When we get some downtime, hobbies take up a lot of it. Over the years, many of our hobbies have grown and evolved; some have stayed the same, but others have changed or expanded. They range from outdoor adventures or trying new recipes to binge-reading a series and playing video games.

We both like to read and have since we were young, though Ariel is really the bookworm. It holds a special place in her heart and is something she is excited to share with future children.

Nature is also something we enjoy and get a lot of peace from. As newlyweds, we started hiking, and now we look for places at every new base we are stationed.

Over the last two years, friends introduced us to Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) and some other fun board games. We now have bi-weekly game nights with a big group of friends. It's a blast and has given us such a sense of community at our new duty station.

Cian has also gotten into 3D printing and is having a great time using it to make fun things, as well as solve problems, like printing clock parts. Much like his dad, a retired electrician, he enjoys tinkering. He has a lot of fond childhood memories of helping his dad fix everything from the cars to the house and is hoping to make similar memories with a child of our own.

We have thought a lot about cultural and racial diversity, especially as we started our adoption journey. Should we adopt a child with a different cultural or ethnic background than us, we want to embrace and celebrate those differences as much as possible. There is an amazing amount of resources available, from the courses we took during parenting classes to our own friends and family. Early on, when the child is little, we will have open conversations and want our child to feel comfortable talking to us about any questions they have. We also plan to explore the subject through children's books that focus on diversity and looking for communities so they can grow up with real role models. Living in a military community, we feel that finding those communities will be easier. The military itself is incredibly diverse, and there have been organizations that host events to share their culture at every base we have lived. If we live off base at any base, we plan to research neighborhoods and schools to ensure our child is somewhere they feel included and accepted. We also plan to lean on our friends and family who are in mixed-race relationships and have children, such as Cian's sister and brother-in-law, who have two kids. We have had several conversations on ways to ensure our future child will feel seen, supported, and proud of their identity and background.

We plan to begin sharing our child's adoption story with them from a young age and will provide support at all times. For example, we plan to have age-appropriate books, tell stories about how they came to us, and keep open communication with the birth family (if they wish to be included). Because of our own family history, we value family dynamics and it's important to us that we share those stories and try to answer any questions they may have about their adoption.

We also plan to keep all of their adoption records, and any family records, and create an adoption journey book that we can share with them when they ask. We've been discussing our current adoption progress with others in our community who were adopted and they have shared with us their experiences and any advice about how they wish to have been informed. This has been really insightful, and it's primarily how we came to the understanding that an adoption journey book can bring true comfort to the child and is a strong starting point to answer any questions they may have.

Our home is a cozy three-bedroom townhouse with a small front and back yard located in a neighborhood on a warm and welcoming military base in Japan. Spread between the homes, including right next door, are kids' parks, and they're always full of laughter and filled with neighborhood children of all ages and backgrounds. The house is also luckily by a famous road of cherry blossoms, which are beautiful when they bloom and are the sight of an annual festival to celebrate spring and foster international relationships.

We're fortunate to have wonderful amenities within walking distance, including a community pool, kids' center offering dance and karate classes, movie theater, and a couple of restaurants. Our community also features a nearby international daycare and elementary school, making it easy to meet families from all over the world. We love how the event center hosts activities throughout each month—from themed crafts to game nights and bowling—bringing everyone together for fun and connection.

When we want to leave base to explore Japan, we are a 15-minute walk from the train station and a 1-hour commute to the heart of Tokyo. From there, we can connect with other families, go to the park, or taste various cuisines unique to the area.

Cian's family is blended as his father re-married. Cian considers himself adopted by his stepmother, Sandy. Cian has 2 brothers and 1 sister with a total of 10 nieces and nephews living around North Carolina. Cian's family is big on holidays, especially Christmas. His father and step-mom host the whole extended family and everyone brings sides for the best potluck dinner. Once everyone is stuffed, we all gather to watch the kids open presents and close the night with the adults' annual white elephant game. Cian's biological mother comes to dinner as well, but we always spend time with just her, and we have our own traditions. We pick a new restaurant every Christmas Eve and then watch the lights in town. Afterward, we walk in the park and finish the night with coco and a movie.

Ariel's mother and older sister reside in Georgia, and most of her aunts and uncles live in the surrounding counties. However, since we move so much with the military, we don't see them as much as we like. But when we can visit, it still feels like home. With Ariel's family, we always visit an old catfish fry house that her family has been going to for about fifty years. There are a lot of memories of family dinners, catching minnows, and "gator" watching as a child for her there. We also often make a trip down to the beach since her mother has always loved the ocean, and they took many girl's trips down to Florida over the years.

Thank you for considering us as potential parents for your child. We can only imagine the thought, strength, and love that goes into a decision such as this, and we're beyond honored that you're considering us to be part of your child's life.

Our own journey to parenthood has been long, with a lot of unfortunate setbacks along the way, but we have never given up hope for children. We've been married for nearly 12 years now, and even early on, a family has been a dream of ours, so this is truly close to our hearts.

We met in Georgia at Cian's first assignment in the U.S. Air Force, and after 2.5 years of dating, we married before Cian was re-assigned to Germany in 2013, and we were lucky to spend our first years together traveling Europe. In 2018, we decided we were ready to grow our family, but unfortunately, our first pregnancy was ectopic. Ariel required surgery to resolve her ectopic pregnancy in 2018, and the resulting complications from surgery made having children in the traditional sense unlikely. We tried multiple pregnancy pathways, including in-vitro fertilization, with everything we had, but it just was not meant to be for us in that way. Despite our setbacks, we've never given up on our dream of becoming parents and believe this path to adoption is where our hearts have been leading us all along.

Adoption has been a discussion for us for a few years now because Cian considers himself an adoptee by his step-mother; she filled a critical role in his life from a young age when his parents divorced, and his biological mother was struggling with her health and stability until she completed rehabilitation in 2006 and has remained 100% sober since. Fortunately, through it all, he maintained a connection with both parents, and to this day, we all spend the holidays together and email, call, and video chat regularly.

Our lives have been filled with adventure and gratitude, largely thanks to Cian's military career. With over 16 years of service, he's brought us opportunities of a lifetime to travel the world while visiting 13 countries and 28 U.S. states, making life-long friends with amazing people, and experiencing new cultures. Ariel has been incredibly supportive through all our ups and downs and has stayed dedicated to enriching our family life by working, earning her Associate's Degree in Biology, and giving back to the community through volunteering at local donation and animal shelters.

While living in Japan, we routinely explore local attractions that Tokyo has to offer, and when an opportunity arises, we explore new places. In August 2024, we traveled to Korea for a getaway weekend, exploring Seoul and tasting our way across the city one food stand at a time. At home, Cian spends a lot of time watching sports or with his new hobby of 3D-printing, and Ariel loves to paint the prints to display them. Lately, we've been displaying holiday Pokemon (Pikachu and Bulbasaur are our favorites). We've both stuck to our 2024 New Year resolutions by focusing on building a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, becoming amateur chefs, and finding the best in ourselves to give to each other and a child.

We're genuinely looking forward to meeting you and your child, and, if it feels right to you, to building a lasting, respectful relationship over time. Our hope is to stay connected in a way that's comfortable for you. We plan to send letters and pictures regularly to keep you updated on your child's milestones and memories so you'll always know they're cherished, loved, and raised in a house of all-around respect and dignity. As we open our hearts to the idea of becoming parents, we want you to know that we will do everything we can to provide a nurturing, joyful, and secure environment for your child. We promise to cherish and love them unconditionally and to share with them the values, compassion, and resilience we hold dear and help them to reach their own life goals. Again, we're grateful to you for considering us and hope to connect with you soon.

With all our warmth and respect,

Cian & Ariel