Meet Mike & Emily
A video message from Mike & Emily
A Letter from Mike & Emily
We are Emily and Mike – Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We are excited to grow our family of three through adoption! We are blessed by our adventurous life in Japan and love traveling to different countries and experiencing new cultures. We look forward to sharing these once-in-a-lifetime experiences with your child. We hope to get to know you better throughout this journey too and are open to visits.
About Us
We’ve been married for several years now, and can honestly say that our relationship gets better the longer we’re together!
As a family, we love to be outside:
• taking walks to the beach
• visiting new parks and playgrounds
• hiking new trails in the mountains
We also love to do a few indoor activities like:
• eating at local restaurants & cafes
• reading, especially stories to our son
• going to church
We discussed our hopes for adoption on our third date and have always had it in our plans for the future. After the birth of our son, Castin, in 2020, we were met with fertility issues and knew that it was time to focus on our adoption plans- and we are so excited to be on this journey! We can’t wait to include your child in our outdoor adventures of walking, hiking, & playing at playgrounds, as well as experience our multicultural endeavors of trying new international restaurants and traveling to new countries!
Meet Emily
Whether it’s in a classroom or our playroom, I LOVE teaching. I have been a high school math teacher for almost 20 years, and my favorite part of the job is the opportunity to mentor teenagers. I grew up in a musical household, and I also love to sing – whether I’m leading worship at church or singing to our son to sleep.
I enjoy:
• being active outside – hiking, walking, paddle-boarding, bike riding, ANYTHING
• chatting at lunch dates with my friends
• reading books on personal growth
• spending time with family – immediate & extended
I’m so excited to sing with your little one around our house and to sleep and use our everyday life as teachable moments to help him/her grow into the person God has created him/her to be!
What does Mike say?
“Emily’s outgoing & social personality helps me enjoy my time with her, and I appreciate that she is naturally confident. Every decision she makes is always for the good of those she loves. She has high standards and is unlike any other woman I have ever met.”
Meet Mike
I love staying healthy by working out & eating well, and I share this passion by cooking & food prepping for the whole family. Outside of playing with our son & finding new ways to make him laugh, my other interests include history, current politics, and international studies.
I enjoy:
• board games (social & strategy)
• playing/feeding animals & being outdoors with my family
• reading books on history & leadership
• trying new international foods & restaurants
I look forward to helping your child smile and laugh by reading his/her favorite books, playing with his/her favorite toys, encouraging him/her to play with our cats, and feeding the animals at our local sanctuary!
What does Emily say?
“Mike has a wonderfully calm personality and can make any situation fun. He is very considerate of others and an extremely hard worker. He is the least judgmental person I know. He constantly strives to lead by example for our son.”
Meet Our Son
Our son, Castin, is a loving, social, and curious 3-year-old. He loves when we walk to the beach, read his favorite books, and sing before bedtime. He especially loves our two cats, Hoshi & ‘Kuka’, and says “I love you” to them every day before leaving for school. He loves being around people and shows a special interest in babies. He’s excited to have a little brother or sister to play with at the playground, help around the house, and share his love for cars and trucks with. We know he’ll be a loving big brother!
Our Extended Family
We have family all over the country and love going to see them when we travel stateside. If you’d like, we’d love to add regular visits to see you, too – no matter where you live! We may live many miles from our extended families, but we are very close to them and video chat regularly with them. Our parents & extended family are very supportive of our adoption plans and can’t wait for another grandchild to spoil!
Our Island Home of Japan
Although we do not live in a stand-alone home, we live in a wonderful gated community where children are safe & can thrive. Our 2 covered balconies are extra safe with netting so kids can play outside on them, plus they overlook the quaint river that runs by. We are blessed to watch the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean every morning while drinking our coffee and getting ready for the day.
Multiple families live in our building (and even our floor) with young children ready to welcome new friends. Our favorite thing about where we live is all the places within walking distance. Over 10 parks, playgrounds, and beaches are 1.5 miles away or less; we love walking to them in the evenings.
Our Promise to You
We look forward to welcoming your child to our family with open arms and promise to love him or her unconditionally. We can’t wait to guide and help your child grow into the person God has created them to be. We’re excited to share our passion for international travel, diverse cultures, and exploring the great outdoors with your child. We promise to provide your child with a safe and stable environment and to comfort, pray for, laugh with, and support your child through every stage of his or her life. We also look forward to meeting you and staying in contact with you at whatever level you are comfortable with.
If you would like to learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
Learn More About Mike & Emily
| Mike | Emily | |
|---|---|---|
| Our Education | Bachelors - Business | Masters - Education |
| Our Professions | US Marine Corps Intelligence | Secondary Teacher |
| Stay-At-Home | No | No |
| Our Racial Background | Hispanic | Caucasian |
| Some of Mike & Emily's Favorites | ||
| Color | Gray | Blue |
| Holiday | Presidents Day | St Patrick's Day |
| Dream Vacation | WWII sights throughout Europe | Riding hot air balloons in New Zealand |
| Animal (or fish) | Humuhumunukunukuapua'a fish | Lion... or Elephant |
| Hobby | Weightlifting | Chatting with friends and family |
| TV Show | Impractical Jokers | Survivor |
| Thing to Do with Our Son | Make him laugh (usually by wrestling & tickling) | Listen to him talk, sing, and dance |
| More About Our Family | ||
| Adoption in Our Extended Family | From friends to family, adoption has been in our families for many years. We have lots of friends that are foster or adoptive parents, and we love to glean wisdom from them. Mike's aunt, Emily's cousins, and our nieces have all been adopted, and each has their own unique adoption story. Not only does our family support our adoption plans, but they are excited to share such an amazing experience with our future child. | |
| Our Cats | We have two super friendly indoor cats, Hoshi (1 year) and Kuma (5 years). We love playing with them and laughing at them playing with each other. They are both great with babies and children and are the sweetest. They've also been known to occasionally snuggle up with our son for naptime. | |
| Typical Weekend with Us | We love using the weekend for family time! On Saturdays, we try to find a new place to explore. Some adventures include taking a ferry to a local island to ride bikes, visiting the local animal rescue to feed birds, and meeting many new friends at nearby playgrounds. If nothing else, we at least try to take a walk down to our local beach. On Sundays, we try to make it to church in the mornings and use the afternoon to rest. Making forts, reading books, and singing songs help us wind down from a busy weekend and help us prep for the full week to come! | |
| 3 Things We Love About Where We Live | 1. It's safe and healthy! Our home (in a gated community) has safety windows and nets on our balcony to make sure nothing can fall. Japan is also one of the safest nations in the world and is extremely kid-friendly. The stress-free island mentally, healthy eating choices, and active lifestyles make this a wonderful place to raise a family. 2. There are endless places to visit close by. Whether we're looking to play at a new playground, walk along a new beach, explore a new museum, hike a new trail, or experience a new culture, we are only a few minutes (to a few hours) away from it ALL. 3. There's a strong sense of community. From the building we live in, to the church we attend, to the international school that our children will go to (and Emily works at), the people are not just helpful and friendly - they are family. Being so physically far from family, it is so nice to have people that fill those gaps. | |
| We Prefer a Child Who Is... | ||
| Age of Child | Newborn to 2 years old | |
| Twins | Yes! | |
| Gender | Either | |
| Sibling Group | Yes, with the oldest up to 2 years old. | |
| In Closing | ||
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about us. We're excited about this adoption journey and look forward to sharing it with you. We're open to any level of contact you're comfortable with - photos, phone calls, and visits! We promise to embrace your child with love and patience and to give them a strong sense of hope and stability. We hope to connect with you soon! |
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