Gary and Amy

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From Us to You

Hi! We are Gary and Amy. We have been married since 2008. Our plan was to have children many years ago, but there were other plans in store for us, one of which led us along this path to adoption.  We have lots of love and guidance that we can provide to your child, and know that we do not need to bring our own children into this world in order to be fulfilled in life.

Gary is a supervisor in a machine shop and Amy is a financial analyst.  We both work Monday through Friday but work different shifts, so there will almost always be someone at home during the week. We have two cats that we adopted from two different shelters a few years ago.  They have been a big part of our home life for many years and have given us much joy.  We keep ourselves busy and weekends are filled with fun things we enjoy.  If the weather is nice, we enjoy spending time outdoors, especially hiking and kayaking. We look forward to teaching your child all about the outdoor activities we love, such as learning to ride a bike, paddling a kayak, and teaching them to fish. When we’re not spending time in nature, we like to go to concerts and baseball games  (there is a college summer league team nearby, and a professional team that is further away, but still close enough to go occasionally). We also spend time visiting family or friends. We enjoy these visits whether it is a planned event or an informal get-together at our home or theirs. It may be as simple as visiting, sharing a meal, and playing games. Many of our friends have children, so your child will have other kids to play with and grow close to. To wrap up the weekends on Sundays, we go to church, prepare for the coming week, and spend some much-needed time relaxing. Your wonderful child’s future with us will be a home filled with love and lots of hugs. There will be many celebrated occasions; birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgivings, and many other things in-between.

We’re grateful that you’re considering us to raise your baby. We understand that this is a difficult decision for you as you are evaluating what is best for you and your baby.  Please know that whatever you decide; your child will be well taken care of.  When we talk to your child about you, we will share anything we can. We want them to be aware that they are adopted from an early age to avoid delaying the conversation which could make it more difficult and lead to distrust. We will assure them that they are loved and wanted. We are open to maintaining contact and we’d like to discuss what that relationship would look like and determine what would work for the best interest of your child.

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

We made the conscious decision many years ago that we wanted to start a family.  Many conversations have started with, “When we have kids…”.  After trying for a while, we found out that we are unable to have children.  We were discussing medical options for quite some time, but ultimately, we decided that we did not need to bring a child that would be genetically ours into this world to form a family. Welcoming a child into our home through adoption won’t change the love we would have for them. We have a lot that we can offer and would love to share that with your child.

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About Amy, by Gary

Amy is a wonderful person.  She is the one who keeps us focused on the things that are important in life. Amy looks out for the big picture and plans for the future while I keep us focused on the present. She also has a playful side to her that comes out when encouraged. We balance each other.  In her spare time, Amy enjoys reading her books and is often caught reading something while petting one of our cats on her lap.  She is the one who keeps everything running smoothly at home.  I can’t wait to see Amy become a mother because I know how wonderfully supportive and encouraging she will be.

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About Gary, by Amy

Gary and I have different personalities. For example, he’s more playful and I’m more serious. He also tends to have a sarcastic sense of humor. Our different personalities will provide a balanced environment for your child—at different points in their lives, they will need different types of support from us, and we both have our individual strengths that will help them in different situations. Gary is great at technology related and mechanical type tasks which is a big help in running our home. He is also there to help our family and friends and often volunteers at our church. As a father, Gary will always be there to teach and guide your child while making sure there is also time for fun.

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Lifestyle

We lead an active lifestyle and enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, riding in our UTV, and camping. There are quite a few state parks that we like to visit near where we live. We have friends who share our love of the outdoors and who sometimes join us on our adventures. The hiking trails we do vary in difficulty—when your child is younger, we’ll do easier trails and gradually add in more difficult trails as they develop and grow older. We had always planned to expand our family, so our UTV and tent already have enough room for three. Some of the state parks nearby also have beach areas. We can’t wait to take your child there to play in the sand and learn how to swim.

We are very involved with our church and like to contribute our individual talents. Gary is heavily involved with the A/V (audiovisual) at the church. He broadcasts the services and controls the live setting.  We both take part in the music for the church: Gary occasionally is the cantor for the services, and Amy will play her clarinet when asked.  Our congregation is growing, and we recently built and moved into a new church building. The congregation is supportive of each other and has quite a few younger families. Children are included in Sunday school and we enjoy watching them gather at the front of the church for the children’s message during the service—the pastor will talk directly to the kids to help them learn about the Bible readings. Our congregation will be another great support system that your child will have as they learn and grow.

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Home & Neighborhood

We live in a small town that is close to a larger city, so we have both the small community connections, and easy access to the city’s amenities. Our subdivision is friendly and fosters a sense of community. There is one entrance to the subdivision, so traffic is minimal which is great for family walks and bike rides. There is a park within the subdivision complete with a playground area, which is often filled with kids and families. There are many children in the subdivision and they love to play outside. Our neighborhood used to routinely have events and parties before the pandemic and we can’t wait for them to resume soon!  Even during the pandemic, our neighborhood got creative and has had events that were acceptable during this time of uncertainty. There was a pumpkin decorating contest last fall and there was a Christmas walk in the winter where everyone decorated their houses, complete with music. There was even a family who drove around with neighborhood kids in a decorated trailer with Christmas music playing!  The area is very family oriented, and everyone we have encountered has been friendly.

We have a lot of space in our home. Your child will have their own room with plenty of space for toys. We have a front porch area and a patio in the backyard for when the weather is nice. We also have a backyard for them and their future friends to play in.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

Our friend group may not be the most culturally diverse, but we are committed to learning and will encourage and support your child in learning about their cultural heritage.  We will also teach them about cultures other than their own in order to appreciate and respect people from other backgrounds. In addition to interacting with people of different racial and cultural backgrounds, learning will occur through travel, books, and cuisine. Traditions from your child’s culture will also be incorporated into our traditions as a family. Where you came from is a large piece of your identity and should be embraced and not forgotten or ignored.

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Our Families & Friends

Amy is an only child. Gary has one sister—she is married and has one son. Our parents live relatively close, but not in the same community, so we visit on weekends. Our families are supportive of our adoption journey and are ready to help as needed.

On Amy’s side of the family, we see her aunts, uncles, and cousins at least once a year at Christmas. There are also family reunions every other year, where we visit with extended family. Amy has a cousin who lives nearby. We get together with her cousin and her husband monthly either at one of our houses for dinner, games, and socializing. We have started a new tradition where the cousins on Amy’s side of the family all get together with their families for a weekend at a cabin or some other destination to relax and have fun all together grilling out, playing games, swimming, kayaking, and other activities.

Gary has a good relationship with his uncle, cousin, and their families. Since they live further away, we take turns visiting each other when we can.

We have a few friends that we regularly keep in contact with and get together whenever it is possible.  There are a couple of extended family members that we would consider our friends as well and get together with them regularly.

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Family Traditions

Our traditions with our families revolve around holidays.  We go to church on Christmas Eve and are very involved with the service. Gary does the AV and production for the service along with singing in the chorus.  Christmas Eve night is spent with Gary’s family. We get together with a smaller group that includes his parents and his sister’s family.  On Christmas Day, we get together with Amy’s extended family and do fun, themed gift exchanges, have a large meal together, and enjoy spending time together. The themes for the gift exchanges have included things like something you made, gifts that were a specific color (everyone drew a different color from a hat), and gifts from a specific country (everyone drew a country from a hat).  We also gather for Thanksgiving, with Gary’s parents and sister’s family, and with Amy’s extended family.

One yearly tradition that we have outside of holidays takes place every fall. We go to St. Germain with a group of friends where we rent a cabin on a lake and spend time fishing, or just on the boat.  The lake is especially peaceful in the mornings—there isn’t any traffic noise, and the water is still. We all look forward to it every fall.  Our core group has been going every fall since 2011.  It’s a relaxing weekend where we spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors.  There is also a large state forest nearby with lots of rugged trails for hiking.  The lakes and trails are not as busy as those in the southern part of the state, which is more relaxing and allows us to see more wildlife. Every year, we see eagles and loons, and usually also see deer. We can’t wait for your baby to experience their first trip up north.

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Travel

We like to go to different places and see a variety of unique things while on vacation. We have traveled to see baseball games and NASCAR races at different venues and have done stadium tours. Some of our favorite places we’ve visited so far:

Sports stadiums
Favorite so far: Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore
Want to see: For baseball Fenway in Boston, for NASCAR, Bristol, Tennessee

Similar to our outdoor activities near home, we like to visit National Parks or other scenic locations.
Favorite so far: Great Smokey Mountains
Want to see: Hawaii Volcanos

Places with historical significance
Favorite so far: Downtown Philadelphia

One of Amy’s goals is to visit all 50 states, and we are making progress towards that goal—currently she’s at 45, though there are still lots of things to see in the states she has been to. Some of our trips are road trips—we like that we can see more places, especially locations where we wouldn’t necessarily choose to spend a whole trip. The main destinations on our most recent road trip were Charlotte, North Carolina, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We have also traveled to see extended family and friends who live in other parts of the country. Our most recent international trip was a Baltic cruise for our 10-year anniversary.

We can’t wait for your baby to join in our family travels to learn and see what all the different states have to offer.

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Our Promise to You

We promise to provide a safe and loving environment for your child. We will provide stability—there is enough structure in our day-to-day lives that your child will be able to have a set routine; however, there is enough flexibility for fun activities, so things don’t get too monotonous. We will include them in activities we enjoy and encourage them to develop hobbies and skills of their own. We will encourage them to learn and find subjects that interest them. They will become a large piece of our family and will have our support, as well as support from our family and friends.