Mary & Josh

We recently celebrated eight wonderful years of marriage. We met through our church, and our shared faith has been the foundation and steady anchor of our relationship from the very beginning. Early in our relationship, we both knew we had found the person we wanted to spend our lives with, and we were married just one year after our first date.

Over the years, we have grown together through every season of life. Josh completed his engineering degree and now works as an engineer, while Mary finished graduate school, and she now teaches high school English at a local public school. We love the simple life we have built together — spending time with family, sharing quiet evenings at home, laughing often, and supporting one another through everything. More than anything, we are grateful for the joyful, peaceful partnership we share and the love that continues to grow between us each year.

We love our life in Ohio and getting to experience all four seasons. Mary especially enjoys gardening and has filled our yard with roses, lilacs, and daisies. Our large front and backyard give plenty of space to play and spend time outside, especially during the beautiful fall season when the mature, neighborhood trees change colors. We live in a warm, family-friendly community with many young families and children nearby. Our home has a warm, cozy feel that naturally draws family and friends together — often alongside our snuggly orange cat, George.

We’re also close to parks, bike trails, libraries, and museums, so there’s always something fun to explore. Our school district is one of the best in the state, and Mary loves teaching there. No matter where we go, home is our favorite place to be.

We are both very close with our families and feel incredibly grateful to stay so connected as our families continue to grow. Mary has one brother serving in the military overseas with his wife and our two young nephews. Even with the distance, we look forward to our yearly visits with them and love staying connected through frequent FaceTime calls. Mary’s mom and stepdad live nearby and we spend time together often. Mary’s dad and stepmom live in Brazil. We stay connected through regular phone calls, yearly visits, and enjoy many fun multicultural traditions.

Josh’s youngest sister and brother-in-law live ten minutes away, so we often get together for dinners, games, and family time. Josh’s middle sister, her husband, and Josh’s parents live in another state, but we connect constantly through family group chats, shared stories, and endless pictures of our new baby niece. We already have plans to visit again soon. Spending time with family is a huge joy in our lives, and we truly treasure these relationships.

Our church community is also a very important part of our lives and is an extension of our family. We regularly gather for dinners, sing together, and spend time in one another’s homes. We are deeply grateful to be surrounded by such a warm, loving, and supportive community.

ight after we got married, we both discussed our hearts for adoption. When this became an option for us to build our family, we both knew in our hearts that this is the Lord’s plan for our family. We believe families are knit together, and we are humbled at the thought that our adoption journey brings so many lives together, united by the unconditional love of a precious baby.

Our journey to adoption has been filled with gifts of hope, support, and love from our families, and friends, and we cannot wait to share all of these gifts we've received through the adoption process.