Sara and Ashley: Hoping for a Bun in the Oven

Pastry Chef meets Band Director and falls in love... Ashley and I met in 2014 and have been inseparable ever since. Just like many busy professionals now-a-days, we met online through a dating app. Ashley asked me out by texting, "We're a 100% match on the app, maybe we should meet?" and that was the start of our relationship. Now 6 years later we're married, have a house, a cat, but all we're missing is a rug rat or two [or not to mix metaphors, we're hoping for a bun in the oven!].

I've known for quite some time that it would be difficult, if not impossible for me to have children.  Ashley and I met with a doctor at our Fertility clinic a few years back and she gave us hope that we might be able to conceive through IVF treatments. Of course life, as it so often does, interrupts the best made plans. For one, we both have always been very focused on our careers. Then, Ashley got it in his head that we should purchase a house and in 2018 we moved into our new home. FINALLY, that Christmas, he proposed [took him long enough!]. We were married on July 20th, 2019 and spent our honeymoon in Ireland. Having finally tied the knot, we decided to look into fertility treatments once again. As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic started that Winter and when it came time for Ashley and I to take the next step, the world went into lockdown.

While all this was going on, my sister, Meri [aka Wonder Woman] was diagnosed with lung cancer. Meri has always been the heart of our family. Time and time again she has supported me throughout my life. I can't tell you how much she means to me. Her passing has been heartbreaking for me and my family. I felt blessed that Meri was able to take part in our wedding and it was my hope that I would continue to share many memories with her in the years to come.  My biggest hope was to share this journey with her. You know Meri, she would have been one heck of an Aunt. 

One course of IVF treatment in North Carolina costs around $25,000. Most couples go through two to three courses of in vitro before finding success. Unfortunately, insurance in our state doesn't cover any of the costs involved with fertility treatments. In other words, all expenses for treatment are out of pocket or covered through loans. Needless to say this is quite an investment for our family.

So what do you get out  of all this? Besides both our moms getting a chubby grandbaby to spoil? Besides making Josh and Joe the best uncles in the whole wide world? We will DEFINITELY corner you at work and share unsolicited baby pics. Expect a lifetime of Instagram and Facebook posts filled with the minutiae of every achievement our child makes from baby's first step through college graduation!  Of course, If you have a child, we can compare their achievements as they grow and both go home satisfied our kiddos are the best [or at least they don't eat dog food when unattended like the Jones's kid].  If you act now, we'll even let you hold them and smother them with kisses! As a bonus, you will receive a one of a kind receipt from GoFundMe for your donation to the Bun in the Oven fund which may be tax-deductible.  

I have always wanted to be a mother and Ashley will make a great father. With your help, it is our hope that we can make our dream a reality. We would be truly grateful for your assistance. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated. If you would,  please help us spread the word. Our objective is to meet our fundraising goal by the end of January 2021.  $25,000 is a chunk of change, but with your help hopefully we can whittle it down a little [or a lot!].