We met in high school but we're not your typical high school sweethearts. We had lockers next to one another and shared a homeroom. After a few years of pretending to be friends and not-so-secretly crushing on each other, we started dating our senior year.

We dated long-distance through college, attending schools in different states and even different countries. Rather than view the distance as a challenge, we approached it as an opportunity. We initiated quarterly visits in the states or countries between us and daily phone calls to maintain our bond.

After college, we moved to Washington, D.C. We lived less than two miles apart for three years until Tim left for law school in Chicago and Nicole for a job in Connecticut. Our long-distance relationship resumed, although this time we were pros.

Much to the delight of our families, Tim proposed to Nicole the summer after his final year of law school. We were married one year later.

While our path to parenthood may be longer than others, we are grateful for every step of our 21-year journey. We are strong as individuals and as a couple and are more than ready to expand our family through adoption.

We are passionate travelers. We've hiked and backpacked all over the world and have visited countries in East Asia, North Africa, Europe, Central America, and the Middle East. We aim to travel internationally at least once a year and can't wait to expose our children to new and different cultures through our explorations of the world.

We are also enthusiastic cooks. Nicole is a baker extraordinaire! She makes wonderful sourdoughs, French pastries, chocolates, and sweets. She shows love through her attention to detail, adapting her recipes to the preferences or dietary restrictions of our guests. Tim is the big project guy. It is not uncommon to find him butchering, pickling, smoking, or curing vegetables or meats or trying recipes from cookbooks that highlight a new or unusual cuisine. We hope to inspire similar interests in our future sous chefs with whom we intend to create new family recipes.

We love being active, whether it be skiing out West, hiking the White Mountains, biking or kayaking, foraging for ramps, attending concerts on Lake Winnipesaukee, exploring the corners of our beautiful State, or hosting family and friends at our home. We find joy in it all. We can’t wait to incorporate family activities that spark joy in our children in the future.

Tim's youngest sisters were adopted from Russia approximately 20 years ago. We were dating at the time, so Nicole was able to witness and participate in their integration first hand. Through this experience, we came to understand just how special adoption is - not just to the adoptees, but to the families as well. Tim's sisters fundamentally changed the dynamic of Tim's family, rooting them deeper in their family values and binding them together in ways they had not been before. We continue to celebrate the day Tim's sisters were adopted each year by throwing a big family party and ceremoniously jumping in Tim's parent's pool. It is one of the family's favorite traditions.

Because of this overwhelmingly positive experience, we always considered growing our family by adoption. The decision to adopt came naturally even after multiple years of trying to conceive. We came to believe we were unsuccessful conceiving because we were meant to adopt.

While we've been nomadic for much of our lives, we made the decision a year ago to put down roots in New Hampshire for its proximity to the things and people we love. As we like to say we followed our hearts, and they lead us home.

We live in a family-friendly suburban setting marked by rolling hills and bucolic farms. We are ideally situated halfway between our families in Connecticut and Nicole’s family beach house in Maine.

We are grateful to live in one of the best school districts in the state. The town offers incredible educational, creative, and athletic opportunities to its residents along with endless occasions to participate in community events such as 5K races, Halloween trunk-or-treats, and outdoor summer movie series. Nicole is excited to join the local cross-country ski club next winter and try out the town’s groomed trials.

Our home is 5-bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and situated on 2.5 acres of land. We have a dedicated playroom, two offices that enable us to work from home, a grand family room, and a beautiful open kitchen (our favorite spot). Our home is a short distance to the community garden, local library, an organic vegetable and grass-fed dairy farm, and several culs-de-sac where the neighborhood kids play. Our nieces and nephews love playing soccer and frisbee in our big back yard, testing out paper airplanes on the back deck, and chasing the turkeys that visit the house throughout the seasons.

Tim comes from a large and boisterous family. He is the eldest of six children. Two of Tim's sisters were adopted from Russia and can't wait to be aunties to adopted children like them! Growing up, Tim's house was filled with a constant buzz. It was not uncommon for family, friends, teachers, members of the clergy, and neighbors to attend every birthday, religious ceremony, graduation, and holiday. The more the merrier they always say! Tim's family maintains a beautiful farm, a plentiful garden, and traditional family values. They are active in their community and in their daily lives and can often be found kicking a ball behind the house, swimming in Tim's parents' pool, or hosting the grandparents for weekly Sunday dinners.

Nicole has a small immediate family but a large close-knit extended family. She is the oldest of two. Her sister has two children - both of whom are energetic explorers that are excited to become older cousins. Nicole's family is active and prioritizes quality family time. Growing up, the family would sail, ski, hike, and bike throughout New England. Every birthday, holiday, anniversary, and special event is celebrated with family and friends over heaps of homemade food. Nicole's family regularly takes trips to their beach house in Maine and can often be found playing in the surf, exploring the ocean's honey holes, walking the sandbar, or entertaining family and friends on the back porch.

To the courageous woman who may make us parents,

When we met 25 years ago, it was our shared interests that brought us together. We bonded over sports, a love and appreciation for food, and an insatiable desire to experience the world.

These interests still hold space in our relationship today, however, they are not what define us. They are likewise not what set us apart as prospective adoptive parents. What sets us apart are our shared values.

We conduct ourselves with honesty and integrity in our personal and professional lives. Through faith, we honor family, the sanctity of our marriage, community, and the value of life. We lean into challenge for the growth it will bring and routinely pursue opportunities for self-improvement.

We value individual rights and independent thought. We seek diversity and adventure through travel, prioritize health and wellness out of respect for ourselves and our future children, are fiercely protective of those we love, and strongly believe that our commitments define us.

It is with this in mind that we make the following commitments to you. We vow to respect you and your decisions throughout this process. We vow to hold space for you to grieve. We vow to act with integrity and compassion in our interactions with you and to answer your questions openly and honestly. We vow to maintain open communication with you through photos and letters. We vow to uphold our commitments to you and to always protect your story.

If we are selected to be the adoptive parents of your child, we vow to love, honor, cherish, and protect them. We vow to provide your child a safe and loving home. We vow to nurture them, support them, and to listen to them without judgment. We vow to surround them with family and friends that will love and protect them as their own. We vow to inspire them through travel and experience and to cultivate their curiosity by modeling it ourselves. We vow to set healthy boundaries to instill discipline and self-control and to teach them the value of hard work, a healthy body, and strength of character. We vow to help them become the best versions of themselves and to honor their roots.

We make these vows earnestly and to demonstrate who we are outside of our profile. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be considered by you to parent and adopt your child. It is a privilege we do not take lightly and a role we prepared ourselves for over the last five years. We know firsthand the joy that adoption can bring and hope you will take this first step in faith with us.

All our best,

Tim & Nicole