Occupations:Calvin is a VP, Business and Agricultural Banker at a regional bank in our town. He loves being able to partner with community members to help them achieve their dreams. Alyssa works at the local State University and loves connecting with college students and hearing their stories!
Education:Calvin has a B.S. in Agribusiness Finance and is a proud alumnus and sports fan of our local State University we both graduated from. Alyssa has a B.S. in Management Communication, and an M.A. in Educational Policy & Leadership Studies, and is nearing the end of her coursework as she pursues a doctoral degree in Education.
Where we live: We live in a historic neighborhood that has beautiful oak trees and incredible parks. We love that we are close to our beautiful downtown where we love to enjoy local coffee shops, eat at our favorite restaurants, and frequent the Saturday Farmer’s Market. We enjoy walking our dog and attending sporting events at the fields and stadiums that are so close to our home.
Religious affiliation/practice: Our church has given us a community where we feel like we belong and have permission to show up authentically. We attend an Assemblies of God Church in our town and love how committed the staff is to creating environments where people show up and do life together. Sundays are filled with hellos and hugs with people we love and spending time learning about who God is and investing in what He’s doing in our lives and community.
Health:Well-being is so important to our family. We actively commit to moving our bodies and nourishing them well. We have been fortunate to have a clean bill of health and are grateful for the resources we have to maintain it.
Child care plan:There is a Child Development Center on the college campus where Alyssa works. Her colleagues all utilize this incredible child-care opportunity and are always telling Alyssa about the new song their child learned or are showing her art projects they have made. This would allow Alyssa to visit at lunch or pop by any time she wants while feeling so trusting of the care her future children will receive.
School preference:There are several excellent educational options in our city. The most important thing to us as parents is that our children can form meaningful connections and invest in their passions. Whoever they grow up to be and whatever their dreams are, we will have them in a school that will invest and helps them grow in those.
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking new recipes. Cheering on our alma mater at sporting events. Having restful Sundays. Quality times with the best community. Small town bingo. Adventuring to new places. Pets:One dog, a sproodle named Gordon who we spoil with peanut butter and pup cups.
Hello,
So nice to “meet” you Our names are Calvin and Alyssa. It feels so surreal to be “meeting” you only through this letter, but we are so honored to sit with you today. As we write this letter, we are taking time to pause and think about you. Whatever you are feeling and thinking at this moment is so incredibly valid and real. We care deeply about your experiences and how you, as a human, are doing at this exact moment in time. You matter to us whether we connect for a few moments as you read our words and see our pictures, or whether our relationship extends beyond this time. We respect and honor the immense decisions you are making at this moment and we want you to feel empowered in any choices you make. You know your child better than anyone in the world and only you can know what decision is best for your futures. We once had a friend say, “If you’re not feeling hopeful today, you can borrow some of my hope.” If today is hard, you can borrow some of our hope.
We have been talking about becoming parents since we began dating. When we got married we set a “five-year rule” and said we wanted to focus solely on being married and developing strong commitment and companionship before we considered parenting. As we neared this five-year milestone, becoming parents through adoption continued to come to the forefront of our hearts and minds. We both clearly remember a scary, three-hour conversation and saying “are we doing this? Is adoption our next step"? Since that moment God has faithfully affirmed this decision in so many ways. Alyssa began keeping a journal so she could remember all the signs that seemed too big to be coincidences. When we made our “five-year rule” just months after getting married, we never would have guessed that someday we would be writing this letter. But now that we’re here, we are all-in. Our hearts and minds are yearning to expand our family and embrace the life-long commitment of parenting.
We use the phrase, “follow joy” in our home often and cannot even begin to anticipate the joy we will feel as we teach a little human about the world. Calvin’s grandma loved the Bible verse, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” We desire to raise children in a home that is built upon faith in Jesus and gives them the confidence to make a difference in the world.
Thank you for taking a moment to learn about us and for doing life together. We know that this letter can't tell you everything about us, but we do think it's a pretty accurate picture of our lives, marriage, and hearts for parenting. As you navigate what comes next for you and your baby, we are holding you in our prayers. Take care friend.
"Our ultimate goal as parents is to enjoy our children and recognize what a beautiful gift they are. We want them to know their worth, experience overwhelming joy, and feel a deep sense of love & belonging in our family"