Will and Julie

I would like to introduce you to my family. My name is Julie, and my wonderful husband’s name is Will. I am 28 years old, and Will is 30 years old. We have been married for a little over six years. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for considering us as a possible adoptive family for your child. We have always dreamed of having children, and we would love to make that dream a reality through adoption. I can’t even begin to imagine the emotions you are having to face, but please know that I admire your bravery and courage.

I would like to tell you a little bit more about my background and Will’s background. I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, in a loving, Christ-centered home. I have an older sister, who is married with two children. I grew up camping with my family on the weekends in the local area and to the beach every summer. Camping provided me some of my favorite memories with my family, and I am very excited that my husband and I are continuing the tradition with our own camper. I played soccer and loved going to sporting events with my dad growing up. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, so I developed a close relationship with her. I still remain close to my mom and talk to her almost every day. My family is very tight knit, and most of my close family still lives in East Tennessee. My grandparents are still living, and I love having them be a part of our lives. My niece and nephew (my sister’s children) are two of my favorite people in the world. They are so fun to be around and never cease to make me laugh. My aunt, uncle, and great aunts and uncles come for holidays because they live a little farther away in North Carolina and Texas. My family is so excited to welcome the new addition to our home, and I have no doubt that the child will be loved beyond measure. I currently am a proud owner of my own photography business. I am very excited that doing a job that I love has the flexibility to allow me to be a stay-at-home mom when we receive a placement. I consider raising a child to be the most important job I could ever have, and I am so grateful that Will and I have the ability for me to stay at home.

Will grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, also in a loving, Christ-centered home. He has an older brother and two nephews. Will grew up with a love for watching and playing sports. With his family, he traveled to East Tennessee and various beaches in Alabama and Florida growing up. Will grew up as an avid learner and succeeded in many subjects, especially math and science. This interest led him to getting a degree from the University of Tennessee in Mechanical Engineering. Will is currently employed at a manufacturing facility as an engineer. Most of his family lives in Middle Tennessee, and we try to visit as much as possible. Will’s mother has been a NICU nurse for over 40 years. This passion and love for small children has her very excited for the addition to our family through adoption. Will’s family is less familiar with adoption than mine, but this process has created great opportunities to start conversations about the amazing role that adoption plays. Will’s family is thrilled to see us go through this process and looks forward to welcoming the child into our family.

Will and I met at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We had both grown up very involved in our churches, so it seems appropriate that we met at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. We were friends for two years before we started dating. Will’s kindness drew me to him. We dated and were engaged for a year and a half before getting married in 2015.

Will and I love to travel, and some of our favorite places that we have visited are Spain and Portugal, the Grand Canyon, cruises to the Caribbean, and camping at State Parks, beaches, and other beautiful campgrounds around the Southeastern United States. We can’t wait to share our love of travel and the world with a child. We spend a lot of our weekends going to UT football games, camping in our camper, hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, and spending time with family either in East Tennessee or Middle Tennessee. I love to capture family adventures and memories with my camera. Since I am a professional photographer, I love to take pictures while we travel and around the local area. I look forward to capturing precious memories of our adopted child as they grow up.

Will and I have been talking about adopting a child since we were dating. That has always been a desire of my heart because my uncle, my aunt, and a very close family friend (practically a sister) were all adopted. Adoption has been a part of my extended family for as long as I can remember, so I wanted it to be a part of my family with Will. Will and I agreed before we got married that we would adopt at least one child. Little did we know that we would find out that we have infertility issues. We have both always wanted to be parents, so we decided that the best path for us to grow our family was through adoption. We feel very blessed with the wonderful support system that surrounds us in our families, friends, and church. We have no doubt that our adopted child will grow up knowing how loved they are and knowing how special of a story they have because of a birth mother who loves them so much. Have no doubt that we will always speak to the child about you in a positive light. We want the child to know how much you love them.

Will and I have a deep faith in God. We want to raise our adopted child to know the grace, love, and salvation of Jesus. We know because of Proverbs 22:6 that the most important thing we can do is to “train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” Will and I want to raise our adopted child to be a light to others and serve others with the talents that God has blessed them with. Our hope is for our adopted child to grow up in the church and allow that to build a foundation for their life. We want to teach them to work hard, but to also know how to have fun and appreciate God’s creation around them. As our adopted child grows up, we will strive to encourage them to explore sports, music, art, or any other interest that they may have. We desire to support our adopted child and for them to know that we will always be there for them.

I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for considering us as an adoptive family for your child. We are resting in the promises of Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We hope you are, too.

With Love,

Julie