About Us:
We met at work and we instantly became friends. We both work for nonprofit organizations and we share a passion for making our community a better place to live.

We were friends and co-workers for a long time before we started dating. Because we were friends first we had the chance to really learn about one another. Once we started dating, it did not take long for us to realize we were meant to be together and that we are a perfect match for each other. We really admire and respect each other, perhaps because we were friends first.

We live in San Clemente, California, a small beachside community. Our home is just steps from the sand. We play together at the beach, swim & bodysurf in the ocean, and often have family and friends gather for beach bonfires.

We love to keep active. We enjoy water sports, horseback riding and snow sports and we love travelling to exotic places like Rome and Paris, dancing at concerts in the summer, and exploring the world around us.

We enjoy attending church, and occasional dinners out, visits to the library and bookstores. We are so happy snuggling up and watching a funny movie or old Disney Classic.

We are fortunate to have each other. We have a stable, secure marriage and we know that adopting will make our lives complete.

Our Family
Mechelle was blessed with two beautiful children from her previous marriage (Lisa, 10, and Dylan, 16). The four of us share a wonderful family life. We also have a little long-haired Chihuahua named Teddy.

As a family, we are all very loving and supportive of each other. We enjoy spending time together as a family playing games on game night, horseback riding, spending sunny days at the beach, or singing karaoke.

We all love music. Joe plays piano and sax. Dylan plays guitar, Lisa is taking piano lessons, and Mechelle sings. We sometimes make so much noise we worry about what the neighbors think! Joe is a warm, loving, nurturing stepfather. He has been a very positive influence for Lisa and Dylan.

We are all very anxious to welcome another child into our family. Lisa and Dylan will be wonderful siblings and the newest addition to our family will be loved and cherished. Your child will be welcomed into our home and into our hearts.

About Mechelle
Mechelle is the most beautiful, fun, smart, caring, loving, and thoughtful person I have ever known. I am very lucky to have her as a best friend and to be her husband.

Mechelle loves to read, travel, cook, dance, and work out. She loves to be outdoors and seeks sunny days outside at parks, beaches, zoos and historic sites.

Music is a big part of her life. She will sing karaoke around the house, play the drums, or workout to the bands of the 80’s (like Pat Benatar or the Police). Mechelle also enjoys the water and loves to go to the beach, make sand castles, ride in boats, and play in the water at the beach behind our house.

She is a wonderful mother to Dylan and Lisa. Her main focus is providing a great life to her family. She ensures that Lisa’s life is full of affection and fun - from writing daily love notes on Lisa’s lunch bag to volunteering at her school by being a lunch time school yard monitor or helping them raise funds for school field trips. Mechelle has attended every one of Dylan’s soccer games and every horse show of Lisa’s. Lisa and Dylan have great grades and I attribute those to Mechelle’s involvement in her children’s lives. I have seen firsthand that she is a great mom and I know she still has a lot of love to give to a baby.

I admire Mechelle in more ways than I can say in this letter. It should be emphasized that she is a very caring person - not only to her family and friends but to our community. Mechelle is a great speaker and is a champion of the voiceless in our community. Recently a group of families needed her help and she saved the day when she was able to convince the city council to change direction in support of low-income housing rights.

Mechelle is a fantastic life partner to me and I know, whole-heartedly, that she will be the best mother to a new baby.

About Joe
Joe is the most special person; he is easy-going, good-natured, fun, and nurturing. Joe is also very creative and playful. He plays piano, sings, cooks, dances, and he can build just about anything.

Enjoying the outdoors is an important part of Joe’s life. He is a water bug who loves to ski and go horseback riding. He has a great imagination and is always willing to share his dreams and new ideas with me.

Joe is the ultimate good person in the best sense of the word. He comes home from work ready to play, cook, and wash dishes - no matter what. He drops everything for us and never looks at his Blackberry during family time. He’s gone to the market in the middle of the night to get medicine for little girls who have stomachaches during slumber parties; he builds bon fires at a moment’s notice, and he is generous and gives tokens of his affection in numerous ways. He is fit, playful, silly, and kind. He never complains. Whatever the situation, Joe takes it in stride and handles all tasks with grace and love.

The best thing about Joe is that he is a true family man. His whole life has been about family. From his large, loving family of wonderful parents and two brothers and one sister; it is ironic that he has not had children up to this point. He is most deserving of the opportunity to share his sunny disposition, life experience, faith perspective and keen sense of balance in the role of “daddy” to a lucky child. He is already an awesome “bonus” father and having the opportunity to be a daddy “from the beginning” would be a joy to experience with him.

What We Hope to Offer a child
Now is the perfect time for us to build our family. We feel that we have so much to offer a baby: a secure future, a stable home, loving siblings, and a large supportive network of family and friends that are in our corner. We can give a baby just about anything he or she might need from attention, to security, an excellent education, stability, happiness and a future with opportunities. We want to pass on the values, skills, and traditions each of us learned from our parents to our child.

Our dream is to be able to experience parenthood from the beginning together - to share our abundant blessings and gifts with a baby of our own and to be able to raise a baby together in a setting of faith, lots of family, and lots of fun.

We are absolutely thrilled to build our family through adoption and we remain hopeful that this is indeed the path that is intended for us! If you would like to learn more about us or speak to us on the phone, please contact Cindy at A Loving Alternative, 800-556-5635.
With respect,
Mechelle & Joe