At the time, we were both living in Shanghai, China, where we worked as high school teachers at different international schools. Living amongst a tight-knit group of foreigners, we soon found ourselves on our first date. We met at a cute restaurant/cafe, having easy conversation in a romantic outdoor setting. We immediately felt a strong connection and discovered we had many things in common, including our passion for education and traveling the world. After that evening, we both felt as if we had met "the one," and by Christmas of that year, we had already visited each other's families in our home states. We began traveling together, exploring Asia during our school breaks and the National Parks and Europe over the summers; it was like being on a playdate with your best friend every single day. Living overseas as a young couple gave us the opportunity to explore other cultures and learn more about the world together, which is something we hope to share with our child in the future.

We like to spend our time active and outdoors. We enjoy taking long walks through the quiet canyons, or biking around the fun streets of our neighborhood. On the weekends, we might go hiking in the local mountains or paddleboarding in the ocean. We love spending afternoons at the San Diego Zoo, and Balboa Park with its diversity of culture and museums. During baseball season we can be found at the ballpark cheering on the San Diego Padres, where we are season ticket members.

At home, we enjoy having friends over to play cards and other board games. Bethany loves cooking and baking, and appreciates that Garret offers to do the dishes. Most nights we watch our favorite TV show, Jeopardy! and then might watch a new Netflix series or snuggle up to a good movie.

Individually, Bethany loves reading books and working on crosswords and other puzzles. She has spent a spent a great deal of time volunteering for the San Diego River Park Foundation and other local environmental groups. Garret likes to watch sports on TV and listen to a variety of podcasts. He loves to go on long bike rides for exercise, and he often goes fishing out of the San Diego Bay on his friend's boat. First sparked by a safari in South Africa, Garret also enjoys nature photography.

Garret loves the way Bethany always puts the needs of other people ahead of her own; her instinct is to nurture and take care of the needs of others, especially through food. He admires how she strives to make the world a better place through her kindness and commitment to sustainability, and loves the way her smile and laugh can light up a room. He loves how she sings and dances around the house when she's happy and how much she plays with our cat in the evenings and snuggles her at bedtime. But most of all he loves how warm, caring and loving she is, and what a wonderful mother she is going to make!

Bethany respects Garret's sense of integrity and work ethic, both at home and in his professional life. His ability to build relationships with and break down difficult math concepts for his students recently earned him the honor of "Teacher of the Year." He's made improvements to our home with his handy-work and continues to strengthen our relationship with thoughtful conversations. Bethany feels like Garret has never taken their relationship for granted and truly feels like she has a partner, not just supporting her, but respecting her each day. She additionally admires his youthful energy and playfulness that seems to be a magnet for pets and children.

We live in a spacious two bedroom, two-bathroom condominium, where we spend a lot of time relaxing in the living room and cooking in the kitchen. We also have a big balcony, adorned with plants, where we love to sit and soak up the California sunshine. As homeowners, we made the decision to purchase a condominium in the city, rather than a house in the suburbs. We believe being in the city is not only more sustainable--we love being able to walk to the store, parks and our favorite restaurants--but it also provides a greater sense of community and culture. We have a shared pool space where homeowners and their children will gather in the summer. It is important to us that our child grows up playing with other kids from the neighborhood.

Southern California has a climate that promotes a year round outdoor lifestyle that we love to take advantage of. We live within walking distance to multiple parks (including Balboa Park, complete with 18 different child-friendly museums), playgrounds, and the San Diego Zoo, where we have an annual membership. The beach and San Diego Bay are just ten minutes away. In the winter we even get snow in the local mountains, where we like to go sledding, have snowball fights and build snowmen! We also can't wait to make the short drives to Legoland, Disneyland, Six Flags and Baja California as our child grows up.

Bethany's parents live in Ohio, and could not be more ecstatic to welcome their fifth grandchild to the family. We make biannual trips to gather with Bethany's extended family, often renting a summer vacation home where we all can stay together. Garret has become the beloved uncle who never seems to tire in the pool and has the energy to entertain the kids for hours. The highlight last summer was a whiffle ball game with family members spanning all generations. At Christmas time, we love to watch the young kids open presents, participate in a white elephant gift exchange, and participate in our favorite tradition where each person contributes two minutes of painting to a previously blank canvas.

Garret's mom just retired and cannot wait to play a big role in her first grandchild's life! Her parents were immigrants and chicken ranchers, and a portion of their ranch is where his mother's house is today (about 40 minutes away from us). Here you'll find sheep, goats, chickens, cows, horses and a playful dog named Hailey. We often gather here with Garret's large extended family for Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July and other family celebrations. His family's biggest traditions come in December, when his mom can be found baking her beloved traditional German cookies and Christmas breads, and making her specialty; marzipan dipped in chocolate.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about and consider us as part of your adoption plan. We know that you have so many decisions to make when it comes to your child. If you are secure in your decision that adoption is the right choice for you, we hope you can find peace through choosing the right family, even if that's not us.

First and foremost, know that we will be a family that will always honor you and the decision you made. We will speak openly and honestly about our child's adoption story and hope to share as much as we can with them about you and your extended family's background (based on your level of comfort in sharing this information). We will act in a manner that serves the needs of our child and we know that an open adoption and relationship with you is in their best interest and will allow them to develop a secure identity. We also want to honor a communication plan that you are most comfortable with. At minimum, you can expect to receive pictures and letters outlining developmental milestones, but we are open to discussing additional forms of contact and visits based on your preferences.

So who are we? Bethany was born and raised in the Midwest (Ohio) and Garret, in San Diego. As fate would have it, we met while living abroad and working as educators at international schools in Shanghai, China. We have been together for almost nine years and married for more than six. While our immediate family is just the two of us and our fluffball kitty, Bandi, we have a large extended family and close group of friends nearby who are also excited to shower a future child with their love, and look forward to watching them grow up alongside their own families.

We have so many joys and hobbies that we look forward to sharing with our child, and would be ecstatic to watch them learn to love--traveling abroad, camping in National Parks, hiking, reading, cooking, cycling, swimming, theater, and the San Diego Padres, to name a few--but we also want to push them to be individuals that find their own passions and grow confidence through their unique strengths. We love that we live in a big city where they will have opportunities to participate in different sports, arts, and/or cultural activities and that they can grow up in a community that exposes them to diverse cultural perspectives. Regardless of what they grow to love, we hope that we can raise them to be kind to others, the world around them, and most importantly, to themselves.

We have dedicated our lives to working with kids, and have both strived to be the kind of teachers that treat students with kindness and respect, while also inspiring them to learn and reach their goals. Importantly, we have worked with so many students over the years and understand their diverse needs and backgrounds. Children have different temperaments and learning styles, so the approach we take to parenting will be adaptive, and the one that best supports our child's developmental needs. We know we won't be perfect, but we will continuously work to be the best parents we can for our child and to honor the decision you made by choosing us as adoptive parents.

Sincerely,

Garret & Bethany