No matter what we're doing, we prioritize each other and having fun! It's important to us to have quality time together as a couple and with our friends, the majority of which have growing families. We are so excited to add another playmate to the group! Some of our favorite ways to spend time together are cooking, going on walks, and hosting all kinds of events like dinner parties, baby showers, game nights, and watch parties.

On the weekends, we like to have brunch at one of our favorite restaurants, grab coffee, and take our time enjoying the day. We also like to explore the walking trails that are so close to our house and visit nearby parks to play basketball.

Traveling is something we both enjoy and are fortunate to have experienced throughout our marriage. We love hiking and other outdoor activities, but we also enjoy relaxing at the beach. Some of our favorite places that we've visited have been Norway, Iceland, Croatia, Guam, and Saipan, just to name a few! Traveling will be something we share with our children so they can experience the fun and wonder of being in a new place, as well as develop an understanding and appreciation for learning about other cultures’ history and traditions.

Being a mom and dad will be the greatest responsibility and honor of our lives. When we think about what it means to be parents, we think about the relationships we have with our own parents and how they played the most important role in shaping who we are today. We are so grateful for their love, discipline, understanding, patience, support, encouragement, and example, and want to provide the same care, trust, and relationship for our kids.

We most look forward to being a mom and dad with sincere, lifelong relationships with our kids. We want to be parents that our kids know are unwavering in our love for them and be someone they can trust with their secrets and feelings. Among a million other things, Nick can't wait to soothe our kids when they cry, coach our kids' little league teams, and mentor our kids in business, while Liz can't wait to sing to our kids, watch them learn and grow, and pray together. Ultimately, we both just want to be there.

We love our home and neighborhood! Our 1970’s French Country-style home is located on a quiet, quaint cul-de-sac in a suburb of a large city in Kansas. We moved to this home five years ago because of the amazing schools, proximity to parks (3 within walking distance!), miles of nearby walking trails, and the peacefulness we felt when we were in this home. A year after moving in we renovated the home in preparation to grow our family. We love it and cannot wait to raise little ones here!

We are fortunate to have neighbors of all ages ranging from young families to retirees whose grandchildren live close and visit often. The people in our neighborhood are extraordinarily hospitable and friendly, and we really enjoy the family feeling on our street. In addition to our neighbors, we have a tight knit community of friends with young families that are close by and share the same lifestyle and values that we do. We feel this is especially important, as we believe that family, friends, and community are essential in supporting us as a family. We will be spending a lot of time with our friends, and Liz is especially excited to schedule play dates with the other moms and their children!

We are both grateful to be part of such wonderful families and can't wait to welcome a child into our family tree! Our families are extremely supportive and excited for our pursuit of adoption. Sharing our decision to adopt with our families is such a fond memory and experience in our adoption journey. We currently have four nephews and a niece, and our families are continuing to grow! Both of our families live within driving distance which allows us to see each other frequently, even if just for a fun, casual occasion. And, with Face Time and Zoom, even when we're not together in person, we're always in touch!

Thanks to each of our family's heritages (Nick's family is Croatian and Liz's family is German), our family gatherings always consist of a large family meal. When we're together, we also really enjoy playing cards, board games, and cheering on our favorite sports teams. No matter the occasion, there's a lot of fun and a lot of laughter!

Every few years we schedule a family vacation that involves numerous outdoor activities. Most recently, we visited Colorado, Hawaii, and New Mexico. While in New Mexico, we went to the annual Balloon Fiesta, a truly incredible event with thousands of hot air balloons. We made the most of those days together with bike rides, hot chocolate, and lots of traditional New Mexican food including green chile and sopapillas. It will be so much fun to share these experiences with a child!

We are so grateful to be on the journey of adoption with you. We dream about the moment when our family will grow but, realistically, we know that wouldn’t be possible without this incredible, selfless gift of adoption you’re considering for your child. We are so thankful that you are open to choosing us and trust us as parents.

We met 14 years ago on a church retreat while in college! Nick always says "it was love at first sound" as he heard Liz’s voice while she was singing in the chapel before we officially met. Later during the retreat, when we did officially meet (finally!, Nick says), Liz was drawn to Nick’s sense of humor and Nick was smitten with Liz’s playful, bright personality. We started dating shortly thereafter and, a few months later, when Liz had a gut instinct to never leave Nick's side, we knew something bigger was at play. Two years later we were married at the church where we first met! Although it seems hard to believe, we love each other more now than when we were first married. We can only imagine how much more this love will blossom with a son or daughter in our lives.

Nick considers himself incredibly fortunate to have a job that doesn't feel like work. He works in private equity where he is involved with major investment decisions for the company and oversees the acquisitions process nationally. Nick has worked in real estate for nearly his entire career and can’t imagine doing anything else! We also remodel houses whenever we can. Nick can’t wait for our kids to experience their first "demo day" at a remodel and teach them about business!

Liz worked in business development as a corporate event planner for 10 years, but was fortunate to transition to a part-time career to start making a family-focused lifestyle our main priority as we pursue adoption. Currently, Liz really enjoys the nature of her work in accounting, her co-workers, and the company's culture. She is grateful to work limited hours outside the home, which allows for more quality time with our family and friends.

We look forward to raising our children in a safe, happy, loving, and supportive environment to be mentally strong, spiritually formed, and physically healthy adults that positively impact society and those around them. We have intentionally chosen a set of values for our family that influence our daily decision making and overall life direction as a married couple: we honor God, love wholeheartedly, use our gifts to pursue our passions, and celebrate life. We also value education, a strong work ethic, and grittiness. As parents, we will always encourage our children to pursue their call and do our very best to provide them with the best opportunities possible.

We are very excited for the future and look forward to the continued role you will play in your child’s life, whatever you choose for that to be. We welcome your continued investment and can’t wait to share your child’s growth and experiences with you through phone calls, emails, photos, and letters to mark milestones. We are eager to know you and work to maintain a healthy relationship. We respect you so much for making what we can only imagine to be one of, if not the most difficult decisions of your life. We promise that you will always be spoken of positively, honored, and respected in our home. There is so much to this adoption love story that God is writing, and this is just the first of many chapters.

With love,

Nick & Liz