We share some similarities and differences in our leisure time. While one of Aaron's favorite things is going for a weekend run, Paula is not a runner. Instead, she prefers to work in the garden and mow the lawn. However, we both enjoy spending time outside as often as possible. When not gardening or going for a run, we enjoy spending time together at the lake or on the river. Paula had never fished before meeting Aaron, but it is now one of her favorite pastimes to share together. We also enjoy playing golf and tennis. Paula has been a part of a co-ed slow pitch softball team this past summer and has really enjoyed time playing softball with friends. During the winter when spending time outside becomes more difficult, we both enjoy having friends over for game night and dinner. Paula spends a lot of time doing jigsaw puzzles and Aaron likes to play video games. We also play EXIT escape games frequently as well as other board and card games.

Our favorite vacation spot is a little corner of Northeast Iowa, where we co-own part of our family farm that has been in the family for over 150 years. This area of the state is also where Aaron grew up and his grandfather built a cabin on the Mississippi River. Although our family no longer owns the cabin, we still go up there every year to go fishing and camping. We love to take our boat onto the river early in the morning to fish for northern pike. In the afternoons, we hit some of our other favorite fishing spots to catch bass, walleye, and perch. Aaron's grandfather learned about all of the fishing spots in the 1960s and passed the knowledge on to Aaron.

The scenery in NE Iowa is beautiful: full of rolling hills, forests, and tall bluffs; and you can see some amazing birds on the river. In the fall we make an annual trip to Gays Mills Wisconsin for fresh apples and to see the beautiful trees in their fall colors.

Every few years we also head out west to Rocky Mountain National Park for a week of hiking and adventures in the mountains. The mountains are breathtaking and awe-inspiring. One can never get tired of the amazing views and hiking in nature.

The world is only becoming more and more connected and while the distances between us may be the same we're all seemingly closer together. The lines that may have existed previously are blurring, exposing us to more and different points of view. We believe this will only benefit our family and help us grow as people. It's very important for us to expose our child to as many different points of view as possible. Whether our child comes from a similar cultural heritage or a completely different one, we want to make sure they have the opportunity to be exposed to different cultures and viewpoints. If our child comes from a different cultural heritage we see this as a learning opportunity for both of us and we will do our best to make sure they have a connection to their heritage, which will also help us grow and learn in the process.

We live in a medium-sized town in Iowa. Our neighborhood has a nearby school, as well as children who live on our street. We live on a quiet street on the edge of town that ends in a dead end with farm land.

We have a large backyard where we have a vegetable garden and would be great for a playhouse that Aaron would love to build.

Our town has some annual events/festivals that are wonderful for children of all ages to attend. There is a park within walking distance from our house as well as city sports teams in which a child could participate.

We also live close to some bigger cities in Iowa which we travel to frequently for more entertainment options, as well as shopping and dining.

We live close to one of our state parks with hiking, fishing and boating opportunities. We're also only a short drive from a country golf course and long bike trails.

Aaron has one younger sister and Paula has one older sister. Aaron's mother lives about 20 minutes away from us and is excited to have another grandchild. She has offered to help with child care needs as well. Paula's parents live about 1 hour away and are also thrilled to be welcoming their first grandchild.

Paula grew up going on family vacations and the tradition has continued as Paula and her sister have grown up. We recently went on a family vacation with Paula's parents and sister and brother-in-law to Glacier National Park. We spent 4 days hiking and exploring the park with a lot of fun wildlife sightings. Aaron and Paula are looking forward to having a child along on family vacations.

We also really love playing board games with extended and immediate family members. Aaron's mom is always ready for a game of Lord of the Rings Trivial pursuit, and Paula's family loves to play all kinds of board games. We even keep tally of who wins the most games when we get together for a holiday and award a prize to the winner.

We are part owners of a family farm (on Aaron's side) and it is tradition to meet up to visit the farm land for a get together. We always meet up with both sides of our family for Holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We are excited to have a child to share these wonderful experiences with.

We met almost 9 years ago via an online dating website. After our second date, it was apparent to both of us that this relationship would last. We got along so well, had a lot of common interests, and both wanted the same things for the future. We were engaged after just 6 months of dating and married 1 year after the engagement. Marriage has been exciting and surprisingly easy thus far! We look forward to many more years together. Our quick engagement surprised many of our family members, but the old saying is true; When you know, you know.

We are excited to add a child to our family and share some of our favorite vacations, family get-togethers, and activities with them. Our family is full of wonderful and caring people who will be there to support us and our child along the way. We both recognize that no one brings their A-game every day, but we're both there for each other and our family whenever necessary. Our extended family helps each other out in many ways - from cutting down trees after a windstorm to remodeling a bathroom. Family is extremely important to us. Our child will have plenty of family around to dote on them as we remain close with Paula's cousins and their children as well. Both our families are approving and supportive of our decision to adopt.

As soon as we started to seriously discuss having children, we knew that we wanted to go the route of adoption. Going through this journey hasn't been easy and we're under no illusion that it will always be easy, but we're both committed to growing our family through adoption. Education has been important to both of us and will be for our child. We will always encourage our child to be the best version of themselves possible.

We value "hard work," integrity, tolerance, and kindness/compassion. To us, "hard work" means when you commit to a decision you give all that you are able to by putting in your best effort. We believe that integrity is an important character trait and will teach our child about making the best choice even if it's not the easiest choice. Tolerance of others' differences and kindness to others are also extremely important to us. No matter what we choose to do with our lives, ultimately we all work in service of others. Understanding that everyone brings a different, but equally valuable, skill set to the table will be an important lesson we will teach our child.

We are thrilled that you are taking the time to get to know us. It's difficult to comprehend the courage it took to even make it this far. We are committed to exchanging letters, emails, and pictures after the adoption. We would also like to get to know you more personally, so we would be willing to have visits as well. We are open to meeting prior to the adoption if that is something you're interested in. We can't begin to imagine all of the emotions you're experiencing as you go through this journey, but we promise to be supportive and with you along the way.

Sincerely,

Aaron & Paula