Welcome! Meet:

Brien + Susan

Director of Natural Resources/Fisheries Biologist / Registered Nurse

Colorado

Caucasian

Christian

All About Brien & Susan

Brien was born and raised in Michigan. He grew up in a Christian home with loving parents and a brother. He enjoyed playing hockey and hunting/fishing with his brother. He attended Central Michigan earning a degree as a fish biologist. He has lived in Wisconsin, Washington State, and Alaska working for the government in research. Over the past 7 years, he moved into the private sector as the Director of Natural resources and Fisheries for properties in Colorado and Costa Rica. 

Susan was born in DC to a military family. Her parents were affectionate and loving and raised her and her brother in the Christian faith. Her dad was a pilot in the Air Force and they moved all over the world before settling in Georgia, where she calls home. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Child Life, but followed her father into a career of aviation, becoming a flight attendant for many years. While flying she also earned a second degree in nursing and balanced her careers doing both. In hopes of starting a family, she “retired” from the airlines and works part time solely as a nurse now. 

We live in Colorado with our dog Kota and we are excited to grow our family through adoption!

Why Adoption?

We have always had a desire to adopt. Over the years, Susan had volunteered in several orphanages throughout the world and this grew her heart for adoption. While she and Brien were dating they often talked about adoption and he was very much on board. After trying for a few years to conceive on our own, and 3 unsuccessful attempts with IVF, it just confirmed for us that adoption was the path God desired to grow out family. And we couldn't be more excited!

Family & Home

We are blessed to live and work on a ranch in the heart of the Rockies and in the middle of ski country. We live in a 3 story house with 3 extra bedrooms to fill! We have access to private horse stables, riding arena and ice rink year round. We live within an hour of many ski resorts and the mountains are our playground. We love to hike, horseback ride, fish, hunt, snow ski/shoe, snow mobile- just depends on the season! We love our neighborhood and get together with several of the families and their children weekly for dessert and fellowship. We are very active in our church community and attend service weekly.

Brien and I are also very close to our families and love to visit home as much as we can. Between the 2 of us we have 5 nieces and nephews that we adore. In addition to spending time with family in Georgia and Michigan, we have a small cabin in Oregon that we love to go back to while visiting friends and enjoy going out to the coast for annual crabbing trips.

How others describe me

Brien has been such a blessing and gift in my life. He makes life easy and fun. He has such a laid back personality and handles the challenges in life with such ease and grace. Whenever faced with adversity, such as our infertility diagnosis, he is quick to remind me we have a loving God who is in control and has a beautiful plan for our family. Brien is patient and loving through all circumstances. He has a solid group of guy friends that would also say he is just a genuine friend that they enjoy spending time with. He’s quick to help others out in time of need. Always dependable. Always there for you when you need him. Always quick to make you laugh and smile. And he is a fantastic cook! 

I would describe Susan as full of curiosity and adventure. She loves to find new and fun things to learn and experience. She’s great at planning fun activities, outings, and vacations. She has a heart of gold and is always thinking of others first. She’s very family oriented, loves game nights and decorating for the holidays. She makes our home feel warm and I am so grateful for her tenderness. She loves BIG!

how we met

How We Met

We met online! We both had moved to Colorado for work, not knowing a soul. We both went online and joined a dating app to make new friends in the area. Our first date was out to dinner, second date he took me fishing, and I was hooked, line and sinker! We dated for 2 years and he popped the question while we were on vacation in St. Lucia. Within 6 months, we were married on a private ranch in Colorado surrounded by the love of our family and friends.

Advice to Future Child

We would love to share some of our favorite thoughts and advice instilled in us from our own family and friends throughout the years:

Remember- you are enough! Never compare yourself to others. YOU are unique and have your own gifts and talents to share. 

Be open minded, yet strong in your beliefs. Be kind. Show empathy and compassion. Forgive. Be interested in others. They will always remember how you treated them. Cultivate and nurture friendships- they will last a lifetime.

Dream Big! You can do anything you put your mind to. Never stop learning. Find your passion. Find what you love to do and do it with all your heart. Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. Learn the lesson and get back up to try again. 

Happiness comes from within, not from external things. Seek gratitude, compassion and thoughtfulness. 

But most importantly- know how much we love and believe in you!

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We think open adoption is a beautiful gift for everyone involved. It’s a beautiful story of multiple families coming together to love this child. Our desire is to honor and uplift the birth mom in our home so that her child may know her great love for them and for her sacrifice. Our hope is that she would feel welcomed in our home and feel loved. Our feelings are very much the same for the birth father as well. We are open to all forms of adoption, whether the birth mom desires for a closed, semi-open, or open adoption. Our desire is to respect and honor their wishes and their level of desired openness.

Favorites

Brien
  • Favorite Movie: Gladiator, Forrest Gump, Napoleon Dynamite
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: hunting with my dad, brother, and nephew for Thanksgiving dinner
  • Hobbies/Interests: fishing, hunting, hockey, travel, snow skiing
  • Dream Vacation: fishing in the Seychelles
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: crocodile eyelids- to see underwater 
Susan
  • Favorite Movie: Top Gun, Goonies, Soul Surfer, anything inspirational
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Making Lefse (Norwegian tradition) with all the cousins and also attending Christmas Eve service and then heading home to open one gift before Christmas Day
  • Hobbies/Interests: travel, snow ski, hike, fly small planes
  • Dream Vacation: Patagonia. I used to be a flight attendant so I’ve been to a lot of places. I still have free travel for life for my entire family.
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: to be invisible or to be able to fly

We’re here to help.