Dear Expectant Mother:
Life is a journey for each and every one of us. Your choice to pursue adoption takes courage and selflessness. We are Gwen and Mary Kay! We are so thankful for the opportunity to share some of the aspects of our life that we feel are important and we hope to be able to get to know you as well. We hope that this process of considering adoption will lead to positive new beginnings for you and your child, what ever your decision may be.
Our Union and plans for a family
We met in 1994 and we both knew that we had found "the one". We were students at New York University, pursuing masters' degrees in Interactive Multimedia. We now live in California after Gwen was offered a job following graduate school. Having shared our lives together for 5 wonderful years we decided to honor our relationship with a Commitment Ceremony. Joined by 75 of our friends and family we celebrated our union. We both cherish that day as one of the most extraordinary in our lives to date.
We always knew we wanted children. Adoption became a welcome path after we were very involved with our good friends' international adoption process to China and learned about what an incredible experience adoption can be. Our son Forrest was the ultimate gift bestowed upon us in our endeavor to provide a wonderful option for a birth mom looking for a solution.
About Gwen (by Mary Kay)
I am so blessed to have Gwen as my partner. She has a fantastic sense of humor and I am constantly laughing at her funny comments. Gwen has a way of imparting her unwavering positive attitude on others. She is a loyal, loving and generous person. We are very aligned and share the same ideas about our plans for a family. Gwen has incredible judgment and an extremely positive influence on our child's development and self-esteem. She demonstrates responsibility to our child to instill in him the ability to make correct choices in his life.
About Mary Kay (by Gwen)
I could tell by the outfit she had on when I met Mary Kay, that she was her own person, a true individual. She was wearing baggy yoga pants, a leather jacket and cowboy boots! She is an adventurer and since living in California she has become a master gardener as well as a marathon runner. Mary Kay has a way with kids and one of my favorite things is to watch her play with her nieces and nephews. The way kids respond to her it is clear she is a natural nurturer! Mary Kay has a very healthy lifestyle; she does yoga daily and prepares healthy food. What I love about Mary Kay is that she is very much in touch with herself and exudes a grounded energy. She is so happy being a parent and we both want the love we all share as a family to expand with another child among us.
Our Son Forrest
Forrest has endless energy and a smile that says it all. He's a very happy boy. Forrest started asking about a baby rather naturally. He loves all his baby cousins, and likes to hold them in his lap. He does say he is not interested in sharing his room, but he will push the stroller. Forrest is very attached to his 12-year-old Golden Retriever. The feeling is mutual, certainly as she escorts him to bed most nights. Forrest will be a wonderful playmate and big brother to your child, rest assured.
What We Do For Work
Gwen has been with the same software company for 14 years. She started out in New York City managing a training center for ABC Television, and today oversees customer support for a high tech company. Mary Kay is in sales, helping businesses consolidate data protection technologies. Previously Mary Kay worked at MTV Networks and helped to pioneer the union of music, video, and the web. We both have flexibility in working from home and walking Forrest to and from pre-school, which we cherish!
Our Neighborhood
We live in sunny San Jose, just south of San Francisco, in a Spanish-style home in an old, safe, historic neighborhood. Our neighbors are always looking out for one another. Many have young children. Our neighborhood has a great sense of community and we take pride in being a part of things like park beautification projects. Each Christmas season the whole neighborhood joins together and displays small outdoor trees decorated with lights. Nearby we have the Tech Museum and the Children's Museum. We also feel really lucky that we live right by several great schools (pre-school and higher) within walking distance from our home.
One of the things we love about living in the Bay Area is the multi-cultural aspect of many communities. Our children will know eastern and western traditions not just from the diversity of the Bay Area but from our own expanding family. While in Japan attending our nephew's wedding last year, the father of the bride commented on how far away we are situated on the globe, and yet how connected we are in our hearts as we accept one another into our lives as a multicultural family. We honor that sentiment and each year we enjoy the Ubon Festival with Forrest in Japan Town near our home. Forrest loves the costumes and dancing in the streets.
Family Values and Family Times
We are both from large families and grew up in busy households with neighborhood kids coming and going. We believe family comes first and we are very close with each of our families. Gwen's mom is retired in Arizona and Mary Kay's parents are in New Jersey, and we have sisters and brothers on both coasts. We see everyone as often as we can. With our brothers' families being local, we often get together to celebrate holidays or go on outdoor adventures. We have a family camping trip yearly. We all bring boats, games, dogs, children, even harps and guitars, and big appetites! Our families are excited about our adoption plans.
Leisure Time
We do all kinds of fun things on weekends such as kayaking, going out to build sand castles in Carmel or riding bikes with Flash along for the run. . We love music and dance to concert videos with Forrest in his play room. We spend plenty of time with friends and family, going to ball games or hosting barbecues on our patio. We also like to travel locally and abroad. Last year we traveled far to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil so that Mary Kay could receive an award for her achievement in Sales. We love the fact that there are so many accessible great places to visit here in California, from the beaches to the mountains.
Your Decision
We are eager to expand our family. We are amazed and inspired by your courage to make such a difficult decision and would be very honored to be chosen as adoptive parents for your child. You may email us at FlashBG@pacbell.net. You can also reach us through our friendly adoption attorney, Susan Romer at 1(800) 823-6788 or at Adamsandromer@aol.com.
