While we were raised in different states, our story began in Salt Lake City, Utah after we individually moved there due to our love of adventure and mountains!

In August of 2018 we had our first date under a double rainbow at a barbecue restaurant (Lane's choice- having been raised in Houston). During the next 2 years we hiked many mountains, went skiing as often as possible, traveled to see family, had endless game nights, survived working from home together during the pandemic, and successfully merged out family and friends. Then, in November of 2020, Lane proposed on a snowy mountain. The following April we would have an intimate destination wedding in beautiful Sedona, Arizona.

Our life together took a somewhat surprising turn when we went under contract for a house in Texas while we were on our drive to Arizona to get married. We would end up making the move just a few months later, with the intent of raising a family surrounded by Lane's parents, sister and brother-in-law, and best friends.

Going against the grain of the traditional path that many take, we became foster parents in April of 2022. Since then, we have successfully reunified 5 children with their biological families and still get to be a part of the lives of the kids we love. We've learned a lot through our foster care journey, but mostly we have cherished the lessons of patience, kindness to all, remaining judgement-free when individuals are going through their hardest moments and loving without barriers.

Since the very beginning, becoming parents has been incredibly important to us. Being able to raise a child in a loving, secure home with access to a great education, an incredible amount of family and friends and any extra- curriculars they may wish to be a part of has been a dream that we have talked about since our early dating. For Nicole, foster care has been a passion since adolescence, and this was a path that we knew we wanted to explore from the start. However, we did not fully know the pain and trauma that would come with this experience and the heartbreak that it would impose in our lives and the ones we love. We will always cherish our time as foster parents and will never walk away from those we have helped, but we are ready to start our family with more certainty and less fear of the unknown.

During our time fostering, we learned that we are unable to conceive a baby naturally. For us, this knowledge combined with our passion for helping biological families made us feel that the best option for us was adoption. We believe we can offer a loving, supportive home for a child while still holding space for their biological family. We want to create a village for children that includes every individual who can be there for them at any point in their lives.

Lane grew up in Houston with his parent and older sister. He was active in sports at a young age, competing in multiple team sports! However, Lane found his passion in cycling. He started bike racing in elementary school and still continues to compete today. During breaks from cycling, Lane has competed in multiple ultra-marathons and iron man competitions. He enjoys the push to stay motivated and the accomplishment of finishing something he worked hard for.

Growing up with an engineer as a father and a kindergarten teacher as a mother, Lane always knew that education would be important for him. After graduating from high school, he would move a few hours away to fulfill his Masters degree in finance. Lane has worked in the field of finance for most of his career, other than a short break after grad school where he went a completely opposite route and was a sky-diving instructor!

I met Lane over 5 years ago and this is what I have learned about him in that time: He is an incredibly non-judgmental human being who would do anything for his friends, family, neighbors, or anyone else who needed assistance. His heart is so pure and his intelligence in humbling. Watching him be a dad to our foster children was more rewarding than I could have imagined. He is self-less when someone else is hurting and he commits himself to every goal he creates. He can learn to fix anything and he was taught to believe in himself.

Nicole was raised in Orlando, Florida with (mostly) a single mom and an older brother and sister. Nicole was a cheerleader, the only girl in an all-boys basketball league, and rode horses for over 10 years.

Nicole's childhood was less than ideal and she had to overcome some substantial hurdles to make it to adulthood. The chaotic nature and difficulties of her childhood is what created a passion in her to become a foster parent and a counselor. After high school, Nicole moved to Michigan and would earn her Masters degree in Counseling, eventually becoming a School Counselor. She traveled a significant amount before settling down and made the most of her 20's by living and working in 3 different countries.

What I have learned about Nicole in the last 5 years: She is compassionate and understanding- counseling has been the absolute perfect career for her. She sees all sides to each story and can empathize and relate in a way that I haven't seen others be able to do. She is a perfectionist, and her coworkers know they can rely on her and trust her. She loves her career, and she has made a difference in so many lives because of her true passion to help others. She is smart and kind, and loves animals, entertaining others with holiday parties (you should see our storage closet full of decorations...) and loves to travel!

If it weren't for our hobbies, we would probably have never met! Because we both wanted to live in the mountains and enjoy the best hiking and skiing around, we each moved to Utah and would end up meeting each other there. We both enjoy hiking, travelling, skiing, cooking, time with friends and family and game nights. We have a vast collection of games that we enjoy playing with friends and this combines perfectly with Nicole's love of throwing get-togethers and parties.

We have both discovered a curiosity for gardening and have successfully grown large gardens full of various fruits and vegetables for a few years now. Lane has a few bee hives that he cares for and we have greatly enjoyed giving honey to our friends and family. We have also tried our hands at growing fruit trees!

Lane is coaching soccer for our former foster son and we are both greatly involved in the local foster care community. We try to live life with a purpose and be proud of ourselves each and every day.

This section is the most important to us, and we know it probably is to you, as well. It is hard to fully put into words what we wish for your child, for you, and for the future, but we will try to give a glimpse into what we know we will be able to provide:

• We promise to love your child fully and unconditionally,
• We promise to accept your child for who they are, without judgment or pressure to become someone else,
• We promise to provide and nurture their taletns and curiosities, and provide the best education,
• We promise to cultivate a happy childhood where your baby gets to remain young and not grow up too fast,
• We promise to give them the full truth about where they came from, and who they came from,
• We promise to keep pictures of you, and keepsakes for them to hold onto whenever they need to be close to you, if this is okay with you,
• We promise to keep communicating with you throughout your child's life, as long as you want this,
• We promise that you are a cherished member of the village that will surround your child,
• We promise to always respect you and meet you where you are at, without judgment,
• We promise to hold space for you and to always keep you in our hearts, as we know this isn't easy.

With love and admiration, Lane and Nicole