Hello, and thank you so much for choosing to learn a little about us and how we got here. We are Douglas and Sara.
On a random weekend, one of Doug’s best friends began bugging him early in the evening to come and meet up with him and some friends. After chatting for a while, we realized that our mothers lived across the street from one another when we were in high school. Sara was the pretty blonde girl across the street who Doug was always too nervous to talk to! We exchanged texts the next day and went on our first date within a week.
It wasn’t long before we began our adventures together. Our first road trip was through the U.P. We visited Traverse City/Petoskey, where we discovered how much we enjoyed Pond Hill Farm. Returning every fall since this first trip has become an annual adventure. Eventually, we moved in together before getting married on New Year’s Eve!
After a couple of years of marriage and traveling, we wanted to grow our family. We were unsuccessful in our attempts and began the adoption process. Much to our surprise, we were blessed in 2019 with the pregnancy of our son, Liam, and had to put the adoption on hold. Adoption never left our thoughts, and we knew we wanted Liam to have a sibling(s). We are very excited to adopt and welcome a child into our loving, adventuring, and fun family!
My passion for helping others led me to my current career in Human Resources. This job is perfect for me because I get to help others be happy and successful in their careers. For the first ten years of my career, I worked for various non-profits in their HR departments, and I now work for a company that makes life-saving medicines. I also lead the company’s charitable giving program in the greater Lansing area.
Outside of work and volunteering, you can usually find me at yoga class, spin class, or kayaking on a nice day. I mostly stick to summer sports but enjoy snowshoeing if the temperature is above single digits. I was raised in a home where being outdoors and active was the way of life, and I continue to enjoy that lifestyle with my family.
In my adult years, my love for travel has taken over, and in the past ten years, I have averaged visiting one new country a year. I cannot wait to welcome another child into our family to share these passions and experiences.
From being raised in a small town to hopping around the world and living in big cities, I have seen and experienced a lot.
My upbringing in a small town with a close-knit family has greatly impacted who I am today and what I want out of life. My formative years were spent outdoors riding my bike, building forts, throwing a football in the snow, and playing with my brothers. We went on many camping trips each summer out to Colorado with my stepmother’s family.
From a young age, I have loved being with people, helping other’s out, and making them smile. I attribute this to why I joined the military, which easily had the biggest impact on my life. Being in the Marines for five years, I met people from all walks of life here in the U.S. and abroad, which shaped my outlook on people and life.
I enjoy what I do at General Motors and love that it allows me the flexibility to spend time with my family doing activities that make me happy. I love Detroit (pro), and Michigan (college) sports and rarely miss watching a football or basketball game. I go to games occasionally but prefer watching at home with family and neighbors.
I have loved the outdoors since I was a kid. Back then, I’d spend ten hours a day riding my bike or building forts in the woods. Nowadays, I am usually golfing or hunting, but I also love playing softball, boating, hiking, traveling, and going on adventures. Family trips are some of my fondest childhood memories, and I cannot wait to make more with my family in the coming years.
In September 2019, we welcomed our son Liam to our family. The past three years with Liam have been filled with a lot of laughter, joy, and excitement (along with a few frustrations of raising a toddler).
Liam is a very curious and social little boy. He absolutely loves when friends or cousins come over for play dates, adores all things animals (especially dinosaurs), and gets excited about anything he can help with around the house.
When we ask him about becoming a big brother, he gets a big cheesy smile on his face and excitedly asks if it will be a brother or sister. I anticipate we will want to help with caring for a baby and will want to show his new sibling everything he has learned over the years.
Liam loves swimming in the summer, taking afternoon trips to the zoo, and taking to our dogs for walks. I’m so excited for him to be able to share these experiences with a sibling.
Where we live is more than a home, it’s a community and a family. We feel so fortunate to have stumbled upon this location. We have done a lot of work on our 1970s home, like covering sponge paint and replacing shag carpeting. The house has such a nice and open floor plan for everyone to be together comfortably.
Our backyard is the best part of the property, as we live on a small lake with a beach area. We love to kayak and paddleboard and have a pontoon boat that we spend most of the summer on. Our large decks are also great for hosting summer BBQs.
The community and neighborhood we live in are really what keeps us here. Our neighbors have become like family. We spend a lot of time watching football together and having game nights. The community hosts activities all year round, including an Easter Egg Hunt at the community park, a 4th of July party with fireworks, an end-of-summer karaoke party, a Thanksgiving potluck, and a turkey trot. Our community park has a playground, volleyball court, and swimming area, and a basketball court will be coming soon.
We are also only a few minutes away from a small downtown area. Although small, there is a fantastic ice cream shop that we frequently visit in the summer.
We feel very fortunate that our extended families live within fifteen minutes of us. This means we get to spend holidays, birthdays, and weekends together.
Doug has twin brothers who are only a few years older than him. Both of them are married with multiple children. Doug has two half-siblings and three step-siblings, all with children as well. This makes for large family gatherings, lots of young nieces and nephews, and craziness all around when everyone is together. Doug has a very close relationship with his parents and stepmom, often talking to each of them daily.
Sara has one older brother, who is married with two daughters. The girls adore helping with Liam whenever they can and cannot wait for another baby in the family. Sara’s parents also live nearby, and they spend time with their grandchildren every chance they get. You will often find Sara’s dad outside teaching Liam to swim, catch frogs, or ride bikes together.
Everyone in our family is supportive and excited to welcome another child into the family. We get asked at every opportunity for any updates on our adoption process.
There are many special events and other things we share as a family. Some of our hobbies and interests include spending time on the water, having family golf days at the local golf course, trying new restaurants in the area, exploring the local science center, and taking trips together.
Winter: If it’s Christmas time, we will find the best light show, make homemade hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls, or enjoy our awesome sledding hill in the backyard. We also love to explore the lake when it freezes over. Although the snow is beautiful, we try to escape the cold and go somewhere warm each winter, and last year we visited St. Lucia!
Spring/Summer: This is boating and golf season! Most weekends, you will find us swimming, tubing, or just enjoying a nature hike at the nearby state park. Doug loves to golf, and we often go together as a family. Since we live on a lake, extended family members come to our house in the summer, which means lots of cousins running around.
Fall: We love fall just as much, and each year we take a family trip up north to Petosky. We spend a day at Pond Hill Farm picking our pumpkins, going on a gnome hunt, and eating delicious pizza. We also enjoy the local state parks and beaches. It’s also football season Go Blue!
We can’t wait to become a family of four on these adventures.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our profile. We hope that it has given you a glimpse into our lives and shown you the love that we have to share with a child.
We have so much respect for your decision to consider adoption for your child. While we cannot imagine what you are feeling, we believe you are incredibly brave and selfless. We are so excited to open our hearts and home to a child through adoption, and we cannot wait for that day to come.
Please know that any child who joins our family will be loved abundantly and unconditionally. They will be given every opportunity in life, but most importantly, they will constantly be reminded of who they are, where they came from, and the love that their birth mother has for them.
Open adoption is something we feel very strongly about, as we believe that it is essential not only to the child’s well-being but yours as well. We imagine this must be a difficult decision, and we want you to feel at peace with your decision to place your child. We are open to staying in contact, keeping you updated, and sharing with you all of their important milestones. That being said, we will respect your wishes, whatever they may be.
We wish you the best as you journey through the adoption process and decide what is best for you and your child.
With much appreciation,
Doug & Sara
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