“…whoever welcomes a child like this…. welcomes Me.”
Meet TJ & Makenzie
A video message from TJ & Makenzie
A Letter from TJ & Makenzie
We are a couple who honors quality time together. We love to explore and travel, hike with our dogs, cook together, host get-togethers at our home, and cozy up on the couch and watch movies. TJ is 28 and Makenzie is 29. We love spending time with family & friends! We also love creating traditions and can’t wait to do more of this once we have children.
Our Christian faith is the foundation of our home and our family. Our family mission statement is to love anyone from anywhere and to make a positive impact in the world, promoting kindness, empathy, and lifelong learning. We have so much love to give and are incredibly eager to welcome a little bundle of joy into our home. We promise to be an encouraging, safe, and steady support system from the day we are matched to the day we bring home your baby, to forever and beyond.
About Us
Our Story (written by Makenzie)
We met through a mutual friend. TJ was living in Georgia, stationed at Fort Benning. He had recently started his career in the military after graduating college. I was living in Michigan, had just graduated college and was trying to figure out what my next step in life would be.
It all started when I slid into TJ’s DMs on Instagram. It didn’t take long, and TJ decided to fly to Michigan to take me on a date. And the rest is history…We both knew after our first date that this was truly something special. 7 months later, TJ and I snuck off to the courthouse to get married the weekend before he was leaving for his Ranger School, a 2+ month Military Training Course. After TJ finished Ranger School, I packed up my life in Michigan, where I had lived all my life, & the true adventure began.
After three years of being a military family, we decided that was not something we wanted for the long run. TJ worked long hours, would be gone for training a week+ at a time, etc. We wanted to create a life that would make it easy for us to have dinner together. We were thinking ahead for our future kiddos. TJ will be the type of father who will not miss a soccer game or dance recital. He wants to be able to be home to help with homework, bedtime, and all of the special moments. He now has a career that will support that. We are so excited to become parents!
About Makenzie
TJ says: Makenzie is the strongest woman I know. She has overcome so many obstacles, even in the face of adversity. She spreads love to everyone around her. Her selflessness is truly remarkable, as she consistently prioritizes the needs of others above her own. Makenzie is compassionate, generous and caring. She is my perfect complement, constantly inspiring me to strive for personal growth and improvement.
Not only does Kenzie support me in everything I do, she also works full-time and does more than her share when it comes to tending to our home, keeping our lives in order, and taking care of our pups. She is incredibly driven and amazes me daily by her hard work. Makenzie is creative by nature. I am often taken aback by her projects and how she is able to make a dream or vision a reality. I cannot wait to see her pass this on and inspire our future children with her creativity and imagination.
Kenzie loves gardening, cooking, going on walks, and enjoying nature. She makes the world a more beautiful place. She looks forward to teaching our child(ren) the importance of kindness, and respect for others. She looks forward to spending time in the kitchen with them, cooking and baking. Kenzie will teach our kiddos the appreciation for diversity, communication skills, and working hard towards their goals and dreams.
About TJ
Makenzie says: TJ is the most patient, loyal, compassionate, and hard-working person I know. He is my best friend and my biggest cheerleader. We work great together as a team and balance out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. He is just like his dad: a man of his word, gracious, kind, and consistent. I know TJ will pass down these qualities to our children, just as his parents did for him.
TJ is a strong provider. He helps around the house with cooking and keeping the house tidy. He also knows a lot about finances, from budgeting to investing and, most importantly, being gracious with what God has blessed us with. He loves all things outdoors: hiking, running, competing in triathlons, and playing sports. He also loves to give back through his time and his talents.
TJ has been practicing his dad jokes and honestly, I am impressed… about 75% of the time he gets a chuckle out of me. He can’t wait to teach our children how to ride their bikes and take them fishing. He also looks forward to sharing and modeling the importance of integrity and generosity. He will instill Christian values in our children, leading by example, and by being a strong, forgiving, graceful presence. He will teach them the power behind the Hasz Family Mantra – “Hasz’s Never Quit.” TJ is going to be a wonderful father.
Our Family
We both come from large families. TJ is the youngest of 3 siblings and Makenzie is the youngest of 5 siblings. We are both very close with our families. Everyone is so excited for us, especially the grandparents!
TJ’s family is very welcoming. We love hanging out with them at his parents’ house where we are always having cookouts. One thing we really love is that TJ’s immediate and extended family have “family breakfasts” a few times a month on Saturday mornings. It’s such a special tradition!
Kenzie’s family is so much fun to be around. Her mom lights up every room, and her dad loves his family so much. When we are with Kenzie’s family, we are always eating! Cooking is a shared passion among everyone in her family, and being a part of those delicious meals is a real treat.
Our children will have cousins to play with, aunts and uncles that will love them endlessly, and grandparents that will spoil them and create unforgettable lifelong memories and traditions.
Our Home in Georgia
Beautiful trees surround our home in Georgia. Our neighborhood is established. Each home has a nice size yard. There are other families in the neighborhood with young children. We live near schools, shopping, medical care, and Tj Maxx. The only thing missing is the other TJ’s (Trader Joe’s), but we survive. 😉
We have two Golden Retrievers, Luna and Chief. They love to go for walks, play together in the yard, and of course, nap. We took them through 6 weeks of doggie school, so they will be prepared to welcome a baby brother or sister. They love people and children.
Our home is a special place filled with love, kindness, and happiness. It’s a place where we’re always discovering new things, like trying out tasty recipes in the kitchen or learning how to grow our own vegetables in the garden. We also enjoy doing fun do-it-yourself projects. We love having friends and family over to our house and making them feel welcome. We make sure our home is neat and tidy because it helps us feel calm and focused. Our door is always open, ready to welcome anyone who wants to visit us.
Our Promise
We will provide a safe, steady, and joyful home filled with unconditional love and encouragement. We will demonstrate firsthand what a healthy marriage is so that our children will grow up knowing the importance of honor, respect, and happiness.
We promise to be a home full of laughter. We promise to teach the importance of understanding emotions, being kind to others, and believing in themselves.
We will learn and embrace cultures, provide opportunities, and teach them about the life of Jesus. We will encourage them to embrace their story. We will celebrate their accomplishments and pick them up when they fall.
We promise to tell them their adoption story, so they grow up knowing they are loved. We promise to maintain contact with you through letters, pictures, videos, phone calls, and visits if that is what you desire.
We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. Please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
Learn More About TJ & Makenzie
| TJ | Makenzie | |
|---|---|---|
| Our Education | BA Multi-Disciplinary Studies, Minors in Business & Spanish | BS In Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Minor in Holistic Health |
| Our Professions | Restaurant Director | Director of Events |
| Stay-At-Home | No | Part-Time |
| Our Racial Background | Caucasian | Caucasian |
| Some of TJ & Makenzie's Favorites | ||
| Quote | "Four things a man must learn to do to make his life true: 1. Think without confusion clearly 2. Love his fellow-man sincerely 3. Act from honest motives purely 4. Trust in God and Heaven securely" - John Wooden | “To love is to recognize yourself in another.” ― Eckhart Tolle |
| Thing to do | Hike | Learn new recipes |
| Book | Man Search for Meaning - By Viktor Frankl | Into the Magic Shop - by James R. Doty MD |
| Food | Pizza | Thai Food |
| Color | Yellow | Yellow |
| Time of year | Christmas | Summer |
| Ice Cream | Cookies and Cream | Anything Chocolate |
| More About Our Family | ||
| Our Special Interests | We'd like to share a few things we are passionate about and enjoy doing together. We serve as Sunday School Teachers with the 3-5-year-olds at our church. We've done this twice a month for a year and a half now. This has helped solidify the fact that we will love our adopted children just as much as we would if they were biological. We would take any of these kids home and love them endlessly! Through TJ's work, we also interact with a lot of young people ranging from 15 to 21 years old. We both take great interest in pouring into these young people's lives and mentoring them on many topics, including their faith, school, relationships, professional life, and finances. | |
| Our Faith | We are Christians who believe in loving everyone, no matter where they come from. Our faith leads us to be kind and caring towards others. We find joy in giving to others and helping those in need, valuing the act of giving more than receiving. Individually, we spend time learning about Jesus and Christianity, deepening our understanding of our beliefs. But we also come together and have heartfelt conversations about the things that matter to us. Recently, we've been watching a TV series called "The Chosen," which tells the story of Jesus' life. It has been a wonderful experience for us, as we learn more about the teachings and experiences of Jesus. We absolutely love our church. It's very diverse which is important to us. | |
| Our plan for childcare | Once we welcome a child into our family, Makenzie will reduce her work hours from full-time to part-time. When we both are working, we plan on hiring a nanny who will come to our home and care for our child while we work. We will ensure the person that we hire has the experience that is needed for caring for a baby. | |
| Why we are adopting (told by TJ) | Makenzie's life took a difficult turn when she was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 16. She had to undergo challenging treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, these treatments made it highly unlikely for Makenzie to have a child naturally. She shared this with me on our second date, and it made me feel sad for her. I couldn't understand why such a special woman had to face this loss. However, amidst the sadness, I found solace in knowing that if our relationship continued, we could create our family through adoption. Makenzie has had time to come to terms with this reality since she learned about it at 16. We believe God has a beautiful plan, and we feel grateful to be on this journey together. *It's also important to note that Makenzie has been cancer-free for an incredible 13 years. Her health is strong, and we have no worries about the cancer returning. We are truly thankful for this blessing. | |
| We Prefer a Child Who Is... | ||
| Age of Child | Newborn to 2 years old | |
| Twins | Yes! | |
| Gender | No Preference | |
| Sibling Group | Yes, with oldest up to 2 years old. | |
| In Closing | ||
We want to express our heartfelt commitment to you as we embark on this adoption journey. First and foremost, we want you to know that we will love your baby unconditionally for the rest of our lives. Our home will be filled with warmth, love, and special memories. Honoring your wishes is very important to us. We eagerly look forward to building a meaningful relationship with you, based on respect, trust, and open communication. We are grateful for the opportunity to be chosen as parents. Love, Tj and Makenzie |
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