Joanna & Dan: March 2011

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

ak studio & design

My cousin, Abbey Kyhl, has a photography company called AK Studio & Design. Recently, she began a project to incorporate with her company and website (www.abbeykyhl.com) for adopting couples as a way to serve the community and help adopting couples find their children. To get started, Abbey did a mini-photo session with Dan and I, and we were featured as one of three lucky couples in Abbey's article for a southern Utah online magazine entitled: Alive!.

Check out the article, here's the link:

http://aliveutah.com/content/hoping-adopt-3-couples-stories

And here's the website:

www.akstudiodesign.com/findingyourfamilyphotos

Thanks Abbey!!

Joanna

Here are a few more pictures from our photo session:

Birthparent Letter January 2012

Hello Friends,

We are Dan and Joanna. Thank you for taking the time to look at our profile and getting to know us. We cannot comprehend what you are going through, but understand that you are having many thoughts and emotions regarding your decision and we respect you for considering adoption. We look forward to meeting you and eventually start spoiling our first little one.

I, Dan, am looking forward to the activities that come with being a father. The daddy daughter dates and the
fathers and sons campouts are especially high on my list. I understand “daddy’s little girl” will soon have me wrapped around her little finger, but I am okay with that; and spending time outdoors to create a lifelong bond between myself and my son is something I am excited for. Of course I’m also looking forward to teaching my kids sports, like how to throw a ball, how to tie their shoes, how to make friends, ride a bike, tie a tie, attempt the braid, teach them how to drive a car, coach them on how to ask someone out, or comfort them when they don’t get asked out, and all other life events.

I think kids are hilarious and they say and do the funniest things. I am excited to have those funny little moments that Joanna and I (and their siblings) can quote back to them when they’re older and be the typical parents who bring up embarrassing moments around their friends—because that’s what parents do.

Now let me tell you about my wife, Joanna. One word: Awesome. She can be a little shy at first but then look out because once she earns a place in your heart you will never want to let her go. Joanna graduated from the University of Utah with a Degree in English a few years ago because she loves to read and write. In fact, she has recently finished her first novel and is currently looking for a publisher to publish
her book. Joanna loves to be around family which isn’t too hard because both my family and her family are only a couple of blocks away from us. Joanna and I love to play board and card games; our newest favorites are Smallworld and Dixit. We also love to play Nerts, Blokus, Farcle and Ticket to Ride. Since I am busy with school and work, Joanna also enjoys watching TV shows such as Vampire Diaries, Ringer and Supernatural when she has a minute.

Joanna looks forward to spending quality time with her kids. She is excited to tuck them into bed and share her love of reading with bedtime stories. Joanna is excited for the braids that will probably look better than my attempts, and the embarrassing flat top haircuts with steps. She is excited to teach them how to read and write, help with homework and the “due tomorrow” projects, make valentine boxes, and help come up with witty comebacks against daddy when he teases them.

So what about me? I am a senior at the University of Utah studying Business Management. I currently work as an Assistant Director of Security at a local mall. I also love being around family, but I am not the biggest reader. Most of the time I would rather be outside doing some type of activity such as snowboarding, jet skiing (which are both things Joanna and I enjoy), camping, golfing or playing basketball; but I also love watching movies on our entertainment system. Some of my favorite movies include the Bourne Identity Series, the Fast and the Furious series, Harry Potter Series, and I will admit to
enjoying a good chick flick every now and then.

Joanna and I love to go on vacation with each other and with family. Some places that we have enjoyed in the past are Disneyland, Lake Tahoe, St. George, Moab, Lake Powell, Nauvoo, Maine, Mexico, and Italy. We also both like to go bowling, mini-golfing, shooting, and even a simple night of dinner and a movie.

Joanna and I met a few months after we both graduated from High School while working at a local sandwich shop called Cutlers. In the beginning we worked at two different locations (me at Bountiful and her at Centerville). The first night we met, a friend of mine and I were helping Joanna and another girl close at Centerville. My friend liked the girl Joanna was working with, and though I helped Joanna with her duties, she thought I liked the other girl too so she snubbed me all night long. Not long after, Joanna transferred to Bountiful and her impression of me was that I was the player. In her words, “it seemed he had a date every weekend,” and “many girls had their eye on him,” but once we got to know each other better, and Joanna realized her impression was wrong—that I only liked her—we soon fell in love. Then, after writing each other while I was on my mission in the Philippines, and a quick break up, we were engaged. We married in May of 2005 and are excited to add a new addition to our family.

If the letter hasn’t told you enough about Dan’s character and the type of guy he is, let me (Joanna) tell you a bit more about him. Dan is loved by everyone. We always joke that he is the favorite child in his family because everyone loves to see him and wants to talk to him when he’s around. He’s a great listener and counselor and he has this way about him that makes people want to confide in him, to ask his advice, and they all look up to his great example. I’ve seen brand-new acquaintances of Dan’s and even strangers feel comfortable about discussing their problems with him. Recently, we’ve started to joke that Dan is the favorite child in my family too because if any of my younger siblings need advice about dating, about guys or girls and what they should do about the ones they want to date, or what to do about the ones they don’t want to date, or just general guidance, they call Dan. Occasionally they’ll call me, but it’s usually to ask if Dan is around and if he is available for advice. He also has a great sense of humor, he is always teasing, joking and making people laugh. His sisters still laugh at his jokes even though they’ve put up with them for a few decades. He makes me laugh every day, sometimes to side- splitting laughter. Dan is ready and anxious to be a dad. We’ve recently had a new niece added to the family and seeing him with her, even feeding and burping her, and seeing how he acts around our other nieces and nephews, playing with them and teasing them, he is excited to have children of his own. I love Dan so much—he is my best friend.

Now that you know a little bit about us, we want you to know that we are praying for you and your baby. We want what’s best for both of you and are supportive that you are considering the different options. Adoption brings many blessings to many people. We hope you will spare a minute to look at our pictures and visit our blog at: joannaanddan.blogspot.com. Thank you again for reading our letter.

Love,
Dan and Joanna

Joanna & Dan

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

ak studio & design

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