Dear Expectant Mother,
Hello!
We are Rich and Julie. It is our dream to become parents. We feel that you are an incredibly courageous and openhearted person to consider adoption and we thank you for taking the time to read our letter, and for considering us as adoptive parents. We wish you the best health and peace during your pregnancy as you decide which path is best for you.
Who We Are
We are both native Californians and have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of our lives. Seven years ago we met while on a mountain bike team, raising money for leukemia/lymphoma research. While training and fundraising, we became friends, and discovered many shared values- the love of the outdoors, concern for the environment, love for family, friends, and pets, and involvement in our community. We have shared a home for four years, were married two years ago, and are devoted life partners and best friends. We believe in supporting each other to grow as individuals and as a couple.
Rich Talks About Julie
There are so many things that I admire and respect about my wife, Julie. She is a loving, gentle, kind person who shares her warmth and love with our wide circle of family and friends. Julie is smart, honest, thoughtful, and generous. She's a great listener who has a keen sense of humor and a happy, contagious smile.
After graduating college in Southern California, Julie moved north and began her career working to protect the environment. Currently she is an Environmental Specialist working on San Francisco Bay water quality protection projects. I admire that her work so closely matches her values.
She has a green thumb and she loves to garden. We have a beautiful yard that she designed while working on a certificate in landscape design, which includes an organic vegetable garden. She loves to cook healthy meals and enjoys hosting family and friends to sample new recipes.
Julie loves to hike, bike, read and play flute. She values learning and is always interested in taking on new challenges. She is the most loyal person I know and is someone people can always count on. She will be a patient and loving mom.
Julie Talks About Rich
Rich has a huge heart and is warm, high-energy, social, smart and full of life. He has a strong work ethic yet always makes time to have fun. One of the things I love about Rich is that he engages fully in life. He spends his free time mountain biking, hiking, reading stacks of periodicals, taking evening walks with me, or volunteering for any number of community groups. He is very social and is able to chat with just about anyone he meets. Rich also loves music and has a great singing voice.
Rich has a journalism degree, and spent a decade writing and editing for a technology publisher. He now works in marketing at a large software company. He also does freelance work writing articles about everything from mountain biking and camping to the best barbeque joints and microbreweries in town.
I really value that Rich has strong life-long friendships and has a very close relationship with his family. I can see Rich being the kind of dad who is fun, protective, and warm. He would give our son or daughter the best education and life experiences possible, whether it's backpacking in the Sierra, traveling to other countries, going to concerts, supporting and cultivating whatever interests a child has, or by simply spending quiet days at home reading stories and listening to music.
Our Family
Rich's parents and sister live nearby and we spend a lot of family time together, including trips to San Francisco to see the Giants baseball games. Julie's parents visit frequently, and we often get to spend holidays with them. We both have cousins with children who live close by, and we enjoy hosting holidays in our home. Our extended family comprises the many close friends whom we love dearly. Our friends and family are looking forward to being an active part of our child's life.
Our Home
We have a warm and comfortable home is in the heart of Silicon Valley, about 40 miles south of San Francisco. We love animals and share our home with two cats, Trek and Zin. There is a community park and playground just a block away, and we are just minutes away from the San Francisco Bay and coastal redwoods which fit our active, outdoor lifestyle. Our community offers excellent schools and a vibrant, family-oriented downtown with a library, creative arts center, parks and playgrounds, plus plenty of recreation and enrichment opportunities for children and families.
Our Values
We strongly value education and believe in caring for and enjoying nature. Our concern for health and well-being in ourselves and in those we love is reflected in how we choose to live our lives, and we will share these values with our child. While we were raised in the Christian faith, we don't solely adhere to any one religion, but we do enjoy Easter and Christmas services, especially the music. We consider ourselves to be spiritual, and value learning and guidance from many different religions and paths.
Our Thoughts About Parenting
We are committed to unconditional love, providing attentive guidance, cultivating independence and confidence, and role modeling our values. We believe in nurturing a child's interests and gifts and having a lot of fun whether it's goofing around with pets, getting muddy in the backyard, or exploring the world during weekends and vacations.
Please Contact Us
We look forward to the possibility of learning more about you and your wishes for your child! To connect with us directly, please call our toll- free number: 800-255-0917 and enter access code 00 or contact our attorney, Susan Romer, toll-free at 1-800-823-6788. You can also email us at richjulieadopt@gmail.com
We feel in our hearts that there is a child who is meant to be a part of our family through the courageous choice of his or her birth family.
Rich and Julie
