Hello! We’re Mary and Dustin! We are so grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves and hope to join you in your journey. Adoption has been in our hearts from some of our first conversations over 11 years ago. We are passionate about and fully support open adoption. We love to explore the world and embrace rich life experiences. It would be an honor to share our adventures with an adopted child.

We first met in 2003 in our hometown in Alabama through shared interests while in high school. We would often run into each other at local music venues or track & field events. It wasn’t until after we graduated from college that fate brought us together over the 2011 holidays. A little over a year later we were married. After living in a few different cities, we moved to California in 2017 and immediately fell in love with Los Angeles. Our family includes a playful senior dog, affectionate cat, and talkative parakeet. Whenever possible we love to explore new places, restaurants, and local attractions. After a long week we like to unwind by spending time with friends, hiking our neighborhood trails, or watching a good docuseries. We couldn’t be any more excited to become first-time parents through adoption!

Mary is a talented designer with a keen eye for aesthetics. She has a special compassion for animals, rescuing all of our pets from bad situations. In her free time, Mary likes to play piano, garden, and create art ranging from watercolors to macrame. She finds comfort in cooking and is always whipping up new, delicious meals. She has a tight knit group of friends and gets together regularly for coffee, hiking, and shopping. Mary is loving & loyal and will be an amazing mom. I can’t wait to see her show our child new ways of looking at the world around us.

Dustin is a hard-working engineer and a fun-loving husband. In between work calls in our home office, I can usually find him “tinkering,” aka taking care of our home with loving attention to detail. He’s always ready for a fun adventure and to try new things with me. Dustin is the ultimate care-taker, making sure I feel loved, comfortable, and safe at all times. I can’t wait to see him do this for a child. He’s our cat’s favorite person!

Mary holds a Master’s in Architecture degree from an Ivy League university and currently owns & operates short term rentals under her LLC including a small cabin in Joshua Tree. Dustin holds a Master’s in Business Administration degree and is a sales manager for a global chemical company. We both work from home with flexible schedules allowing for lots of play, learning, and quality time with our child throughout the day.

Our house sits above the water with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island to enjoy. The neighborhood is quiet, established, and well-maintained with sidewalks perfect for afternoon strolls with our child. The neighbors are friendly and we regularly exchange gifts & updates. We can’t wait to watch the sunsets and listen to the waves crash while we play in the yard with our child. There are nature preserve areas on either side providing great hiking opportunities with the chance to show our child the local wildlife and spend lots of time in nature. A neighborhood elementary school is only a 10 minute walk away and an ocean view playground just 5 minutes further. It truly is an idyllic place to start a family. We carefully chose this neighborhood with our pending parenthood in mind!

Some of our favorite activities include hiking, swimming, skiing, taking road trips, and enjoying nature. Our teardrop camper is perfect for a small family and visiting national parks. We would be thrilled to provide our child the opportunity to grow up around both sand & snow. We love to travel and there are so many exciting places to explore as a family. We celebrate other cultures and value authentic dining experiences as well as cooking traditional recipes at home. We embrace all the fun neighborhood holiday traditions, often going overboard with Halloween and Christmas decor.

Charlie is our sweet 12 year old Boxer mix. Mary rescued him from the Humane Society at only 12 weeks old. He still loves to play with his toys and go on long walks through the neighborhood.

Violet is our super cuddly 12 year old Russian Blue cat and most recent addition. Her favorite activity is falling asleep in your lap and not letting you get up.

Opal is our talkative 4 year old Indian Ringneck parakeet. She can often be found sitting in the sunshine whistling or saying some of her favorite phrases like “Peek-a-boo.”

Our families both live in Alabama, not far from each other. They visit us often which has created great memories of exploring California as a family. When our families are far away, our local friend group provides an amazing support system. Everyone is so excited to be a part of this journey with us and couldn’t be more excited to share their love!

We recognize parenting is going to be challenging. The two of us make a great team and will support each other through all the tough moments - late night feedings, sickness or injury, and rebellious tantrums. Any opportunity for a teaching moment will be leveraged for further growth & development through gentle parenting, calm conversations, and many breaks to reset. We’re eager to learn everything our child will teach us as they grow and develop into their own unique person. We can’t wait to share our life with a child and all of our favorite things about it.

Thank you so much for considering us and we understand this is a life-changing moment for you. We promise to love your child unconditionally and openly talk about this adoption. We will embrace any interest they may have and prioritize their well-being. Your child will be supported through all of life’s challenges. We are very open to calls, video chats, texts, and planned visits if you are comfortable. Thank you again for taking the time to read our profile.