Dear Expectant Mother,
We are Karen and Shane. Thank you for choosing to read about us and for considering us as possible adoptive parents. We hope to provide you a sense of who we are and a glimpse into our life together. Your willingness to consider adoption is truly amazing, and we respect and admire the maturity, care, and love that your decision represents.
ABOUT US
We met and fell in love in 1997 while working at the same company in Arlington, Virginia. In fact, our very first date was the company Christmas party. We were married in Washington, DC in April 2002.
We came from different backgrounds (as you'll see below), but we knew from the start that we were two sides of the same coin. Our extended families, careers, and shared fondness for old houses and large dogs have filled our days with joy, exhilaration, and many shared challenges.
We live in San Francisco and have built our life around the goal of providing a safe, loving, fun, and fulfilling environment for children. Since we always planned to have children, the toughest challenge for us has been the journey through long and unsuccessful infertility treatments. We feel privileged to be able to consider adoption, and it feels absolutely right for us. Shane's mother was adopted and we recognize that without adoption he would not be the person he is today and we would not be the family that we are.
ABOUT KAREN
Karen was born and raised in a very small town in the mountains of West Virginia. Growing up, she actually knew every family in town and she drew strength and confidence from the small town values and tight-knit community. Her family was far from wealthy-no one in that part of the state was-but her parents both worked hard to provide a wonderful home and make her feel as though she could have anything in the world.
Despite the beauty of the mountains and the strength of her community, Karen had too much energy and ambition to stay near home. She followed her caring nature and love of science into nursing. After years working as an operating room nurse, she moved into a medical role helping biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies test the safety of their products. She had found her professional calling: working with science-driven companies to develop innovative medicines in areas of unmet need. Today Karen works for a large biotechnology company, which has developed medicines to treat cancer.
Karen loves music of all kinds and enjoys attending shows from the wide variety of artists that come to San Francisco, from Bon Jovi and the Police to the Opera and touring companies of Broadway Musicals. A TiVO fanatic, Karen keeps tabs on her favorite reality cooking competition (Top Chef), is still trying to understand what is happening on LOST, and has been a longstanding fan (from Day 1 Season 1) of American Idol.
ABOUT SHANE
Shane's childhood spanned nearly a dozen cities on three continents. His parents were teachers in international schools, then Foreign Service officers, so the family moved every few years to new posts. Shane was born in New Delhi, India and spoke Hindi before English (unfortunately it's all gone), then he spent time in Pakistan, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, Japan, Canada, and several U.S. cities.
The family's international lifestyle provided enormous opportunities for Shane but also challenges. Fortunately, he had an amazing support system in his loving and committed parents, sister and two brothers. He was particularly close to his sister, who is the closest in age and was his best friend and ally when the family arrived in unfamiliar places.
Shane went to college with lofty aspirations of eventually going to medical school and law school. However, one semester of organic chemistry was enough for him to realize that he was not cut out to be a doctor. Nonetheless, his interests in medicine and the law did drive his career path and he earned a law degree with a focus on pharmaceutical regulation. He now works as an attorney for a major biotech company (not the same one as Karen this time) and he too takes great pride in the contribution his company makes to the health of patients in need.
Shane is an avid reader. One of his great joys is sharing his love of books with his five nieces and nephews. At each birthday or Christmas, he spends hours in our local bookstore looking for the book he thinks each child will enjoy most. He takes pride in his exploits as a college lacrosse player and is a terrific sailor and terrible (but determined) golfer.
OUR HOME AND LIFE TOGETHER
We live in a comfortable three-bedroom house in the city of San Francisco. Our neighborhood is tiny and little-known but it's perfect for us. The neighborhood is near all the best aspects of the city (shops, restaurants, museums, etc.) but contains only single-family homes with tree lined streets and front and back yards. As a result, many of our neighbors have young children and there is a real spirit of community. Several of the best schools in the city are within easy walking distance.
We love to be outside and the Bay area offers endless opportunities. We own a sailboat and during the long San Francisco sailing season we are out on the bay as frequently as possible with family and friends. We seize every possible opportunity to take our dogs on long walks; our favorite place to do that is Fort Funston, an abandoned military installation perched up on the high bluffs and sand dunes just south of the city.
Our two golden retrievers, Molly, who has been with us since she was a tiny pup, and Guinness, who joined us as a rescue from a shelter, are rambunctious and willful as well as hairy and frequently muddy, but we wouldn't have it any other way. They are also very friendly with children.
Several times a year we have the opportunity to travel together. We enjoy short overnight trips to the beautiful towns on the Northern California coast. Our favorite spots are Hawaii, where we have explored several of the less populated islands, and Ireland, because we have family there.
OUR VALUES AND PLANS
We feel that our different backgrounds enrich our shared world view and our perspective on parenting. Karen's small town upbringing and nurturing sensibility are reflected in the high value we place on family, community, stability, and working hard to achieve goals. Shane's international experience and large extended family are the source of our dedication to the arts, education, and cultural diversity, as well as our overall optimism and openness to new experiences. The years we have spent together have proven to us the necessity of teamwork and honest, open communication. We believe that when all of these distinct ingredients are combined, and tossed with a little humor and a lot of love, the result will be a home where a child can thrive.
We have been building our life together for many years in preparation for this moment and feel that we have created a safe, comfortable, stimulating environment in which a child will develop and prosper. Our approach to parenting is the same as it is to everything we do: prepare the best you can and then expect the unexpected. We know that every child has unique emotional, educational and material needs and we stand prepared and ready to recognize and provide for the specific needs of a child.
If you would like to get to know us better or meet us, you can reach us directly on our toll free number, 1-877-882-3250 or email us: KarenAndShaneSF@gmail.com. Or you can call our terrific attorney, Susan Romer at 1.800.U.ADOPT.US (1.800.823.6788) or email her at adamsromer@aol.com
All the best,
Karen & Shane
