With feelings of excitement accompanied by an anxious smile and an open heart for what our futures hold, we imagine you are experiencing similar sentiments. So thank you for taking this brief moment in your life with us and allowing us to share our story with you, regardless of what lies ahead.

Our story is one that is based on perseverance and stated best by Dolly Parton herself, "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

In other words, we are not always handed the life we dreamed of. Storms happen, our paths change and somehow, we figure out how to adapt, prepare for what is ahead and continue to move forward with great courage, determination, a few good cries and even more good laughs along the way. Our story is no exception and we have done just that.

Through the years, "adapt and overcome" has become one our most significant life lessons and a motto by which we live. We are determined in everything we do to achieve our goals and always push forward for the better.

As you navigate your own journey and look ahead to both your own and your child's future, you have the ability to adjust your sails to move in the right direction. So regardless of the path you choose and if our stories actually cross paths to unite as one, know that your courage is admirable and we appreciate even your consideration of this potential journey together.

There is no way around it, the past three years have been a tough road of trying to have a child of our own. However, as always, we have continued to adjust our sails, which has led us here to our adoption journey.

From young ages, both of us have known we wanted kids, but after several rounds of unsuccessful fertility treatments and the harsh realization that it doesn't just happen like magic for everyone, we quickly changed our path.

No matter how it happens though, we are both on the same page that we want nothing more than to raise a child with more than enough love and support to grow and flourish into a healthy, successful adult. Adoption is also very close to our hearts as it is woven into our story through each of our families. Through those experiences, we have seen nothing but positive outcomes, which has only enhanced and motivated the passion behind our own adoption journey.

Our own story started in August 2012 at an old, quaint and quirky local dive bar, where we met through a mutual friend. Quickly realizing we went to the same high school, but a couple years apart, we instantly had a connection and started chatting. Those chats never stopped after that night and the rest we can say is history.

Our first date was pretty typical...nervous conversation over a nice dinner, but it felt differerent and eventually led to a second date. We continued dating, two years of which were long distance, until our engagement exactly five years later, which took place at the top of Mount Bonnell overlooking all of Austin, Texas.

In October 2018, we got married through an intimate ceremony with only our closest friends and family present at a local distillery in our Kansas hometown. Immediately following our wedding, we held a lovely reception to celebrate with a much larger group of friends and family. We then took a minimoon weekend to Colorado Springs right after our wedding where we crossed a hot air balloon ride off of our bucket list, and enjoyed the snow as well as the scenery. Several months later, we visited Costa Rica for our actual honeymoon. It was full of adventure and the friendliest people. We ziplined over the rainforest, rode horses, went deep-sea fishing and relaxed poolside.

Together now for 11 years and married for five, we are still by no means perfect, but no matter what, we love each other unconditionally. We are best friends and lifelong partners whose qualities complement each other. And as our motto states, regardless of what life hands us or throws our way, we always adapt and overcome, together as one.

Scott is one of the most intelligent people I know. As a life-long learner, he is full of knowledge and could easily be considered a walking encyclopedia. He is a natural problem solver, so if there is something he doesn't know, he will always find a way to figure it out and he continuously strives to learn and grow from any mistakes he may make along the way. He loves anything that challenges him mentally or physically. Scott faces problems differently than most people and takes them on head first with great passion and excitement. In addition to learning himself, "he thrives on teaching and sharing his knowledge" with others and often talks about how important and fulfilling it will be for him to pass on all of his knowledge to our child.

Aside from his intelligence, he can always make light of a situation with his humor. He is funny through his sarcasm and quick wit, which he comes by naturally from his entire family. He can be stubborn and set in his ways at times, but that structure he provides for our family balances my more spontaneous type. Although stoic by nature, he cares deeply about his family and friends and has a great compassion for all animals and the natural world. He is genuine, straightforward and honest, having a knack for telling people the hard truths, but always with the intent of an opportunity for improvement and learning, which along with his passion and determination, has led him to his leadership role in his profession.

Scott is currently an Operational Excellence and Quality Engineering Manager for a manufacturing company, which means he works to improve processes that help the company operate more efficiently and manufacture a better product while mentoring his colleagues to do the same. Prior to this role, he worked as a mechanical and manufacturing engineer for 10 years in the aerospace industry, building commercial airplanes.

Outside of work, Scott has many hobbies and is never bored. Not only does he love anything outdoors such as hunting and fishing, but he can always create a new project if he doesn't have one already and can build or fix pretty much anything, even if it's not broken, but he will engineer it to make it better. Scott is also a master in the kitchen with his love to cook, especially for others, which I also truly appreciate and know that this will benefit our future family in providing a healthy foundation for our child.

Scott did not have the best upbringing during his childhood and had to work for everything he had, which has instilled so many strong values in him and has made him the man he is today. He put himself through college twice, earning a psychology degree from the University of Kansas as well as a mechanical engineering degree with a minor in mathematics from Wichita State University.

"He never lets anything stand in his way of accomplishing his goals" and any hardship only provides a catapult towards his success. I know this way of thinking will be instilled in our child and lead to becoming a successful, confident adult.

Jess, as I have called her since we met, is extremely talented. She is artistic and creative and her passion for the arts has landed her in the current senior leadership role she holds at a global architecture and interior design firm. She is extremely driven in both her work and in her various hobbies.

She graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design and a minor in integrated marketing communications. Out of college she worked for nearly five years at an advertising agency in Kansas then landed her dream job in Texas as a graphic designer for a major retail company.

With her creative nature, she loves to craft, paint and watercolor, some of which she has used to decorate our home and others she has submitted and auctioned off at charity events.

"She thoroughly enjoys making a difference" however she can and talks about how much she will enjoy passing on her creativity and partaking in creative endeavors with our child.

Jess is compassionate, empathetic and extremely caring to others, which is why many people come to her to vent about work or ask for personal advice. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, is always thinking of others to support them and is willing to help with whatever they are going through or need at the time. She enjoys finding and giving the perfect gifts and cards for others and puts a lot of thought into doing so. With her approachable and friendly nature, she often attracts casual conversation or the occasional therapy sessions with strangers while in line at the grocery store.

Never short of engaging in conversation or asking questions, Jess is always curious and eager to learn something new, whether it is cooking new recipes or growing vegetables in our greenhouse and garden. Although not quite the risk taker that I am, she cautiously tries new things after carefully weighing all of the options.

Jess is spontaneous in nature, but enjoys having a loose plan. However, she is always ready to jump in and help me out with the many projects I create, which is proof of her incredible patience. We make a great team as I focus more on function and how things operate while she concentrates her efforts on the aesthetics and the much finer details.

"I can honestly say Jess is my best friend and the one I can count on for anything."

As the strength in our partnership continues to grow every day, it excites me to expand our little family and I cannot wait for that day to come.

Hi, I'm Mila (ME-lah) Sue, a 6-year old smart, friendly, lovable Weimaraner who doesn't know a stranger and will respond to all of my many nicknames. I'm inquisitive and curious with a sensitive soul and I greet pretty much anyone I meet with a quick sniff and an excited wagging tail. I love humans more than other dogs and like to think everyone I encounter is my new best friend. Although I'm not very vocal, I will definitely let my humans know if something is out of place, unwanted or just feels off.

I love being outside in our big backyard chasing my ball, chasing the squirrels out of the pecan tree, watching the birds or sunbathing on our deck. My favorite time of year is fall or spring when I can be outside the most since I spend the majority of my time indoors on my giant fluffy dog bed. Sturdy chew toys and playing friendly games of tug of war with my humans are my favorite indoor pastimes. I also love to travel and enjoy sleeping in the backseat during long road trips to Kansas to visit my grandparents and my uncle Jax, a 5-year old black Doberman who I have so much fun playing with.

I follow my dad everywhere he goes and always keep a watchful eye on whatever he is doing and try to help, even if it's just standing next to him for moral support. Rarely getting into trouble, I'm often told I'm a good girl and am rewarded with a treat. A few of my favorites include carrots, peanut butter, cheese or popcorn.

My humans may say I'm spoiled, but really "I just love to be loved" and enjoy any attention or affection anyone will share.

MEET JESSICA'S FAMILY

My parents are high school sweethearts, still happily married 42 years later and still living in the Kansas town where they met and where I grew up. In that same town, my dad co-owns an automotive repair shop with my grandma and is known for and takes great pride in being one of the most honest mechanics you will ever meet. Aside from his honesty, he is also one of the most patient, hardworking, dedicated people I know with a great sense of humor who can make anyone laugh. Although he does not show a whole lot of emotion and is a man of few words, he is the best listener who sits back and takes it all in.

My one and only younger brother is also employed at the family business and lives in a larger city nearby in the cutest home with his wife and cat. He is a carefree spirit who also has a great sense of humor, can make light of just about any situation and has a contagious laugh. As a talented soccer player through high school and college, he acquired any and all of the athletic genes in the family and had quite the family fan club in the stands to cheer him on. You could say we are a supportive, close-knit bunch.

Although Scott is my best friend, you could say my mom is a close second. In fact, she was my maid of honor in our wedding and we talk on the phone every day. We are so much alike it's a little scary sometimes. We look alike, sound alike and have many of the same personality traits. She is one of the most caring, fun-loving people I know and would do anything for anyone with no questions asked. Having made a living of the past 30 years cleaning houses, she is now semi-retired and occasionally volunteers at the local nursing home.

My mom comes from an adopted family herself. As an infant, she was adopted by two loving souls who after having their first daughter followed by several miscarriages realized adoption was their path to extending their family. They then took in several foster children, one of whom became their first adopted son, the second they adopted traditionally from another organization. That second uncle is now a grandfather, who with his wife, has adopted their two young grandchildren, removing them from a toxic environment and providing them with a healthy, loving and supportive upbringing they would have never experienced otherwise. Although my mom never had an open relationship with her birth parents, she always had a close relationship with her adoptive parents and thrived in their family. Through my mom's family story, we have seen positivity in adoption which has reinforced our own desire to adopt.

Along with my immediate family, I'm also close with most of my extended family who live in Kansas, which consists of two grandparents, an aunt and an uncle. Another uncle lives in North Carolina and my other two grandparents and an aunt have since passed away, but we remember them often as they were such a huge part of my mom's childhood and her life as an adopted child.

MEET SCOTT'S FAMILY

With my parents' divorce early on in my childhood, my brother and I had a bit of a rough start, which made life much more complicated for us as we grew older. However, all of the bumps in the road taught me from a very young age how to persevere through any situation and has shaped the man I am today. Because my parents were both single parents raising two children between two homes and barely scraping by most of the time, my brother and I had to work for everything we had throughout our lives. Although we are only two years apart, I became more of a father figure to my brother, naturally taking on a parental role to watch over and take care of him, which is why both of us are very hardworking, independent self-starters.

My brother is a talented welder and aircraft mechanic working for a major aircraft manufacturer in Kansas. He lives with his wife in the home they have renovated together and they have a blended family of three sons and a daughter along with a baby granddaughter, who all live nearby. Because of our upbringing, we both put family first at any sacrifice.

Through thick and thin, my brother has always been there no matter what and although our personalities may differ, we are alike in many ways and enjoy most of the same hobbies. We are both extremely inquisitive, always honing a new skillset and diving in head first. One of the reasons we are so close is we always lean on each other when learning something new or working through a problem. He is much more than just a brother, who I would easily consider one of my best friends and I cherish any time we are able to spend together.

A lot of the outdoor activities and skills my brother and I share we learned from my dad. Although my dad and I weren't close growing up as I was back and forth between my parents' homes, the few memories I have with him revolve around hunting, fishing and taking road trips to Indiana to visit my grandparents. My grandparents immigrated from England shortly after my dad was born and later had seven other children. Being one of eight, my dad also had to grow up fast and became a skilled, self-taught carpenter who I gained much of my mechanical knowledge and hardworking qualities from.

My mom also taught us the importance of hard work as she grew up on a farm in a small Kansas town with a blended family of several siblings. She never allows herself to be bored, always finding a project to work on, whether it be sewing, gardening, taking camping trips to the lake in her RV or working on household improvements at her home in Kansas. My mom is very kind, caring and friendly to everyone she meets. She's always willing to help whenever she can and enjoys spending time with family, often taking care of my grandma or my nephew. After divorcing my dad, she did remarry and was widowed a few years ago, but has recently found love again.

Before my brother and I, my dad had two other children, one of which is my half-sister who I am close with. She is ten years older, so we only grew up together part of our childhood, but we think a lot alike and share many of the same personality traits. She is a spitfire with a huge personality and an uncanny resemblance to Julia Roberts. My sister loves to chat and is not afraid to tell anyone exactly how she feels, but in the most caring way. She is definitely the typical big sister who has always had my back. After marrying her husband and due to his work, they along with their two daughters have lived all over the world, but now reside in Virginia near Virginia Tech where the girls both attend college.

My family also has our own story of adoption woven throughout it with one of my family members placing a child for adoption as a young birth mom, knowing she was too young and financially unstable to support a child at the time. Although it was a closed adoption and a hard decision as you know, she knew it was the right one and nearly 30 years later, they found each other and have since established a growing relationship.

MEET OUR GODCHILDREN

Over the past three years of being godparents, we consider our two godchildren, who are one and three years old, part of our extended family. Having them in our lives, we have developed an even stronger desire for expanding our own family. Our good friends chose us to be godparents to both of their children and although they live in Minnesota, we make sure to keep in close contact with them and visit as often as we can so they are reminded they are loved and that we will always be a part of their lives. We cannot wait to watch them grow up together with our child.

Our families have passed down several traditions, most of which revolve around the holidays. We have embraced these traditions throughout the years and hope to continue fostering them while creating new ones along the way as our family grows.

Since living in Texas and enjoying spending time with our family and friends, we have made the trip back to Kansas to be there for most holidays, special events and/or occasions, and have never missed Thanksgiving or Christmas. We hope to still visit as often as we can, but once we have a child, we would love to start our own traditions of hosting the holidays in our home.

The week of Thanksgiving is the time of year Scott is able to spend the most time hunting with his brother and nephew, but we are also able to spend time with each of our families enjoying each other's company and the traditional Thanksgiving food.

Christmas time is also spent with each of our families, Christmas Eve being spent with Jessica's and Christmas Day with both Jessica's and Scott's. Although we exchange gifts, it is much more important for us to all just have fun together, so playing games is usually how the night ends up. Through the years, we have also embraced the German-American tradition of finding the hidden pickle ornament in the Christmas tree, which can get quite competitive since there is an extra gift given to whoever finds it. One traditional gift we anticipate every year from Jessica's grandma is money folded inside of a pair of socks, which started as a tradition from Jessica's great grandma and has been passed down through the years. Another gift we can always count on from Scott's mom is a package of batteries. Not having a lot of gifts for Christmas as a child, Scott's mom individually wrapped every single item in their family's stockings to make each gift feel special. With both of us loving to give gifts, we cannot wait to play Santa Clause and for Christmas to feel so much more festive and fulfilling with a child.

We also both love Halloween and any good theme party, so we know that with a child, it will be that much more fun. Past couple's costumes have included Axl Rose and Slash from Guns N' Roses and The Griswalds from Christmas Vacation. However, more recently, we have enjoyed handing out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters, so it's always a holiday we celebrate and we cannot wait to introduce our child to all of the creative and entertaining activities Halloween has to offer.

Aside from the holidays, we enjoy any occasion to celebrate, including birthdays and anniversaries and will continue to do the same for our child. Birthdays are always a special day and we hope to create memories around them that our child will hold onto forever.

Currently, we do date nights on Friday nights, which we look forward to as an evening to unwind after the work week while talking over dinner and drinks to ease into the weekend. Date nights will most likely look different with a child and we understand they may not happen as often, but we still plan to set aside time together. Our relationship must come first in order to set a good example for our child and for he/she to know "our love for each other is what lays the foundation of love for our family."

In addition to date night, we also make it a point to do Sunday family dinner, where we cook a nice dinner at home and always sit together at the dinner table. This began in both of our homes as children and we will continue the tradition with our child. We strongly feel that family dinners where everyone is present and engaged in conversation rather than distracted encourages an open and stronger family bond.

We enjoy being at home and have worked hard to maintain it as our happy place for the past four years. Within a diverse area and housed in a multi-cultural mix of both elderly couples and young families with kids, our home is located on the corner of a quiet, friendly, neighborhood. There is both an elementary and middle school nearby along with a large park and several bike trails.

The previous owners renovated our home to be more modern, so only very few updates were needed when we moved in, with the exception of a few things to make it more "us" and feel more like our own. It has 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms, an open living room and kitchen area with French doors in between that open to the deck and a spacious fenced-in backyard. There is a large shed where we keep all of our backyard tools along with a greenhouse we built and a garden in which we grow our own tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and a few herbs every year.

With it being built in 1959, it expectedly has its imperfections, but that is what we like to call character. While still keeping the integrity of the structure, we have built a few additions and have decorated it with family photos, some of our own art pieces and a proudly displayed deer mount.

We both enjoy our own individual hobbies, but also value our time together doing things we love. Scott has a passion for the great outdoors and is an avid bowhunter. In addition to hunting, he also enjoys fishing, forging knives, building anything out of metal or wood, building high-powered rockets, playing airsoft, and trying new recipes for cooking, grilling, or smoking meat. With all of these hobbies, there is never a dull moment at our house and always an opportunity for adventure and/or a challenge. As mentioned before, Scott also loves to teach new skills and will thoroughly enjoy sharing his hobbies with our child.

Although not as many, Jessica does have a few hobbies of her own, which include exploring her creativity, especially through watercolor painting. She also loves interior decorating, fashion, shopping, searching for others' gifts to create gift baskets and attending Zumba classes.

We each have our own hobbies we enjoy separately, but we also love sharing our time together, whether it is sitting on a restaurant patio eating our favorite Mexican food, gardening, cooking, watching true crime on tv or mountain biking. We also both love and appreciate various genres of music and enjoy seeing it performed live. Some of our favorite concerts we have experienced together, in no particular order, include: Chris Stapleton, The Black Keys, The Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, Mumford and Sons, Justin Timberlake and Green Day with Fallout Boy and Weezer. Individually with friends or family, Scott has seen The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Third Eye Blind and Tool whereas Jessica has seen Pink, Janet Jackson, Madonna and Lady Gaga. We plan to expose our child to as much musical diversity as possible and allow them to develop their own taste of music built on the foundation of the classics as we were exposed to from our families.

Being away from our hometown and our friends and family there, we value the importance of spending time with them as much as possible, so we would say that's another one of our hobbies. Another connection to home is cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs. Although we do so most of the time from our living room, we have also been fortunate to see them play live a few times at Arrowhead Stadium.

Not only have we traveled to Kansas City, but we have also enjoyed traveling together to California, Boston, Nashville, Costa Rica, Minnesota and Austin, Texas. While neither of us traveled much during our childhood, we feel it is important to make time for family vacations and create memorable experiences a child will cherish forever. Therefore, we plan to take family trips with our child, providing exposure to other places and the opportunity to explore as much beauty and culture as possible that this world has to offer.

Although we cannot direct the wind, we will continue to navigate through it and adjust our sails accordingly. As we do so, we will be patient and understanding in knowing you are making the best decision for your child's future. We are only human and cannot promise perfection, but we can promise to strive for it. Through our strength in love for each other along with the love from our friends and family we surround ourselves with both near and far, we promise to provide the same unconditional love that has gotten us here today as we expand our own family.

"It is a love that provides a safe, supportive, healthy environment for all of us to thrive" and to provide opportunity for continuous learning and growth. We promise to instill values that encourage open-mindedness, respect, honesty and kindness along with enough knowledge to know right from wrong and to make good educated decisions. We enjoy creating memories, taking in the little moments of life while having fun along the way, so even in life's challenges, our home is one filled with happiness, laughter and positive reinforcement to encourage a healthy lifestyle. We intend to inspire curiosity, knowledge and creativity to provide the best opportunity possible for a successful life ahead.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and should we have the opportunity for ours to cross paths with yours, it is of utmost importance that you and your child's story will be told as you choose to share it.