Dear Birthmother,
Thank you for taking the time to read this, having the courage to make a decision that must be extremely difficult for you, and considering us as prospective adoptive parents for your child. We welcome any questions you may have about us, our home and our lives.
We are Trevor and Shannon. Our extremely loving and secure marriage began over four years ago when we decided that we wanted to share our lives with each other and start a family. We have been blessed with a greater love than either of us had hoped for. We are each other's best friend, confidant and playmate. Built on a solid foundation of mutual respect, trust, and friendship, our love has grown stronger and deeper every day. As a couple, we are down to earth, warm, loving and friendly people, who value our family and friends. We talk about everything and make decisions together. We are affectionate and don't mind being silly and laughing at ourselves. We feel our solid relationship will allow a child to grow up in a joyful, loving and stable environment. One goal in life that we have always shared was to raise a family. We have been trying to start a family every since we got married. After about three and a half years of trying and not getting pregnant, Shannon began infertility treatment. She got pregnant on the first cycle of clomid, but miscarried in the fifth week. She did not even ovulate for four more cycles. We are ready to share our home and love with a precious child now. We are ready to open our loving home through adoption for a child that needs us. Just as our life has revolved around each other since the day we met, it will revolve around our children when we are blessed with them.
Since we were both extremely fortunate to come from happy homes and loving families, we think that we will be able to provide the same for our children. Our parents raised us with excellent values, teaching us to be independent, caring of others and investing in our families' future. All of our extended family members and friends are very excited about our plans for adoption, and will affectionately welcome our child into their lives.
Trevor was born May 15, 1972, and grew up on a small farm just outside White Salmon, Washington. His parents, his two older sisters, and he raised pigs, dairy cows, horses, sheep, chickens, dogs, and cats. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at Washington State University and spent about 4 months studying the Russian language and living with a host family in Ukraine. After graduating from college, Trevor was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. Trevor enjoys hiking, bicycling, motorcycling, and running. He also enjoys working on computers and programming in his spare time.
Shannon was born Dec. 27, 1976, in The Dalles, Oregon, across the river from White Salmon. She spent most of her childhood in a small community of less than 400 people located in the mountains of Idaho. She and her family spent a lot of time camping, hiking, and fishing in the wilderness near their home. She spent many of her summers with her grandparents in Grangeville, Idaho, and helped them manage their hotel. Due greatly to her grandmother's influence, Shannon started oil painting. When Shannon entered the eighth grade, her mother decided that she could offer her children a better education < through home-schooling than the public school available in their small community. Shannon fell in love with children at an early age when she began baby-sitting to fill her spare time and earn spending money. Shannon earned her GED at the age of 17. Shannon is the oldest of 2 daughters. Both her parents are involved in law enforcement. Shannon loves to raise plants, both house plants and garden plants, and enjoys cross stitching, sewing, and reading. She also enjoys writing in her spare time. Shannon is very excited about becoming a stay-at-home mom. The story of how we met is a little humorous and romantic. While Trevor was studying in Ukraine, his parents met Shannon and mentioned that they had a son that was looking for someone to marry. As a dare from one of her co-workers, Shannon wrote Trevor a short letter. December, 1993, Trevor wrote a short letter back, and within a few months, we fell in love with each other. While Trevor lived in Phoenix and Shannon lived in Idaho City, we continued to write each other letters every day or two and talked with each other on the phone every day. By the middle of March, 1994, Trevor flew up to actually meet Shannon and her family. On April 13, Trevor proposed, and Shannon accepted. The wedding day was set for August 6, 1994.
Shannon worked for the first year of our marriage to support us while Trevor completed his last year of college. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering May, 1995. Upon graduation, Trevor was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and sent to work at Fort Lewis, Washington, for the summer. We then went to Fort McClellan, Alabama, for the Chemical Officer Basic Course for six months followed by a year in Korea. We returned from Korea and spent six weeks at Fort Lee, Virginia, enroute to Fort Bliss, Texas. We spent a year and a half at Fort Bliss before moving to our current duty station, Fort Irwin, California. Life in the Army has had its advantages and disadvantages. One obvious advantage is the job security and steady income. One big disadvantage is the ever-present potential for Trevor to be called to serve away from home and family. A mixed blessing is the requirement to travel. In our 3 years in the Army, we have been stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort McClellan, Alabama, Camp Casey, Korea, Fort Lee, Virginia, Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Irwin, California. We have driven across the United States four times. The down side to this is that we have never been stationed close to our families, so we only get to visit once or twice a year. We cherish those precious times we get to spend with our families.
Trevor's service obligation will end October, 1999, so we are looking for a career that is geared more towards the family. We are still in the searching phase, but are looking for a career that will maintain our current income and allow for a little more family time. Some careers we are currently considering are something with the Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and a small engineering firm near Trevor's home town. Our dream is to raise our children on a small farm and instill in them the family values we hold dear. We both come from Christian families. We believe that Christian values make up the critical foundation to a happy and wholesome life. Although we are not active in any church, we study the bible together and plan on spending family time studying the bible with our children.
Considering an adoption plan for your baby is a very loving act. We believe adoption can be a beautiful way to build a family and we respect you for considering all of your options. We know you will do what is best for you and your baby. It is important that you feel confident that, if you select us to be parents for your child, we will raise him or her in a caring, loving and stimulating environment filled with unlimited opportunities to grow and prosper. We want you to know that we can't wait to shower our new baby with love and affection.
As a couple, we share similar interests in activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, sledding, walking, bicycling and traveling. We feel that we would make growing up in our home a fun experience filled with laughter and activities.
We have a lot of love in our home. We want to share it with your child. Whatever you decide for you and your baby in the future, we wish you the best of luck. Our hearts go out to you. We will wrap this child in love and cherish it as our own.
Best Regards,
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