As a family of two currently, we value being truly happy and living life to its fullest. We try our hardest to not get stuck into a continuous routine of working, coming home, sleeping, then repeating. We will always check in with each other and think of new activities to do to keep life exciting. That is the dream we have when we become a family of three. Despite the business of having a child, we dream of a life where we value both relaxing "at home" time, but also fun adventures outside of the home. We are fully willing and excited for our family to explore new places and try new things!

The dream we have for this child is for him/her to live a life of happiness. We want this child to become a friendly, empathetic human being while also choosing a life filled with whatever makes him/her happy. Life is short, and even though there are priorities like work and bills, we want our child to learn that happiness is the whole purpose.

We are excited to introduce this child to many different leisure activities, hobbies, and adventures. While we value the exciting things in life, we also treasure quiet family moments spent at home.

Some of Corey's hobbies include: snowboarding, woodworking, & golfing. Some of Jen's hobbies include reading, dancing, & cooking. We both also love animals, and Jen volunteers at a local animal shelter. We love the fact that we each have our own individual hobbies, but also share many things together. We love to watch movies, go on hikes, and try new food. We want our child to experience many different things and follow their heart in how they spend their leisure time. We will support any structured activity they want to engage in and also look forward to doing things as a family. Some things we are most excited to do as a family include: Visiting amusement parks, going on hikes, going out to eat & watch movies, and spending time with family. We don't expect this child to love all of the things we love, but we can't wait to share our passions and also create new memories together.

About Jennifer, by Corey: Love and compassion are the guiding forces in Jen's life, molding her into the strong, incredible woman she is today. She is a dedicated teacher working with children and adults with special needs, currently as a job coach, where she mentors young adults with disabilities. She lives to help others and naturally does good for the world, the quality I most admire. Jen’s love for adventure, whether traveling, exploring new places, or enjoying quiet moments at home with a book and a cat, drives her personality. Her joy for life and finding the good in all things is something I admire. I am lucky to have her by my side.

About Corey, by Jennifer: Driven, fun, and loyal are just a few of the many words I'd use to describe Corey. His determination to reach his life's goals is something I respect. Corey is the most loving and dependent person I know. For those he loves, his advocacy and honor show no limit. His hobbies, woodworking, filmmaking, snowboarding, biking, show his love for learning and adventure. I have known Corey for over 20 years of my life and learned when Corey loves, he loves hard. After knowing the limitless amount of love he gives me, I can't wait to see the incredible dedication he gives as a father.

We live in a nice, quiet neighborhood near the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The surrounding area has several parks, trails, and close access to everything. Also, our community is always full of activity, with events for the holidays, neighborhood block parties, and markets. Every year, we love going to the fall festival held at the local orchard.

Our little house has become a home over the last eight years, a work in progress that we've made our own. Of all the spaces in our house, we both love our kitchen and dining area, for cooking together and hosting family and friends. Corey loves to spend time in the garage-converted woodshop, building furniture as a hobby and Jen loves lounging on the back deck with a book.

It's been a labor of love growing into our house and neighborhood and we hope to add more love in the near future!

We are both very fortunate to have supportive, caring families between the two of us. We've become close with both of our parents and extended families throughout the years and they've each brought us in as their son and daughter. While either of us didn't have official siblings growing up, we are lucky to have close relationships with our extended family. Sunday is our family day, where we visit Jen's parents for lunch and Corey's parents for dinner, a tradition that we cherish.

Jen's parents Mike and Linda have been together since high school and have been a shining example of love and commitment. They've raised her with these ideals to be the person she is today. Also, her Nana has been like a third parent, always involved and present in her life.

Corey's parents, Ron and Barb, have always been by his side, encouraging him to follow his dreams. Their love for him and the example they've set have solidified his decision to become a father.

Together, our family is unique, because they have all known each other since we were in high school and have been by us and each other for 20 years. Everyone is incredibly excited and supportive of our decision to adopt and will be involved in this child's life.

We want to begin by saying how brave and honorable we think you are. The decision you are making is not an easy one, and we hold immense respect for you and for the love that led you here. Our names are Jen and Corey, and we are truly honored to have the opportunity to share a little about ourselves with you.

We have been together for over 20 years, having met in high school, and through all of life’s changes we have grown together with love, patience, and deep commitment. Starting a family has been our greatest hope, and the idea of welcoming a child into our lives fills us with more joy than we can put into words. Typing this letter, in fact, is very difficult because we feel that our happiness and hope cannot be expressed through words. To put it another way, our stomachs have butterflies at this very moment. We have been raised with so much love and want to give it in return. Our greatest wish is to give that same love, stability, and warmth to a child, to raise someone who feels safe, supported, and encouraged to become exactly who they are meant to be.

On a lighter note, we’d love to share a bit about who we are. Jen is a teacher, a dancer, an avid reader, but she also loves quiet evenings at home with our cats and a good movie. Corey is an art director who loves to make short films and anything out of wood. He also enjoys golfing with friends and believe it or not, is a pretty great cook! We enjoy each other’s company, laugh a lot, and are grateful for the life we’ve built together.

We promise to cherish this child and raise them to be a loving and happy person first and foremost. We want the best for them in all aspects of life and will provide them with the space to become who they want to be. Our goal is to raise them with the values and morals that were instilled in us, to be compassionate and find the most that life has to offer. They will be a part of a very loving family, not only with us, but our extended family, friends, and the community that we are in.

With your permission, we would love to stay connected in a way that feels comfortable to you. We are open to sharing letters and photos and are willing to talk about other forms of communication as time goes on, at a pace that feels right. We want to approach this unique relationship with respect and care, with this child's interest placed first.

Please, take some time to look through our profile. It can be difficult to tell us apart from other couples, especially on an online platform, but know we are genuine and determined to start a family. What makes us different is our long history: A history of good times and trying times, of big life changes, of supporting each other, and of love. We are an incredible team and will be amazing adoptive parents to this child. Again, we respect you for all you've done and thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Corey & Jennifer