Adoption Profile: Dan & Melanie
Our Family
We are Dan and Melanie, and have been married for 11 years. We are grateful for the day God first blessed us with the gift of children through adoption, Jake and Josh in 2009, and look forward to the day when God blesses our family again with children. Our faith and personal relationship with God is very important to us, along with our marriage and our family. Our personalities are very outgoing and welcoming in nearly every way, we are enthusiastic about life. We bring a positive outlook on life and try to have fun each step of the way. We enjoy being active: hiking, biking, tennis, basketball; as well as being involved in our church, families, and community.
Dan
Dan has the ability to see the potential in others, encourage them, and look to help them grow, develop, and experience success; he loves to learn and looks to continuously grow & improve; he truly enjoys people & winning others over; he is very accepting of others, and instinctively looks to include those who may be left out. Dan has worked for over 15 years at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio as an IT Business Leader.
Melanie
Melanie has the ability to find common ground when others hold different views, harmony is one of her guiding values; she is keenly aware of treating people the same no matter their situation in life – everyone should be given the same opportunities; she is able to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if it means pulling her away from her plans. Melanie used to be a middle school teacher but ‘retired’ to focus on starting our family. We are blessed with a lifestyle where Melanie is able to stay at home with Jake & Josh, manage the house, and help our neighborhood, church, and family.
Our Love Story
We grew up sharing family picnics, special occasions, and holiday parties, since our mothers were best friends since 5th grade, but with 3 years between us, we never really knew each other. Upon graduating from college, Melanie, who had been born and raised in Ohio, wanted to move out of state. She decided to move to North Carolina and teach, and stay with “Aunt Sharon” (who just happened to be Dan’s mom’s identical twin, who was ALSO best friends with Melanie’s mom). Dan, while working with P&G, had a business trip to a plant in North Carolina. Instead of staying at a hotel on this trip, of course Dan was going to stay at HIS Aunt Sharon’s (after all she was like a second mom to him!). It was on this BUSINESS trip, that Dan and Melanie re-met as adults. A year later we were engaged, a year later we were married - true story! We couldn’t make this stuff up, only God can make things like that happen!
Our Home
We live in a wonderful neighborhood with lots of children varying in age. Our house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac with a beautiful view of the nature preserve behind it. We feel in our relationship, and in our home, that we are a team. We work together to get things done and offer each other support and encouragement.