Mel and Kris

Hello! We are Mel and Kris. Thank you for taking the time to read more about us and our family in North Carolina!

Kris is originally from Sweden and has spent his whole life with dual citizenship, spending time in both countries. His mother’s side of the family is from Sweden, and he primarily lived there until graduating high school, spending summers in the US with his dad. Mel grew up in central Florida - on farmland with lots of land and animals.

We met in college in June of 2013 and after graduation, North Carolina was our next stop, and is where we continue to live. Kris works as an IT manager, and Mel works as a manager in the mental health / counseling field. We married in 2020, right as Covid started, which unfortunately meant our wedding plans were tossed aside. We ended up getting married at the one place open during Covid that had a magistrate: The County Detention Center, with some of our friends standing in as witnesses. They were convinced we were pranking them when we told them where to go.

Kris describes Mel as sweet, caring and very empathetic – someone who loves going on adventures but also loves having a strong homebase to return to. When she has free time, she will often read, go on a run or plan her next Disney vacation. Kris enjoys being in his garage working on a car when he has some free time, or maybe tinkering on a computer. If you ask Mel, she will tell you that Kris is someone who is always there to offer moral support and encouragement - in the good times and bad. He is also always ready to offer practical support - through his mechanical or IT skills, or just being there so you don’t have to be alone during a tough time. He is the kindest and most genuine person she has ever met.

We are very outdoorsy as a family and love exploring new places - especially National and State parks. We also share a joint interest in off-roading, which has us frequently exploring mountains and dirt trails - trying to find the next fun challenge. We are surrounded by lakes, hiking trails, and some beautiful state parks within a short drive or walk and often spend weekends on the lake boating, kayaking, camping, mountain biking, or walking the trails with our pup, Sir Charles. We have a wonderful backyard with a garden, a firepit for relaxing evenings, and space for a playground. It is our shared favorite spot in our house - from spending time gardening or sitting around the fire when the weather allows, to relaxing on the porch with a book or to watch a TV show - we generally find ourselves outside for most of the evening, when the weather is nice.

We often refer to our friends as our family, and they are a very important part of our support network, and present in our lives. While Mel is the more outgoing of the two (an “extroverted introvert”) and will be quick to initiate the hangout or adventure, Kris is known for cooking and feeding people once they gather. Kris’ mom, Kay (who is excited at the possibility of becoming a grandma, or “farmor” as you say in Swedish), as well as his brother and sister in law all live in the area.

We are both excited to become parents and to create new adventures, hobbies, and traditions as we grow as a family! We want to help our child grow into their full self: While being human is messy and complicated, we can promise we will be there to provide love, support, understanding, and a large, welcoming, community to help back them up. This includes knowing their adoption story and birth family as fully and completely as they can - we want to include our child’s birth family in as many ways as they feel comfortable. To us, a child’s birth family includes not just the birth parents, but also siblings, grandparents, aunts & uncles, to be included in photos, videos, visits, and traditions in whichever manner works best for them.

Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and learn more about us! - Mel & Kris