Melanie and Steve

Peanut Butter and Jelly, sounds delicious right? Or maybe you prefer peanut butter and honey or even bananas, but what these delightful sandwiches all have in common is there are two things that probably shouldn’t go together, but they are so great when they do.  While many other people will tell you that their love story is typical or as “old as time”, we can honestly say that ours is something different.  We met later in life, both looking for something that neither of us knew we were missing, but it turned out we were missing each other.  We met in the gym; I was recovering from shoulder surgery and Melanie noticed that I was lifting very small weights and decided to take advantage of the situation to make for a great introduction (as she had gone through the same thing a few years prior).  After a little back and forth, we finally went out.  She stomped me in pool so in turn (on the next date), I had to stomp her in bowling.  We had almost nothing in common (or so we thought) except the love of the gym, however, she opened me up to a whole new world that I didn’t know.  Like what “good” Italian food is or that vegetables can be good if cooked right!  A few years and many new adventures later, I finally asked Melanie to marry me in 2017, while she was covered in pizza dough.  After the initial shock of the situation wore off, she finally said yes.  Since then, we have had many adventures, traveled around the country and the world, finding new experiences along the way.

to give those experiences to a child.  We tried to conceive on our own but because we had a late start (getting married later in life), as well as, being separated for a good portion of the start of our marriage, we were unsuccessful.  That’s why we are turning to adoption to find our missing puzzle piece.  We, as well as our family, know we have a lot to offer a child, and as you learn more about us, we hope that you will feel the same. 

One of the most underrated superheroes in all the comics, must be Wonder Woman, and if you asked me to describe Melanie, that is exactly how I would describe her.  She is the most independent, strong, caring and loving woman I have ever met.  While it does take a minute to get past her rough exterior, underneath is just a fun loving, multi-talented person filled with sarcasm and love.  Melanie is truly a woman who can do it all and I love being able to compliment her life in the way that she compliments mine.  Melanie truly makes me a better person, a better father, and has made my life better in more ways than I can count.

The burly guy with big muscles can’t possibly be sweet and tender, right?  Much like The Hulk, Steve truly is a softy.  He has a tough exterior but really, he is the sweetest man I know with the biggest heart.  He will do anything for anybody and really wants to give the world to his son, Cohen.  He is fun-loving and that has been a great compliment to my more serious side, which is one of the reasons we work so well together.  Steve is extremely motivated and is always finding ways to better himself.  This comes in many forms, including school where he’s completed a bachelor’s and a master’s degree and is working on his second bachelor’s.  It also shows in his pride and dedication at work.  He not only completed 21 years in the Air Force where he retired at the rank of Master Sergeant with many

awards, but he has also worked his way up in the fire service to now be an Engineer.  I couldn’t be prouder of his achievements and look forward to the many more he has to come.  He also betters himself at home by self-learning how to fix up his 1990 Foxbody Mustang.  Steve purchased the car knowing it would need some work but also knowing he didn’t really know much about fixing cars.  But by putting effort into the project and spending many hours on YouTube, he’s been able to do some amazing things to his Mustang.  He only had to call in the big guns (my dad who’s a retired mechanic) a couple of times!  He’s done a great job with the car and has even entered it in a few car shows.

truly wishes Cohen could be here all of the time so it’s really a struggle when he has to say goodbye at the end of each summer.  This is why I know Steve will be an amazing father to another child should we get the opportunity to adopt.

Cohen can make friends wherever he goes, he is a social butterfly and could integrate himself into any situation.  He is quite a gamer, if I would let him, he would game 24/7.  Although he can be very sociable, he is also very shy and reserved until you get to know him, but once he is comfortable, watch out!  He is super smart, however he does have a touch of autism and ADHD.  We work very closely with him to help keep him focused so he is successful in school.  He has grown so much in this area and has been doing very well in school as of late.  With both Melanie and I having Master’s degrees, we value education and we are helping Cohen understand the importance of education in his future success. 

He has shown interest in some sports such as football and basketball, and he really does give it his all.  Starting this summer, Cohen has made the decision to live with Melanie and I full time, so we are all excited about that, but not as excited as him having the potential of having a younger sibling.  When we told him about the adoption process, he became excited and wanted to know everything he could, in fact during the process he was sure to ask the person performing the home study, “did I answer all the questions right?”  He would tell you that I am the best dad, I truly am blessed with how much he loves me and how proud I am of him.

She’s getting older (she’s 8 now) but still has lots of energy.  She is great with kids and has always been patient with the nieces and nephews.

In 2021, we were out walking our dogs and heard crying come from a house across the street.  Steve walked across and found a tiny kitten in the window well of the house.  He knocked on the door and the man that answered said he doesn’t have a cat.  We took her home with us and tried to find her owner.  With no success, we decided that we would keep her (I don’t think we could have pried her out of Steve’s hands anyway).  She’s a Siamese/Tabby mix which brings out some very unique characteristics.  She more cuddly than most cats and genuinely craves human interaction.  She’s sweet but playful too.  Harley immediately took to her and claimed her as her kitten.  They play together and Harley is so gentle with her. 

In 2022, our sweet Nellie passed away.  Over time, Melanie began to realize she missed having a cuddly dog (Harley, although she tries, really isn’t a great cuddler lol).  So in September of 2022, Penny came crashing into our lives.  She’s a pitbull/boxer mix that we found through a foster program.  She had been in New Mexico and ended up in a shelter there until she was moved to the foster in Utah.  She is the silliest dog.  She has a lot of energy and loves playing with her sister.  She enjoys going running with her mom in the warmer months.  But most of all, she’s the sweetest, most cuddly dog ever. You can scoop her up and cradle her like a baby and she is perfectly content. She’s been

great with little kids.  She’s afraid of teenage boys (I mean who isn’t lol) but she’s never aggressive towards any of them.  She just barks and runs away.  We love these kids as if they were human because to us, they are.

We are really into traveling and enjoying different cultures.  Our favorite place we’ve visited is Aruba.  The island was formed by multiple countries so it’s a blend of cultures, making it very unique.  We really enjoyed learning about their culture, food, lifestyle all while exploring both the tourist side and the more undeveloped side of the island. We enjoy staying active on our vacations as well and try to engage in activities while we’re there to experience what the area has to offer (snorkeling, culture tours, city tours, 

hiking, etc).  After we got married, we went to Ouray, Colorado and went hiking and mountain biking.  And we recently took a trip to Denver so we could complete The Manitou Springs Incline.  My parents jokingly say they don’t want to vacation with us because we don’t seem to stop.  But we do take time to wind down as well.  There are many places we have on our list to enjoy, including The Maldives, Bali, Ireland, Italy, and many more.  We’d love to be able to share these experiences with a child.

With Steve’s family being in Virginia and West Virginia, we don’t get the opportunity to spend much time with them.  We’ve taken a few trips back since being married to spend time with

his father before his passing, his grandmother, and his brothers.  We were also fortunate enough to go on a cruise with his brothers a few years ago.  Two years ago, his nephew, Colin, joined the Air Force and got stationed here at Hill Air Force Base.  He has been living with us since, giving Steve an opportunity to have a bit more connection with his family.

Melanie’s family is all located within the greater Ogden area.  Her parents are only 10 minutes away as they also live in West Haven.  We are very close with her parents and often go to dinner with them, spend time at each other’s houses for holidays and barbeques, and have in the past gone on trips together.  Her parents really are the best.  They’re always there for us no

Melanie’s parents as Michelle was a single mother when she passed. She has one brother who lives in Ogden who has recently remarried, giving him a blended family.  Between him and his wife, they have five kids who often spend time at our house with Cohen.