Charles and Jessie

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From Us to You

Hello,

On our first few dates, we talked about what we wanted for the future and we both dreamed of having a family. Unfortunately, we were not able to conceive on our own. After recognizing and accepting that we would not be able to have biological children, we decided that our hearts’ desire to be parents was still strong and chose the path of adoption to grow our family.

Your child will have a great life where they will have so many opportunities to enjoy what the world has to offer.  We look forward to taking your child to the county fair, taking family trips on the weekends and attending the activities he or she chooses to participate in school. We look forward to evening walks to see deer and other wildlife with your child.  Plus, having a dad who is a teacher and a mom who is a nurse, your child will have an amazing education.

We live in our dream home on 10 acres of land. It is close to our family farm and Charlie’s parents. Your child will grow up with lots of room to explore and play. They will learn valuable skills like how to care for animals, grow produce, and care for the land. We can’t wait for them to enjoy their pie with fresh fruit picked right from our orchard. Your child will grow up with a strong sense of community. We live in a tight-knit community with many of our close family and friends nearby. The elementary school is right across the road from Charlie’s parents and Charlie works at the local high school.

Both sides of our family know that we are on an adoption journey and every one of them could not be more thrilled. Charlie has a cousin who joined the family through adoption, so adoption is welcomed, celebrated, and openly talked about. It is not an unfamiliar path for the family. Our family and friends even threw an adoption themed baby shower for us. one of our friends made a baby book with pictures of the shower showing how everyone came together to celebrate the special child that will one day join our family through the miracle of adoption.

Thank you for reading our story and we would love the opportunity to share this journey with you and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Love,

Charlie and Jessie

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Why We Are Choosing to Adopt

Having a family is so important to us that we decided to explore all avenues to become parents. We tried fertility treatments, but are now fully devoted to our adoption journey. Adoption is not unfamiliar to our family. Charlie has a cousin who joined the family through adoption. We have completed foster care and trauma training and are active members of adoption support groups. We both want to be well equipped to support a child that comes into our home no matter what their circumstances are. Our friends, family, church, and community are so excited to welcome and support your child.

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About Jessie

I am honored to get to take this chance to tell you about my wife. Jessie is a registered nurse and is a very hard working and caring person. She is a great friend and wife.  I love Jessie because ever since I met her, she has made me feel like I am the greatest guy ever. She has been by my side through thick and thin. I knew early on that Jessie would be a great mother when I saw her interact with our niece. She was a natural with her. I remember seeing her hold her and how much love she had in her eyes. Jessie loves taking children to see our cows and letting them feed the cows apples. I know Jessie will be a great mother just like she is a great wife.

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About Charlie

Charlie is the most amazing husband and person in so many ways. When I first met him, I thought he was very handsome. I also got to see him in a unique light, teaching sixth graders. He was great with the kids, and they all liked and respected him. His passion for teaching shows through how he cares about his students and wants the best success for them. He’s the most selfless person I know, always putting others before himself. Charlie is so sensitive and caring. I couldn’t imagine a better father for a child, I have even teased him at times that our kids will like him best. Our nieces and nephew adore him and talk about the things they did together when we visit for weeks afterwards. He is wonderful with our animals, making sure they get the best care and life possible. He is also funny and likes to be goofy like me. He makes me laugh when I am down and always lets me know we can get through anything. I am so grateful that I get to go through life with him as my partner.

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How We Met

We both attended the same college where Charlie got his Master’s Degree in Business Education and Jessie got her Bachelor’s Degrees in Nursing and Psychology. However, we never crossed paths the whole time we were there.

We met while working at the same school. We both had a strong attraction to each other but were nervous to make the first move. After 5 months, Charlie invited Jessie to a concert and we have been inseparable ever since!

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Our Lifestyle

We love to be outdoors and spend time with nature and animals. On any given day we can be found on our farm tending our animals. We like to do things that are active and healthy for us as well as our surroundings.

On weekends, we can be found enjoying our farm or taking a day trip. We love to go to local State Forests to hike, camp, and discover new things. When we have a long weekend, we like to take trips across the state for musical concerts. We have visited Charlie’s Aunt Linda in Virginia and enjoyed the Christmas light festival at Busch Gardens. We also like to visit National Forests and enjoy the sights and animals. Close friends of ours have a camp about an hour or so north of us so in the summer we go up to float the river and, in the winter, we can keep warm in the cabin or visit the shops!

We dedicate Sundays for family time. Our faith is very important to us and has helped us grow as a couple and individually on our path to become a family. We attend and are active with our church that is right next door to our property. God has helped us through our darkest times and has celebrated our most joyous times. We continue to lean on our faith as a couple!

After church, we like to have family dinners where we can all get together to visit. We cook our meals from food we grow and raise. It is a rewarding experience that we can’t wait to share with your little one. After dinner, we end the day with fun activities like riding ATVs, kayaking, and spending time with our animals.

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Home & Neighborhood

We were fortunate enough to purchase our dream home just one mile from our family farm and Charlie’s parents. Our home is right outside of town and close to the fairgrounds. We can enjoy the privacy of a country setting with the convenience of town just a minute away. We both enjoy the charm of a farmhouse with a rich history. Our home was originally built in the 1800’s. It has been remodeled in recent years but still carries the love of an old farmhouse. We have four bedrooms, two full baths, and a spacious living and dining room for family gatherings. Charlie and I were very excited to host the family thanksgiving shortly after moving in! We also have a securely fenced-in one-acre yard for friends, family and our pets to enjoy. We have a fruit orchard, filled with apple, peach and pear trees. We enjoy fresh fruit pies and dumplings in the summer months, then can what remains for the winter.

Our property is adjacent to the church we attend frequently. We have close family and friends throughout the community. Charlie and his family have lived and grown in this area for over 70 years. Many of our neighbors are distant relatives or have been friends of the family for some time. We attend many dinners and events at the fire hall and fair to help support their services. The elementary school is across the road from Charlie’s parents’ property and Charlie works at the local high school, just six miles away. Our community is one that comes to celebrate good times and help each other through rough times, and we can count on them.

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Our Pets

We have two dogs, both 8 years old. Nikah Lu is a parti-colored Havanese and Copper Bear is a lab-bloodhound mix. We got Nikah when she was 8 weeks old from a rescue in Missouri and Copper when he was one year old from a rescue in Ohio. For the first three years of Nikah’s life she worked with Jessie in a nursing home. She wore outfits and had her own name badge. She was very well-loved and fed by the residents. She even visited them when they weren’t feeling well. Now that she’s retired, Nikah enjoys four-wheeler rides, playing in the fields, and relaxing at home near us. Copper is a big lovable teddy bear. He loves to run in the yard and watch people go by. He is a great snuggle buddy and a huge foodie, sampling from the garden when he chooses. Copper is not a fan of thunderstorms and will stick close by when one is coming through the area. Both dogs have been around babies and children and enjoy their company.

We also have a great, calm, beautiful horse named Freyja.  She is a Tennessee Walking horse.  She is kept at a local stable, just three miles away, where there are places to ride and an indoor arena.  Freyja enjoys being brushed, eating treats, and going for rides.  We look forward to sharing our love of animals with your child.

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Our Families & Friends

Charlie’s parents are Joe and Daralee. He has two brothers, Scott and Mark who live in Florida. Charlie has one nephew who lives in Florida with his wife and three children, and one other nephew who lives close by and visits often. Charlie’s Aunt Linda lives in Virginia but visits often. And there are many close cousins and aunts and uncles that live in our town. Even though we live in different states we are very close. We FaceTime, share pictures and messages and visit each other often. We see Charlie’s parents every day, and see extended family on a regular basis, as they are our neighbors and attend the same church, where Charlie’s cousin is the pastor. We both share a close group of friends, most of who are more like siblings than just friends. They have all been on this adoption journey with us, and every one of them could not be more thrilled to celebrate a child with us. Charlie’s cousin was adopted, so this is not an unfamiliar path for the family. When we finally told everyone, we decided to choose adoption, aside from being thrilled, their reaction was that they had been waiting for us to make that decision and couldn’t be happier!

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Our Relationship with You

We welcome an open relationship with you and your baby’s birth family including updates, photos, and videos. Visits are another option that we are open to talking about. We will also respect your decision to have a closed adoption. We want to have a relationship that you are comfortable with.

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What We Will Teach

We have dreamed of sharing our lives together and with children since we started dating. Charlie looks forward to taking your child fishing and teaching them about animals and nature. Jessie can’t wait to take him or her trick-or-treating, watching his or her face light up on Christmas morning, or just snuggling and enjoying a story on a rainy day. Our friends and family are also waiting to welcome a child with open arms and to spoil them with time, love, and probably presents too!

One of the biggest things we believe in teaching children is to have respect for all life, including his or her own. We spend a lot of time with animals, and we look forward to sharing this passion with your child. Jessie has worked in animal rescue and pet therapy, and we both care for our farm animals daily. We will teach him or her to be kind and to think of others. We will support your child to follow what makes them happy and pursue as many opportunities as he or she chooses. We are looking forward to making memories with your child of enjoying our church and community and family.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

Our community is in a rural area filled with good people who treat each other with kindness and respect. We live a drivable distance from a large city where we can experience cultural events, museums, concerts, and sports. We both have jobs where we meet and work with people from all walks of life who come from different backgrounds. What draws us to people are their character traits, regardless of their background. We like to spend time with people who are hard-working, caring, and loving people. Our life experiences have taught us that a person’s character is the most important part of what makes someone a good person and what connects us across different cultures and backgrounds.

Recently, Jessie went on an outreach mission to Santo Domingo to share her skills as a nurse. She, along with 39 other medical professionals, provided optical, dental, and medical care to impoverished residents, many of who don’t have things like running water. Their medical team was able to help 1,100 residents over four days with medical treatments, supplies, and medications they had little access to. The outreach mission partnered with a local church that provided translators, as the main language there is Spanish, with some patients speaking Creole. It was an incredible experience to provide care to those who needed it while immersed in their culture and language.

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Our Promise to You

Our promise to you is to raise your child with love and compassion. We promise that we will work very hard to teach your child how to love people, nature, and animals. We will teach your child life skills to be successful in their dreams and how to find something they love in this world.