ALLISON & AUSTEN
Dear Birthmother,
First and foremost, thank you for your consideration Please allow me to introduce my husband and I. We are Austen and Allison and are both humbled and honored that you are considering us to raise your baby, allowing us to become loving and devoted parents. We understand that this is likely the most difficult decision you will ever have to make, but we would be beyond grateful for the opportunity to become parents to your child.
For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of being a mother, and when Austen and I married 4 years ago, we knew having a family was of paramount importance for us. After struggling for the last 4 years with infertility, we have elected to adopt as our next step to grow our family, and share our traditions and love
We appreciate and hold in our hearts that this is a major decision and should we be selected to raise your baby please know that they will be showered with all of our love in our hearts, the opportunity and encouragement to know themselves, to become an independent thinker, and to be loved and supported unconditionally!
With appreciation, Austen and Allison
About Us
Austen and I met in 2015 while working at the same software company, and while we had a great deal of professional respect for one another, as our teams worked closely, ours was not an immediate connection Austen’s desk was behind the section where my somewhat rowdy, yet hilarious team, sat Austen never engaged with us (his loss)
Then in late 2017, mutual friends and colleagues set us up at an after work happy hour, and we quickly realized we had much in common Living in the same small town across the Puget Sound from Seattle, we had our first date the following day where we attended our town’s Christmas tree lighting and walked through the lights We talked endlessly and covered a wide range of topics, not wanting the night to end Our local Christmas lights have become something we look forward to attending every year, now with our friends, family and our dogs After dating for a few years, Austen proposed in Paris on the Eiffel Tower in December 2019, and we had a beautiful and intimate wedding ceremony in July 2020
Austen grew up with his Dad serving in the Coast Guard and later in the State Department, allowing him to live all around the world with his family (dad, mom, and two sisters, with Austen in the middle), they lived in Spain, Germany, The Ivory Coast (West Africa), and Japan with Washington State being where the majority of his extended family lived and visited annually to see them Growing up in and visiting multiple countries allowed him to experience and witness things from multiple perspectives and become the very caring and accepting individual he is today He completed his undergraduate degree at Central Washington University, focusing on biology and chemistry, then earned his masters in Cybersecurity and Leadership from the University of Washington Austen has a love for marine biology, studying in graduate school before changing to a masters program in Cybersecurity Austen spent many years as a volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium, teaching kids about ocean life and caring for the animals
I was born and raised in Washington State growing up in Seattle and across the water on the Olympic Peninsula, with my mom and dad, older, and two younger sisters Growing up, I loved and rode horses, and when I moved from Seattle to the Peninsula, it allowed me to have horses at home, being a more rural area Learning to care for something bigger than me is part of what I attribute my work ethic to Loving being on the water, I sailed and rowed as well, eventually coaching mens, women’s and high school rowing teams I lost my mom when I was in college, but have worked to maintain her traditions and embrace and embody her philosophies She was very accepting and believed and taught me that children should be both seen and heard, and that there is room for everyone at the table, something I strive to emulate to this day.
ortant to us I knew, based on Austen’s e he saw so much of the world, that travel y for us, and we’ve been lucky to travel e, Costa Rica, Hawaii, California, Oregon, s, Canada, and all over our home state of WA landscapes and climates When at home, we our dogs walking the trails or beaches, ing or out on our covered deck We love around our outdoor fire pit, watching a movie reen enjoying each other's company Much like up in, ours is an inviting and accepting My close friends say this is where they come to all the places we’ve been to, home is our
llison By Austen A
Allison is the most amazing person I know She is so kind, caring, and genuinely wants to make sure that everyone around her is having a fun and fulfilling time. She loves to entertain friends and family, and usually is the life of the party, but you won't hear her saying that On road trips, I am treated to Car Karaoke where she sings along to the random country or rap song that plays, while we talk about what we’re going to do when we get to our destination. She makes me the most amazing chocolate and peanut butter birthday cake every year, and countless other things that make me smile. She is an incredibly hard worker, with our strengths amplifying and our weaknesses balancing each other out, allowing us to overcome anything that comes at us. We always support and encourage one another The years we’ve been together keep getting better and better.
I know she will make an amazing mother. When we see her nieces and nephews, or friends' kids, they love and adore and excitedly scream ‘Aunty Allie!’ She takes care of each child as her own, making sure they are well cared for and are well nurtured, all while having fun. She will do anything to make sure our child will grow up to be their very best
usten By Allison A
Austen is a deeply kind, caring, and patient person He always takes people's feelings into consideration, and we will often tease him because he is such a planner He is always scheduling and making lots of reservations for outings, but we know he does this to make sure everyone gets to enjoy what they want and so that things are prepared
He is generally the smartest person in the room, but won’t flaunt that Austen is warm, inviting and accepting, making those around him feel comfortable and at ease.
Austen is a devoted son, brother, friend and husband I know he will give all his kindness to any child, as he does with our family and friends' kids.
Austen loves Marine biology and all things aquariums. Everywhere we travel we have to check out the aquarium, and he is excited to share this love with his child
I know Austen will make an exceptional father, providing the same dedication to his child that he does to the others he loves and cares for Speaking as one of those lucky individuals, I can ensure that his love, support, and patience are given without measure.
amilyF
We are very close with each of our families, as well as each other's family We both grew up with siblings, Austen is the middle child with an older and younger sister who he is very devoted to I am the 2nd of four girls, and have always taken pride in being an exceptional sister We see our families regularly with most of our immediate families living nearby, within about 20 minutes
Growing up our parents instilled many family traditions for each of us that we hope to pass down, we’ve also created many of our own Our house is very much the gathering place We are generally the ones who host birthdays and holidays and general get togethers Every night at dinner, we’ll ask everyone “What was the best part of your day?” keeping communication active in the family My grandmothers and mom were incredible cooks and entertainers, and one of the family favorites was cottage cheese pancakes, passed down from my great grandfather, for special occasions, such as birthdays, Easter and Christmas
Fourth of July is big in our town, one of my favorite holidays We have an hour-long parade through town that we all love watching Friends and family will meet at our house, go to the parade, come back and grill and enjoy the afternoon Then we all walk back to town to watch the fireworks over the bay
Halloween, Austen’s favorite, has also created some new traditions Halloween is a major event in our neighborhood with hundreds of kids Trick or Treating. We spend hours non stop handing out candy. Austen competes with the neighbors in the unofficial “Halloween Wars’ on having the best decorated house I’ll make black bean soup, corn bread, and pumpkin pie, which is a childhood tradition, to have something warm and comforting for when our friends drop in from the cold while taking their kids Trick or Treating
We have many Christmas traditions, some from each of our families and some we’ve begun on our own, Our Christmas traditions include:
-- Watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
-- Visiting Christmas lights at our marina and Zoo lights
-- My dad reads ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ on Christmas Eve, even via Zoom when we couldn’t be together on Christmas one year
-- Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies and playing Hallmark Bingo with hot chocolate
-- Decorating the tree together; this is a one week event (seriously)
-- Baked ziti at my sister’s house on Christmas Eve
-- Hiding a pickle ornament in the tree and giving an extra gift to the finder
-- Austen loves roasted chestnuts
-- Christmas morning brunch; we’ll make french toast casserole
-- Give out Panettone and chocolate oranges; a tradition from Austen’s childhood in Europe
As my mother before me, I’ve passed these many traditions down to my niece, Rylie, who is in turn passing these down to her kids. We hope to continue creating new traditions and to pass on our existing cherished traditions to our future child
Leisure
We love to travel and explore new places Two of our favorite places to visit are in Eastern Washington, just a few hours drive, with a very different climate than the gray and rain the Seattle area brings We can sled and ski in the winter, while in the spring and summer, hike, tube on the river, boat and paddle board on the lake, wine taste (for the adults) and eat at some amazing restaurants year round. We also love visiting places overseas, like Europe - visiting museums, going sightseeing and immersing ourselves in the culture Since we work from home, we can spend more time walking the dogs on the trails or take them to the nearby beaches. We plan to take our child to these areas and have them explore and learn from their travels We’re lucky that we have so much locally and can go to museums, zoos and aquariums, baseball games (especially on firework nights), and concerts and have like minded friends who love to do the same. We’ll have friends and family over for brunches, dinners, games and fires, as we both love to entertain and I love to cook and develop recipes My dad and Austen’s parents both live near the water so we visit and have beach and swimming days with friends and family
PWe love all animals, especially dogs and have always had them in our families. We have three wonderful and loving dogs We have Daisy, a yellow lab who is 14 years old She’s been Allison’s best friend since the day she brought her home at 6 weeks old. She is loyal, loves to swim and catch balls, go on walks, pick blackberries off the bush, and ride in the car just running errands Charlie is a 10 year old Corgi/Frenchie mix and has the best and worst qualities of both. She can get real pouty, but also loves to play and will wiggle when she gets excited and snuggles while watching TV or lying outside in the sun Parker is our playful goofy golden retriever who is just over two years old. It took him a while, but he saw how much fun Daisy had in the water and now loves to swim at the beach and catch balls and eat blackberries He loves to snuggle (and is a pillow hog) and go on car rides anywhere! Parker loves it when little kids (or anyone really ) give him attention or asks for high fives or hugs (his best tricks)
Allison and Austen both work from home. Austen is a Program Manager at a software company Austen loves leading collaboration among internal teams to create more efficiencies and automation for customers. Allison is a consultant, focusing on software implementation and loves working with customers at this stage. She helps customers get set up correctly on their software, making it easier for them down the line She wants to become a real estate agent and is studying right now for her license Allison also has a goal of writing a cookbook, sharing her amazing recipes with the world
Our home is situated in a small town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington We are close to parks, tennis and pickleball courts, restaurants, a movie theater, and of course the trails and beaches where we and our dogs love to walk. We have an excellent elementary, middle, and highschool all within walking distance Our neighborhood is vibrant, with a robust Halloween celebration attracting several hundred trick-or-treaters and festive Christmas decorations adorning most homes. There are families of all stages in our neighborhood, which makes for a unique experience We are about an hour from major cities, which have several zoos and aquariums, amazing restaurants, and plenty of other wonderful places to take a growing child.
Our home is 2000 sq ft with three bedrooms on a large secluded corner lot. We have a perfect room for a baby that is close to our bedroom and has a big window overlooking the backyard. We just finished a renovation with an updated kitchen, bathrooms, floors, and an interior freshly painted inside and out Our deck and backyard are an amazing place to hangout and entertain
Thank you for taking the time to review our our profile. If you are Interested, please call Everlasting Adoptions at 630-364-8361