We live well-balanced lives. We work together as business partners, building a social impact company that fulfills us with professional satisfaction and a larger sense of purpose. We know how time-consuming it can become since we both led companies in prior roles. We keep a strict working schedule and never work past 5 p.m. We make space for rest and activities that add joy to our lives. We believe structure unlocks freedom.

During our morning routine, we work out or take long walks, write, meditate, and make a healthy breakfast. After work, we make dinner, read, watch movies, listen to music, or connect with family or friends. Sleep is foundational to everything else! We prioritize our sleep and are in bed by 10 p.m.

We love being active in our downtime. We hike often in the woods, explore nature, play tennis regularly, or take long walks in our neighborhood. We also love music, going to concerts and playing the banjo (Julie), piano (Julie) and guitar (Jake). Julie is a beautiful painter, and Jake is learning to draw and paint. We both enjoy traveling and try to travel internationally once or twice a year. Over the past few years, we've visited Turkey, Portugal, Mexico, and Jamaica.

Jake About Julie: I love Julie's curiosity, loving and brilliant mind. I deeply respect how hard she works and her commitment to self-growth. I've never met a woman of such substance and beauty. Julie has persevered through tremendous challenges and maintained a bright light of joy about her throughout. Julie is the single most courageous person I know. She inspires me to be the man I've always wanted to be. Julie can sense whatever lies beneath the surface and has the courage to face whatever is there, whether it be resentment, anger, or joy. She exudes a sense of curiosity and wonder at the world and is eager to learn, imagine, and play. Simply put, Julie is the most wonderful person in the world.

Julie About Jake: Jake is beautiful inside and out: he is deep, kind, curious, generous, and patient. When Jake ponders a question, he will quickly get a book (or, three!) to better understand the answer. He is committed every day to becoming his best, most authentic self. He takes the time to deeply understand who he is - and that, in turn, allows our marriage and partnership to be the most authentic it can be. Jake takes on the hard things: from comforting me during sad moments to taking out the trash - Jake never hesitates to take care of his family and his loved ones. He loves to play games and sports, see music, make jokes, and create art. We have more fun each day we get to spend together.

Cultural diversity is a value that is deeply important to us. Julie is mixed race, half-Korean and half-white and Jake is white, with a Jewish father and Christian mother. We both grew up in diverse environments with many friends of different races, cultures, and religious beliefs. We both spent more than a decade living in Washington, DC, one of the most diverse cities in the country.

We have friends and family from all backgrounds (with the exception of indigenous). As an example, our close friends who live nearby, Damelia and Sayo, are Jamaican and Nigerian,and one of Jake's oldest friends, Nina, is El Salvadorian. Julie's family is Korean. Regardless of race, our children can build relationships and be in a community with people of many different cultures, ethnicities, and beliefs.

We have studied and researched the impact of raising a child of a different race. We intend to become educated in, as well as honor and practice, the cultural traditions of our children's heritage. We believe it will be essential that our children have access to a community of people who look like them and who can help immerse and teach them about their culture of origin, especially if they don't resemble us or have the same mix of races or cultures as us. Honestly, we are excited about the opportunity to learn about another culture and go on this journey with our child.

One block from our house is a county park: complete with trails, a big grassy knoll, and a playground. When we walk our dog there every day we wave to the many families playing together. Your child will have a great community of kids with plenty of safe, green spaces to roam, imagine, and create!

Our house is a tri-level: half ranch, half split level with an upstairs and lower level. We have four bedrooms, a big playroom, a huge fenced-in backyard, and a very sunny sunroom. Our kitchen and dining room have huge glass doors that open up to the back patio and yard. We have flowers blooming nearly all year long. Julie converted part of the lower level of the house into an art studio filled with paints, crayons, markers, paper, and canvases.

The neighborhood is nearly out of a storybook. Everyone waves to each other and takes care of each other: all of our neighbors are courteous, respectful, and kind. Children of all ages bike around the neighborhood, play basketball, and make chalk art. And our neighborhood community association hosts many events throughout the year for families and children including an annual Easter Egg Hunt in the park, a Halloween Parade, 4th of July picnic, and more. We are members of a local club that has a community pool and many activities for your child to become involved in, too!

Our families - especially Jake's side - are very active. When we are together, we go for long walks, play tennis, cards, discuss politics, and our inner growth. Jake's father and wife live 5 minutes away. We love spending time with them - especially in their pool. The rest of Jake's family - mom, sister and brother - live within a couple of hours' drive.

Julie's side of the family is an easy flight and drive - this includes her mother, stepfather, and sister. Her brother, John, lives only 25 minutes away and we see him weekly. We also run a family business together, so Julie, John, and Jake work together on a day-to-day basis while also making time for dinners, lunches, and spending time together.

Jake's family has a family farm with four horses and several hiking trails. We spend holidays there with both friends and family alike cooking, celebrating, and laughing. Our summer days are filled with hiking, painting, swimming, and reading in hammocks. We have yet to learn how to ride the horses - but we have dreams of learning one day.

Thank you for taking the time to consider us as potential parents for your precious child.

We write this with a deep sense of humility and respect for your journey. We understand the significance of this decision and assure you that, if chosen, we will honor it with unwavering commitment and love.

And, hello. We're Jake & Julie. Nice to finally meet you!

While we got married in 2021, we've known each other since 2017. First as colleagues, then as friends, and then one day, like a miracle, we found ourselves staring into the eyes of the love of our life. Each day, we honor our vows to honor each other, support each other, and contribute to our foundation of love, trust, and partnership. When we decided to spend the rest of our lives together, we knew that included building a family together. We left the "how" up to God, fate, the universe - and the biological and scientific interventions available to us. After several years of testing, blood work, trying, failing, research, coaching, discussion, processing, grieving, and choosing - we are finally here, writing this letter to you.

Here's a year in the life of Jake and Julie: reading books by a quiet fire on rainy days. Taking Zadee, our mutty 29-pound dog, for hikes through the woods. Dancing barefoot in the grass to live music. Eating all the food with our close group of friends. Spending Thanksgiving in the woods after cooking for two days; Christmas baking cookies and singing carols; birthdays dreaming about summer (we both have birthdays in the winter!). And each day, we laugh, discuss politics and philosophy, hug lots, and dream about the possibilities. Bonus: we also get to work together on social impact companies, leading teams and contributing to the world.

If we have the privilege of becoming parents to your baby, we promise to provide a safe, stable, love and light-filled, nurturing home. Each moment will be cherished, and every milestone celebrated. We will stand firmly by them through life's ups and downs. We will cultivate their personality and interests, shepherd them into the educational path that best suits their abilities, feed them healthy and delicious food, and nurture their dreams. Their childhood will be filled with play, painting, music, love, laughter, and endless opportunities to learn and grow.

We believe our role as parents is to help our children become the most authentic and best version of themselves, whatever that may look like. Whether they want to be an artist, athlete, professor, astronaut, or plumber, we will support and nurture their dreams while teaching them the skills to succeed. We'll help them with their homework, drive them to piano practice, navigate their first heartbreak, and celebrate them as they grow.

Should you choose us as parents for your child, we are committed to maintaining an open relationship with you. We are committed to providing an annual update letter with printed photos. We are open to providing more frequent email updates, arranging phone calls, and in-person visits. You will forever and always be our child's first mother and are a welcomed presence in their life.

We deeply admire your courage and selflessness in considering adoption for your baby. Your love and sacrifice will forever be a part of your child's story, and we will make sure they grow up knowing you and your love for them. We promise to honor your role in their life and to always speak of you with love and respect.

Thank you for considering us as potential parents for your baby. We are filled with hope and excitement at the possibility of welcoming a child into our lives, and we promise to dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to being loving and supportive parents.

With heartfelt gratitude and warmest regards,

Jake & Julie