James & Emily
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James & Emily
In 2016, we went on our honeymoon to Iceland. On our first full day in Iceland, we decided to take a tour inside a dormant volcano! We hiked out to the Þríhnúkagígur volcano and were lowered down about 700 feet and were only supposed to be touring for about 45 minutes.
After an hour, our tour guide informed us that there was a problem with the lift and it needed some repairs. About 45 minutes later, we were notified that the ‘back-up’ ropes on the lift would only drop about 600 ft. The tour company had to fly in a rescue team to get us out of the volcano!
To accomplish this task, they dropped a long rope with a 3-point harness on it. Each person on the tour was then individually hand-pulled up to the lift about a 100 feet above us.
Emily was super scared and had to face her big fear of falling. She held on tight to the rope, and only screamed a little bit while managing to make it to the lift.
Once everyone was on the lift, we were raised out of the volcano. Once we reached the top, they cheered for us like we were the Chilean miners when they were rescued!
Our Story
James moved back to Kalamazoo from his last tour of duty in South Korea while serving in the Marine Corps at the end of 2013. He didn’t know a lot of people so he signed up for Match.com where he met Emily in May of 2014.
We talked via email for about a week and then went out on a date. While Emily was nervous of strangers, James was a charming fellow. We quickly became exclusive within a couple of months and enjoyed seeing each other often.
On Christmas of 2014, James made the best decision of his life and proposed to Emily. In 2016, we were married in Allegan, MI on Emily’s birthday in a fantastic barn wedding ceremony surrounded by all our friends and family.
Since we’ve been married, we’ve been trying to have a family of our own. This has proven more difficult than we ever imagined. In 2019, we were excited when we learned we were pregnant with twins. Unfortunately, at the eight-week ultrasound, we found out that they did not survive the early stages of pregnancy.
We still have hopes and dreams of having our own family in the future. After many conversations, we’ve realized that adoption is the right next step. We know adopting a child will be a positive experience that will bring love & joy into our family as well as help us grow together.
Our Relaxation & Fun
Emily Loves:
HGTV shows
Volunteer work – She volunteers with JCI Michigan
The color orange
Travel – places she has never been are her favorite
Adventures/ trying new things
Pumpkin Pie
Visiting Family and friends
Bon fires
Volunteer work – She volunteers with JCI Michigan, Ghosts of Kalamazoo haunted history tours, Holiday family adoption program and charitable activities team at work
Certified High School Forensics Judge – Competitive public speaking and acting
James Loves:
Star Wars and Game of Thrones
Playing board games and video games
Smoking meat
University of Michigan Football
Popcorn – It’s his favorite food
Watching movies
Building computers
Escape rooms
Together we love:
Cooking dinners
Fixing up our home
Relaxing on the couch
Visiting cities / countries we’ve never been to
Going to the beach
Trying new restaurants
Anything outdoors, really!
our adoption hopes
Gender: Any Gender, including an Ambiguous or Transitioning Gender Child
Ethnicities: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Caucasian, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino,
Age: Newborn to 6 Months
Total of: 1 to 2 Children
a snapshot
of us
We Live In: Kalamazoo
Our Faith: Open to All Religions
Pets: No Pets
Kids Already: No Children Now
Child Care Plan: Licensed Child Care Center Licensed Child Care Home
Our Family & Friends
James is from Delton which means his family doesn’t live too far away! Both, James’ parents and his brother, along with his nephew, still live in Delton.
We get together often to play board games, cook BBQ and socialize. In the wintertime, James enjoys spending time with his dad at Western Michigan hockey games!
Emily grew up in Portage, MI and lived in the same house from the time she was 6 until the time she moved out. Her mother still resides in the house and her father lives in Parchment where he runs his own manufacturing company.
Emily’s younger sister lives in the Chicago area along with her 2 daughters and her husband. We get to visit them at least 5 or 6 times per year for special occasions, holidays and birthdays!
Our relationship with family and friends is one built on love and respect. We have many friends that go back a long way, even back to middle school. Our friends and family are caring, help each other and are all supportive of each other’s needs.
We enjoy getting together with them as often as possible to catch up, play games and eat delicious barbeque made by James. All of our friends & family can not wait to meet a new little addition to our family.
Our Home & Neighborhood
In 2017, we purchased our first house together in Vicksburg, MI. Vicksburg is about a 10-minute drive from Kalamazoo. We live in a 3-bedroom ranch house in a neighborhood that backs up to a farm. We have a big, fenced in backyard with a deck, swing set and slide.
Emily has some raised planters that she uses in the summertime to grow vegetables. James loves sitting next to our firepit in the evening time as the sun sets. The neighborhood is very friendly, and children are seen outside on bicycles, playing basketball and are having a great time with their friends.
We also live just a mile away from the elementary school that we hope our children will be attending in the future. We have spent a lot of time in putting our personal touch on the house to make it our home.
We live close to many fun activities in the Kalamazoo area. Just a few minutes’ drive away, is Celery Flats Park, the Kalamazoo Air & Space Museum, and the Vicksburg Little League baseball fields where many kids spend their summer!
Education
Education is very important to the growth of any person. We will give our children every opportunity we can to further that education both inside and outside the classroom. There are many lessons that can be learned that are not always taught in schools.
These lessons can be learned through activities, bonding experiences, travel and even playtime. As our children grow older, we will fully support their decisions whether it be military, a traditional college or trade schools.
Correction & Discipline
A child should be able to operate within a set of standards that are clearly marked. Knowing the difference between right and wrong as well as the consequences for these actions in advance is important. The goal of discipline is to teach values that a child can use throughout life.
Positive reinforcement of good behavior is just as important as discipline for negative behavior. Positive reinforcement should be rewarded with additional privileges that would not be provided for poor or negative behavior. We believe one should never just punish a child if they don’t understand WHY they are getting punished.
Children should also be given a chance to express their feelings and thought process on why they did something. This way it can become a learning experience for both parents and child. Under no circumstance will any type of physical punishment be used.
Our Faith Views
Religion does not play a huge role in our lives. James grew up in a Christian household and went to church a couple of times per week. Emily grew up in a household where her parents gave her the choice to go to church or not. As our children grow, we will allow them to choose for themselves which religion is a good fit for them or not. We strongly believe that respect for all members of the family is important.
Everyone is loved and honest with each other. We believe that having a fair and objective attitude towards different practices or beliefs is a cornerstone of our family’s values. Each person’s opinion is appreciated and taken into consideration. We hope to ingrain in our children a willingness to try new and different things, even if they are difficult. Through all of this, we want to instill in our family positive and moral values.
James's Career
I spent 11 years working in supply chain while serving in the United States Marine Corps. Upon moving back to Michigan, I earned my BBA in Integrated Supply Management at Western Michigan University.
I now spend my days working for Zoetis, which is an animal healthcare company in Kalamazoo, as a Master Scheduler. I enjoy my fellow colleagues I work with as well as the challenges a career in Supply Chain provides. The work / life balance with my employer is exceptional and allows me to spend lots of time with the people I love.
Both of our companies offer extended maternity / paternity leave after the adoption of a child. We plan on fully utilizing these benefits to bond with our new child before returning to work. Emily’s work offers wonderful child care on site and there are also many child care facilities in the Vicksburg area.
Emily's Career
I earned my degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Resort Management from Northwood University. I am also a Certified Meeting Professional. I currently work at a fantastic family owned spice company in Kalamazoo as a Senior Administrative Assistant and Meeting Planner.
I really enjoy that my position affords me the opportunity to work in a very diverse environment with my colleagues all around the globe. In this position, I also work for several Vice-President’s within the company which is challenging, yet rewarding. No two days are ever the same.
Both of our companies offer extended maternity / paternity leave after the adoption of a child. We plan on fully utilizing these benefits to bond with our new child before returning to work. Emily’s work offers wonderful child care on site and there are also many child care facilities in the Vicksburg area.
James
My father’s side of the family is predominantly German. We do not follow any traditional German customs. My mother’s side is a mix of English and Native American. Again, we don’t really follow any traditional backgrounds of our ancestors.
Emily
My father was born in Canada along with his three brothers, parents and extended family. My mother’s side of the family are English and Native American. We do not follow any of the traditional customs or cultural backgrounds of our ancestors.
Hello! We are James & Emily from Vicksburg, MI!
We are excited to meet you and glad you are taking the time to learn more about us. It is our hope that we can give you a good glimpse into our lives as you consider us as the future parents of your child. We have done our best to show the love that we have for each other and our excitement to share our love through open adoption. If we are chosen, we will cherish the privilege of parenthood that you have so selflessly given to us.
You are very brave and strong to entrust your child with us. We understand this must be a very difficult decision for you to make and we want you to know that we will love your child fully and help them to experience all that this world has to offer. We will also love and accept you and want nothing more than to have a loving and open relationship with you and your family as your child grows up, if you so choose.
We will be honored if you choose us but, no matter what direction you go, we will understand that you are making the right and best decision for your child. We look forward to the possibility of getting to learn further about you and your family as well as sharing an amazing bond that will last a lifetime.
- Child Separation, Attachment, and Bonding
- Child Development, Including Safe Sleep Practices for Children
- Behavioral and Emotional Needs of Adoptive Children
- Impact of Adoption on the Family
It is our desire to build an open, honest and loving relationship with you. Your child will be raised with the knowledge and understanding of their adoption. We would like your child to have a healthy and loving relationship with you as you are a very important part of the child’s life and story, and always will be.
During the pregnancy, we are willing to attend prenatal appointments, meet you (and your extended family should you choose) and go shopping for the baby. If you are comfortable with the idea, we would love to be at the hospital for the birth.
Throughout your child’s life we are open to phone calls, texts, pictures and visits with you, your child and us as well as anything else that may arise as our relationship grows.
OUR COMFORT LEVEL WITH DIFFERENT ADOPTION OPTIONS
- Very Comfortable
- Mostly Comfortable
- Unsure
- A Bit Uneasy
- Not Comfortable
It is our desire to build an open, honest and loving relationship with you. Your child will be raised with the knowledge and understanding of their adoption. We would like your child to have a healthy and loving relationship with you as you are a very important part of the child’s life and story, and always will be.
During the pregnancy, we are willing to attend prenatal appointments, meet you (and your extended family should you choose) and go shopping for the baby. If you are comfortable with the idea, we would love to be at the hospital for the birth.
Throughout your child’s life we are open to phone calls, texts, pictures and visits with you, your child and us as well as anything else that may arise as our relationship grows.
Just one more thing...It is our desire to build an open, honest and loving relationship with you. Your child will be raised with the knowledge and understanding of their adoption. We would like your child to have a healthy and loving relationship with you as you are a very important part of the child’s life and story, and always will be.
During the pregnancy, we are willing to attend prenatal appointments, meet you (and your extended family should you choose) and go shopping for the baby. If you are comfortable with the idea, we would love to be at the hospital for the birth.
Throughout your child’s life we are open to phone calls, texts, pictures and visits with you, your child and us as well as anything else that may arise as our relationship grows.