James 1:27

We were set up on a blind date by some mutual friends at church and have been married for 5 years in September. We had met for coffee and cupcakes on our first date. We were going to share a cupcake, but Bryan learned that Elisabeth didn't like chocolate. We were able to get past this obstacle. We love to travel and have been to six countries together. Elisabeth grew up going on road trips with her family. She has been to all fifty states. We plan to do road trips and travel in the future as a family. Elisabeth grew up playing board games often with her family, and we play them often together. We love to have friends over for games and dinner. We both have  love of reading and plan to share that with your child. As Stickland Gillian wrote: "Richer than I you can never be-- I had a Mother who read to me." We both have a love for the arts: symphony, art museums, and Broadway plays. Bryan's mom introduced him to plays as a child, and we plan to share that with your child. 

Our names are Crissy and Thomas. Crissy is a pediatric nurse and Thomas is a former police officer and current first responder for 9-1-1. The thing we want most in this world is to have a family. We have been married for nine years, and we did fertility treatments for the first six of them. We were originally introduced in 2007 and over the next few years were introduced by a few more. We finally decided to give it a shot. We got married in November 2013, Over the next several years of medical intervention, treatments and one lost pregnancy it was discovered that Crissy had unexplained infertility. We still have the dream to start a family. We know that families are made in many different ways and we are hopeful that our family is still out there. We truly feel as though God has led us to adoption, and we hope and pray that this will finally be our opportunity to create our family.

A quick snapshot of us: 

• We live in rural Iowa. 

• Bryan is a pastor of a Reformed Presbyterian Church.

• Olivia is a homeschool mom.

• We value: faith, joy, and love.

• In our home, kids are safe, wanted, guided, and deeply loved.

How we met:

Bryan is from Southern California, and Olivia grew up in Ohio. We met at a Christian student conference in Virginia while Bryan was serving in the Navy.


Why Adoption: 

It's been a long-held desire since we were both kids. 

We want an expectant mother to be able to choose adoption with real hope, knowing her baby will be safe, cared for, and deeply loved in a stable home with open hearts and open arms.

Our faith shapes this deeply. In the Gospel, God welcomes those who were not His children and makes them His beloved children through Jesus. We see adoption as a reflection of that love. 

We met in Virginia the summer after Katie graduated college and had an immediate connection. We started out as good friends and soon after fell in love. We live in a small town in the northern DFW area with our son Josiah, and two small dogs Sophie and Riley. We all enjoy spending time outdoors, trying out new restaurants and going on adventures. We love to laugh and have fun just being together as a family.

This Is Us

We have know each other since the late 90's through mutual friends. We started dating in 2005, were engaged in 2007, and got married in 2008. We are active and enjoying the great outdoors. We especially enjoy getting out to do some fishing and atving when we get a chance.  

We adopted our son in 2020 and have an open adoption with his birth family.  This includes in person visits, video chats, and messaging back and forth with pictures/videos and updates.

Hi! We are Adam and Amelia. We appreciate you taking the time to get to know us and considering entrusting us to parent your child. We met each other through friends from church in early 2012 while Adam was living in St. Louis and Amelia was living in Seattle. We had a long distance courtship that led to marriage at the end of 2012. We both desired to have children with birth and adoptive children always being part of the discussions for growing our family. We began pursuing both adoption and biological children simultaneously while trusting God to provide children as he saw fit. We were blessed to have our daughter, Penelope, become a part of our family in 2023, which put a brief pause on the adoption process while we adjusted to caring for a little one. We are praying and trusting God to continue to grow our family through adoption. We desire to have multiple siblings for Penelope, and our hope is for them to join our family through adoption. 

We seek to foster a home environment that encourages exploration and inquisitiveness. We like to go for walks as a family, play at the nearby park, visit with neighbors, and work in the garden. We enjoy being silly and laughing together. We all like to read, and there are lots of books in our house to encourage reading. We also cook together. Penelope loves to help make food with us, so we find ways for her to participate in an age-appropriate way, such as adding the seasonings to a dish or stirring something in a bowl.

We both like board games and look forward to playing them with our children. We have discovered that cooperative games are a good way to play together since it is everyone against the game. Amelia taught Adam how to knit, and it is a hobby we both enjoy. We knit things for family and friends to share our love of knitting with others. Amelia loves to garden and shares that passion with Penelope. We both enjoy cooking. Adam also enjoys baking, which is something he likes to share with family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.

As you consider us, know that we value you and want you to have interactions with your child, if that is something you desire. You are important to your child, and we want them to know about you. We are thinking about you and praying for you. We hope to meet you and your child soon.

Greg and I always enjoy our time together. We like to spend time outdoors, on a kayak or paddleboard, and are always up for a competitive driveway basketball game! We also like working in our yard. I plant flowers and watch them grow, and Greg keeps them watered. Together we make a great team! We love grabbing ice cream with our nieces, cheering on our favorite teams, and watching funny movies together. Christmas movies are in season all year! Whether we’re at home on game night or out sharing a pizza, we always have fun laughing together. 

Our love story:

Greg and I met through my younger brother, Will. Will and Greg met shortly after Will graduated from college. Years later, Will bumped into Greg at the grocery store. He told Greg he should give me a call. Will had never set me up on a date before, so I knew this guy must be someone special! I agreed to go out with Greg, and we have been together ever since.

We dated for one year before becoming engaged. On a cold New Year’s Day, Greg and I went on a romantic walk along the riverfront in Nashville. We were on the beautiful pedestrian bridge overlooking the city when snow began to fall and music began to play. A man on an electric keyboard was playing Ed Sheeran’s song, “Thinking Out Loud”— a beautiful love song about growing old with your true love. I looked at Greg and he was down on one knee. He told me how much he loved me and asked me to marry him. I enthusiastically said, “Yes!” I complimented Greg for having the musician play the lovely music for the proposal, but Greg said he had not hired him. The musician just happened to be on the bridge performing the perfect soundtrack for our engagement! Every time we pass the pedestrian bridge, we remember the wonderful night we promised to belong to each other forever.

Our wedding was a dream come true! The fun began at our rehearsal dinner. Instead of a traditional dinner, we invited the wedding party to a baseball game. We enjoyed the fireworks display over the ballpark that night—it was as if everyone there was celebrating with us. Our wedding was held at the Nashville Symphony Center. The wedding was a family affair. All our siblings, their spouses, and their children were included in the wedding party. We had an amazing band and everyone danced all night! Our wedding was a joyous event and a true celebration of God’s promises.

Paul and I met during our first semester at Texas A&M Veterinary school in 2012. We formed a study group together and would spend late nights at the library studying for tests. We were fast friends and started to build that foundation before we ever went on a date. Paul is steadfast and calm in life's struggles while Haley is goofy and always ready to laugh. We made a great team. Thank goodness Paul worked up enough courage to ask Haley out! Two years later we were engaged and in August of 2015 we were married! From a young age, Haley knew God was calling her to adopt. When we met, Haley shared this calling with Paul and he agreed but wanted to try for a biological child first and then adopt as a second or third. After 2 years of no luck and a diagnosis of endometriosis for Haley, we knew God had already called us to adoption. We never pursued any in-vitro because we knew God had a child waiting for us that was perfect for our family. God definitely followed through with that promise after meeting our first son, Luke. We know there is another child out there God plans to add to our family and we cannot wait to meet them!