A letter to our future child

You are not a second choice.  I grew up on an Air Force base and my sweet friend next door was adopted.  Seeing the joy of her family story, I have always known I wanted to adopt.  You are my life's plan.  I look happily forward to being part of yours.  

James is the daddy that will always smother your face with kisses.   You'll never wonder if he loves you.  He will tell you a hundred times throughout the day.  He will take you with him everywhere, even if it's down the road to grab me an ingredient for dinner.

He will teach you about sports, even if you're a girl because "girls that love sports are just cool".

Your first mother gives you roots.  She chose me to give you wings.

Praying for you,

Joycelyn   

Our Marriage

We each married our best friend.  We met in college and knew on our second date that we were meant to be!  Six months later, I proposed on Valentine's Day and we've been happily married for 11 years now!  We're blessed to have our own business; it affords us time off each year and the ability to make extra money when we need to.  We love our sweet life.  We're blessed to have Joy fulfill her dreams to stay home with our future children.

Family vacations are important to us - we enjoy learning about new cultures and experiencing whatever the locals do.  We've enjoyed travelling to many exciting places such as Hawaii, Canada and Mexico as well as within the States.  Our favorite getaway is Maui.

We still say "please" and "thank you" to each other.

Cancun, Mexico Valentine's 2014

Kauai - The Grand Canyon of the South Pacific 2008

James surprising Joy with a spring bouquet at the salon where she was getting pampered.
James often brings home "just because" flowers <3 

What I love about my husband, James...

James is generous, funny and encouraging.  He is affectionate and sincere and has the absolute best heart!  He is very thoughtful and holds the door open for strangers.  He still surprises me with flowers 'just because'!  He has built an ethical business from the ground up with his own blood, sweat and tears.

James pushes himself to be a better person.  He is open, honest and very humble: if I compliment him, he always directs the compliment back to me.  (That's not what makes him 'honest' LOL)

4 Wheelin' on a weekend camping trip with friends from  Church.

We are DIY nuts with war wounds to prove it - leaving a mark on
his hand as we remove floor tiles in the kitchen.

His perseverance is evident in his hobbies: working out, triathlons and basketball.  In his second triathlon, he excelled and placed second in his age category.  He looks forward to an active life with a child one day.

My husband is a sports FANATIC.  He loves all the Northern California teams: 49ers, Giants, Warriors and Kings.  If you quizzed me, I could name at least 5 players from each team.  He gives me running updates :)  If he had his absolute dream job, he would be a sports caster.  From time to time, I ask him to mute the TV and fill in on the sports casting for me - he's pretty good, but I'm biased <3

I love that James will try any new recipe without making a face or smelling it first!

James is a genuinely good person and you feel it the first time you meet him.  He's a guy that you just know you can trust.

I love that chocolate fudge brownie and mint chip are his favorite ice cream flavors.  

What I love about my wife, Joycelyn...

Joy is an amazing wife and instant friend to those she meets.  She's smart and sweet and cares about people.  I've seen her organize BBQ's in our home to help someone who is new to the area or shy come out of their shell.

She's a great cook and loves decorating to make our home beautiful and welcoming.  She received her degree in Computer Business Administration and has applied that towards running our office and business.

She was born to teach.  She's patient and takes time to explain things, especially with kids.  They are always drawn to each other.

She likes to look at things from the other side of the story and has a level head on her shoulders.

I like that she's not afraid to get her hands dirty or make a fool of herself for the sake of fun.  She is a social butterfly and brings out games and new ideas for everyone to enjoy together for 'quality time'.  She thinks of everyone, includes each one and goes out of her way to make sure no one is left out.

Joy loves to play pranks on people.  She laughs the hardest at her own jokes even though I think mine are funnier.

She is the one that will remember and scrapbook all the small moments of our life, even little things I may not notice.  She will notice and make it somehow more special.  She is a joy!

Trout fishing with friends (the picture just makes the fish look smaller - it was much larger in real life LOL)

Rex, making new friends at his favorite dog park

Camping on the beach in Bodega Bay with 100 of our closest friends
- building the winning sand castle for the competition!

Indoor sky diving because she's always up for anything!

Joy loves to make her own home decor - sewing a fuzzy blanket for the living room.
She's my personal seamstress, too.