To Someone Special,

We are Steve and Jodi and we are so excited to have this opportunity to tell you a little about our lives and how much we want to adopt. We hope this book will give you a better feel for our family and be helpful for you as you continue your journey for you and your baby. We truly admire your courage and pray that you find peace by following your heart. We are praying for you during this difficult time. We will never know how difficult it is for you but want you to know that we are here to support you and pray for you. Your baby is a gift from god and one of life's miracles. You are a special person and we respect you for the decision that you are making.

On June 4, 1994, Steve and I met through mutual friends. Jodi knew immediately that Steve was what she was looking for. We both feel that fate played a huge roll in us meeting that night. We had a wonderful and fun year of dating. We then got engaged and were married a year later on June 1, 1996. We just celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Both of our parents have been married for more than 40 years so we have good role models to look at. We are good at communicating and understanding one another. Our marriage is solid filled with love, laughter and commitment. We enjoy having date night for just the two of us and talking at night after Gretchen has gone to bed. Steve never leaves the house in the morning without saying "I love you" and giving a kiss goodbye. We show affection towards each other and our families.

Steve and I love being parents and feel that we have so much love in our hearts for one more child. Jodi's family has a history of infertility problems. We were blessed to have one child without any complications with the pregnancy or delivery. My infertility started right after the birth of our daughter. We were very sad at first but with the support of each other we are now completely happy with where we are at today in our lives. We feel that God has a plan for our family and this is what his plan is. Our faith plays a huge role in our lives. We would be so blessed to have another child come into our home. Our home is filled with laughter and fun! We cannot wait to fill our lives and our home with another of life's miracles. Please read about us and think about choosing us as the special family in which your child can both grow and prosper.

Steve
I was born in Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. My dad worked as a Hospital Administrator at the hospital and my mom was a secretary for a church organization, but stayed home to raise me when I was young. I grew up in Skokie, Illinois where I lived with my older brother, mom and dad. I would play baseball and ride bikes with my friends in the neighborhood. Our neighborhood was very active and I went to a neighborhood school with all of my friends. Believe it or not, I remember my first week of kindergarten. I was so shy that I don't think I spoke a word all week. In my early childhood, my favorite class was music (favorite song was John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt). Growing up, I remember visiting my mom's parents, who were retired and lived in Florida. I also remember visiting the museums in downtown Chicago with my family. I loved the Museum of Science and Industry (favorite attraction was the coal mine), Field Museum (favorite attraction was the Egyptian mummies) and Brookfield Zoo (favorite attraction was the Gorilla house). Throughout my early childhood, I was very involved in children's programs at church and was involved in Boy Scouts. Following in my dad's footsteps, I wanted to be an Accountant when I grew up.

Throughout grammar school and high school, I was a very good student. My favorite class was history, but I also enjoyed business, math and Spanish. I was involved with various school activities and also worked part-time at the high school attendance office and than at the Gap clothing store at a local mall. One of my favorite memories was a large church teenager gathering (2000 kids) in Fort Collins, Colorado. After high school, I attended Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois and majored in Finance. I loved college because I met so many new friends from all over the country. After graduation from Northern Illinois University, I worked in Investment Operations for a Real Estate Company in downtown Chicago. While working full-time (and living downtown at the time), I went to DePaul University to earn a Master's Degree in Finance. After that, I worked as a Financial Analyst, Internal Auditor and Product Manager at a major bank in Chicago. I am a very organized person with an eye for detail and a good person to work with.

During this time, I met Jodi through mutual friends. Our first official date was a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Chicago on Lake Michigan. It was a little chilly but was a great cruise. We were inseparable that first year. We would either spend the weekends at Jodi's apartment in Grayslake or my apartment in Wrigleyville. I would send flowers to Jodi's work every two weeks. We did many things like going out with our friends, putt-putt golfing, Ravinia, stayed home to watch movies, small weekend getaways and found many places to go out to eat at. I had no idea that I was going to propose to Jodi the day that I did. It was spontaneous and it was a good thing she said yes even though I had not purchased a ring yet. We eventually had the official engagement two weeks later with a ring, champagne and pizza! We also had a wonderful engagement. I was very involved in the planning of our wedding and everything went smoothly that day. The Pastor even held off the rain until the reception.

I enjoy spending time with my wife and six-year old daughter, Gretchen. I also enjoy volunteering at church (in the children's programs), going to museums, riding my bike and jogging. I enjoy traveling to see our relatives, whom are all relatively close. I also enjoy traveling to any place that is a sunny destination. We are excited to have this opportunity to tell you a little about our lives and how much we want to adopt.

Jodi
My early childhood began in Decatur, Illinois. I grew up there and lived in the same house for 22 years. My family consisted of my Dad, Mom, one older sister, one older brother and one younger brother. We had a beautiful back yard with a pond. The pond even had a bridge across it. We spent many days in our back yard. We also worked together as a family working in the yard. We would rake it in the spring and fall. We would then cap off the day with a weiner roast. We also had a lot of fun with sledding, ice skating and canoeing. My parents still live in that house and I always find myself going down to the pond every time I go home. My Dad works for Caterpillar and has been there for over 40 years now. My Dad always felt it was important to teach us anything he could from putting something together (very important to know with all of those baby gadgets) to manners. My Mom was a stay-at-home mom until we were older and then went to work. She is always there for us. I often find myself calling her still when I am sick. My Mom always made sure that there was a homemade cake or cookies in the house.

Growing up, I always liked school and I was a very good student. It was actually kind of funny because I would get upset if I had to miss a day. I participated in band where I played the Alto Saxophone. I was in the Concert Band, Pep Band and Jazz Band. I was also part of the Flag Squad in the Marching Band. My part-time jobs consisted of working at True Value Hardware, baby-sitting and walking the dogs in the neighborhood. I worked very hard to pay for my things and my education. When I was 22, I graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Business Degree in Finance. After graduating, I moved to the suburbs of Chicago to start my career with a mortgage company. I have been there ever since! I love my job because I get to help families move into their new homes. I also train the new employees at our company. It is a very rewarding position. My job is also very flexible with my hours. Right now, I work 3 ½ days each week. I also have the flexibility of working from home if I need to.

I do have a challenge in my life. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1996, which is the year we got married. It all started in my index finger two weeks before our wedding. I was finally diagnosed in September 1996. It was pretty rough in the beginning. I had a very hard time walking up and down stairs and my energy level just wasn't there anymore. I finally got relief in 1998 when a new medication came out. With the new medications that they have out today, I am able to run up and down the stairs now. My prognosis is good and I have very little damage in my joints since we caught it in its early stages. The medication that I am on keeps me stable and even stops the progression of any damage. Any person walking down the street would not be able to tell that I have arthritis. I don't hide it though. My arthritis has made me a strong person. Yeah, I have some bad days, but who doesn't?

Being active is very important to me. I work part-time, volunteer with the Junior Woman's Club and volunteer at church. I organize the worship team room for the 2-5 year olds at church. I am also part of the Children's Ministry Team at church. We organize Vacation Bible School, Team Kid and many other activities. It is very important to me to show our children how important it is to give back to the community and to volunteer. I enjoy walking our dog, spending time with family and friends and just relaxing. I also enjoy our vacations that we take with just us or our families.

Gretchen
I was born on Monday, January 10, 2000. As a baby, I loved music, Sesame Street toys and cuddling in my cozy blankets. I just finished kindergarten and loved every minute of it. My favorite activities include playing with Barbie dolls, having movie night with my family, taking vacations, riding bikes, playing with Polly Pocket dolls, taking walks with our dog and most importantly eating ice cream (strawberry ice cream with raspberries and sprinkles). I also love going to the zoo. My favorite animals include polar bears, horses, penguins and cows.

My favorite foods include Portillo's hot dogs, Lou Malnati's and any kind of fruit. I love having play dates with friends and especially like playing cowboys with my cousin Matthew. Matthew is like a brother to me. I attend Sunday school and Vacation Bible School at church. I just finished Daisies and will be a Brownie next year. I also love to swim and I started playing T-Ball this year. I especially love to read. I can now even read to my Mom and Dad at night instead of them reading to me! My mom and dad have taught me a lot about manners and about making the right decisions.

Our Home
We live in a nice, suburban neighborhood in a beautiful 4-bedroom, two-story home. Our neighborhood is full of children and a park that is walking distance away. It is often very difficult to get our walks in since we often stop to talk to neighbors along the way. The walks can turn into more than an hour long. The community that we live in is filled with many opportunities for children. There are fantastic libraries, excellent schools and beautiful parks everywhere. Our house is a home. We love to have family and friends over to just sit back and relax. Jodi loves to entertain and Steve is pretty good at the grill. His friends still talk about his grilled ostrich and buffalo! We are always outside playing on the play set in our backyard or out front playing ball or riding bikes. In the winter, we cuddle up in front of the fireplace with our pillows and blankets and have movie night. Jodi also helped start our Neighborhood Bunco group. We meet once a month at each other's houses to play Bunco but sometimes we find ourselves having so much fun that we never get to the game! Our neighborhood also has our yearly block party where all the families get together for a day of fun, games and food.

Mango, our Golden Retriever
Mango was born on April 21, 2005. She just had her one year birthday. Jodi and Gretchen made special doggie treats for Mango on her birthday. Mango even got a special trip to the pet store to get a new collar and leash. Mango finished off her birthday evening with doggie ice cream. She loved it!!! Mango is part of our family. We used to have an older Golden Retriever named Annie. Gretchen used to say that Annie was her older sister, Gretchen was the middle sister and Mango was her younger sister. Unfortunately, we lost Annie this past Christmas. She is greatly missed by many people. Mango has helped us through this and keeps us laughing every day. She has a very funny personality. Jodi did take Mango to obedience class so she is well trained. She even listens to Gretchen's commands. Mango's favorite thing is to wake everyone up in the morning after she gets back from her daily walk with Jodi. She will run upstairs to each room to see how everyone is doing. Mango is very loveable. Mango enjoys taking walks, playing with her football, chasing balls, watching the birds and watching out the window. Her favorite thing, though, is swimming at the Christmas Tree Farm in the lake. She is a very good swimmer!

Our family
Our family enjoys doing many things together. We run errands together and even go to the grocery store together. Some other things that we enjoy are going to the zoo, the Morton Arboretum, taking the train to the city of Chicago, concerts, plays and seeing family and friends. We also enjoy going to see the U of I basketball games with my sister and her family in Champaign. Our evening can start with a walk together and then a trip to our favorite ice cream shop.

We are very fortunate to have many family members close to us. Jodi's family is within a two-hour drive and Steve's parents are within an hour drive. Jodi's parents own a Christmas Tree Farm in Central Illinois. It is on a lake so we spend many weekends down there the whole year. Christmas time is our favorite though since we get to go down there to help with their Christmas Tree sales. We get together with Jodi's sister, Lisa and her husband, Jeff. They have two boys. Matthew is 3 years old and Michael is 6 months old. Michael is adopted and has been a true blessing to our whole family. Gretchen & Matthew are like brother and sister. We hope someday that Michael and our adopted child will have a very special bond. We are also Godparent's to both, Michael & Matthew.

Steve's parents are retired. They enjoy taking us on vacation with them and coming to visit us for a day of shopping and going out for dinner. We see our families often and enjoy going on vacation with all of them. We all rely on each other for support and are very close. We communicate on almost a daily basis. Our families are both supportive of our adoption plans and are looking forward to meeting their new relative.

Our family has started some family traditions that we look forward to each year. One of them is going to the City of Chicago each Christmas to see the Windows at Marshall Fields, eat at the Walnut Room under the tree and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shoppers. We also enjoy a Christmas Jazz concert each year. Our other favorite tradition is to go down to Jodi's parents' Christmas Tree Farm the day after Thanksgiving. This is their opening day and the whole family is there to help out. We all make tons of food and enjoy the day outside with the children and dogs! We get to pick out our Christmas Tree also. Grandpa also lets the children pick out their own small tree too!

Our future would not be complete without another child. We hope that you realize after reading our letter that we are a loving family. Steve, Jodi, Gretchen and our entire extended family have much to offer a child. We would surround them with an environment filled with love so we can fulfill all their needs. We are open to further communication with you and your families through the years.

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to read our letter. We pray that you find peace and can find happiness in your heart with your decision.

If you would like more information please contact Sunny Ridge Family Center.

With Love,

Steve, Jodi & Gretchen

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