We’re Brett and Sam, and we have been together for 5 years and married for 2. We met each other while living in the same neighborhood, and Sam was walking her husky, Brooks, down the street. Brett said hello one day and eventually invited Sam to a neighborhood Memorial Day party. We went on our first date to a local park with Sam’s dog, Brooks. The rest is history! We live in Knoxville, TN and love the nearby mountains, incredible food district, and hanging out with our family for parties and holidays.
Dear Birth Mother...
Why We Chose Adoption
We chose adoption because it has been on both of our hearts separately prior to meeting, and it was reassuring to discover that in each other as our relationship bloomed. We both are Christians and believe that adoption is another avenue to show the love of Jesus to the world while also growing our family. Alternatively, Sam would be considered “high-risk” if she were to get pregnant, so we are lucky to have the means and the support system to adopt. Our dream is to build a family and home full of love, laughter, and a place where everyone feels wanted and welcome. Creating new memories and traditions with our family excites us when thinking about adopting, whether that's decorating the tree or something as simple as “Taco Tuesdays”. We want to facilitate opportunities via open adoption to build the best support system for our future child/children. We want the birth family to know that we are so grateful for the opportunity to love and raise their child.
Meet Sam, by Brett
Let me tell you about my beautiful wife. I have never known someone who is just 100% herself. She can be spontaneous in all social situations but can also be content in silence while we have fun all the same. She really loves to cook. Our first year of marriage she cooked through an entire cookbook and made these cute little notes for each recipe to make them better! She is an avid reader. She read over 30 books last year alone! She is my best friend, and I truly mean it. I love hanging out with her whether it's just us at home, date nights or with each of our friend groups. Every interaction I have seen her have with kids is a positive one! She is so patient and kind with our little cousins and my nephew, and I can’t wait to see her become a mother.
Sam’s Career
Sam works as a Manager of Program Planning for HGTV with Warner Bros. Discovery. Sometimes she even helps name the episodes! She works from home 3 days a week and at the office 2x a week. She loves her career and is always striving to progress within her field and become more valuable for her subordinates and bosses.
Sam's Fun Facts
- Hobbies: Reading, Cooking/Baking Bread, Gardening
- Our Huskies keep her on her toes at all times
- Loves Fajita Mexican Nachos and Queso
- Traveled to 7 countries!
- Chocolate chip cookies slightly undercooked are her favorite dessert
- She dislikes spicy things! Even Chick Fil A Spicy Chicken Sandwiches!
- Her favorite band is JOHNNYSWIM
- She has hiked an active volcano!
Meet Brett, by Sam
Brett is absolutely my best friend! He is incredibly kind and generous, often going out of his way to do or say something to brighten other people’s day. He is a big sports fan, following just about every TN team no matter the sport and attending every home game for the UT baseball team. A few years back we got a pizza oven and he perfected the craft of homemade pizza, even making the dough from scratch! He never takes himself too seriously and his silly nature always resonates with kids. Whether it’s a well timed dad joke, or his eagerness to play catch, our little cousins and his nephew always light up when he walks into the room. He will be the best dad and I feel so lucky to be by his side for the journey.
Brett’s Career
Brett is a Physical Therapist at Physio Lab, a local clinic that focuses on helping people maintain lifelong strength and mobility. His favorite thing about his job is making personal connections and seeing those people improve and crush their fitness goals. His job allows him to invest in his community by volunteering his time and skill sets as a PT at local races and athletic events. Also, you will definitely find him educating our family on holidays when they ask about their injuries. It happens every time! He simply loves what he does and doesn’t see it as work.
Brett's Fun Facts
- Brett’s favorite sport is football and competes in a fantasy league with friends each year
- His hobbies include working out, cooking amazing breakfast, and hiking with our two dogs
- His musical taste is incredibly varied with favorite artists including: Alabama Shakes, Mac Miller and The Lumineers
- He thinks cilantro tastes like soap!
- Mowing the yard is his version of meditation
- The first time he was in a plane he jumped out of it… with a skydiving professional
- He always has a dad joke at the ready
- In college he worked under a James Beard Award winning chef
Our Home
We live in Knoxville, TN. We love the college town feel with easy access to downtown, the Great Smoky Mountains, and bigger cities like Nashville and Atlanta for weekend getaways. We live in a single story, 3 bedroom home on roughly 2.5 acres of land that is completely fenced in for our privacy and our 2 huskies to roam. We have met all of our neighbors and enjoy the small talk conversations on a weekly basis. We feel very safe in our little neighborhood. We are within 10 minutes to all Sam’s family, our church and small group festivities.
Our Pets
Brooks is a Husky/Shepherd mix who Sam adopted in 2019 and probably the main reason we met! He is our cuddle bug. He can sleep for 18 hours a day or hike 10 miles depending on his mood! He is great around children as he is very calm and loves belly scratches.
Murphy is a Siberian Husky who we adopted in 2022. He is the definition of a husky. He loves being outside and running non-stop while rolling in mud and jumping in every body of water that is nearby. He is so playful and loves meeting new people. He is adventurous and keeps us on our toes at all times. He gives everyone all the kisses they could ever want and is also great with little ones!
Our Community
We are so blessed to have supportive family and friends who live very close to us in Knoxville. Brett’s family is a 5 hour drive away in West, TN while Sam’s family is all in Knoxville. We are always together for cookouts, holidays, and random weekdays to play sports and card games. A home cooked meal always brings us together. Our friends are a huge part of our life. Whether it's friends from church, school or work, we love hosting them in our home, sharing life experiences and laughing with each other.
Our Parenting Style
We envision our relationship to be based on the foundation of Christ with love, support, respect and open communication as core values for our family. Our role as parents is to provide love and support, so our child/children will know their self worth while also equipping them with morals and the confidence to be themselves in every way. We want our home to feel like a place of comfort for everyone who is in our family. Every child is different, and we want to help them grow into the unique person they will become by nurturing their likes and talents. Our goal is for every member of our family to feel loved, seen, chosen and accepted.
Thank You!
Thank you for considering us! We would love to meet you and hear more about your story. We highly respect the gravity of your decision and want you to know that in our home, your child will be loved and supported unconditionally. We believe it is a great joy and responsibility to raise a child and we aim to enrich their life just as much, if not more than, they will enrich ours.