Shea & Ryan

We were fortunate to find love later in life and are excited to build our family. In many ways, we thought this was a dream that would not materialize, but then were introduced to the Gladney Agency and felt a renewed sense of hope and gratitude. While we are far from perfect, we both have a strong support system, jobs that we enjoy, and a family where love abounds. We have a 14-year-old son who is excited about being a big brother. In talking recently, we reflected that although we could explore many paths to parenthood, our baby may already be born (or developing). We are open to remaining in touch with the birth family and look forward to the opportunities that can come from building a solid identity for this child. We have so much to give, have much to learn, and feel that parenting is one of the greatest teachers. Throughout our childhood and to the present, we have appreciated an amazing village (in addition to our parents) that supported us and helped us to have the successful lives that we live today. It is for these reasons we want to provide a strong, loving foundation for a child. We deeply desire to grow our family with more children and to give our son the sibling(s) he has always wanted!

HARDY AND CHARLIE Hardy (Maltipoo) may be small, but he is mighty! Charlie (Springer Spaniel) is larger and is a big teddy bear. Both are getting older and are gentle protectors of our family. We strive to be the people our dogs think we are!

We are grateful for our house that is a home. In these walls, we laugh, dance like no one is watching, share joys, and sorrows. For us, dinner time around the table is sacred. In the busyness of careers and school, it is our time to exhale, disconnect, and reconnect. The main floor features a large kitchen, office, formal and casual dining space, master bedroom suite, laundry, half bath. living room, and a cozy fireplace for the Winter. From the kitchen, we often transition to our screened in porch to enjoy the spring and summer Upstairs, we have three bedrooms (one for JW and two to grow into), a family room, and two full bathrooms Our home is a spacious one within a large, yet tight-knit neighborhood that features a park for the eight houses on our circle, soccer fields, walking trails, tennis courts, and a community pool.

Shea is a big fan of holidays and has decorations for every occasion. Our favorite holiday is Christmas, and it is not officially the holiday season until after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We enjoy ringing in the New Year at the beach in Florida. Between Christmas and Easter, we celebrate Mardi Gras then have our fill of crawfish until Father's Day. On the Fourth of July, we remember Shea's Granni, and are spectators at the neighborhood parade. All summer long, we spend lots of Saturdays at the neighborhood pool and soak up the sun. In the fall, we welcome the start of the academic year on our campuses and the start of college football season. We don't have a lot of traditions, but a few that have emerged are that we often have seafood on Christmas, try catfish on Fridays, enjoy red beans and rice on Mondays, and have Tacos on Tuesdays. As we think about it, it seems most of our traditions revolve around FOOD!

We're grateful for our biological and chosen family. Since we have relatively small immediate families, we have always been surrounded by lots of friends. Our "people" include a strong village who represent diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. It is important that w e surround ourselves with those who share similarities and differences, and it is through both that we learn to appreciate our identities and those around us. We were both fortunate to have our grandparents with us until recent years:. Shea has two brothers (born 18 years apart!) and Ryan has one. Ryan was raised by an amazing single mom and maintained a close relationship with his grandparents who were married for 70 years and also had a hand in raising him. Shea's parents have been married for over 40 years and continue to provide a great support system. Shea's spunk comes from her maternal grandmother who was very active in the Civil Rights Movement. She is a signifiant reason that Shea is so passionate about diversity, inclusion, and the power of story.

We love to travel! Our developing motto at home is, "collect memories and not things." We have made an investment in spending quality time together and love exploring. Some of our favorite trips have been to the Florida Gulf Coast, Myrtle Beach, SC, Newport Beach, CA, New York City, and Chicago, IL. Recently, we visited Kauai, HI, and got to explore the "Garden's Island's" natural beauty. We also love going home to Mississippi and Louisiana. Each time we come away with new memories and begin planning our next ones. One of our favorite places to visit is Orlando, FL. We've names ourselves, "Team Scream," because we are along for the ride, at amusement parks, and in life! We look forward to seeing the world and our bucket list includes Italy, Australia, and South Africa.