Shannon & Brett In Washington

We met online at the end of August 2011. It was on our first date, which lasted 4.5 hours, that we both knew that we had something special. We started out getting ice cream and before the night was over, we decided to then get dinner laughing and talking the entire time! We dated for just over a year before moving in together. At Christmas Eve dinner with family in 2013, Brett proposed. We married in August 2015, at an outdoor venue where we celebrated with close family and friends.

Brett was born and raised in a small town in eastern Washington. He has amazing memories of family trips to the Oregon coast and traveling with members of his high school art class to Italy and Greece. He took time deciding what he wanted to do as he grew up, but finally decided on education and completed his degree in 2019. He is currently a history teacher at our local middle school.

Shannon grew up in the same area where we currently live. In fact, she is currently a math teacher at the same middle school she attended! She always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Shannon enjoyed being active as a child and played volleyball through high school. Her family places a lot of value on education and she graduated as one of her high school Valedictorians.

We have an English Bulldog named Tank. He always seems to know when someone needs love due to a rough day. His favorite activities include, playing tug of war with whichever toy he chooses, snuggling with his humans, eating food and he really loves sleeping! He does really well with other people and is very gentle when meeting young children. We are super happy to eventually introduce a new human for him to bond with.

One of the many activities that we love to get out and do is attend some of the many professional and semiprofessional sporting events that are offered in our area. We really enjoy getting to spend time with each other at football and soccer games, and now we have the added benefit of being able to attend NHL Hockey games with the addition of the Kraken to our sports teams.

Last year we bought a boat and enjoy taking it out on the lakes. We love to take our family and friends out to enjoy the summer weather. Brett loves to fish from the boat, while Shannon enjoys lounging and relaxing while soaking up the sun. Additionally, we both love to watch movies, frequently connect and socialize with family and friends and enjoy traveling.

We live in a quiet, gated community in Everett,Washington. We have a small backyard, but within our community we have a shared playground and small park. We live within walking distance to a golf course and a big city park. Within our area we have several schools, lots of restaurants and entertainment opportunities. Our area is part of a well developed school district with many great opportunities for children's education. We live in a 2-bedroom townhome with one bedroom dedicated to being a nursery for our future child. Within our complex there are many families with children and we have wonderful neighbors. Currently, Brett is serving as Vice President of the HOA Board. He is able to ensure safety is a top priority for all members.

Brett was adopted at birth. Knowing he would bring an understanding of growing up as an adopted child was one of the reasons we were led to adoption. Roughly 7 years ago. Brett found his biological family and learned that he had 2 more older brothers and one older sister. He was blessed to find out that his maternal grandparents would be a part of his life as well as his mother. This family is quite large and includes many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and a multitude of cousins. All-in-all, Brett remains the youngest of 4 siblings.

We are very fortunate to have a large family that is fully supportive of our adoption journey. Not only do we have the love and support of both of our families nearby, we also have Brett's biological family whom he reconnected with roughly 7 years ago. Shannon has one younger sister who works in the hospitality industry as a bartender at a local hotel. Her father is a retired police officer of over 20 years and her mother is a retired accountant.

Growing up, Brett had one brother who is 7 years older than him. His brother is now a lawyer who just became partner at his firm in Oregon. He and his wife have 3 amazing children who are constantly on the go. Brett's father was a high school English teacher who retired after 43 years. His mother spent most of her working life in accounting for local businesses and finally retired as a payroll specialist for their local school district.

For the holidays, because we have such a large, combined family we get to enjoy multiple days of celebrations with multiple different traditions associated with each family. From specific treats that are staples to any holiday, to making sure that everyone is involved in the day. Each family offers a much different experience for each holiday so there is never a dull moment!

Some of our favorite traditions are shared birthday celebrations with Shannon's family as we are all born in either January or July. We also spend time at aunts and uncles where we play a gift exchange game with all who are present. During the Christmas Holiday, Brett loves to create the lighting arrangement in our front yard and always tries to make it different every year. For the last 5 years, Brett has dressed up as Santa Claus for children with special needs, as well as for the children of our friends. Finally, each year our families will find their way to the Oregon Coast for a quiet getaway.

We always knew that adoption would be an option for us as Brett was adopted at birth and we know that brings a unique experience. After many years of attempting to conceive naturally and with help from fertility clinics, we knew it was time for us to pursue adoption as we really desire to grow our family.