What makes us unique is the way we view the world based on our backgrounds and experiences. We have been together for just short of 12 years, married for almost nine years. Rob studied Japanese in college and had already travelled to Japan as a teenager. Brittany had a passion for Mexican culture and visited Mexico on a mission trip. When we first met, Rob was already far along in the application process for a teaching job in Japan. We decided on our first date that if we got married, we'd live in Japan. Ultimately, Rob turned down the job in Japan to date Brittany. We dated for two years, got engaged, and eventually married. Before celebrating our 1-year wedding anniversary, we moved to Japan to become ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. We lived in Tokyo for two years and learned first-hand what it meant to exist as an outsider in a foreign country. Through this experience we gained an extremely valuable insight on how we view the world and the people we all live with. We studied Japanese while living and working there and both became certified Japanese speakers. Once we moved home, our love for travel and learning about new cultures became our biggest hobby. We continued to travel the world and have been to places like France, England, Scotland, and Vietnam. These experiences have given us a unique perspective on the world.

Embracing and celebrating cultural diversity is something we both do naturally. In addition to us having different cultural backgrounds, we also have family and friends with different cultural backgrounds. Between the two of us, we have family that are Hawaiian, Mexican, Vietnamese and friends that are Japanese, Australian, African, Chinese, French, Iranian, and Puerto Rican, just to name a few. We love to learn about other cultural backgrounds and to celebrate them. Brittany is very involved in culturally diverse efforts. At work she is a leader for the Latinx (Latino/Hispanic) Employee Resource Group. In our hometown, Brittany is also involved in the chamber of commerce and their Cultural Development Committee. Our hometown also embraces cultural diversity by hosting festivals and supporting local diverse businesses. For example, we have cultural-specific grocery stores in our community including Mexican bodegas, Indian grocers, and a Russian grocer. We've also adopted many aspects of Japanese culture from our time abroad and have even integrated them into our lives. We love to be open to all walks of life and learning about cultures around the world.

We have two dogs, Crepe and Bunji. Crepe is a 4-year-old golden, Australian cattle dog. When it's time to go somewhere, he likes to herd us to the door. After buying our house, our next step was getting a dog. We went to the rescue shelter and when they showed him to us and said his name was Crepe we knew it was meant to be. Crepe is gentle and protective of our family. He's very well trained and is an excellent house dog.

A couple years later, we decided to adopt another dog as a playmate for Crepe. We had a friend who was adopting a puppy and suggested we adopt from the same litter. The timing felt right so we adopted Bunji (boon-gee), a black Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix. He just turned two years old. He is one of the sweetest, cuddliest, most gentle dogs we've ever known. Whenever we have friends or family visit that have children, our dogs light up. They absolutely love children and will be the very best big brothers to our new addition.

We reside in Rob's hometown as it has one of the best school districts in the state of Washington. We live in a quaint neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and we're just a short walk away from an elementary school.

Our house is cozy with three bedrooms, a large garage, and a large backyard. We recently did a kitchen remodel and is now our favorite room to be in.

Lucky for us, everything we need is no more than a 10-minute drive away. Our town is full of nature parks including a forest and protected wetlands, which we enjoy taking our dogs to. We're also close to rivers and lakes that are great for kayaking and boating, which we enjoy. Our town hosts several annual family-friendly events such as the 4th of July parade.

Brittany is a board member for the local Chamber of Commerce and is extremely involved in local efforts. Because of Brittany's involvement with the chamber, and Rob having grown up here, we have very strong ties to our community.

While we live in a suburb, the city of Seattle is just a short drive away where we visit for concerts, shows, and sporting events. We are also close to the airport as we enjoy travelling and often have family visit from out of town.

We both come from vastly different backgrounds. Rob grew up in a small family in a suburb of Seattle, while Brittany grew up in a large Hispanic family in a small town.

Rob's family all live in Washington state and are all close by. Rob's dad passed away when Rob was only 16 years old. Rob's mom and stepdad live just down the road from us and are so excited to be grandparents through adoption. Many of Rob's family are also adopted! We spend most holidays with them and see them regularly.

Brittany's family is spread out in Washington and California. Brittany's mother passed away just five years ago. Brittany's dad and stepmom live just an hour away and are also thrilled to be grandparents as this is the first grandchild for Brittany's dad. Brittany can't wait to be a mom and share some of her family traditions with our child. Growing up in a Hispanic family, Brittany looks forward to teaching our child how to make homemade tortillas or arroz con leche, like she did with her mom and abuela (grandma) as a child.

We cannot possibly imagine what you're currently going through and wanted to thank you for letting us share a bit about ourselves. We hope that this letter will give you a glimpse into our lives and a better idea of what kind of life we hope to provide for your child. Your courage and selflessness in making this decision is one that we respect deeply.

Our relationship began with Rob sacrificing a career in Japan to take a chance on us dating. We remember our first date almost 13 years ago like it was yesterday. Two years out of college, he had a dream of living abroad to teach English as a second language. But when Brittany walked into his life, everything changed. We decided that we'd try dating and if we were to one day marry we would go to Japan together. We dated for two years, got engaged, and were married just one year later. Weeks before our one-year wedding anniversary, we were moving to Tokyo. This was one of the best things we could've done for our marriage. It taught us so much about ourselves, about our relationship, and ultimately made our bond stronger. Rob was 28 when we made the move and Brittany was 27.

Before we were married, we'd talked about the possibilities of adopting. We always felt like this was something we were open to, even requesting information well before we were ready to have children. Fast forward to 2022, we'd been trying to conceive for a few years. When the doctor finally told us that we couldn't have children, it was the confirmation that we needed to know adoption was the route we'd go. We had decided that fertility treatments was not a process we wanted to go through as we know how many children are in need of a good home. We also knew that we could provide a beautiful, unique life to a child. A home filled with an unlimited supply of love, laughter, safety, and education.

Just one year after moving home from Japan, we bought a house in Rob's hometown which happens to be in one of the best school districts in the state of Washington. Our community, a suburb of Seattle, is one filled with parks, festivals, lakes, and nature trails. Our town has everything to offer a family. Brittany now works from home full-time as a remote manager at one of the largest credit unions in the U.S. She cares strongly about finance and hopes to educate our child on how to save and build credit. Rob is a technical Program Manager within the tech industry, working from home on occasion. We both love to travel and care deeply about family and staying connected with friends around the globe.

One thing that is important for us to tell you is that we will always hold a special place for you in our hearts. We will always respect you and we will never judge you. You are the person that is changing our life and is giving your child a life that you feel they deserve. What an absolutely selfless thing you are doing. We also want you to know that we have many people in our family that are adopted and this is something our entire family is extremely comfortable with. Our family, like us, will welcome your baby into our lives with open, loving arms. Dependent on your comfortability, we will also welcome you into our lives with open, loving arms. Nothing will ever change the fact that you're bringing this beautiful child into the world. We are so grateful to you for this, as this is something we so deeply desire but cannot do ourselves. We want to give your child an opportunity to see the world and grow up to be a smart, open-minded, loving person.

Thank you for considering us and for allowing us to share our life with you.

Rob & Brittany