We can only begin to imagine what you may be thinking and feeling right now. We hope that as you are experiencing what must be a whirlwind of emotions, you find peace or comfort in any decision you make. We also hope that giving you a glimpse into who we are and the people in our lives helps provide you comfort as it paints a picture of how we will undoubtedly love, cherish, and care for your child in the event we are lucky enough to be chosen by you. As educators, we have both chosen to dedicate our lives to working with children, providing them a welcoming, safe, and loving space in which to learn and grow each and every day, and we are ready to provide that love, dedication, and so much more to a child of our own. We are also fortunate to have a strong support system around us to help us surround and embrace our adoptive child with the love, care, and compassion that every kid deserves, and we welcome you to be a part of that support system if you so choose. We truly believe that adoptive parents are some of the most selfless, brave, and loving people in the world because of the sacrifice that they are willing to make to ensure their child has the life that their birth parents have envisioned for them. We do not take this responsibility lightly and are thankful that you are even considering the possibility of allowing us the privilege to raise this child. We hope you find peace in whatever decision you make and wish you and your child the very best and a happy and bright future.

We met as most millennials in their late 20s meet...online dating. David messaged Heather after viewing her profile, filled with pictures showing her light-hearted spirit, and there was no going back. Heather broke her ankle, postponing our first date, forcing us to get to know each other via text. After about a month of texting, we had our first date at a small local bar. It is safe to say we came in dead last for trivia that night, but we had an instant connection and spent the evening talking until the bar staff had to tell us it was time to leave. The subsequent dates continued to go equally as well, and we soon realized that we had discovered something special. After about a year of dating, we were excited to move in together. We quickly melded both our lives together and continued making great memories in our townhome. About a year and a half later, David planned, with the help of Heather's family, a surprise proposal at a local park (spoiler alert...she said yes!). We then spent the next year planning out our perfect wedding for the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, due to Covid, we had to scrap all of our wedding plans, but we still wanted nothing but to be married to each other, so we planned a small ceremony at a nearby park with just immediate family and our bridal party. We live streamed our ceremony and then we followed it up with a reception in Heather's parent's backyard. It certainly was not the wedding we had initially planned, but we were happy because we were married. With plans to grow our family, we bought our first home together about a year and a half after getting married. Since moving into our new home, we have continued to create great memories and traditions. We are incredibly excited to take on the roles of Mom and Dad and make many more happy memories together as a family.

Heather was born in Indiana but raised in North Carolina where she loved being only a couple of hours from both the beach and the mountains. Being a part of a large extended family where she was the oldest of her generation, she quickly realized how much she enjoyed working with children. In high school she got an after-school job at a local daycare and realized how much she enjoyed teaching young children. This inspired her to go to college and get her BS in Child Development. All these years later, she loves working as a first-grade instructional assistant! She enjoys getting to make learning fun for her students, even if that means dressing up in silly costumes and dancing around the classroom. When Heather isn't working with her students, she loves being at her family's lake house where boat rides, tubing, and paddle boarding are a must! She also loves to use her Cricut machine to craft, whether it's making a new t-shirt design, a car decal, or stickers for her students. Heather loves attending any live sporting events, especially hockey and baseball games. Heather is a big animal lover and can never pass up petting a sweet fur baby! She also loves the Harry Potter book series. She's a proud Hufflepuff!

What David Says About Heather

The three words I would use to describe Heather are understanding, reliable, and caring. Heather is an incredibly kind person and always does what she believes is the right thing to do, even if it isn't the most convenient for her. Anything that she does, she is going to make sure it is done right. At the same time, she is compassionate and is willing to listen to someone else's perspective. Her sarcastic sense of humor always keeps people on their toes but provides some light-hearted laughter in any situation. Most notably, Heather's loving and compassionate nature make her an amazing wife and a great teacher and will make her an incredible mother.

David was born in South Florida where he lived until he was 14 years old before he and his family moved to North Carolina. He was lucky enough to have grown up with both of his parents being active in his life as well as having a lot of extended family nearby. He and his younger brother were very active, constantly playing organized sports as well as pick-up games in the cul-de-sac or backyard. After high school, David attended Appalachian State University and got a degree in English, Secondary Education, so he could become a high school English teacher. While he was there, he cemented a love for the mountains and tries to get back whenever he can. He is an avid App State fan, so he makes an effort to go to at least one football game each year with his family and friends and watches the rest from home. David taught for several years and eventually went back to school and got his master's degree, so he could become a school administrator. He is currently an assistant principal at a middle school and is hoping to become a principal soon. He loves his job and working with kids. In his spare time, David loves going to live sporting events and local festivals. He also enjoys cooking and makes dinner most nights. His favorite cooking tool is his smoker, which he uses to smoke various meats on the weekends. David also enjoys going to Heather's family's lake house each year. He has his boating license, so he loves taking everyone out on the boat for tubing and some good times!

What Heather Says About David

Three words I would use to describe David are supportive, caring and hard-working. David gives his all to the things that matter to him, both in his career and our relationship, and that shows in his unwavering support and commitment. David is a nurturing and devoted husband and I know those qualities are going to make him an incredible father. David makes me feel safe, loved, respected and appreciated every day and I know he will do the same for our child.

We have two young cats, Boone and Milo. We adopted both of them when they were kittens from organizations that rescue animals from shelters. In fact, Milo was actually found abandoned in a shopping cart in a parking lot! They are super playful and loveable. Boone (the darker one) is a year older than Milo, so he serves as the calming energy in the house. Milo (the orange cat) is the social butterfly and has energy for days. He loves to be around people and will make his presence known with a sweet little meow while bringing you one of his favorite toys.

Heather's parents were high school sweethearts and have been married for over 35 years. She is the oldest of two and still enjoys teasing her little brother from time to time. Her dad's side of the family all live near us, so we see them on a regular basis. She has 15 cousins ranging from the age of 31 to 4, so family dinners are always chaotic but fun. Some of Heather's fondest memories are from vacations with the whole family to Bald Head Island, Palmetto Bluff and the Bahamas. Heather still has 3 living grandparents who are eagerly awaiting becoming great grandparents. Heather's mom's side of the family lives in Tennessee, so we see them mostly on holidays and make the most out of our time together. Heather's family has already been extremely supportive of our adoption journey and is willing and able to help out once we are ready to welcome a child into our home.

David's parents have been together for just over 35 years. He has one younger brother, who is married, and one living grandparent. His grandma and parents live in the same town and his brother is in a neighboring town, all of whom live about an hour and a half from us, so we get to see them often. David has family in NC, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee, so everyone is a bit spread out. He keeps in touch with his cousins from Ohio, a couple of which just moved down to NC, so we get to see them much more frequently now. We also get to see his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins from Indiana each Thanksgiving when they come down for our annual "Thanksmas" celebration. David's family is excited to welcome a child into the family and have been incredibly supportive of our adoption journey. His parents are thrilled to become grandparents and are ready to lend a helping hand in any way possible, which will of course include spoiling their grandkid.

With our families nearby and actively involved in our lives, we make time throughout the year, especially around the holidays, to spend time with everyone. Whether it be seafood and tacky sweaters on Christmas Eve, White Elephant gift exchanges on Christmas Day, homemade fondue on New Year's, or live sporting events to celebrate birthdays, we love the traditions that are already a part of our lives, and we are eager to create new traditions with our child!

One of our favorite summer vacation spots is our family's lake house where we enjoy time boating, jet skiing, paddle boarding, tubing, swimming, and just relaxing. We love taking our friends and their children with us. The kids add a fun energy to the trip, and we can't wait to add our own child into the mix.

In our free time, you can find us doing a variety of things. Sometimes you can find us at a baseball, football, or hockey game or checking out new restaurants or breweries around town. Other times you might find us cozied up on the couch binging watching the newest seasons of our favorite TV shows. David enjoys going disc golfing and cooking while Heather is the crafty one, using her cricut to make various unique and personalized projects. In the summer, we enjoy going to the neighborhood pool and look forward to enjoying some fun in the sun with our child. Our experience working with kids in addition to having other children in our lives has also helped us find the kid-friendly hot spots around town that will give us plenty of fun places to explore with our future child.

We promise to provide a warm, safe, nurturing, inclusive, and loving environment, so that this child can grow up knowing they are loved and accepted no matter what.

We promise to be honest and forthright about their adoption story and to respect your wishes in regards to how involved you hope to be.

We promise that this child will be raised in a home where open-mindedness, inquiry, and acceptance are encouraged and supported.

We promise to support and be there for this child no matter the circumstances, whether that be a small moment like the first time they scrape their knee on the playground or more difficult experiences like dealing with their first encounter of bullying or discrimination.

We promise to be the parents and role models that you have entrusted us to be.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us and considering us to be the adoptive parents of your child. We know that you face an incredibly difficult decision, and we appreciate the thought and care that you are putting into it. Please know that we will do everything in our power to be the best parents possible because you and your child deserve nothing less. Although we do not yet know you, you are in our thoughts and we wish nothing but the best for you.