A letter to You
Dear Birth Parents,
We have always been told growing up that, "when God closes a door, he opens a window". We thought the door was closed to us being parents after our struggle with infertility. Through a lot of prayer and some time to heal, God has led us to our window through adoption. We cannot completely understand what you are going through, but know that God is in charge and leading us all through this journey. We are excited to open our hearts and our home to your child. We pray everyday for you and your baby. We cannot wait to grow our family, not just with a baby, but also with you. We look forward to teaching a child about our family and our traditions, but also to include you and your family. We look forward to the day that we hear from you and are happy that you have taken the time to read our story and learn about us.
Adoption isn't a birth mother's rejection but an unconditional love that inspires her to put herself last and do all she can for her baby.
Meet Doug
I was born in Jackson, Michigan to John and Sue Trombley. My extended family lived and still lives in the Jackson and Detroit area in Michigan. My mom was a stay at home mom for most of my childhood and my dad was an x-ray technician.
Three years later, my twin brothers, James (Jim) and Matthew (Matt) were born. One of my favorite memories of my twin brothers was taking one of them out of their crib, putting them in the crib with the other brother and then climbing in with them to play.
When I was seven, my father got a job at the Dodge City Hospital. My dad went ahead of the family to start his job, and so my mother packed us boys up and got on a train bound for Dodge City, Kansas. It was a big adventure for the whole family.
I attended Sacred Heart Catholic School until the 6th grade. Holidays were very important in my family. My mom would make handmade chocolates for Easter and she made several Halloween costumes for me.
Then I went to the Jr. High where I started playing the trombone and tried several sports. (I wasn't very good at sports, even though I love them!!)
I attended Dodge City High School and played in the marching band, pep band, and was in the drama club. It was at this time that my love for theater started. I was too shy to act on the stage (that would later change) so I worked backstage and helped build scenery.
Upon graduating high school, I went on to Dodge City Community College and Fort Hays State University. I really enjoyed my health career classes and shadowing at the hospital. I earned an Associates in Arts and my Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) License.
Since I am a volunteer EMT, I also have a full time job working for Servi-Tech Labs. This is a crop testing facility. It's a very dirty job, but someone has to do it!
Doug's Hobbies
My brothers and I enjoy doing reenactments at Boot Hill Museum. I usually get to play the town drunk, tell jokes, and act really silly.
I also still play my trombone in the local community band.
Even though I wasn't very good at running cross country, I have continued to run for fun. I run two miles every morning and I have run in several 5K races.
I also enjoy traveling. Since my brother Matt is in the Coast Guard, he gets transferred to a new location every 3 years. I try to visit him at all of his stations.
I enjoy watching all sports live and on television. Even if it is just watching my niece play softball. I am still a bit of a Michigan boy at heart, and my favorite sport is hockey.
I really enjoy spending time with the nephews building with Legos and going on adventures with them.
Doug's Family
Meet Rachel
I was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico to Tommy and Karla Rickner. My dad was in college and when he finished his degree a few months after I was born, we moved to Oklahoma City.
I grew up in Yukon, Oklahoma, which is just outside of Oklahoma City. Since our house was in the country, I spent a lot of time with my brothers and sisters and a few neighbor kids. I am the oldest of 4 kids and my mom said I was her mini me, always looking after and taking care of my brothers and sister.
As I was growing up, I was involved in Girl Scouts and my mom was my troop leader. I stayed in Girl Scouts until I was in high school and earned several awards. When I was a sophomore in high school, I got to go on an acting trip sponsored by the Girl Scouts.
Dogs were also always part of my family growing up. We would foster dogs for the humane society and so we usually had quite a few around our house. Several dogs found their forever home at our house!
When I was in middle school my love of music began. My parents saw that music spoke to my heart and put me in voice lessons. I spent most of my high school years singing and performing, earning several awards in music.
After graduating from high school, I went to the University of Central Oklahoma. While I was in college, I sang in operas and helped with musicals. I found that as much as I enjoyed performing on stage, my heart's desire was elsewhere. This is when I found that my true love was teaching children and helping to nurture their love of music. I earned my Bachelors of Music Education in 2002 and started teaching the fall of that same year. I have been teaching children of all ages for the last 15 years, but my favorite age group is middle school.
Rachel's Hobbies
My mom and my grandmother helped to foster a love of baking. I especially enjoy making cookies and cakes.
Of course most of my free time is spent doing something musical! I enjoy singing in church and directing musicals.
I also enjoy gardening. We have several flower and veggie gardens around our house.
Whenever possible I love to spend time with my nieces and nephews.
Rachel's Family
Once in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tail...
Our Cinderella Story
Doug and Rachel met when Rachel was directing Cinderella the musical at the local theater. Doug stepped in to cover for an actor who was going on a mission trip. Even after the actor he was replacing returned to the show, Doug continued to act in the show. Every night, Rachel would do Doug's make-up and we would talk about our day. It wasn't until the next show that we did at the theater a few months later, that we started dating.
Doug proposed to Rachel during a gun fight at Boot Hill Museum. He worked it out that the entire cast of the show helped out with the proposal. Rachel had no idea what was going on. Doug even wrote a song and sang it as part of the proposal. It is the only proposal to ever occur at Boot Hill and is even in a book about the history of the museum.
And so the adventure begins...
Time Together
We love spending time together. We attend church together each week and love being involved in our small town community. We enjoy camping, spending time in our gardens, and working on our home.
Performing Arts
Most of our free time is spent in the performing arts. Rachel directs a couple of musicals each year for children and teenagers and Doug is always at her side helping out.
We also enjoy acting and doing reenactments at Boot Hill.
Our Traditions
HolidayS
What Rachel Loves about Doug
Doug is the most selfless person I know. He is always looking for a way to help others. Sometimes that is just making someone smile. Doug has a great sense of humor and there are a lot of times that he says something or does something to make me laugh! Doug is a natural father to our dogs. He always makes sure that they are very well taken care of and that they know they are loved. Doug is also incredible with kids-maybe because he is a big kid at heart! He is always making up fun fairy tails for our nieces, nephews, and god children. He loves spending time with the kids in our lives-even if it is the middle school and high school kids that we work with when performing musicals.
What Doug Loves about Rachel
I love Rachel for her heart and her strength. She puts the needs of others ahead of her own. I love that she treats the students she teaches as her own. She doesn't just teach them academic lessons, but she learns about them, laughs and even sometimes cries with them. She faces every challenge head on with strength and determination. I love the way she treats our puppies. She has a great sense of humor and is very crafty. Most of all, I love her soft heart towards me and the special quiet times we have alone talking, laughing, and sharing our dreams.
Our 4-legged Children
Aria
Rachel adopted Aria from the animal shelter before she met Doug. Rachel told Doug that if Aria didn't like him, he was out! Of course, for Aria and Doug it was love at first site. Aria is our little dog. She is a 9 year old chihuahua with a big heart. Her favorite activity is to snuggle and get loved on. She also loves squeaky plush toys. Aria is a mommy's girl and likes to take walks and rides in the car.
Daisy
We adopted Daisy 3 years ago. Daisy had been abused when we got her, so we have worked with her to make her comfortable, help her to know that we love her and that she is in her forever home. We even had to teach her how to snuggle and now she is professional! Each night she gets in our bed and lays between our pillows to snuggle, that way she can sneak attack kisses to both of us. Daisy's number one goal in life is to be everyone's best friend. She is so full of love and gives lots of kisses. She is a daddy's girl and goes running with him every morning.
Surround yourself with only those who are going to lift you higher.
We are excited to welcome a new life into our home along with our family and friends. We hope you have caught a glimpse of who we are and the love we are ready to share. We cannot wait to get to know you and learn more about one another. We pray that God will guide you and direct your heart for what lies ahead for your child, and your hopes and dreams for your child's future.
Credits:
Created with images by frankbeckerde - "baby feet hands baby hand keep protected"