There's no way that our high school chemistry teacher knew his decision to seat his sophomore students alphabetically would change any lives, but somehow, it did. Our story started in a small-town classroom.

Throughout high school, we were in most of the same classes and became close friends over those few years. We went to the same church youth group. We rode to school together. We even shared a lot of the same friends. But it wasn't until the end of our Senior year that we considered anything more. After confessing our crushes for each other, we agreed that we didn't want a high school crush to ruin our friendship.

So, we continued being friends into college. We spent time together both in and out of school, getting to know each other's families and growing closer. During our second semester, we (FINALLY!) started dating. We were engaged two years later but agreed to wait until we finished our degrees before officially tying the knot.

Shortly after college, we married and moved away from home for work. Having only each other to rely on brought us closer. We have spent the years since having grand adventures, traveling across the country, and making so many unforgettable memories.

We have always known that adoption would likely play a part in building our family, but we were not prepared for how that journey would begin. Through a series of events that we never expected, we were granted placement of a newborn through the state. We were instantly in love and pursued adoption. We met her while she was still in the NICU and even stayed with her overnight before she came home with us. The following weeks were bliss; everything felt like it was meant to be.

Due to circumstances out of our control, the adoption was unsuccessful. We mourned the loss of our baby together and had to lean on each other for support more than we ever had before. We grew closer as a couple and learned so much about ourselves through that brief glimpse of our lives as adoptive parents. We knew instantly and without a shadow of a doubt that adoption was the path for us. After taking some time to heal, we began searching for an agency to help us grow our family.

I'm a native Texan, but I'm filled with Louisiana blood, making me a lover of the spicy and sometimes wild. I was raised by my dad and my grandparents, all native Louisianans. Because of those deep roots, I am a very passionate LSU fan and was blessed to have found a supportive wife who puts up with my gameday antics. Geaux Tigers!

I grew up working in a small-town hardware and feed store. From there, my love and interest in hardware and the community around it led me to complete my business degree and begin a career in hardware sales. I get to travel and help local small businesses become successful.

Jordan and I have gotten to do a lot of traveling throughout the United States, and my heart is in the mountains. I plan to continue exploring this great Earth with my future family.

I am a big fan of sitcoms (especially comedy), board games, and Tex-Mex food. As I approach my 30s, I've taken up an interest in grilling and barbeque as they say that you must choose between that or war history.

My loving support system surrounds me, including my wife, close friends, two sisters, father, grandmother, and loving in-laws. I have friends that I call brothers, and despite the distance and the growth of their own families, we still get together often to lean on one another for support.

I spent most of my childhood barefoot and covered in dirt. My closest friend lived in our small neighborhood, so we always climbed trees or rode bikes outside. I remember always having skinned knees and grass stains from our adventures.

The man who would one day become my Dad lived in that same neighborhood. He had been my favorite person since I was an infant, but he and my mom didn't get married until I was 7. I was glued to his side when he wasn't out of town for work. If he was on the tractor, I was falling asleep in his lap. If he was going hunting, I was in the stand next to him, scaring away all the deer with my non-stop talking. He was and still is my best friend.

After high school, I worked as an Emergency Room secretary. I saw the incredible impact that nurses can have and decided to go to nursing school. Since graduation, I have worked in several fields of nursing and have enjoyed each in its own way. After the pandemic, I took a step back for my mental health. I 'm now working from home as a nurse, using my experience to support others.

I love going on adventures, but I ' ll settle for a quiet, rainy weekend with no plans. You can find me curled up somewhere with a good book. Fantasy books with magic and dragons are my absolute favorite. When I 'm not reading, I usually watch TV or play board games with Colten and our friends.

The two of us have always loved animals, so we adopted our first pet together shortly after we got married. Our cat, Boo, chose us when we visited our local shelter. He had such a personality and would not leave us alone. He has been attached to our sides ever since. He is talkative and playful and loves to snuggle.

After moving into our first house with a yard, we knew we wanted a dog. It was fate that an acquaintance needed to rehome their Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix. Sam is shy at first, but once he warms up, you have a friend for life. He is always down for a good game of fetch.

We found the cutest German Shepherd/Husky mix puppy on another adventure to our local shelter. Axel has never met a stranger in his life, and when this escape artist occasionally does some exploring on his own, he can always be found hanging out with the neighbors to get in some extra scritches.

Most weekends, you can find us enjoying the comforts of being at home, curled up on the couch, re-watching our favorite TV sitcoms. We've accumulated an extensive board game collection and often have friends over to play. There is also an occasional Mario Kart tournament hosted at our house. In high school, Colten started playing Magic: The Gathering with his friends, and they still get together to play when they can.

Since moving to the suburbs, we have established a close-knit friend group. We spend a lot of time together, sharing meals at each other's houses and going to weekly Trivia Nights at a local dive. Depending on the weather and the time of year, we usually roast s'mores chat over the fire pit or grill, and have a pool day to beat the Texas heat. If anyone in the group has a project, the entire friend group is helping out. Everyone is super supportive; we know we can always count on each other.

We might as well call the mountains our second home. It's where we find ourselves on most vacations, trying to escape the Texas heat and those long summer days. We have traveled across the country and are working to visit every state as a couple by the time we turn forty. We love exploring national parks, hiking, seeing anything pretty, and enjoying delicious local cuisine. We have gone from coast to coast, north to south, peaks and valleys. We hope to take a future little one on these same trips to explore the remarkable wonders of our country.

Family is such an essential part of who we are. We love to do family trips with Jordan's sisters and parents yearly to create lasting memories. It can be as simple as a weekend together in our hometown or as hectic as getting 12-plus people to Colorado. It keeps us all so close as a unit.

We have both recently acquired our passports and hope to explore the world together as well. We have embraced the unknown as it's been a part of our lives since we have been married, and because of that, we can't wait to see what else this crazy world has to offer.

We are very family-oriented people. As such, we partake in a few traditions every year to create great memories and spend time with those that mean the most to us.

In honor of Colten's Grandpa, who played for the Tigers in the fifties, we travel each year to attend a football game in Death Valley. We started this tradition as just the two of us, but many friends and family have joined us over the years.

For 30 years, Colten's entire family has gathered at his Nana and Grandpa's house for Christmas Eve. Now that Nana has moved into an assisted living apartment, she has passed the tradition on to Colten's uncle, who continues to host the entire family in that very same home.

Jordan's family has always made a point of having Christmas together, even if that means celebrating it at odd times. One year, it was Valentine's Day, and another, it was the middle of Summer. The date is never the same, but it doesn't matter as long as we are all together.

Each Summer, our niece and nephew visit for a week that we spend making as many memories as we can. The planning for their visit usually starts with the question, "What's one thing you've always wanted to do?"

Recently, we've started holding our own Thanksgiving with any family and friends who may not have anywhere to go. We believe in the values and memories that traditions can create and hope to continue honoring our legacies by passing them on to the next generation.

Thank you, for taking the time to get to know us!