Jeff and Shari
Location: Florida
Ages: 41 and 38
Religion: Christian
Professions: Welder, Fabricator, Tile Worker/Veterinarian
Other Kids: None
Preferences: Any Race, Either Gender, Newborn
How We Met: Our love story started in 2012, shortly after we met at church. After messaging a couple times on Facebook, we found ourselves at a church prayer night, sitting by each other, and assigned to the same prayer group. After church, we decided to go out for sushi as a group, but after I had already walked to my car, Jeff asked the other “group member” to conveniently not show up! This provided the setting for our very first date. It was on this first date that we tried a new sushi roll called the “sexy lobster roll”, which we still laugh about and still order to this day when we go to the same restaurant.
Qualities We Love, Admire and Respect in Each Other: Jeff is outgoing, friendly, and funny. Being with him in a crowd always makes me feel more secure. He has a natural way of smiling and making someone’s day. He is kind, considerate, loyal and has a heart for developing relationships in our community. While we both love people, Shari is more quiet by nature. She has unwavering dedication to her faith, her husband, her friends, and her work. Her compassion is one of the most beautiful things about her, and it really comes alive when she is around children.
Our Hobbies and Interests: While we do enjoy traveling together, we also love relaxing and connecting in the comfort of our living room. We like watching police dramas, The Fast and the Furious movies and anything Marvel! Some activities we enjoy are mountain biking, playing tennis, and working out together. Jeff is passionate about nutrition and fitness, and Shari is a huge college basketball fan. Our go-to date night place is definitely Chili’s, but sometimes we venture out and try new places. We love being together and value laughter, connection, and conversation.
Why We Want to Adopt: We both recognized the beauty of adoption before we were married, and it was something we talked about. In 2016, we got to witness an adoption being finalized at an orphanage in Haiti. We’ll never forget the joy of the little boy who was finally going home with his adoptive family. At that moment, we were thinking, “sign us up right now,” but like most people, we assumed we would have biological children first. We have not conceived naturally after 7 years of marriage, and we feel God has placed a calling on our hearts to grow our family through adoption. We couldn’t be more excited!