Letters

Hello! We are Tanis and Darren. Thank you for allowing us to share a brief glimpse of our lives with you.

We were born and raised in the same small town and attended the same small church. We are Christians, and our faith impacts our whole life. We grew up knowing each other but lost contact after high school.

Darren moved to Edmonton to pursue a degree in Engineering in 2005. In 2011, years after Darren moved there, Tanis moved to live with her sister who was also in Edmonton. Once Tanis moved to Edmonton, she asked Darren to show her a bit of the city. When we met...

Darren received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and works as an engineer. He is the smartest person I know; he was Valedictorian in high school and attained the highest grade point average in his graduating class. He is my rock and my support, the love of my life, and my best friend! He has a hilariously dry sense of humor and loves puns. He is an uncle to ten nieces and nephews, whom we see often, and whom he adores. He loves traveling, all things space, telescoping, camping, and enjoys an evening reading a book. He coached our son's hockey team and did an amazing job...

She is a truly kind, gentle, and very beautiful woman. I love her empathy and compassion for others. She is a leader in a women's group and is often the one that others turn to for comfort. She always feels deeply for those around her.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and spent months overseas in Bangladesh doing an internship. She helped teach women there how to start small businesses.

She loves to cook (and I love to eat), and we often cook a meal together on weekends, trying new dishes from other cultures. We have even made sushi together,...

In the fall of 2018, we adopted our son at birth in Indiana! He is a talkative and outgoing boy. He has a sweet, sensitive personality. We find him so funny. Some of the things he blurts out have us in tears laughing over it. When he learned to bike, he said, "Mom! We can both bike now! We deserve dirt bikes now!"

He loves most sports, his favorites being hockey, soccer, swimming, skiing, horse riding and biking. He is never afraid of a challenge and loves to try new activities.

His favorite trip is to go camping in the mountains. He loves being outdoors, exploring...

We live in a ten-year-old house in an ethnically diverse neighborhood. The backyard is large, with lots of room for baseball, soccer, or playing in the sprinklers. It is a wonderful place for kids to run and play, then stop for a break in the garden and munch on a freshly picked carrot! Our neighbors are very welcoming and generous. Our son often takes part in the impromptu neighborhood kids' basketball games, bike races, and chalk drawings.

There is a lot to see and do in our city. We often spend time at the zoo, science center, recreation center, pools, or bike riding in the...

In the small town we grew up in, our entire families were right nearby. We went to school with our cousins, had Christmases with aunts and uncles, and vacations with our grandparents. Living with extended family actively involved in our lives is extremely important to us. We sadly live in a different city from much of our extended family, but we work hard and have successfully made them a constant and big part of our lives!

We often go to our brother's nearby acreage to spend weekends and holidays with them and their children. Our son loves hunting for Easter eggs with his...

Tanis is a nature lover through and through. She comes more alive when we are outdoors. Winter or summer, she is in her element when we are hiking, camping, snowshoeing, or skiing. That love of the outdoors is something that has been passed along to our son, and Tanis would love to share that with another child. Animals are a big part of her world. We have two tame birds, one of which she taught to whistle songs, say words, and even beatbox! We also have a gentle, loveable dog, who absolutely adores our son and loves going everywhere with us! Often on summer evenings, Tanis' favorite thing...

We love our life together and faith and family are first in our lives. Most evenings and weekends are spent together as a family. As parents, we feel it important to give our son time with us. We are very thankful that Darren's job gives Tanis the ability to stay at home with our son, and she plans to remain at home with the child we hope to adopt.

We want the child to know us as loving parents. We strive to be parents able to laugh, cry, play, listen, give to, and guide our children---with a little adventure and travel, too! We want to help the child explore all their interests...