Hi there! We are Karina and Jason from Thousand Oaks, California. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us and consider us as adoptive parents for your child. We appreciate and respect you for making this choice, and we hope to join you on this journey. From early on in our relationship we discussed adoption, and we’ve always been open to how it can help us grow our family. We love the life that we have built together, and we’re excited about opening up our lives to share it with your child.

Our journey together began in 2015 when we met at a mutual friend’s potluck during a “Walking Dead” watch party; a fitting start for two nerds like us. Fast forward to 2020, we got married during the height of the COVID pandemic in a small, intimate ceremony surrounded by our closest family and friends at a local park. One of our favorite memories from that day was our nephew, dressed as Darth Vader, marching down the aisle to the Imperial March as our ring bearer. After 9 years of being together, we still hold hands as we go out and run errands on weekends and we continue on our nerdy ways watching the latest Marvel movies and playing board games and video games together. Our love for each other and our families is at the core of everything we do, and we can’t wait to share that love with your child.

Recently we learned that having biological children was not in our future. This news reaffirmed something we discussed early in our relationship: our desire to build a family through adoption. We have always believed that love, not biology, makes a family, and we are excited to open our hearts and home to your child. We hope that by sharing our story, you will understand how much this means to us and how committed we are to providing a loving, supporting, and nurturing environment to your child.

Honesty and transparency are very important to us. We believe that being open helps build trust to better support one another. This means we’ll always listen to, share our thoughts with, and work through challenges together with our future child, making sure they always feel heard and valued. We are committed to celebrating our future child’s individuality and encouraging their unique interests and passions. Our goal is to create a loving environment where they feel empowered and excited to be themselves.

I was raised in upstate New York and Southern California and grew up as the middle of three boys. We loved being outside most of the time, riding bikes and playing in the local woods with other kids in the neighborhood. Our family still loves to get together regularly for dinner and game nights. One of my favorite things to do is cook dinner for family gatherings. I’ve been working since I was in 8th grade! I’ve worked in a few industries, but finally landed in the IT field about 15 years ago. I grew my career, and now manage all of the IT infrastructure at one of the largest citrus companies in the world. I enjoy working from home full time, which will give me the flexibility to be present for our growing family. In my spare time, I like to unwind by spending time in my woodworking shop in our garage building new projects. There’s something magical about creating new things out of plain pieces of wood. Over the last few years I’ve been tapping into my creative side, and I hope to inspire our future child to express themselves in anything they are passionate about.

Jason has a natural curiosity and desire to figure things out, whether he's fixing my computer, building furniture, or upgrading things around the house. When things get stressful, his calm nature and resourceful problem-solving really stand out, making him such a steady, reliable partner. But what I love most about him is his sense of humor. He’ll often make up silly songs and dance around just to make me laugh. His ability to not take himself too seriously also helps him connect with kids, and he has developed a great relationship with our nieces and nephews, from getting into fierce online chess battles with our oldest nephew and also gaining the nickname “Uncle Cheese” from one of our nieces. His positive outlook on life keeps things fun, and together we create a joyful and supportive environment that we can’t wait to share with our growing family.

As the oldest of five kids, I’ve been blessed with a tight knit family. My parents taught me the importance of family and that bond and loyalty guides me everyday. As we grew older, my siblings married and had kids of their own, growing our family and increasing our bond even more. Today, my family gets together often, whether for holidays or informal BBQ and game nights. On the professional side, I’ve earned my undergraduate degree, my MBA, and grew my career at a top advertising agency to become the Vice President of my department. I’ve had great mentors along the way and now as a manager, I help grow the careers of those on my team. I enjoy working from home two days a week, giving me the opportunity to spend more time caring for our future child. Outside of work, I find joy in the simple things: getting lost in a good book, taking walks, cooking, and getting creative with art. These moments help me recharge and stay grounded, and I’m excited to celebrate both the big and small moments with our child.

Karina is the most supportive person that I could ever hope to spend my life with. She has always encouraged me to grow both personally and professionally. When I want to try something new to expand my creativity, she wants me to go for it. And anytime I’m ready to take on new challenges in my career, she’s there to tell me that I’ve got what it takes to succeed. Her nurturing personality also comes through when managing her team at work. She encourages their professional growth, and mentors them on how to reach the next step in growing their careers. Karina loves to play with our nieces and nephews. She’s always down for a night of board games with our 10 year old nephew, running around the house playing hide and seek with our 4 year old niece, or getting on the floor playing with toys with the toddlers and infants. She’s great at meeting kids at their level and engaging with them in their interests.

We’re passionate about cooking and trying new and adventurous foods. We often experiment in the kitchen and share new recipes with family and friends. At home, we enjoy unwinding together, whether it’s a cozy evening in or a game night with friends and family. We also both like to explore our creative sides with Karina working on new art projects, and Jason creating things in his woodworking workshop in the garage. We can’t wait to include a child in all these adventures and traditions, creating new memories, and sharing our love for exploration, good food, creativity, and quality time with them.

We love exploring new destinations, whether it’s camping under the stars, immersing ourselves in nature, or sightseeing in new cities, both far away and close to home. Karina is a great vacation planner and has a knack for finding fun activities in each new destination, prompting Jason to lovingly refer to her as his “cruise director."

We live in Thousand Oaks, California, a city that has long been recognized as one of the safest in the United States. We’re blessed with Southern California weather which is perfect for enjoying the outdoors year-round. We are part of a highly ranked school district, which is important to us as we think about our future family. Our community also offers fantastic farmers markets where we pick up fresh, local fruits and vegetables. With beaches, mountains, forests, and even deserts all within close reach, we have endless opportunities for adventure and relaxation, and we can't wait to share these experiences with our child. Our home is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house located in a quiet, friendly neighborhood. We have multiple parks and hiking trails within walking distance, making it easy to enjoy the outdoors and stay active. The neighborhood has a warm, welcoming atmosphere, and we love hosting friends and family for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. On weekends, you'll often catch us grilling tri-tip and enjoying a movie projected in our backyard next to our fire pit.

Our extended family and friends are such a big part of our lives. We're lucky to have several of our siblings and Jason's mother living in the same city, and Karina's parents visit us regularly. We also have several nieces and nephews who live close by and join us often for dinners and game nights at our house. During the summer, we frequent Jason's mother's house to enjoy the pool in her backyard and go swimming with his brother's family. Our friends, many of whom we've known for decades, are more like family to us. With both friends and family by our side, we have a large support system that are excited to see us become parents and to help us on our journey.

Karina’s grandfather was adopted, which has had a meaningful impact on us and has inspired us to grow a family of our own through adoption. Karina's grandfather became an admiral in the Navy and had a large family with 7 kids of his own, and we're excited to continue on his legacy by pursuing adoption to grow our family. For us, holiday gatherings are a cherished tradition where we share meals and enjoy each other’s company. Jason proudly prepares ham and turkey for Thanksgiving, while Karina bakes a variety of sweet treats. We love hosting both nearby family and those who travel from afar, ensuring everyone feels welcome. This past Easter, we hosted both sides of our families at our place and put on an Easter egg hunt for all the nieces and nephews. Jason loved to challenge his older nephew with difficult and clever hiding places to ensure even during his pre-teen years, he would have a great time. These shared moments are key to building a connected family, and we look forward to passing this tradition on and building new traditions as we grow our family.

We are committed to providing a stable and loving environment where our home is filled with humor and laughter. From day one, we promise to be open and honest about our adoption journey and to share with our future child the important story of their birth mother. We aim to have an open adoption, respecting whatever level of openness you are comfortable with. We understand that making mistakes is a natural part of growing up, and we will be there to support and guide our future child to learn from their mistakes as they grow. We promise to encourage and celebrate their individuality, encouraging them to pursue their passions and become their own person. Additionally, we are committed to learning about and embracing our future child’s culture and heritage, helping them stay connected to their roots.

We truly appreciate you taking the time to get to know us through this snapshot of our lives, and we hope to get to know you soon. We understand the gravity of the decision you are making and deeply respect the consideration you are giving to this journey. We promise to welcome your child into a loving home filled with laughter, support, and adventure. We are also open to keeping you connected through updates and planned visits that align with your comfort level. We are excited about the possibility of opening our home to your child and look forward to taking these next steps together. Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity and for considering us on this meaningful journey.

Karina and Jason