Jaclyn & Brad

“Brad and Jaclyn have such huge hearts. They have loving and supportive families who value quality time together, and have already touched the lives of so many children through teaching and nonprofits. I am so proud to have them in my life, and I know they’re going to be such good parents.” -Our friend and Jaclyn’s former student, Kaleigh “During my sophomore and junior years, I had the pleasure of having Jaclyn as my tech theater teacher. During this time, she was such a supportive and kind person in my life. I have such fond memories of being in her class as we learned about sewing and other elements that go into the costuming part of theater. She was always so patient with us and was always willing to teach us about different things we were interested in. I was always excited to hear about her and Brad’s newest adventures and her tales about her dogs and what they were up to. At the end of my junior year, she shared with us that she was no longer going to be a teacher because she had another career opportunity come up. Although I missed her dearly my senior year, I always knew she was still there to support me. Whenever I was in her class, the phrase she used most often was “live your dreams”, and I remember those words every day to help motivate me. Jaclyn is one of the most kind and generous souls I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” -Jaclyn’s former student, Hawaii “Based on credentials alone, Jaclyn and Brad are excellent potential parents. Jaclyn has a deep understanding of childhood development due to her years of experience as a teacher. As a community theater director, she volunteers her time encouraging young people to try new things and express their creativity. She and Brad are a devoted aunt and uncle to their nieces and nephews, and enjoy close relationships with a loving and supportive family. More important, though, are the things that can’t be listed on a résumé. It’s been my privilege to know Jaclyn almost since birth. She is everything you’d want in a mother — intelligent, warm, nurturing, and fun. When I think back on my best memories from childhood, Jaclyn is almost always involved. She was the shoulder to cry on after a hard day. She was the best person to share a deep, uncontrolled belly laugh with. She was the friend I could rely on, no matter what. I know without a doubt that she will cherish and pour herself into any child placed in her care, and I hope you feel confident that she and Brad are the best parents for your little one.” -Our former classmate and Jaclyn’s childhood best friend, Carman “Brad and Jaclyn have been some of the most important people I’ve ever met throughout my life. I met them through my high school’s theatre program when I was 14 and had just begun thinking about what to do with the rest of my life. They have been nothing but kind to me throughout these years and has given me and so many others the courage to; be who they are, express themselves, and chase their dreams. I never told them this, but I thought of them as a set of parents to me; as family. It’s because of them that I’ve been able to walk my current path and have the chance to chase my dreams. They’ve given so much to the community, and I know that they will have so much love to give to a child. This child will be so blessed to have such wonderful parents and to live in a community they have helped shape and brighten. This community loves their family, and we’re over the moon to see them take this new journey to provide a safe and loving life to a child.” -Our friend and Jaclyn’s former student, Thomas “Jaclyn was my theater teacher for all four years of highschool. I worked with both Brad and her in community theater production over the course of those same years. Through some of the most fragile years of my life when I was trying to figure out my place in the world, Jaclyn was a rock for me. She challenged me to look at art — and the world — differently. And she challenged me to make my own mark on it. Jaclyn consistently encouraged me to audition for shows, especially when I didn’t think I would get the part. Show by show, my confidence in myself grew. And I know that’s all because Jaclyn was in my corner, believing in me before I believed in myself. Jaclyn and Brad’s child will grow up in a home filled with art, encouragement and so much love. They will grow up learning to create, to believe in themselves, and most importantly, to be kind. I know that I am the person I am today because of the way that Jaclyn and Brad touched my life. Their child is going to be so, so lucky to have them as parents.” -Our friend and Jaclyn’s former student, Jade “As a mother, I can say wholeheartedly that Brad and Jaclyn are already parents at heart. Through my children’s (their niece and nephew) lives, Brad and Jaclyn have been a constant source of support, love, conversation and fun. Brad is always our go to with questions about sports, technology, movies or music. He is always patient, kind and careful to explain things to my kids in a way they can understand what he is saying. My son has very fond memories of learning to play his first video games with Brad on his computer, tagging along to baseball games with him, and years of conversations over the breakfast table every Sunday. Jaclyn is a witty, patient and loving Aunt, always willing to love and accept my kids in their uniqueness and differences, and meet them where they are. Whether it’s lengthy conversations about their love of dogs, sloths, or dinosaurs, my daughter is constantly reminded of Jaclyn in the fun things she sees in life. My children have always loved Brad and Jaclyn dearly and felt so safe with them. As a mom, there’s nothing better than knowing that your kids feel loved and safe. It is without a shadow of a doubt that they will be exceptional parents with a home filled with love, support, compassion, music and dogs!” -Brad’s sister, Kim “My sister is nurturing, empathetic, and open minded without judgement and ridicule. She and Brad both know tragedy and understand that emotions are real and valid. They will be beautiful parents and will give a child the chance to be themselves. They are both brilliant in their own separate ways, making them a power couple of knowledge. While struggling to bring a child into this world, I have watched them grow into this amazing team. They will be extraordinary.” -Jaclyn’s sister, Jessica

Welcome to our home! We live in a small-ish town in Texas where we both grew up. Our town is growing in population and is a very short drive to a major metropolitan area, but it still has the quiet small town feel that we grew up with. All of our parents and siblings live within about a 20-30 minute drive from us, and Brad’s dad is actually less than 5 minutes away! Our house is in a nice, quiet subdivision that’s close to a good daycare, a good elementary school, and one of our town’s two middle schools. We have a good sized, very open backyard that’s surrounded by a privacy fence for safety. It backs up to a ranch, so it’s also surrounded in the back by lots of trees, which gives us even more privacy. There’s a lot of room to run around with the dogs. In the spring and early summer, Jaclyn usually has a garden where she grows vegetables, peppers, and strawberries until it gets too hot to grow anything. Our home is pretty colorful. We like to collect and create interesting artwork to hang on our walls, and we have a big picture window in the dining room where we keep house plants. A friend once told us that our living room looked like it would be on a jigsaw puzzle, and we took that as a pretty big compliment!