John & Marne

Quality in each other
Marne's compassion for others
John's sense of humor

Dear Birth Parent(s), 

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our family as you consider an
adoption plan for your baby. We can't imagine what you are going through
right now. Please know that you are doing the most generous thing possible for your baby and a couple like us that is hoping to build a family through adoption. We hope that by reading our letter you will get to know us a little better and will consider making an adoption plan with us.

We are John and Marne. We met 10 years ago at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Although we had a number of friends in common we had never met. We spent the entire party talking with one another. Right from the start we both knew that we had met the person we would marry. Marne gave John her telephone number that evening and waited for him to call. After a few days of not hearing from him, she decided to call him. John had accidentally put Marne's phone number through the wash. We quickly began spending all of our time together. A few months later, Marne left the state to attend Graduate School. We continued dating and after Marne graduated she moved near John. We were married in 2005, and had a huge wedding with all of our family and friends there to help us celebrate. The saying "opposites attract" fits for us. John is quiet and very laid back. Marne is outgoing and talkative. We think that we complement each other and bring out the best in one another. We have a loving relationship that is built on mutual respect and trust. If you choose us as parents, your child will be raised within these values.

Marne enjoys reading and is in a book club. She also likes to stay active and can often be found at our local YMCA. Marne also enjoys scrapbooking and baking. John enjoys playing Softball, bowling, and cooking. Together we enjoy golfing, attending sporting events, and going to our local theater to see plays and concerts. We also love to travel and explore new cultures and places. Our favorite past time is spending time with our family and friends. We love to host barbeques and game nights at our house.

Both of us work outside of the home. Marne has her master's degree and works as a social worker. She works with children and families and absolutely loves her job. Marne's work hours are very flexible and her employer is very family focused. John works for a large manufacturing
company, as a press operator. His job is very stable and he is lucky to work with many of his friends. John's work schedule also allows him to spend a lot of time with our family. While we are at work we plan to use family members or a wonderful daycare center in the area for daycare. We feel that a child needs a solid education for which to build their life. We have wonderful schools in the area and we will encourage a child to continue their education after high school.

We live in a small community outside of a larger city. We built our home in 2005. It has three bedrooms and two baths. It also has a large family room that is just waiting to be filled up with children's toys. Our home is located off of a long private drive, making it safe for children to play in the yard. We have a huge yard with plenty of room for a jungle gym and other kid toys. Our neighbors are our family and friends. There are a number of children that live on our street and they are anxiously awaiting another playmate.

Family means everything to us. We live in the same town that John was raised in and many of his family members live close by. John has one sister; she and her husband and daughter live down the street from us. We spend a lot of time with our niece. One of our favorite things to do is attend her dance recitals and school events. John has two brothers. One of them lives a few minutes from our home. He is married and has three daughters. We also spend a lot of time babysitting and playing with them. John's other brother is his twin. He and his wife live in another state, but we make sure to see them a couple times of year. John's dad also lives nearby and we spend most weekends with him. John's mother passed away when he was 18 years-old. Growing up he witnessed a very loving relationship between his mom and dad and they have set an example for him on what a marriage should be.

Marne also has family that lives nearby. One of Marne's sisters, her husband, and two daughters live in a neighboring town. We love spending time with them and our nieces keep us up to date on the latest things that little girls love. Marne's other sister, her husband, and two sons live about three hours away. We make it a point to see them at least once a month. We enjoy playing kickball and having video game competitions with our nephews. Marne's mom lives about two hours away. We take turns visiting
one another. Marne's mom plans to retire from her job soon and will be
moving even closer to us. She will be a wonderful babysitting option.

Our families have a number of traditions, and everyone is excited to pass
them onto another child. We won't be able to write about them all, but
these are a few of our favorites: every summer Marne's family spends an
extended weekend at a cabin. We go water skiing, boating, and fishing. We
have such a blast. During Christmas time, Marne and her sisters get
together one Saturday and bake hundreds of Christmas cookies. The family
favorite is Marne's pecan pie squares and everyone fights over them. The
hardest part is waiting until Christmas to eat them all! John's family has an
annual golf outing. John has a very large family and when all his siblings,
cousins and their families get together on the golf course you better watch
out! We also have Sunday dinner with John's dad every chance we get. Both
of our families are anxiously waiting to welcome another member. AH of our
family members have been supportive and have shared in our adoption
journey. Marne's mom cannot resist buying baby items in anticipation of
becoming a Grandma again!

We have been through the heartache of infertility treatments and a
miscarriage and sharing these experiences has brought us closer together.
Although it was painful to discover that we can't have our own children, this
realization led us naturally to adoption. We believe that adoption is the uniting of two families for the love of one very special child. We also believe
that it is very important for your child to know their adoption story and to
know that their adoption was done out of love. We plan to share that with
your child throughout their life. We know that your child will look like you
and will have many of your likes and dislikes. We want to be able to tell your
child all about you. We know that you will always be a very important part of your child's life! Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. If you
choose us as parents please know that your child will be love beyond what any words can express.

John & Marne