About Us
We have a wonderful and loving relationship. We have many common interests. We love traveling together, and have been to Germany, Japan, Brazil, and all throughout the United States and Mexico. We love to learn about the history and culture of other countries. We look forward to sharing our love of learning and travel with our child. Peace and social justice are important to both of us. Our love for our fellow human beings extends well beyond our own home. We both enjoy being actively involved in our local community.

We also have a lot of fun together; we laugh a lot and share the same sense of humor. We love nature and enjoy hiking and being outdoors together. We love to snuggle, to watch movies, and to read books. We have many long and interesting discussions about current events and politics.

We have a lot of respect and admiration for each other. We have supported each other in fulfilling our individual dreams and goals. Family, community, and spirituality are also very important to us. They have been important sources of support, comfort, and inspiration to us, especially during difficult times.

We live in Los Angeles and love how much sunshine we have all year long. We are a short drive from both beaches and mountains. We love to explore the cultural richness and diversity in our city through film festivals, musical performances, food, and art galleries. We look forward to exploring the many cultural activities that our city offers us.

Our neighborhood has many wonderful and family-oriented neighbors. There are many kids who love to play together. Almost daily, they ride their bikes up and down our street or play soccer together. We live very close to three large public parks. They offer hiking trails, places to picnic, a lake and paddle-boats, pony rides, swing sets, and a merry go-round. We can’t wait to share these places with our child.

Our home is warm and cozy. We have a wonderful library full of many books to read, a collection of musical instruments including a piano, and a beautiful nursery waiting for our adopted child. Our home is on top of a big hill, giving us a marvelous view of both the city and the trees in our backyard. We have a large backyard and it is blessed with birds, squirrels, fruit, and trees. We love to barbeque and eat meals together on our back patio.

About Ernest…
Ernest is a loving husband and is very smart and creative. He is very expressive, social, and has a wonderful sense of humor. Ernest grew up in Hawaii and moved to California with his mother when he was eight. Ernest majored in Music and English at the University of Southern California. During high school, he focused on music as a path to college. He still loves to play jazz. He recently joined a band, and plays every Wednesday night. Currently, he edits music videos, reality TV, television commercials, and trailers for feature films. He has worked with many top artists including Green Day, The Roots, My Chemical Romance, and he has worked on TV shows like Dog Whisperer. Ernest is also completing his directorial debut, a documentary film about homelessness. He is passionate about finding great stories, and sharing them with the world through both radio and film. He loves to interview people from all walks of life.

Ernest is a talented billiards and ping-pong player. He was even a professional pool player at one time. He loves teaching his younger brothers and nieces how to play these games. The kids really love spending time with him and he always makes them laugh. I have no doubt that he will make a wonderful father.

About Ellen…
Ellen is a very compassionate, courageous and loving soul. She is extraordinarily patient and diplomatic. Even in difficult situations, when she is challenged, she responds with dignity, respect, and grace. Her intelligence and dedication allows her to accomplish so much, while living a rich, full life, filled with friends, family, exercise, and spiritual growth. I have evolved exponentially through our relationship, from learning yoga to reading the latest research on childcare. I have no doubt she will make a patient and kind mother.

She works as a professor at a local university. She teaches and writes books. She is very helpful to her colleagues and students. She loves to help them find their voices as writers. She is a real community builder. She especially enjoys organizing public events and developing an internship program that connects students to various community and labor organizations.

During her free time, Ellen likes to spend time with friends, ride her bike, and to work in her garden. She also greatly enjoys co-leading a support group for teenage women. Many of these young women are in the foster care system and live in a group home. She loves to support them, listen to them, and to watch them change and grow into young women. They have also given her a wonderful reason to bake cookies, cakes, and brownies.

Our Family and Friends…
Ernest’s mother and his grandparents live in Southern California. We are blessed to have them so close to us. We like to help his grandparents with their shopping and hearing their perspective on current events. Ernest’s father and his two younger half-brothers, age 10 and 15, live in Hawaii. We visit them at least once or twice a year. We love to explore the island with them, especially sea kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling.

Ellen’s parents live in the Monterey Peninsula in Northern California, a beautiful place to visit during holidays and weekends. Her parents are members of the local aquarium, which we love to visit. We can’t wait to show our child the sea otters, fish, and other sea life housed there! Ellen also has an older sister, who is married and has three daughters. They live near Sacramento, California. Ellen’s three nieces bring us lots of joy and laughter. They can’t wait to have a new cousin to play with.

We also enjoy spending time and sharing meals with our many friends. Our friends, both new and old, have been important sources of support, love, inspiration, and fun over the years.

About adoption…
We can’t wait to adopt a child. We have tried for years to have a biological child but we have been unable to conceive because of problems with fertility. It is very important to us that our child know that we are an adoptive family, and how loved and special he or she is.

As adoptive parents, we value your part in the child’s life. We are open to communicating with you about your child if that is what you wish, and developing whatever relationship seems appropriate. We would be happy to send you pictures as your biological child grows and develops, and to communicate through letters, e-mail messages, phone calls, or meetings.

We are looking forward to spending lots of time with the baby. Ellen’s job will allow her to take an extended maternity leave (for at least one year). Her job also has flexible hours and she works at home a lot. Ernest has reached a point in his career in which he can be selective about the projects he accepts. This provides the flexibility and time needed for him to be a very involved father. We have been preparing our home for a child and have a wonderful nursery ready for him or her. We can’t wait to build a tree house and hang a swing from our giant pepper trees.

We look forward to helping our child to become strong, educated, responsible, confident, compassionate, joyous, and spiritual. We will love him or her unconditionally and encourage our child to pursue his or her own passions and dreams, whatever they may be.

We can’t thank you enough for considering us as parents. Adoption is a loving gift and one that we will truly cherish. If you are interested in learning more about us, or would like to speak or meet with us in person, please contact Cindy Simonson with A Loving Alternative at 1-800-556-5635.

With respect,
Ernest and Ellen