We have a number of things we like to do in our leisure time from sports to music. Every year, we get tickets to go to the local single-A baseball team with Jon's brother and niece. In addition to single-A baseball, we are avid football fans. Melissa is a fan of the Chicago Bears and Jon is a fan of the New York Giants. For college football, we both follow the two major South Carolina teams - the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks. If we aren't watching football or baseball, we are out playing volleyball. We play volleyball weekly almost all year. Jon usually competes in a few volleyball tournaments every year.

We are also big music fans. We have gone to a number of local venues which have live local music regularly. We have traveled to see some of the larger acts that have come around us. We are big fans of all types of music from pop to country. Some of our favorite artists include Chris Stapleton, Aaron Lewis, and Pentatonix.

We both believe that education is important. Therefore, we will provide an excellent education for this child. One reason we moved to the house we are currently living in was because it is one of the best school districts in our area; this was done in preparation for adopting a child.

We both believe that learning a second language is important to do at an early age and will work to ensure that this child learns a language other than English. While we both believe in the academic part of education like math, English, and science, it is also important to foster art and music in a child; and we plan to do so. Regarding a college education, it is absolutely something we both believe in and will instill in a child. However, we do understand the importance in vocational school or associate degree; it provides a similar education without the high cost of a traditional degree. If the child does not want to go to a traditional 4-year college, it is not something we will push. The most important thing to us is that any child finds something they are passionate about; once that has been decided, we will provide full support for whatever school is required to make that a possibility.

As our own cultural heritage is important to us, we believe that understanding and knowing where you come from is so important for a child’s identity. If the child we adopt is of a different background than us, there are many things we plan on doing to ensure that the child has a firm understanding of his/her heritage. Melissa loves to cook and can't wait to incorporate some different cultural dishes into dinner time.

Like differences in cultural heritage, we understand that the child we adopt may not have the same racial background as us. We want to be clear that this difference would not have any impact in our love for the child. However, we realize that a child with a different racial background may have different needs than us; we plan on recognizing and embracing these differences. Difference is what makes us all beautiful and we will work hard to instill this belief in a child. We will learn about and celebrate all races, not only ours and that of the child; we will create a home environment that is accepting of everyone! We plan on seeking out other multi-racial families and finding people of the same race who can be mentors and role models for the child. We do understand that we cannot be “color-blind”; open discussions about race and racism, while difficult, are extremely important and we are prepared for those difficult discussions as well.

We live in rural South Carolina. The town we live in is small, but our school zone is one of the best in the state. We have multiple recreational parks very close with fun facilities such as a splash pad for hot summer days and multiple playgrounds. Our town is a lake town and has another park on an island in the lake with boating, fishing and camping.

We do not live in a neighborhood, but we have a number of friends with young children who are very close. Our house sits on almost an acre and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Of the three guest bedrooms, one has been setup as a billiard room with a pool table. Our house has a two car garage, which is Jonathon's favorite room of the house because that is where he spends his time doing woodworking, building furniture. Our kitchen is open right into the living room, which is Melissa's favorite room and the room we spend most of our time.

We have a large extended family; there are multiple aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who are excited about a potential new member of the family. Both of our families support us in our adoption journey. This child will be welcomed into his/her extended family with open arms and treated as one of our own.

Jon’s extended family include his father, stepmother, and brother who is married. Jon also has one niece who is nine. His father does not live close, so we do not have a lot of opportunity to visit. However, when we are afforded the opportunity, Jon, and his dad love to go golfing and spend time together. His brother does live close and we love to get together often and eat dinner or hang out by the fire pit.

Melissa’s extended family includes her mother, father, as well as four siblings, three of whom are married. Additionally, Melissa has four nephews and two nieces between all her siblings. Recently we all got together to celebrate her father’s 70th birthday with a surprise birthday party. Other than surprise parties, Melissa’s family loves to gather often; all, except for her brothers, live close. When together, there are cornhole tournaments in the backyard and a lot of laughter, and food to go around! The biggest family tradition in Melissa’s family is the Greek Easter egg game!

Thank you so much for taking the time to look through our profile; we are extremely excited at the opportunity to allow you to get to know us a little better. We first met in 2009 and married in 2011. This year, we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary! There have been many ups and downs along the way, but through understanding and respect for each other, we can work through anything.

To get the “elephant” out of the “room”, many of the down moments in our relationship have revolved around the fact that we have not been able to conceive a child of our own. It has been devastating at times and we have grieved. We want nothing more than to start a family and raise a child. We are extremely excited and honored that you are even considering us to adopt your child.

We met through Jon’s brother and sister-in-law; when Melissa started work at the same place as Jon’s sister-in law, they became fast friends. We met shortly after and felt an instant connection. Through the years, we have been on many adventures together; we love to travel and see the world! Our favorite vacations have always been cruises! They are so relaxing, and we love being on the water!

We both have hobbies that we find much enjoyment from. Jon loves to build things; he is so talented and always has a project going on in the garage. Melissa loves to cook; she is always looking at recipes trying to come up with the next best thing to make for dinner. Also, both of us love to play volleyball; we are in a recreational league and we play almost year-round.

We spend a lot of time with friends and family; they are our huge, wonderful support system! They have supported us through this entire process and would be so happy to meet this child and welcome them into their lives. We have many nieces and nephews, and our friends have young children; a child in our home would not lack companionship.

We are also so excited to get to know you more! We cannot imagine what you have been through emotionally from the start of your pregnancy until now. We are grateful that you have so much love for your unborn child that you are willing to consider an adoption plan.

We know you have seen a lot of information about us and our family. We know you have your own family, background, culture, and traditions that are important to you; we are looking forward to learning about them and finding ways to blend them with our own experiences. We will absolutely be open to sending letters, e-mails, and pictures throughout the years as long as you are comfortable with that. Depending on the circumstances and ability, we would consider in-person visits if that is something you would like to explore.

As we wrap this letter up, what we really want you to take away from reading this is that we are so excited at the opportunity to adopt a child. We would be so grateful if that child would be your child. We love life and have a lot of fun! We think that we could give a child a wonderful home and life. Thank you, again, for taking the time to look through our profile and get to know us a little more.

Sincerely,

Jon & Melissa