Looking back, our story quite unexpectedly began in 2008. Andy was recovering from a military-connected spinal cord injury, and Elisabeth was one of his rehab nurses. After a particularly tough day, Elisabeth reminded me that "If someone loves you, they are going to love you no matter what." Little did we know, two years later, we would fall in love. We've been happily married for about 10 years now. Our relationship is truly special, and despite facing challenges like infertility, we've grown stronger in our faith and love for each other.

While we were dating, we took turns visiting each other. We went to baseball games, the beach, and took a few road trips. When apart, we filled our evenings with Skype sessions that lasted for hours. We had a lot of fun and loved being together.

Andy proposed to Elisabeth on stage at a local charity event in front of hundreds of people. To finish it off, Heidi Newfield sang her song "Johnny and June" to us. "I wanna love like Johnny and June, rings of fire burnin' with you, I wanna walk the line....til the end of time"

To quote Andy's dad, "...Then there are truly noble heroes. Their heroism is absolutely based in who they are in their character. Those are the best kinds of heroes. Those are the "God built" heroes. They bring their heroism to the whole of their life, not just to an isolated moment. Andy is that kind of hero." Andy was seriously wounded in Afghanistan by enemy fire. His spinal cord injury, in essence, forged him in the fire of having to re-learn how to live life. It takes strength in all forms to do that. I know that the man I married can absolutely get through anything that life throws at him.

Andy is a protector. He takes care of everything from locking the doors at night to making sure we continue on a path to financial stability. He cares deeply for his family and his brothers with whom he served in the Army, and it has been a joy to see this in action for the past 10 years.

I know Andy will be a great father. I have seen him interact with our nephews, cousins, and kids in our apartment complex. They gravitate to him. He loves how honest and open kids are about his wheelchair and the lift he uses for his truck. Andy and I can be pretty silly together and we have shared some very silly moments with our nephews. I'm very much looking forward to seeing him in action as a father.

It has been said that 'you are who you spend time with.' I hope that is true because I am blessed to have a wonderful family and lifelong friends. My family is especially close to one another, and it has always been a comfort to me to know that I can go to no place or do nothing that will ultimately keep my family from being there for me, and me for them.

As someone who enjoys learning, the math and science that goes into making shots beyond a mile is interesting to me.

I learned about airplanes from my dad when I was very young, and it has always stuck with me. I recently earned my wings!

Ask anybody that knows me what my hobbies are and they'll blurt out two things: Shooting long range range rifles and airplanes.

When I first met Elisabeth, it was at the hospital where she worked. I had recently been injured in Afghanistan, and that was definitely the most turbulent period of my life. However, Elisabeth took care of me for the next six months without giving me any opportunity to feel sorry for myself. She struck the perfect balance between empathy, understanding a situation intuitively, and making thoughtful assessments.

In my eyes, Elisabeth embodies the best qualities of humanity. Without her, my life would feel empty. She is trustworthy, kind, caring, and focused, while also being the most empathetic person I have ever known.

It's why she's a great nurse!

My mom lives in Florida and was adopted as a baby Of course, she is very supportive of adoption.

My dad and stepmom live in a small town in Ohio and are able to visit a couple of times each year.

I have a large extended family on both sides. They all live in the Midwest and Great Lakes areas.

I have a small circle of close friends who all live in Florida. I have been friends with them for over 20 years. They are the sisters I never had.

I like to try new foods, do anything involving water (except diving), work out, and read books on theology and early American life. My favorite band is NEEDTOBREATHE (NTB)!

I've been a nurse practitioner for 15 years. I love my profession and are committed to the people I encounter, both patients and coworkers. I try to be a good role model for the young women in my office by offering them valuable real-world insights into the right way of doing things and how to overcome obstacles and move forward.

For the most part, we're introverts and are perfectly content staying at home binge watching a TV series or going for a walk in our neighborhood. However, we also like to experience new things. Whether it's a SpaceX rocket launch, a helicopter tour of Lake Tahoe, aerospace museums, baseball games, or movies, we're pretty good at entertaining ourselves!

Arm wrestling, pulling loose teeth, cuddling, being silly, providing comfort, going for a ride....We have loved caring for and having fun with all of our nephews, cousins, and children of our friends.

Luke 9:47-48

47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.

48 Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest."

We live in a large apartment complex in sunny Florida. Seven years ago, we moved from Texas to help Elisabeth's mom care for her grandparents. While we still have our Texas house and will eventually move back there, we have made Florida our home. Our spacious apartment is perfect for a little one and conveniently located near restaurants, ice cream shops, playgrounds, great schools, YMCA, community center, and the university where Andy studies and Elisabeth works. Our neighbors are amazing, and during Christmas, we exchange gifts by leaving them on each other's doorsteps.

While we love Florida, we are excited to return to Texas and put down permanent roots. In the end, most of the family will live within 30 minutes of one another, an important aspect to raising a child and building a legacy.

We have a pet bunny named Izzy Bea the Busy Bee...Bea Girl for short. She is full of personality. She loves to bounce across our living room furniture, nibble packing paper, and gets so excited when it's time for her snicky snacks.

She is such a good little girl, loves to get pets (especially from Andy), and is perfect with her litter box habits. She can even do tricks like "give sweet sweets" (kisses), turn around, and stand up on her tippy toes.

We let her have the run of the living room. Her mission in life is to break into our bedroom, She constantly checks to see if she can sneak past the gate when the door is open Otherwise, during the day, she can be found napping in her little wooden "vacation home."

We hope you have enjoyed getting to know a little about us. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to adopt a child. We want you to know that we are praying for you- peace and strength in the decision you are going to reach. And whatever decision you make, we hope that the child you are carrying will always know the depth of your love for them. If we are the ones you choose to be your child's adoptive parents, we are committed to ensuring that your child knows the loving sacrifice you made for them.

We will give your child the best life that we possibly can, showing them the hope for the future that you wanted for them. We will love them unconditionally, encourage them, teach them to be strong, kind, and generous, and help them understand what is important in life. We know that by the grace of God, this story, our story will be one of redemption and love because that's the only kind of story God writes.