Dear Birthparent,
We are so excited you chose to look at our letter! Hopefully this letter and some pictures will help you get to know us a little. We are a loving family who is lucky to have found each other; we are outgoing, talkative, and we love to have fun!
About Us
The first weekend of Fall semester in 2005 neither of us had any plans. We both said we would stay home and do homework (who has homework the first week?), but our roommates wouldn’t let us. They took us to another random apartment to watch a movie, it was really crowded, and the movie was dumb. Just before the movie ended JP got a phone call and stepped out to answer it. Marie was feeling claustrophobic and left right when the movie ended, which happened to be the same time that JP hung up the phone. We introduced ourselves and stood outside the apartment talking for over an hour. (We both love to talk!) We found out we had so much in common that we planned our first two dates that very night, which were swing dancing and a concert on campus. We were married just under a year later in 2006.
During our first year of marriage, we lived in Rexburg, ID while JP finished school. We have spent the rest of our married life living in Utah. Last year we were blessed to be able to buy the home we live in with our pets, twin bunnies named Cinnamon and Nutmeg. We love that our home has plenty of room to grow and play. We enjoy playing games and watching classic TV shows like Cosby and Dick Van Dyke, while we eat ice cream almost nightly because it’s so good! We love spending time with our extended families, and it’s easy because we all live close. Some of our best friends are our cousins and their kids.
About Marie
I am the oldest of 7 children. My parents met because my mom was accompanying my dad for a solo. When I was 3 my mom accompanied some violinists for a church musical number, from that day I began begging to play the “vi-ana-lin.” I started piano and violin when I was about 7, and later found my “voice” and switched to viola as my main instrument. As I was choosing a major I tried to do Mechanical Engineering because I felt I could be good at it, but ended up choosing a Bachelors degree in string teaching because I couldn’t live without music. I now teach Suzuki violin and viola lessons in our home and love teaching my 25 students that come each week. I also perform with multiple orchestras and quartets. With my nonmusical time I enjoy reading, doing yoga, and trying my hand at sewing projects. I feel strongly about education in the home and constantly try to keep learning. I love sign language and occasionally work teaching a deaf student at school.
J.P. about Marie
The day after I met Marie we were supposed to meet to buy tickets for a concert (so I could use her student ID to get a discount price) …she stood me up. It turned out ok because later that day I got a call from her apologizing; it would have been sooner if I’d given her my phone number. After this hiccup we began dating and fell in love. While we were dating Marie would often buy peanut M&M’s for lunch, but since she hates the blue ones and claims they taste different, I got to enjoy the rejected blue M&M’s with dinner. We got engaged on July 1, I proposed on a hike and then we watched the fireworks. Marie didn’t love her ring at first, she said, “it could scratch my viola;” but she decided to keep it because I put time and effort into choosing it. I love how Marie always supports me; often this support is in little things, encouraging me to audition for something, or even just trying to learn about football so we can watch it together. I can always tell when Marie is happy because she will start singing spontaneously.
About J.P.
I have always felt I was a complex person, I have many interests and I always try combining them or sneaking them into whatever I am doing. I grew up going to Yellowstone every year; this was the perfect trip for me. I could combine an unlimited amount of interests while spending a week up there. I would fish, hike, snap some photos, read, play games, and see a show at the local theater. We still go up there every summer. I also enjoy biking, gardening, cooking, singing, multiple sports, and I’m a BYU fan. Recently I discovered that I enjoy acting with the local community theater. More than anything else I enjoy getting to know people, I love it when I do my hobbies with friends or family.
I am the oldest of 3 children. My next oldest brother is 9 years younger than I am, and he was adopted. I feel that my brother has always fit perfectly in our family, and was meant to be my brother. My family is so grateful for adoption and the birthmother who helped create our family.
Marie about J.P.
The first night I met JP I was amazed how easy it was to talk to him and get to know him. I wrote in my journal that night, “We ended up talking for a couple hours about…everything… He served his mission in Dallas, was homeschooled, and is a history major. He seems really smart, and appreciative of the arts.” After we began dating it was interesting how many people just knew we were going to get married even before we did, including almost all of our roommates and some of our professors. Although the very last person to figure it out was my mom, even though my sister was my roommate at the time and was supposed to keep Mom informed. I realize now that the reason I was able to feel like I knew JP so well after one meeting is because he is such a good communicator and willing to get to know people. He’s friendly and enjoys talking with everyone. I love this even more about him now as JP invites different friends and cousins to our home to play games with us about once a week. He’s great at helping people feel included and watching for their needs.
We sincerely appreciate the time you’ve taken to get to know us a little better. We would love to answer your questions so go ahead and contact us or visit our blog. We don't know you personally but we imagine you are thinking through some of the toughest decisions you may ever face. We hope you are blessed to find the answers you are looking for, and we admire you for considering your options. We hope we have helped you by sharing a little about ourselves, and we offer our support to you in whatever decision you make.
J.P. and Marie
