Waiting Families
Hunter and Amy
Thank you for reading our letter. We want you to know how grateful we are that you are considering adoption for your child and commend you for such a brave, unselfish decision. We can’t imagine how you feel but hope by reading a little about us you will feel confident about the decision you will make for your child’s future well being.
We are Hunter and Amy. We grew up living about 25 miles from each other but never met until a mutual friend introduced us about 8 years ago. We got along instantly and found we enjoyed doing just about anything together. We were raised with very strong family ties and have always known we wanted to have children. We have been married for six years and have learned so much about ourselves from our experience with infertility. It has made us a stronger couple and more determined that we should expand our family through adoption.
Hunter works for the local Electric Cooperative where he designs new services for homes and businesses. He has been there for 15 years. He graduated from William & Mary where he studied Sociology. He has a positive outlook on life and a strong work ethic. He grew up an only child, but always had cousins around. He has a natural rapport with children and will be a great role model as a father. He became a deacon at church last year and is a member of the Masonic Lodge. Most weekends will find him working on his large vegetable garden in the summer or completing do-it-yourself jobs in our home. He also enjoys crabbing and oyster harvesting off our dock.
Amy works for a family owned Heating and Air Conditioning contractor. She has also worked off and on as a travel agent. She loves the research that goes into planning a trip and has been lucky to travel in Europe, the Caribbean and cities such as New York. She graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans where she studied Communications and History. She has always loved being around children. She earned extra money as a teenager and in college from babysitting and she and Hunter still lend a hand occasionally sitting for family members. Gardening is something we do together. Amy prefers flowers to vegetables and we both work at canning and cooking the vegetables from our garden. Friends always anxiously await Amy’s annual batches of pepper jelly and pickles.
We live in a rural community near the Chesapeake Bay where we both grew up. We like the fact that the area has not been overdeveloped by commerce and real estate. It is the kind of place that no matter where you go, you always see somebody you know. We enjoy the laid back lifestyle of living on the water. We love to spend our time off water skiing or exploring the river in our kayak. While we love being in the country, we are lucky to be able to enjoy trips to the beaches in North Carolina and Ocean City, Maryland, day trips to Richmond, and weekends in Washington, DC.
The county has spent the last ten years replacing the outdated school buildings with brand new ones. As a result the elementary school now has one of the best educational records in the state. The middle and high schools are now housed in a state of the art facility which opened in April 2009. The area also supports a few private schools. There are plenty of organized activities for children such as little league sports, arts programs and scouting troops. We also like that we live close enough to take day trips to visit many historical sights such as Colonial Williamsburg, Mt. Vernon and Stratford Hall.
Our home is situated at the end of a quiet road with little traffic. There is a large yard all around the house with plenty of room for a swing set or for playing catch. We have 3 bedrooms and a large living room and a family room. We have a back deck with on which we enjoy entertaining family and friends with BBQ’s or Steamed Crabs. Our next door neighbors are a retired couple, the rest are weekend residents and we all look out for each other. We have a cat named Sassafras who is very spoiled and lovable.
Both our parents live nearby so we see them often. Amy’s mother is a nurse who works at the local hospital and Hunter’s mother has worked for many years as a teacher’s aide. With grandparents ready to spring into action, our child will be raised with love, learning and happiness. Amy’s brother and his family live in Northern Virginia and we visit with them every few weeks and keep in touch by phone and the internet. We have been thrilled to have shared milestone moments of our niece, nephew and numerous cousins from christenings and birthdays, to sporting events and graduations.
We have decided to share our love and commitment by opening our home and hearts to a child of our own. We would like to include your child in our family dinners and holiday celebrations with our extended family. One of those is the annual Independence Day celebration. Both sides of our family celebrate the weekend together with fishing trips, picnics, watching the parade in town and then the grand fireworks display at the end of the day. Our child will be raised and loved not only by us but by an extended family of friends and relatives.
We believe loving a child unconditionally is the most important gift. We both have experienced the joy adoption has brought to other families. Amy’s best friend from high school was adopted from Taiwan and Hunter has a childhood friend who was adopted. We would assure our child that both the birth family and adoptive family wanted the best life for them and that is why they are here with us. Our life together is wonderful and we can’t imagine not sharing it with a child. We both think on a daily basis of all the experiences we can share with our child including growing up with such a tight knit family and community. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful place surrounded by friends and loved ones who are just as anxious as we are to share our lives with a child.
With best regards,
Hunter & Amy