ABOUT US
After some “on again, off again” we decided to stay “on” permanently and got married 06/05/04. Casie picked that date because it would be easy for Clay to remember. She was right!

We waited awhile to try and start our own family, but for several years now, we have struggled with infertility. From the very beginning, our hearts were open to adoption whether we had biological children or not. We are so excited to share the love and laughter of our lives with a child. We enjoy family time at the lake, playing Scrabble, riding bicycles, reading and taking our dog on adventures. Clay also wanted you to know he enjoys video games when he’s not lifting really heavy things at the gym!

One of our favorite activities is working with a non-profit group that has built schools and medical clinics in the Dominican Republic. We both traveled there with our church youth group as teenagers and have gone many times since then. We sponsor children to go to school there, too. Helping others is an important value for our family and we look forward to sharing this and our love for the Dominican people with our child someday.

CASIE ABOUT CLAY
I can’t wait for Clay to be a dad. He has a special gift with children and for teaching others. Whether as a fitness coach, a pastor, or even just hanging out with our nephews, his ability to lovingly help someone grasp a concept they didn’t previously understand just amazes me! Our child will be lucky to learn from him. He may not always close the cupboard doors and he doesn’t love to wash the dishes, but he is a good man who is kind, supports me in my pursuits and has a knack for remembering all the corny lines from every movie and TV show we watch!

CLAY ABOUT CASIE
Casie will be a fantastic role model and mother who will love our child fiercely! She is incredibly smart and a very hard worker who will ensure our child understands and values the importance of being kind and compassionate, embraces education, and learns how to become a strong, independent adult. She is adamant that there is only one proper way to fold towels and sometimes when she’s not at the hospital she forgets she isn’t always the boss, but that’s what makes her attractive to me! She’s a strong, beautiful woman.

OUR HOME
We live in a four-bedroom home in central Indiana. There’s plenty of room for guests and we’ve even turned part of the basement into an art studio for Sandy to work on her paintings. Though we don’t have the nursery set up yet, we like the idea of light blue with red accents and we love the big picture window with built-in bench seat. The other rooms are decorated by Sandy’s art and filled with furniture that was hand-made by Casie’s grandfather.

We chose our community because it reminded us of the small town where we went to high school. Our next-door neighbors have 2 little boys and our backyard neighbors are grandparents who are anxious to have another little person around.

Our faith is an important part of our home life, so we also attend a local church with people of all ages, races and backgrounds.

OUR FAMILY
We enjoy spending holidays, birthdays and other special times with our two families and all of our nephews. During the summer, we get to spend time with everyone at a nearby lake cottage. Casie’s mom, Sandy, lives with us and she is excited to become a grandma and help with childcare so we do not have to use daycare services. Clay has 3 brothers: Cade, who lives in southern Ohio with his son; Eric, who lives in Michigan with his wife and 2 sons; and Kyle who lives in northern Ohio near Clay’s parents. Casie has a brother, Ryan, who lives in Nevada. Our whole family is supportive of us pursuing adoption and are anxious to meet the little one. They know our adoption will be open and we are all praying for our child’s birth parents and looking forward to getting to know them.