Joseph and Kendra

 Thank you for taking the time to read our letter to you. We greatly respect your decision to embark on the adoption journey and sincerely hope that you find the right family for your child. We also hope that the information below will help you get to know us and understand why we want to become parents.

About Us:

We met on November 12, 1997 at a coffee shop in downtown, Washington, DC. A mutual friend from our college was getting alumni together, and only the three of us showed up.  We had never met but we definitely looked familiar to each other – even 8 years after graduation!  We soon learned that we had been in two classes together but for some reason, we had never met. We talked for three hours that evening and started dating soon after. We were married on a beautiful, snowy evening in January 2002 at our university chapel. Kendra works for a large non-profit organization and is the director of charitable programs in more than 100 countries around the world. Joe greatly enjoys his work as a senior executive at a large communications corporation. We live in a historic home and love our neighborhood. We have settled in a community that has so much to offer a young person, including lovely parks, free museums, access to a beautiful waterfront and incredible historical sites. (George Washington worshipped just a few blocks from our house!)  We have a furry Samoyed dog who has a warm, sweet disposition and who loves children. We love to travel together and have visited Anguilla, Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, and Tahiti. We also love to go to the theater, to see movies, and to attend concerts. We think that we are happiest, though, when we are at our home relaxing, grilling out on our porch, discussing current events and enjoying each other’s company. We want to share all of these wonderful moments with a child of our own.

Kendra’s Thoughts on Joe:

Joe is a warm, caring, brilliant, sensitive man who always keeps me laughing. In addition, he is a loyal and devoted husband, son, brother and friend. Joe is truly my best friend and is always there for me.  He is an incredible listener, he is affectionate and loving, and he loves my family and friends as if they were his own. He is an equal partner in our relationship and he shares housework, financial management, and care of our dog all at an equal level with me, which is a rare and special trait in a man. He is wonderful around kids and is a fantastic godfather. (He is particularly good at playing “tickle monster” with our godkids.)  I know how incredibly blessed I am to have him in my life. He is everything to me.

Joe's Thoughts on Kendra:

Kendra is the kindest, most generous, most compassionate spirit that I have ever known.  I truly believe the bigness of her heart is the first quality that leaps out when you meet her.  She is upbeat, gregarious, and naturally friendly – she really lights up a room and makes friends with people very quickly.  She is extremely intelligent and is also very empathetic, with a keen sense of fairness.  I should mention that when I met her, she was working full-time at the State Department and also was the lead singer of a band! Needless to say, I am looking forward to hearing many lullabies in our home one day soon. Kendra adores children. When she was young, she worked as a camp counselor for needy children and has been a mentor for a second grader who had reading disabilities.  She showers our three godchildren with love, attention and lots of thoughtful gifts. Every day I am simply stunned by her demonstrations of kindness and generosity. She will be a wonderful mom.

 Our Thoughts on Becoming Parents:

We are eager to become parents and we feel that we are ready to take on this ultimate responsibility. We would like to share the values and love that our parents afforded us with our own child. When we were first married, we wanted to spend time together, travel together, and build our relationship as a couple. (Kendra’s parents were married five years before they had children, and Joe’s parents were married for six. Both sets of parents enjoyed 50-year wedding anniversaries!) We were not successful in having our own children and experienced a few heartaches along the way, but soon after we decided to begin the adoption process. We want our child to feel loved, safe and secure. We also want to give our child every educational opportunity possible to ensure that he/she can have a successful and secure future. In fact, we have already collected more than 50 books for our child’s library in anticipation of many bedtime readings! It will certainly be a top priority for us as parents to make sure that nothing about the fact that our child is adopted interferes with his/her ability to know and understand that he/she is loved absolutely unconditionally. 

Family is extremely important to us, and everyone in our family is immensely supportive of our decision to adopt. There are no grandchildren in our family to date, so needless to say, Kendra’s parents and Joe’s Dad are ecstatic. (Joe’s mom passed away two years ago but she was very excited about the prospect of having a grandchild.) Kendra’s sister is an emergency room doctor who has already agreed to babysit and who will be a fantastic medical resource for us. Joe’s sister and her fiancée are equally eager to have a nephew. Both of our sisters will be incredible role models for our child. We have a vast network of aunts, uncles and cousins, many of whom live just an hour away, who will coddle the new addition to our family.  Our friends are equally supportive that we are hoping to become parents soon and ask us nearly every day when we think we will finally be called “Mom and Dad.”

Thank you

We take very seriously our obligation to give your child the happiest and most loving home that we can provide.  Nothing will be more important to us than to be good parents to our child. We hope that this information was helpful to you and look forward to speaking with you and hearing more about you. 

With warmth and gratitude,

Kendra and Joe