Nick and Steve
DEAR BIRTH PARENT
We are Nick and Steve. We are thrilled to begin this next chapter in our lives by expanding our loving family. We have large families on both sides, grew up with siblings ourselves, and now have lots of nephews and nieces. We feel the time is finally right to give them a new cousin.
We admire the strength, courage and commitment it takes for you to make this decision, and hope that the vast love we have in our hearts will inspire you to take this journey with us.
HOW WE MET
We met in a parking lot in Hawaii. Yep, you read that right. But it just so happened that there was a food truck carnival going on there! Nick was on vacation visiting family at the time, while Steve lived there, working for an aerospace company in a tiny office under a mango tree. A mutual friend introduced us and it was love at first sight. We spent every day hanging out for the week that Nick was in town, and committed to date long distance right after.
During the 7 months we dated long distance, we would visit one another at least once a month, but to make the between time bearable, we’d have virtual movie dates. We’d buy the same dinner from Subway, queue up the same movie on Netflix, and FaceTime each other to make it feel like we were in the same room. Thank you, technology!
After Steve moved to LA, we moved in together and 2 years later had a beautiful wedding in Lake Tahoe, among our closest family and friends. We’ve been together almost 7 years now.
ABOUT NICK (BY STEVE)
If I could only use one word to describe Nick, I would use the word “strong”. I’ve known him for 7 years and he is by far the strongest person I’ve ever met. Sure, he’s great at getting the lids off of jars of jam, but he’s strong in so many other ways.
Nick got to experience the world from a very young age. He lived in California, Hong Kong and Hawaii all before the age of 14. Along the way, he learned different languages, different cultures and how to make amazing friends wherever he went. When he started high school in Hawaii he was the new kid with the strange, almost British, accent and funny looking clothes. By the time he graduated, he was an accomplished wrestler and one of the most popular kids in school.
No matter what happens in life, Nick always puts his family first. He throws surprise birthday parties, serves his grandmother first at the dinner table and follows all of his mom’s cooking advice. He even stopped work in the middle of the day to take his sister’s engagement photos after her photographer failed to show up. After getting married, he expanded his unconditional love to his newly extended family.
Nick really enjoys superhero movies, helping friends fix their cars and Saturday evening board games. His most favorite hobby, however, is his work. While his friends were getting boring desk jobs, Nick decided to start his own business. It was tough at first, but he gets to do what he loves and now has more flexibility to be home whenever fatherhood requires.
Nick never gets discouraged, never thinks a challenge is too tough and never runs out of energy. Nick is the strongest person I’ve met and will be the most amazing father any child could wish for.
ABOUT STEVE (BY NICK)
Steve grew up in a proud, working-class family in Dover, New Jersey (last stop on the rail). He was taught the importance of hard work, responsibility and the value of your word. After high school, Steve joined the Army for 2 years where he developed his sense of morality and to stand up for others. After he was honorably discharged for an injury, Steve began working as an aerospace and national defense contractor, being flown all over the world, and spent 8 years living in Germany. It was here that he learned not only the language, but an appreciation for peoples and traditions different than his own.
As an active runner, yoga enthusiast, computer whiz and hobbyist tinkerer, Steve is a superbly well-rounded man who is a hit at family get-togethers. His relatives are always asking for computer help, his nieces are always begging him to play hide-and-seek or be a backup dancer in their homemade videos, and he just brightens every room he enters with joy and laughter.
Steve has a gifted sense for what’s right and wrong, and possesses the rare courage to always stand up for what’s right. He’s a real life Captain America. He’s a man that everybody I know – myself included – look up to, and I know for a fact he would make an exceptionally devoted father.
OUR FAMILY
Nick’s parents met by accident when they were both students at Stanford University. His dad was delivering a message to his mom for a friend, but once they exchanged eyes, the rest is history. Pretty sure the whatever the message was still got delivered, though!
Steve’s parents met each other shortly after high school. They went on a few dates but then went their separate ways. It wasn’t until years later that they reconnected and Cupid’s arrow struck. They’ve been joined at the hip ever since.
Both Nick and Steve’s parents have been together for over 40 years now. Their unconditional love, support and devotion to one another have set permanent examples of what it means to be a family. It means always being there through thick and thin. It means good night and good morning kisses every day. It means making each other’s dreams your own. It means putting each other’s wants and needs ahead of your own. It is reminding those close to you that they are kind, smart and important. It means unconditional love no matter what.
As both Nick and Steve have strong roots in Hawaii, it’s no surprise that one of their favorite Disney films is Lilo & Stitch. And in that movie, there is a quote that perfectly sums up their feelings on this: “ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind. “
These are the lessons our parents instilled in us. These are the lessons that we will pass down to our child.
THANK YOU
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be part of your journey. We hope you have a better idea of who we are, what we stand for and the kind of life we want nothing more than to give your child – where they are given a loving and stable family from which they can reach for the stars and become who they dream of being. We welcome this open adoption with an overflowing heart and open mind, and would be honored to be chosen as the fathers of your child.
