Dear Birth Parent,

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us! We’re excited for you to learn more about us (The Pitmaster and The Chef) and are thrilled to become first-time parents. We have always known we wanted children, and after dealing with infertility, we began our faith-based journey to adoption. We are so excited for the opportunity to love and raise your child. Our home is filled with love, laughter, and intentional prayer. We look forward to getting to know more about you as you learn about us and are open to visits.

We were both born and raised in Tennessee- Terrance from the barbecue capital of the world in West Tennessee, and Dareka from the heart of the state, where we met over 11 years ago. We have now been married for 8 wonderful years! We are as happy as the day we said “I do” and, after years of traveling for work, we have settled our lives back in Tennessee to be close to family and friends.

We are best friends who, through working our family barbecue business, found that we shared a lot in common and complemented one another.  Where Terrance is outgoing Dareka is more reserved, where Terrance is a go with the flow kind of guy Dareka is very much a planner, and as Terrance likes to follow recipes exactly, Dareka has perfected the, “winging it method.”

We are both foodies, and we love to travel several times throughout the year both for food competitions and for vacations. We’re both kids at heart and are very much looking forward to teaching our child about the joys of exploring the world and sharing with them our families’ traditions.

Terrance is the most loving and dedicated person I know. He becomes friends with everyone he meets, constantly has a smile on his face and when he laughs, he laughs from deep within his soul. He is hardworking, can pretty much build anything, and enjoys working on his drone in his free time. Terrance is always willing and able to help anyone at a moment’s notice and truly has a heart for God.

Terrance loves to bring people together through food, games, and lots of laughter. He looks forward to showing our child the joys of fishing, sharing with them his passion for football (he is a die-hard Cleveland Browns Fan), and his love of history and cultures. I know he will be an amazing father to our child and that he will protect, love, and guide them with all of his being.

Dareka is truly my best friend. She is strong, caring, patient, and loving. She always makes time to bring the family together for fun games, holidays, and celebrations.  She loves reading, hiking, trying new cuisines, and sports. She’s a wonderful Godmother to three young boys and a great aunt to her nieces and nephew as she plays a loving and inspirational role in their lives. I know Dareka will be an amazing mother and love your child deeply. She will give them all the support they would ever need to be able to grow up happy, healthy, and knowing they are loved. She is excited to share her love of cooking with the many cuisines she has studied and mastered as well as her passion for helping others with our child.

Our families mean so much to us and are a very large part of who we are. They are a huge support system and an amazing village that is always willing and ready to help one another. Both of our families are excited about our adoption and look forward to teaching our child about culture, history, languages, and fun.

We enjoy holidays, birthdays, annual reunions, and spur of the moment get-togethers with our families. Our godchildren are excited to have playdates and our family is thrilled to spoil and welcome your child. They will have an abundance of love coming from their great-grandparents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

We live in a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch style home with an open concept floor plan. We have a spacious backyard with lots of mature trees to play hide-and-seek and many other activities. We are located in a well-established neighborhood with a great community of multi-cultural families with children of all ages.

Our home is close to playgrounds, excellent school districts and we’re also located a few hours away from either mountains or a beach, for a quick family get-a-way. We are near hiking trails and are just minutes from the local lake for fun water activities.

More than anything we want you to know that we will love your child unconditionally and will nurture him or her to grow up to be their best self. We promise to teach them about God’s love, grace, and mercy. We will dedicate our lives to your child, loving and encouraging them every day and raising them to follow their dreams. We are committed to providing them with a safe home to call their own and a well-rounded education. We will ensure that your child grows up knowing their beautiful story. We look forward to building memories with you and sharing photos, letters, emails, and visits.

If you would like to learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.