Meet Steven & Jennifer
Introduction—
Hello! Thank you so much for reading—we’re really excited you’re here.
We’re not from Idaho originally. We’re from Los Angeles, California, and when we moved here, we had to start over. We built a new community, made new friends, and found a new church. It took time for Idaho to feel like home. One thing this experience taught us is how important belonging is, and how much love and family can shape that sense of home. We’re so fortunate that Jennifer’s parents also moved here from LA, and we’ve surrounded ourselves with loving, caring friends who look out for us.
We recognize that this is a deeply personal process. We want you to know that a child placed in our family would be our own, forever—loved, cared for, and cherished with our whole hearts.
About Steven
Steven is often described as caring, funny, personable, and outgoing. He’s known for his integrity, strong work ethic, and the belief that heart and effort matter most. While he may not be the biggest or strongest person in the room, he takes pride in being the one with the biggest heart and the drive to persevere. Life has included its share of setbacks, but Steven holds firmly to the belief that perseverance and faith open the right doors in time.
His faith is the most important part of who he is. Steven is a strong believer in Christ and a professing Christian. He believes that Christ is King, has dominion over all the universe, and is Lord of his life. He strives to live with the understanding that everything he is, everything he will become, and everything in this process is by God’s grace and for His glory.
At heart, Steven is still a bit of a kid—and proudly so. He loves video games, especially ones he can enjoy with his wife, like It Takes Two, Sackboy, and Divinity II. He’s also a passionate sports fan, especially baseball and football, and closely follows his favorite LA teams: the Dodgers, Rams, Lakers, and Kings.
In addition to video games, Steven loves board games, with a special fondness for Dungeons & Dragons, where imagination and storytelling take center stage. Steven’s free time is simple but meaningful. He spends time daily in Scripture, prioritizes weekly date nights with his wife, and takes pride in caring for their home. As a firefighter, fitness is a regular part of his routine, and he enjoys staying active. In many ways, his life can be summed up by four things: faith, family, fitness, and fixing things.
About Jennifer
Jennifer is often described as charismatic, funny, loving, opinionated, outgoing, outspoken, smart, sarcastic, and witty. She is a strong, Godly woman with a caring and generous heart who gives of herself daily in caring for others and intuitively recognizing their needs.
She believes strongly in self-sufficiency, especially through the value of education and gaining knowledge. Jennifer views knowledge, wisdom, and discernment as spiritual gifts from God that have guided her throughout her life. Being well-informed and making decisions grounded in truth is deeply important to her.
Like her husband, Jennifer enjoys video games—especially when they can play together.
She loves their three cats and the sense of peace they bring to their home. Because her work environment is often fast-paced and chaotic, rest and quiet at home are especially meaningful to her.
Jennifer also enjoys a bit of shopping, snacking on her favorite yogurt-covered fruits, watching movies, cuddling on the couch with her husband (when he doesn’t fall asleep in the first ten minutes), date nights, time with friends, cooking, and, most recently, gardening.
Our Marriage
Jennifer and Steven met at a mutual friend’s party—a friend Steven had once hired as a lifeguard at a summer job and whom they remain close with today. That friend invited Jennifer to join a small gathering where Steven and his former coworkers would be. Jennifer was initially reluctant and planned to stay in, but her friend encouraged her to come, joking, “You never know—you might meet your future husband.” Grateful she went, Jennifer walked into the living room, and Steven still remembers the moment vividly—where he was sitting, what she was wearing, and the instant “tunnel vision” he felt when he saw her. They spent the entire evening talking, went to dinner that night, exchanged information, and each called someone close to them to say they had just met their future spouse—Steven called his best friend, and Jennifer called her sister.
Though it would be another year before they officially began dating, both felt confident they would find their way back to each other in time. Later that year, Steven asked Jennifer to be his girlfriend, and the rest is history. They got married in August 2022. In that time, they have experienced meaningful highs and challenging lows that strengthened their bond. Their marriage is now thriving, built on deep love, open communication, and a shared commitment to honesty, with nothing held back between them.
They especially love simple date nights at Applebee’s, game nights playing PS5 together, and spending time in their quirky, cozy home. Rather than extravagant adventures, they find the most joy simply being together—even if it’s something as quiet as reading side by side.
Our Journey to Adoption—
One of the first questions Jennifer asked Steven on their first date was, “Are you open to adopting?” Steven replied, “Well, yeah! There are kids everywhere who need homes.” He later learned that adoption was a true deal-breaker for Jennifer. It has always been on her heart, and now, in marriage, they are intentionally pursuing it together. For them, it has never been a question of if they would adopt, but when.
In recent years, Jennifer experienced some health challenges that have since been addressed, but they are allowing time for her body to fully heal before pursuing having biological children. In the meantime, they are ready to grow their family through adoption. They’ve always believed it was a matter of when children would join their home—and it now feels clear that, in God’s plan, adoption is meant to come first.
Family, Community & Support System—
Most importantly - we have a strong community at our church. We are surrounded by God - fearing friends who share in all of our values and beliefs. We know that in a time of crisis, there are probably half a dozen friends each of us can think of who would drop what they’re doing to come to our aid if we needed it. Jennifer’s family, including her parents and eldest sister are here in Idaho. They’re all wonderful, supportive and excited for us to take this step!
Our Home
Our home is delightfully quirky, with a theme in every room, thoughtfully decorated by Jennifer to make it feel warm and personal. The property has plenty of space we hope to turn into a chicken run, a garden, and a front patio where the family can gather. A long driveway often sparks visions of kids running and playing.
Nearby, we enjoy easy access to the river for floating, bike paths, running trails, parks, and dog parks for our pup, Miss Weenie. Two well-regarded elementary schools are also within walking distance.
Miss Weenie, is a Black Mouth Cur mix adopted from the Humane Society. We also have three cats and a gentle, friendly snake named Fern. We love our animals and believe our children will benefit from learning to care for and respect pets from a young age.
Because of our schedules, “weekends” sometimes fall during the week. Our time together often includes home projects, gym visits, runs with Miss Weenie, and a planned monthly date night where we dress up, go out, and prioritize keeping our marriage fun and intentional.
Our Faith & Faith Background
Joshua 24:15 – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The foundation of our home, who we are and how we guide our lives is the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ. We are both united in our surrender to Christ and His lordship in our lives.
If we’re not working Sunday, we’re at church and serving there, too! Church is where many of our friends and community stems from. We believe that strengthening our faith and walking with Christ gives us salvation, brings newness of life and continually transforms and renews our mind.
Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 29:17: “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”
Scripture is clear and we align with this, that the best way to love a child is to ground them in biblical truth, give them a predictable routine, be a predictable and reliable parent, provide instruction and discipline where necessary, and most of all, be loving and kind and patient!
Life is going to happen, there will be meltdowns and crying, and cheers and laughter! We want to meet it all as parents in the same way every time – with love, patience, gentleness and firm stances and expectations that are well known and not kept from them. Celebrate the highs, comfort the lows, instruct the mistakes, cheer on the wins.
Your child’s background, no matter who they will become, is rooted in you. You are inextricably woven into them, and we love that. We are very excited to honor heritage and tradition and keep it in our family! It’s going to be part of our story, part of their story and all of it will glorify God for His purpose in our lives.
Steven’s Words to Jennifer
I am undeserving of you as a woman and a wife. You are incredible. You are everything I could have asked for in a wife and so much more. You root for my success and are there for my failures. You extend endless patience and grace to me, even when I don’t deserve it.
You are unfailingly loving to me, and your gentle touch is healing. I said this to you at the altar and it’s more true every day: I look at you and you are home to me. Your smile, your face, that is home for me. I cannot wait to see you as a mother. I love you, my darling baby cakes.
Jennifer’s Words to Steven
Thank you for always being the man I’ve wanted but most importantly becoming the man I’ve needed in my life. You are the kindest and most honest heart I have ever known. I have never had to question your intentions because they are always good. Thank you for loving me for who I am and providing me with a safe place to land at the end of every day. Words cannot express how grateful I am that you’ve taken care of me over these years. From moving to Idaho and various health struggles, you’ve stood by my side. Together we are always able to overcome. I’m so excited for this next season to see you become a dad. If our child grows up to become half as good of a person as you are, I will know we have succeeded.
Our Promise—
We vow, above all, to make sure that your child is brought up and raised to know the Lord, walk with Him and ground his identity and sense of self in Him as a child by adoption of God (Romans 8:15), as all of us are. We vow to show them unwavering love, patience and protection. We can guarantee that: they will always be loved and live in a loving home, show patience in all things and provide protection for them to the very best of our abilities.