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Ben & Sharla

Tennessee

Intro

About

Ben

Age: 33

Ethnicity: White

Religion: Christian

Sharla

Age: 43

Ethnicity: American Indian/Alaska Native

Religion: Christian

Preferences for a child

Age: Newborn to 1 year of age

Gender: Either

Special Needs: Open to discussion

Basic Info
Ben

Age: 33

Ethnicity: White

Religion: Christian

Denomination: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Sharla

Age: 43

Ethnicity: American Indian/Alaska Native

Religion: Christian

Denomination: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Work & Education
Ben

Education: Ph.D. in applied math

Profession: Data scientist

Sharla

Education: Masters degree in occupational therapy

Profession: Occupational therapist

Environment

Country: USA

State: Tennessee

Us Region: Western US

Parent Relationship: Married

Parent Neighborhood: Country

Parent Years Together: 10 to 15 years

Parent Residency: House

Parent Pets: none

Children At Home: No children

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual parents

Preferences for a child

Age: Newborn to 1 year of age

Gender: Either

Multiple Children: Twins

Special Needs: Open to discussion

Certification Badge Icon

Adoption Service Provider

The Family Network Inc

Photos

pictures
photos
pictures
Sightseeing a lighthouse in Portland, Maine
Sightseeing a lighthouse in Portland, Maine
Snowshoeing in Montana
Snowshoeing in Montana
Hiked to the top of a mountain peak in Hawaii
Hiked to the top of a mountain peak in Hawaii
Hanging out on the beach
Hanging out on the beach
Exploring the coast of Oregon
Exploring the coast of Oregon

Letter

Sailing under the Golden Gate
Welcome!

We hope to have the chance to get to know you as well.

[[ We also have a video profile! Watch it on YouTube here: video profile ]]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to visit our page and learn a little bit about us. We're excited for the opportunity to grow our family with adoption. We'll give you a brief intro to us, and we hope to have the chance to get to know you as well.

We met in Maryland, while we were both working at the Johns Hopkins hospital. We quickly became friends, and then more than friends, and finally were married while living in Boston (destination wedding in San Diego!). After six years in Boston we moved out to California and now live in beautiful Tennessee. We have been married for over 10 years.

We love to spend time outdoors, which is great in Tenn...

[[ We also have a video profile! Watch it on YouTube here: video profile ]]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to visit our page and learn a little bit about us. We're excited for the opportunity to grow our family with adoption. We'll give you a brief intro to us, and we hope to have the chance to get to know you as well.

We met in Maryland, while we were both working at the Johns Hopkins hospital. We quickly became friends, and then more than friends, and finally were married while living in Boston (destination wedding in San Diego!). After six years in Boston we moved out to California and now live in beautiful Tennessee. We have been married for over 10 years.

We love to spend time outdoors, which is great in Tennessee with easy access to mountains, wildlife, and more. We love to hike, whether it's a day hike in the area or a backpacking trip in the mountains. We also do a lot of traveling together - we've visited 23 countries together and 6 continents! For us, traveling is a great chance to learn about other cultures, see incredible sights, and experience how people live all around the world. Almost everything that we do, we do together - going to the gym, cooking dinner, walking around downtown are all better together.

We both come from large families (7 siblings for Sharla, 6 siblings for Ben) and spend a lot of time visiting with family who now live all over the country. We have 28 nieces and nephews! We're fortunate to be able to spend time with family often.

A little bit about Sharla

We're excited for the opportunity to grow our family with adoption.

My first time making croissants!
I'm 100% Native American. I grew up spending lots of time outdoors, hanging out in my small town in Utah, and playing sports (volleyball and basketball are my favorites!). I studied to become an occupational therapist and now work in a hospital. I love my job because I get to work with people who are very sick, and help them build up strength and put them on the path to recovery. I also find joy in service - I try to find community volunteer service opportunities and help out as able.

In my spare time I enjoy baking, reading, watching Hallmark movies, and being outdoors. I recently picked up running as a new hobby, and have run 4 half marathons in the past few years (but have no desire to run a full marathon). My Native American heritage is also important to me, and I love going to pow-wows as often as I can.
A little bit about Ben
Hiking to a lighthouse
I grew up in Arizona, but loved living on the East coast and now am having a great time in California. I've always been good at math, and after studying that in college I now work in data science at a tech company.

Since I work inside all day, I enjoy getting out on the weekends. One of my favorite hobbies is sailing, which I started learning while we were living in Boston. I love the calming sounds of the winds and waves, and Sharla and I have done a few overnight sailing trips together.

I love wildlife, and have a special place in my heart for birds. Whenever we go on trips I always snap a few pictures of the different birds we see. I also love music - I started playing the violin when I was 6 years old, and now I play violin at church, for friends, and whenever Sharla wants to hear a song. When we're winding down at home, I like watching movies and football, and I can probably quote from nearly every episode of Seinfeld. I always look for opportunities to share the things that I love with others. I've taught violin lessons to kids and have also tutored kids in math. Some of them even got really good at it!
Our future family
The start of our family
We feel that we have been guided by God to adoption. We know that adopting is the right way for us to grow our family and we're looking forward to the new relationships it will bring into our lives. All of the things we love to do, whether it's traveling or camping or hanging out at home, are better with family.

We're both calm, loving, patient people. Our future children will always know that they have our unconditional love and support. We will teach them to have faith in God and to serve others, by serving together with them. We will share all of our hobbies with them and help them to find their passions. We will teach them that through work and study they can become whatever they want to be.

We understand that adoption is a huge decision and we appreciate you taking the time to learn about us. We look forward to having an open, supportive relationship with you. There's so much more that could be said, so please feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to get to know you and to answer any questions you have. Adoption will be a blessing in our lives, and we hope we can be a blessing in yours.

With love,
Sharla and Ben
Environment

Country: USA

State: Tennessee

Us Region: Western US

Parent Relationship: Married

Parent Neighborhood: Country

Parent Years Together: 10 to 15 years

Parent Residency: House

Parent Pets: none

Children At Home: No children

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual parents

Host: stg.adoption.com