Derek & Spencer

We cannot thank you enough for taking time to get to know us a little better. Our story began in 2005 and we cannot wait to share it with you today. While we have never met, we know that you are a courageous & strong person to be considering adoption. More than anything we want to be parents & we are so grateful you are considering us with this gift.

Committed and in love for over 10 years, we are so blessed to be at the point in our lives where we can begin to create our family. We are best friends and have enjoyed many adventures and laughs along the way. We have talked about our future family for as long as we can remember and adoption has always been our way to create our very own family. We cannot wait to become Papa and Daddy to a little one and raise him or her in our home filled with love, happiness, and laughter. Your gift is the best dream we could ever wish for and one that will be cherished forever. We hope you enjoy our story and we look forward to hearing yours soon too!

ABOUT US!

Our first date was dinner and the movie “March of the Penguins”. Conversation came easily and after that first date we both knew we were destined to be with each other. It feels as though our first date was just days ago, yet it has been over ten years and we continue to make each other better in every part of our lives. We even still refer to each other as “my penguin” since our first date! We compliment each other in ways we knew never existed and for that we are blessed.

Since that first date, we have created a wonderful life together and experienced many milestones with one another. We got married last September, we graduated college, purchased our very own home, raised three dogs (and now three chickens!), and have an amazing collection of memories and we are excited to make new memories with a child in our lives. Day trips to the coast and mountains, spending time with family and spending date nights on our patio are a few of the things that make our life so blessed. We have the best time when we are together; we always keep each other smiling and laughing.

The first time I laid eyes on Spencer, I knew that we were going to have a future together. I never believed in love at first site, until I saw him standing across the room. Since our first date, I still find myself amazed by the man that I call my spouse. My love for him grows stronger each and every day.

Spencer grew up in the town we now call home: Hanford, California. Family is extremely important to Spencer and he cherishes time spent with not only his family but mine as well. Spencer had a picture book childhood filled with soccer playing, and riding bikes on country dirt roads. He loved frogs and lizards as a child, often spending afternoons with his stepdad catching bullfrogs in the ditches.

We are fortunate that all of Spencer’s family live in the same town that we do. We have Sunday night dinners with Spencer’s mom & play Shanghai Rumi with my family every month. All of Spencer’s little cousins adore him; and he is by far their favorite. Spencer’s little brother Holden idolizes him and wants to be just like him when he grows up.

Everyone who knows Spencer is beyond excited to see him become a Dad and have his very own family. I can picture the type of caring, thoughtful, kindhearted Dad Spencer will be to our child and I cannot wait until I see this! I know deep down in my heart that Spencer will be the perfect Dad to our child. Spencer has the most sincere heart, and has an honest interest in every person he encounters and will strike up a conversation with anyone that he meets.

Spencer is the most thoughtful, kindhearted person that I know. He never passes judgment on someone and he always goes the extra mile to help someone in need. Spencer’s heart overflows with love that he has for others and I am proud to call him my husband. I can honestly say I have never met someone that did not fall in love with Spencer’s outgoing personality and charm the minute they meet him.

When Spencer is not working as a X-Ray Technologist at a trauma hospital, he enjoys gardening and working outside, decorating our home, refinishing furniture (even our kitchen table), traveling and cooking. Let me tell you, Spencer can decorate a house like no other! He has created a beautiful home that we live in and everyone is in aw when they come over to our home. People often ask him if he is for hire to decorate their houses; he is that talented! Spencer is a lover of animals; his kindness and affection with them truly shows what an amazing and kind person he is. We have two dogs and three chickens that Spencer absolutely adores. I love to listen to him talk to our dogs and chickens; his kind heart pours through his words and actions.

Spencer is dedicated to any task that he sets out to achieve and his determination amazes me. He is dedicated to his profession as a X-Ray Technologist and always goes the extra mile at work to make sure his patients are well taken care of. The kindness and respect he gives to his patients shows me what a wonderful man he is. Spencer has flexibility in his scheduling at work and will be able to not only work but also be the best Dad on the block!

A little over 10 years ago I went on my first date with the love of my life. It took him three tries of asking me out on date before I finally said yes. I remember him taking me out to dinner and his credit card had been declined (he said it was because it was a new card). He was so embarrassed, but I thought it was hilarious. I let him take me on a second date to make up for it and we have never gone another day without speaking to each other since.

Derek was born and raised in a small town in central California named Stevinson; population less than 1,000! Derek grew up living in the country, spending much of his childhood outdoors experiencing life whether it was picking blackberries with his great grandma Ruby or collecting fresh eggs from his flock of chickens. Throughout his childhood he raised cows, chickens, ducks, and pigs and he loves animals as much as he did back then as he does today. Derek is very close to both of his parents; planning barbeques, vacations, and spur-of-the-moment get togethers. Derek is not an official uncle yet (his sister is expecting), but his younger cousins admire his hard work and dedication and look up to him as a role model.

Derek is a kind and loving husband, brother and son. I do not think I have ever met someone as honest and loyal as Derek; he speaks his mind and stands up for himself and others. He is very close to his family and we try to spend as much time with them as we can. Derek grew up with strong family values and it shows in his day-to-day life. As an Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse in a critical care unit, his compassion and empathy that he shows to his patients makes me proud to call him my husband. Derek has worked and continues to work very hard for the life that we share today. Even with the hard work and dedication it takes to be an ICU Nurse, Derek always puts me and his family above all else.

Derek’s family and friends are thrilled to see him become a father in the near future. They know what an amazing, loving father he will be. Derek’s family values will shine through when raising a child. Derek has worked very hard in his life, obtaining two bachelors degrees, and will strive to make sure the child we adopt has the best education and future. When Derek is not working as an ICU Nurse, he enjoys spending time with his two dogs and knitting. Derek also is an avid runner and hits the asphalt any chance he gets.   Derek, his sister and their mom make jam every year (they call it jam fest); boy, that jam is it delicious! Last year they canned over 100 jars of strawberry, apricot, and blackberry jam in one day! Derek is also a great party planner, and can plan a party that would rival Martha Stewart. Derek’s fellow nurses are always telling him that he was born with a soul to be a nurse and help people, but he would make a darn good party planner too!

I know deep down in my heart Derek is going to be an amazing father. I cannot wait for the day when I see him hold our baby for the first time and watch him change as be becomes a dad. Derek’s kind heart, compassion and integrity will radiate through our baby and I cannot wait to start the journey of fatherhood with Derek. Derek makes me a better man each and every day and there is no one I would rather want to be on this journey with than him.

We live in a beautiful, bright house located in a town named Hanford. Hanford is nestled in Central California and we are in close proximity to all that California has to offer. Our town we call home is full of parks, great schools and everything that our child will ever need to grow. Our home is located in a very safe and beautiful neighborhood with lots of children, playgrounds, and a baseball field. Our home has a beautiful backyard full of green grass and succulents, as well as a vegetable garden with plenty of room for our new addition to play in and grow.

We have two dogs, Wentworth; a Yorkie and Dallas; a Boston terrier, as well as three chickens Rhonda, Reba & Ramona (who lay eggs every day). We love animals and cannot wait to watch our child grow up in a home with pets.

We are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the beautiful National Parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, & Sequoia and a two-hour drive from the gorgeous Central Coast of California. We are excited to be able to share all of the wonders of California with our son or daughter and cannot wait to start exploring with our little one.

We have hosted Thanksgiving every year; five years and counting and are looking forward to having a new addition to add to the holiday festivities. Both of our families join us on this holiday and we love to give thanks for what we have been blessed with in life. Our home is overflowing with love and is often filled with family and friends and we cannot wait to have a little one to make our home complete.

We strive to be outdoors and travel whenever we can! Whether it is exploring the islands of Maui and Oahu, or the National Parks near our home, we are never shy of an adventure. We strive to make the most out of every day that we spend together. We love looking for seaglass on the coastline of Cambria & hiking near the giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park. Wherever we go we laugh, smile, and our always-in good company with each other.

We hold our family near and dear to us. We are fortunate that Spencer’s family all live in Hanford, and Derek’s family is just an hour and a half north of our home. We are blessed in that our family is so close to us, and we get to see them regularly.

Derek is the older of two children and has a loving relationship with his little sister Megen (who is expecting twins in the near future)! Spencer is the middle child and holds the relationships that he has with his brother and sister very near and dear to his heart.   We are both very close to our parents & one another’s parents and have many cousins on both sides of the family and consider ourselves lucky to be supported by such great families. Our families have many traditions and we are looking forward to passing down our traditions to our child that we were raised with.

We our fortunate to have a close group of friends in our lives as well. Whether is going out to dinner, playing bingo, or going to see country music concerts, we always find ourselves with good company. We love to spend time at home with friends as well, and we host an annual tamale making party every December.

FIVE THINGS WE WILL TEACH OUR CHILD

• Determination
• Honesty
• Respect & Courtesy
• Generosity & Compassion
• Love

Words cannot describe how to thank you for the taking time to getting to know us a little better. We count ourselves lucky each and every day to be on this adoption journey to create our family.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Derek and Spencer