family a couple times a year and we make sure to see them over the holidays, especially while we have a young niece and nephew to spoil. We have several friends in the area and enjoy having them over for BBQs, dinner parties and birthday parties. Some of our friends are also musical and we’ll have singalongs and just enjoy their company. We also see friends at the barn on a regular basis and participate in the barn socials.

Our life with horses: We have owned and leased several horses over the years. We still take lessons and compete at local horse shows. To us, horses are magical and the relationship we have with our horse is very special. We look forward to teaching our children all about that relationship, not just learning to ride, but everything involved with owning and caring for a horse. This lifestyle naturally builds self-esteem, teaches responsibility and provides a great sense of accomplishment, all while having tons of fun. Our child will have the opportunity to go to horse camp in the summer where they will ride with kids their own age and make lasting friendships. We’ll ride together as a family and our child will have their own horse. What better way to bond?!

Meet Smoochie, Pickles & Duckie: We have a dog, Smoochie, 14 years and two cats, Pickles, 1 year, and Ducky, 11 years. They are all rescues. Smoochie came with a lot of issues but we worked with him to gain confidence and recover from his bad start. As part of his training we put him in agility classes, he eventually competed and became an agility champion! He gets along great with people and with the cats and is protective of them. We know he’ll be protective of our children too. Pickles is super friendly, he loves everyone. Ducky lives outdoors and comes home for meals and loving.

Our Home and Closing Thoughts

Where we live: We have a large 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in the Burbank Hills. We are walking distance to all the schools in the best school district in our area. The neighborhood is beautiful, very safe and quiet. It’s the perfect place to raise a family. In addition to being close to Los Angeles, we are driving distance to the major amusement parks: Disneyland, Universal Studios, Legoland and Sea World to name a few. We are also close to the beach and the mountains, making for convenient day trips. Plus, just minutes away, near downtown Los Angeles are several amazing museums, the Natural History Museum, California Science Center, Space Shuttle, and many others.

Volunteering in the community: We both feel it’s important to give back to the community. Laura has volunteered at an animal shelter and with the parks department mounted Rangers. In 2015, the Special Olympics came to Los Angeles and Laura donated her horse and volunteered at the games. Steve currently volunteers as a board member of our local library system. He also participates through his lawyer association to write new state laws that help families.

Our promise to you: We are going to be great parents because we had great parents. We had endless opportunities and we look forward to being able to provide similar opportunities to our children. We can’t wait to share all the wonderful things we got to do as kids. They will be able to explore an almost endless supply of things they find exciting and interesting like, Scouts, 4H club, summer camp, martial arts, dance, music, ice skating, art, etc. We want to give you updates on our lives together as you feel comfortable. But rest assured, we will give our child everything in our power to have a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.

One last thank you: You are giving us an amazing gift, both to us and to our child. We want you to know that we are committed to raising our children in a stable home filled with unconditional love and the emotional and financial support to help our children achieve their dreams. Even though we are starting our family later than most, we feel that we bring a maturity and life experience that younger people don’t have. That sets us apart and will be a great foundation that will set our children up for success.