We have very similar personalities and share many of the same interests. Both of us have worked hard to establish careers in health care. We enjoy spending time with our family and friends and like to get together for gatherings or to host dinner. We love to be outdoors and spend time in our yard. We play electronic and board games together and like to participate in outdoor sports such as skiing, Frisbee and volleyball. We love to watch a variety of movies and project the movies on a screen on our wall and it is just like we are at the movies but in the comforts of our own home or in our own backyard!

We are each other’s best friend, and from the beginning of our relationship, we were very clear that we wanted to have a family. Our ultimate goal was to have a family either by birth or by adoption. Melissa always felt that she would adopt some day, and felt strongly about giving a home to a baby that needed one. Even as a child, she would tell her family that this was her wish. Now we are trying to make this dream come true. Adoption has become our path to parenthood.

We own a cottage on the beach, about 45 minutes away from our home. Darren’s family has always vacationed on this beach each summer and we wanted something that we could enjoy all year round so we bought this small cottage for our own family to be able to enjoy. It has two bedrooms which will be perfect for us and our child. We spend many weekends working on the cottage to renovate it and thanks to Melissa’s extraordinarily handy father, we have been able to turn the cottage into a seasonal home. It is a special retreat that we look forward to, where we can walk on the beach, sit by the fire, or just read a good book sitting in the sun by the ocean. Each night that we are at the cottage, we enjoy having a small bonfire and talking for hours. It is a wonderful place to be.

Our pets are very important to us. Since moving into our home, we have adopted two rescue dogs, whose lives were in jeopardy, and they needed homes. Our beige dog is a pug/golden retriever mix named “Boston” and our spotted pup is a terrier mix named “Jake”. They both are very friendly, gentle, and kind dogs. We take them with us to the cottage on weekends and they love to run and play on the beach. They have always been around people and children and are very comfortable with them. They bring us so much joy and allow us to run and play outside for hours!

About Darren by Melissa
Darren is a kind, gentle, intelligent and loving man, with great strength of character. He has a zest for life and an energy that is unbeatable. He is a very loving person, who will do anything for his family and friends. He has a very lovable, child-like quality that draws others to him. He is known to be the one to entertain the neighborhood kids and is often referred to as “Uncle Darren” even to those not related to him. He loves being home in front of a fire or a movie, but also loves activities such as waterskiing, snowboarding, playing games, hosting a bonfire or an outdoor movie for friends and family, or playing with our dogs. Darren works as a computer administrator in Radiology at a large Boston hospital. He has worked there for eighteen years and is very well known and liked by all. He loves his job because he enjoys helping people and making others laugh. Darren firmly believes that laughter is the best medicine and does his part to keep others happy.

About Melissa by Darren
MJ is a wonderful person to spend life with. She has worked very hard to put herself through college and graduate school and to establish a solid career working with the elderly. She is the Director of Community Outreach and Volunteers at a large nursing home in Boston. She has a passion for working with the elderly and has done so since high school. Her family and friends are her top priority and she loves spending time with them. She is an avid gardener and loves to do just about any craft possible. She often has numerous projects going, such as sewing, painting, and making holiday decorations. She regularly makes special activity blankets for those with Alzheimer’s disease and takes great pride in these works of art. Since marriage, she has discovered a love for cooking and this has made her husband very happy! She can often be found cleaning the house or cooking while listening to jazz music, her favorite. She has dreamed of being a mother her whole life and I know that she will be a loving one.

We live on a nice side street in a suburban town near Boston, Massachusetts. Our home is next door to Darren’s parents, who still live in the same house where he grew up. Both have retired, so “Grandma and Pops” will be a huge part of the baby’s life. We have two sets of cousins living on the street and many dear friends in the neighborhood; it is a wonderful feeling to have so much family close by. We knew that the proximity to family and work would allow us to be better able to plan for our family. We enjoy staying relatively close to home, love animals, and we especially love the beach. While Darren’s family lives next door and his siblings live in the surrounding towns, Melissa’s parents only live 20 minutes away. We see each other on weekends, and often gather together as we are all so close. We have a lot of fun.

Family
Words cannot describe how much we look forward to being parents.

Our infertility issues have only delayed our path to parenthood. We went through six cycles of IVF, resulting in two miscarriages. We never gave up on our dreams of parenthood and have moved towards adoption as the next step. We have shared this news with all our family and friends and are so excited to be able to open up our home and hearts to a baby.

Thank you for taking the time to read our book and to get to know about our lives. We hope that this has given you a look into our relationship and will help you to understand what a wonderful home environment we can provide. We greatly look forward to welcoming a baby into our family. It is our dream and we look forward to each step that goes along with parenthood.

We would be honored if you would consider us to raise your child.

We would love to hear from you and to answer any questions that you may have. For more information about us, or if you would like to talk to us, please call Cindy at A Loving Alternative 1-800-556-5635.

Best wishes to you,

Darren and Melissa