Introduce Yourself
I always wonder who is reading our blog. I know there are people from 35+ states and several countries who have visited. Heidi and Molly both gave me the idea to let you have a chance to identify yourselves.
I started following Heidi’s blog when her sister-in-law (who is a friend of mine) gave me the link. It turned out that we are neighbors. And I don’t know Molly in real life but have gained a lot of insight on grief and being a good friend through her writings. As she says, “You may be a stranger, but you’re not a stalker.”
So, we would love to know who you are whether you know us in “real life”, know someone we know or don’t know us at all.
Just leave us a comment with who you are and any other information you want to share.
a really long year 
Hi Honey,
I enjoyed reading your blog. You are such a good writer! Love you, mom
Hi! I just found you via your guest star appearance on the foster parenting podcast 🙂
I dig your blog, your etsy christmas gifts(we actually sell circa ceramics cups cause we have a small tea business.), your heart for your future foster kids, and the fact that you love Jesus.
I live in San Diego with my husband, our 4 and a half year old daughter(if she were telling you she would say “4 and two-thirds”), and our 16 month old fost/adopt son. We’ve had the most beautiful, painful, joyous, hearbreaking experience so far with foster care. And I use all of those words carefully and honestly.
I am excited to be connected with other Christians that are stoked on loving kids in “the system” because, though there are plenty of foster support groups in our area, and we have a great church family, the 2 don’t seem to cross over very often….kwim? Very sad fact, that I actually hope that I can help remedy over the years…..
Here’s a sorta random link….to a picture of our circa ceramic cups that we drink out of nearly every day-http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianikki/2831164366/
🙂
sorry for the confusion about the cups….they’re also from Circa ceramics like your whale cup….we just order them wholesale from Circa and sell them here in San Diego….we don’t sell online currently.
Thank you for praying for us! Remembering you both as well!
My name is Natalie and I started following your blog through Lindsay Nast. My husband and I just adopted the sweetest little boy last year from Ukraine. He just turned 4 last month 😦 Growing up so fast already! He’s been so easy and so wonderful that we are already looking to increase our family through adopting from the waiting children’s list in Michigan. We’ve also considered foster adopting, which was something my parents did growing up.
Thanks for reading our blog, Natalie! Feel free to email me if you want information about our agency (which we love) regarding fostering in Michigan. And congratulations on your little guy – what a blessing!
I just noticed the tabs at the top of your blog and then realized that I never “introduced myself”. 🙂 You both are dear friends to me and I love hearing about your heart for foster care, adoption and the kiddos that come into your lives. It’s been a joy to be there with you through the most recent months of this process and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
I linked over here from The Connected Child study at Sarah Thacker’s blog and realized that I already know you! Well, not for real, but we are avid listeners of the Foster Parenting Podcast. 🙂 The podcast was the soundtrack of our drives to and from our pre-service training sessions a couple years ago. We are very grateful that you both have joined and are adding your voices as well! We’ve been fostering for about a year and half with three placements in that time. Thanks for podcasting AND blogging!
Hi there! I am currently writing a book about families who have adopted their children through the foster care system. In addition to telling their stories, I am interested in finding out — from foster families as well as fost-adopt families — two things.
1. If you could do one thing to improve the foster care system, what would it be?
2. What is the best thing, that you can see, about the foster care system?
Here’s the link to my blog for a few more details:
http://juliechandler.blogspot.com/2010/12/survey-about-foster-care.html
Thanks!
Julie
I just discovered your blog through a comment you left on my blog (http://myMCMlife.wordpress.com) and I’m so glad I found you! I can’t wait to read about your foster care and adoption journey. Foster care has been on my heart ever since I was exposed to family friends of my best friend when I was a kid. My husband and I have recently started talking a bit about adoption. I’m very curious about adopting through the foster care system and I’ve read a lot online but haven’t seen too many personal accounts from young Christian parents like you. I don’t know you in real life but I’m a 26 year old graphic designer, my husband is a 28 year old musician, we’ve been married 7 years and we live in Nashville, TN. Nice to meet you!
Its been a long time since I was just a young middle schooler at scs 🙂 Thanks for the smoothie idea, it has been a big hit. I will be catching up on yours and dans foster/adoption process…. my husband and I are praying to know if that is in the future for us. Our youngest has Down syndrome, and the adoption agency Reeces Rainbow has a big place in my heart. Good to see you guys are doing well! Love from the sunshine state
Shannon (Tryon) Blaeske
How awesome it is that you are living out God’s great plans for your life and family. It’s beautiful to see His work in action! Thanks for sharing your experiences.
~Cathy
I found your blog through the foster parenting podcast. I have enjoyed listening to the podcast and reading your blog. My husband and I started the process last year and are in the waiting phase. I just started a blog to share our experience in the hopes of updating our family, friends, and hopefully helping and informing others on the process as you have. Hearing from someone who is ahead of us in the process has been wonderful and helpful.
Hi there! I’m Kelliann and found your site while seeking blogs related to foster care. Loving looking around and hearing what you have to say. Who I am – a Jesus-lover, a 20-year-old college student in the process of aging out of foster care, and someone hoping to adopt in the future (among other things :)). Thanks for writing and for being a foster parent!
Kelliannh – thank you for your comment. You sound like an amazing person!
Wow. I just discovered the Fosterpodcast a few weeks ago. Today I have been scanning fostering blogs, started reading yours and thought your story was very familiar. Then I realized it was you! How exciting. We began our fostering story in the fall of 2009, our interest/now passion sparked by a sermon series by David Platt on James. We were licensed by the end of the year and on February 16, 2010 we got our first placement – two sisters who were 3 1/2 years and 5 days old. They have been with us since then and although we did not begin this journey with the intention or thought of adoption, that is the direction we are heading. We have four bio kids of our own, 17, 18, 19, and 22 years old. We really thought, at 42 years old, that we were too old to adopt. We were just intending to be a safe place for kids to land while their families got back on their feet. Well, God has different plans and a great sense of humor! They are precious, precious girls and have changed our lives. We love them to pieces and our hearts are on fire for orphan care – specifically through foster care. We think everyone should get on board and I know our friends are sick of hearing about it! I don’t understand why the system is not flooded with foster parents from our churches. I don’t understand why nobody talks about it. And we are trying in our very small way, to do something about it in our area. Thanks for the podcast and the blog. It is great to hear from people with similar goals and passions!
Hello! I found your blog via fosterpodcast. Your story made a big impression on me. I’m not a foster parent but I hope to be one day. It was very impressive and reassuring to read about your journey and how you made that feeling in your heart for adoption into your life. Your love for your kids (and all kids) shines through every word you write. Thanks for writing and sharing your life. All my best wishes to you and your (growing!) family.
Thanks for reading my post on “Unofficial Mom”! Just came over to check out your site.
FInally getting caught up on your blog. We met at the T4A conference last year.
Hope to see you guys at T4A this year!
I so wish we were coming! I’ll be 33 weeks pregnant than and I’m going to have a hard time convincing my doctor & family to let me fly to Phoenix.
Hello!!
Found your blog through Foster Parenting Podcast. I am a 28 year old single foster mom in the suburbs of Chicago. Thanks for sharing your experiences…they really are a source of encouragement!! Congrats on your expanding family!
Hi there,
My husband and I are in the process of getting licensed to be foster parents in Texas. I found your blog through the Foster Parenting Podcast.
Anna
http://www.missannpie.blogspot.com
Welcome! I wish I had more time to write here. There is lots of great stuff in the archives about our process to becoming foster parents. I wish you all the best in your journey!
I came across your blog through a post on Pinterest as I’m looking for adoption party ideas. We became foster parents almost the exact same time as you…January of 2010 we received our license and our first placement all in the same week! We are finalizing our adoption of our little guy this week!