Our favorite traditions revolve around the Christmas holiday. Each year, Chris takes the week of Thanksgiving off to string holiday lights and decorate the inside and outside of our house, proudly claiming that our outdoor decorations are the best in the neighborhood! The festive spirit continues throughout December with highlights such as attending "Home Alone in Concert" with the Nashville Symphony—Ashley's favorite holiday movie. We also enjoy holiday parties, baking, gingerbread contests, and walking through a one-mile path of festive lights at our local botanical garden. We cap off the month with our annual trip to Canada to experience a white Christmas with Chris's family.

Since Chris is Canadian, we get to celebrate Thanksgiving twice a year—once in October for Canadian Thanksgiving and again in November for the U.S. holiday. We typically spend American Thanksgiving with Ashley's family and take turns hosting. Our favorite is when we host the holiday in Nashville, preparing all the food and enjoying the festivities. We truly love hosting events!

In addition to Christmas, we decorate our house for every holiday and season throughout the year, from the 4th of July to fall. One of our favorite weeknight traditions is pizza night, where we make homemade pizza on the grill and unwind with a movie or TV show after a long workweek. We often invite friends over to join in on the pizza-making fun.

Chris, being from Canada, is an avid hockey fan who can often be found cheering on the Nashville Predators at the arena or watching his favorite team, the Toronto Maple Leaf's, from home. He has been a WWE wrestling fan since childhood and remembers attending live matches with his dad. In our basement, he proudly displays a framed replica of a championship belt. Chris has attended two WrestleManias and is very enthusiastic about the event. When he's not watching baseball or hockey, you can find him in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes. He loves watching cooking shows and videos, then trying to recreate the dishes himself. His specialties include pasta and grilling. Our friends eagerly anticipate dinner when Chris is cooking.

Ashley enjoys baking everything from banana bread, to cookies and cupcakes, to dog treats for our pup, Odie. We have a workout room equipped with Peloton equipment where Ashley follows her daily workouts. Growing up, she played tennis with her family, as well as on her school's tennis team, and still enjoys picking up a racket for fun.

Together, we enjoy visiting a local farmers market on the weekends, which features over 100 vendors and food trucks. Sampling different foods and discovering new restaurants is something we both look forward to. Recently, we took a class to learn how to play pickleball and are now enthusiastic about recruiting more friends to join us on the courts.

We have a 4-year-old Cavapoo named Odie, a mix of King Charles Spaniel and Poodle. He's affectionately known by a few nicknames, including Odie Buddy, The Odester, Stinky, Honey Boy, and Snuggle Pup. Odie is a big fan of cheese, long neighborhood walks, watching TV, car rides, visits to the park, and, of course, treats. If a sock goes missing, you can bet Odie has it and is ready for a playful chase around the house. When Odie isn't stealing socks or napping, you will find him perched by the front window ready to alert us of deliveries or other dogs walking by. We adore Odie and can't imagine our lives without him—he brings us endless joy and laughter.

Odie has been around kids of all ages, including our baby nephew and friends' children. He loves when the kids drop food on the floor or throw toys for him to chase. Odie is a sweet and gentle dog who always brings a smile to everyone around him.

We live in a quiet suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, where we've happily spent the last five years. Our three-level home offers four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a basement, and a bonus room. The open-concept main floor connects the living room, dining room, and kitchen, creating a warm and inviting space for family gatherings. We especially enjoy our basement, which walks out to the backyard where our dog loves to run around and play fetch. Ashley's favorite spot is the workout room in the basement, while Chris enjoys watching sports on the big screen in the bonus room upstairs.

Our diverse neighborhood is very welcoming, and we often stop to chat with neighbors during our nightly walks around the block. Families are often outside, walking their pets, riding bikes, or playing basketball and other games with their children.

Ashley is actively involved in the neighborhood group that organizes annual events, such as a fun end-of-summer gathering with food and outdoor activities for the kids which included a giant Jenga game, a bounce house, sprinkler, and cornhole. Chris is actively involved in our Homeowners Association (HOA) and serves as the Treasurer.

Chris's mom, dad, and younger brother live in Ontario, Canada, not far from Toronto. We make it a priority to see each other in person at least three times a year, though the arrival of a grandchild will undoubtedly increase the frequency of their visits! We also have regular facetime calls with Chris' family to catch up on events.

Ashley's mom and stepdad, who she lovingly calls "Dad" since her early childhood, have been married for over 40 years. Her stepdad gave her the nickname "The Peach" when she was young, after she wore a t-shirt with a Georgia peach on it, and the nickname has stuck ever since. When Ashley was a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp one summer, the little girls called her Miss Peaches.

Ashley's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew live less than three hours away in Alabama. We often gather at their home for family events, as it's a convenient halfway point between us and Ashley's parents, who reside in Mississippi. Though Ashley's youngest brother passed away unexpectedly in 2021, we think of him often and know he would have been the "Fun Uncle."

We are also fortunate to have a close-knit group of friends whom we consider "framily." We celebrate birthdays and holidays with them each year. Our best friends and their 7-year-old son live in the same neighborhood, and we make a point to have dinner at each other's homes every other week, in addition to spending time together most weekends.

We hope this letter finds you well. First and foremost, we want to express our deepest respect and admiration for the courageous decision you are making. Choosing adoption is a profound and selfless act, and we are genuinely grateful for the opportunity to share a little about who we are and why we feel we could be the right family for your precious child.

We have been happily married for over five years and together for nearly 13 years. Our journey as a couple has been filled with love, laughter, and shared dreams, and we are excited to take the next step in our lives by becoming parents. We live in a warm, welcoming home in a quiet suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, with four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and ample space for a growing family. Our home is a place where we envision creating countless happy memories, from family game nights, to backyard barbecues, to cozy movie marathons.

Our neighborhood is lively and diverse, with kids of all ages. We have a community park nearby, and we love visiting the Nashville Zoo and local botanical gardens, where we hold an annual membership. Our home is filled with laughter, largely due to Chris's sense of humor. He is always sharing funny stories or anecdotes he's read online, and entertains us with his quirky "dance" moves while we cook dinner. We both enjoy a good laugh and frequently attend comedy shows at local venues.

Ashley has always had a maternal side, having grown up babysitting her younger brothers and neighborhood kids. We have several friends that have young children and enjoy spending time with them and our toddler aged nephew. Creating experiences with our nephew reinforces our excitement about the possibility of expanding our own family in the future.

Chris is originally from Canada and holds dual citizenship, so our child would also be able to enjoy dual citizenship in Canada and the United States. Chris works as an Accounting Manager in the finance industry and Ashley works in finance and administration at a university. We both have stable careers and have worked for our employers for over 20 years each.

Like many couples, we have faced infertility and undergone several rounds of fertility treatments without success. We even tried using donor eggs but were unable to carry a baby to full term. After our last miscarriage, a close friend who used to work for an adoption agency spoke to us about the adoption process and how she believed we would make wonderful parents. Inspired by her encouragement, we began exploring adoption as a way to grow our family. We also have friends who have adopted two children through open adoption and have generously shared their experiences and relationships with the birth parents. Hearing their stories has been very exciting and encouraging for us.

Our extended families are incredibly supportive and excited about the possibility of a new addition to our lives. They are eager to welcome a new family member with open hearts. Though our extended families don't live nearby, we have close friends that live within walking distance to our house that we considered family.

We understand that this is a deeply personal and emotional time for you. Please know that we are here to support you in any way we can and that we are honored to be considered as part of your child's future. We are committed to an open adoption and keeping you updated on their milestones through pictures and letters, and ensuring you feel connected to their journey in a way that is comfortable for you.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Chris & Ashley