Ryan and Michelle

Ryan & Michelle

Hello!
We are Ryan and Michelle. We would love to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. Our life started together when we met in Memphis in training for our jobs. We were married in 2006 and knew we wanted to start our family quickly after. After many infertility treatments, we began to explore the journey of adoption, and realized this was the path we were meant to take. The difficulty of infertility has only strengthened our desire to raise children.

We admire and respect you for the love you have for your child. We know there is a special bond between the parents that give life and the parents that guide that life. Our children will know they came into this world with the love of two families, not one.

A little about us
We are a happy and fun loving couple who can't wait to be parents. We enjoy spending our time quizzing each other with movie and TV trivia, playing t-ball with the neighborhood kids, entertaining with our neighbors, and playing with our two dogs. For fun we love to take vacations. Whenever we get three or more days off we're on a plane flying some place we haven't been before. We have traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Jamaica, Florida, and Las Vegas (notice a warm tropical theme?) in the past couple of years. When we aren't traveling we like to stay in and work on our house. Ryan is taking a special pride in our lawn and Michelle tries her best not to kill the beautiful flowers that keep coming back. She does not have a green thumb!

Ryan (by Michelle)
In his free time, Ryan enjoys mowing our lawn, bbq-ing up something spicy, and watching sports. Ryan loves baseball, his summer goal each year is to attend a game in as many different baseball stadiums as possible. His favorite teams are the Dodgers and the Cubs, but since moving to Minneapolis three years ago he has become a Twins fan too. When I look into the future, I see Ryan coaching our son or daughter's t-ball team and never missing a game. I know he'll be a great dad.

Michelle (by Ryan)
Michelle loves kids so much that she has dedicated her career as a social worker to helping children. She is so excited to be adopting! I have no doubt that she will be an excellent mother! In Michelle's free time she likes to walk our dogs, plan parties with our neighbors, quiz me on trivia, and read gossip magazines. When I look into the future, I see Michelle finger painting, reading, and going on walks with our children.
Our families
Our most important relationships are with our families. We both grew up in close families, so family time is very important to us. We enjoy holidays, vacations, and much of our free time with them. Both of our families are excited for us to be on this journey to parenthood.

Ryan grew up in southern California. Even though most of his family still lives there, it's easy to visit across the country when you're a pilot! After graduating with a degree in biology from a university in California, Ryan moved to Chicago to attend graduate school. During grad school, Ryan decided he would follow his dreams (since he was a little boy) and fly airplanes. Ryan is now an airline captain based in Minneapolis.

Michelle grew up in a small western Minneapolis suburb. Michelle's parents were divorced when she was 12. Both of her parents live within 25 minutes of our home, which allows us the opportunity to have many family dinners and parties throughout the year. Michelle graduated from a small northern school with a degree in social work and is currently working as a social worker. Michelle is an only child with a step sister, a nephew, and a ton of extended family of almost 30 cousins! We are fortunate to have grown our family through adoption as three of Michelle's cousins were adopted as infants.

Our home
We live in a small growing community west of Minneapolis. Our home is on a corner lot with a park nearby and in the winter a great new skating rink behind our backyard. A typical lazy afternoon will find parents grilling on their decks, families walking their dogs, and children riding their bikes up and down our streets. Our neighborhood is a wonderful place to raise children. We are very close to our neighbors, having regular family cookouts and get togethers. A big hit is the annual pumpkin rolling contest every October!

Thanks for reading about us!
As we prepare to expand our family, we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. We have an open place in our home, arms, and hearts waiting for a child to love. We would love to meet with you!

We can't wait to talk to you!
Ryan & Michelle