Caroline and Kevin

Hello! We are Caroline & Kevin from Southern California. We are a loving couple whose lives are filled with family, friends, and, always laughter.

We want to begin by expressing how much we truly admire your courage and selflessness, as you are considering adoption.  We know this must be such a difficult decision for you, and we would be absolutely honored if you choose us to raise your child.  We have so much love we want to share with them and are ready to show them all the beauty and adventures that life has to offer.

Since our earliest days together we’ve wanted to build a family.  We had difficulty doing so on our own, but fortunately, adoption has always been a part of our plans. We have many friends who have adopted remarkable kids, so we’re surrounded by experience and support.

Our Promise to You
• We promise that your child will be THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON in our lives.
• We promise to LOVE YOUR CHILD UNCONDITIONALLY and nurture their own individuality and personality.
• We promise to TEACH THEM values of HONESTY, RESPECT FOR OTHERS, KINDNESS, and COURAGE to stand up for what they believe in.
• We promise to ENCOURAGE HARDWORK and EDUCATION, so they may have all opportunities open to them.
• We promise to TRAVEL WITH YOUR CHILD and expose them to different places, people, and cultures.
• We promise that YOUR CHILD WILL KNOW YOU AND THEIR BIRTH FAMILY and will have opportunities to develop their own relationship with you over time if this is something you both want.
• We promise that your child will have the opportunity to EXPLORE HOW ADOPTION HAS SHAPED WHO THEY ARE and the many families to which they belong.

A Special Message to You: THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to read our letter, and for getting to know us. But most of all, thank you for considering us to raise your child. We are ready to be parents, and please know – should you think we are the right ones, we will be truly honored. We will make sure to share the story of love through adoption, because that is what brought us together.

We met in 2014 through mutual friends. Our first 3 dates consisted of both of our favorite activities to this day – eating at a new restaurant, attending an outdoor concert under the stars, and hiking through one of the many beautiful trails of Southern California. Before long, we fell in love and both knew we had found the right life partner to lean on and laugh with.

We got married in 2015…TWICE (why not?!) We celebrated with two very different ceremonies.  The first was an intimate morning ceremony with just our immediate families after spending the weekend together in a shared house in Santa Barbara. To keep it cozy, we asked guests to keep to a mandatory dress code of pajamas, while Caroline’s bro-in-law (also in PJs) officiated, and then afterwards, enjoyed a homemade brunch, cooked by both our moms.

Our second wedding took place in Charleston on Halloween (Caroline’s fave holiday), and 60 of our closest friends and family members came dressed as flappers and gangsters in our “Roaring 20s” theme. It was a total blast!

Our Favorite Things to Do Together (and we can’t wait to share with our future child)

• Hiking along the many trails in Southern California
• Cooking together or eating at a new restaurant – we love to try new cuisines
• Barbeque or potlucks with our families or friends (clearly, we love food!)
• Bike rides along the beach with our dogs
• Traveling – we have explored Costa Rica, Spain, Croatia, Hawaii, and Alaska together

Meet Kevin – by Caroline: Kevin is my rock. He’s the most stable, trustworthy and kind person I have ever known. I knew from the moment I met him that he would make the best partner and father. He has such a calm, sweet manner about him, but also can turn on the silliness and wit – no one is better at making me smile and laugh when I have had a rough day.

He grew up in a tight-knit family that moved all over the US. But the bulk of his childhood was spent in the Midwest living on a farm, which I think explains his very down-to-earth values and appreciation of family and nature. He moved to California about 15 years ago, drawn to its diversity, open-mindedness and the OCEAN! Kevin took a surf lesson when he first moved here and got hooked fast.

He loves to spend time with all his nieces and nephews, who range in age from 2 to 21. He is a versatile uncle – as skilled at playing with train sets with his nephew as he is at giving advice about teenage boys to his niece.

For work, Kevin recently switched careers to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and now helps adults, kids, couples and families work though life’s difficulties. This is a perfect job for him, as he himself is always striving to improve his own communication skills and strengthen his relationships with friends and family –people admire and want to follow his example.

FAVORITES
• Family Tradition: Marching through the snow, picking out and cutting down our Christmas tree every year
• Childhood hobby: Martial arts
• Place to take a child: Yosemite National Park
• Children’s book: Little Engine that Could

What Makes Kevin Happy
• Caroline
• Reading books on a weekend afternoon
• Eating! Toss-up between Indian or Thai food as favorites
• Listening to live jazz music
• Surfing on a beautiful, sunny day… or any day

Meet Caroline – By Kevin: Caroline has a zest for life that causes everyone to fall in love with her. It’s what drew me to her from the moment we met. Her effervescence draws people in: friends, colleagues, family and especially kids. She always has a twinkle in her eye and often a mischievous expression on her face. People love being around Caroline because she makes everything exciting and fun. Her passion is intoxicating and it’s why my parents instantly wanted her in the family.

She knows how to get down to the level of a kid and engage in imaginative play, but also knows when she needs to be a protective, thoughtful and wise figure.

I love the way Caroline shows up in every aspect of our lives. When we disagree, she is the first to bring in humor to shepherd us through a difficult conversation.  When she works, she is a juggernaut of smart intensity. She plays so many other roles (teacher, student, friend, clown) and to each she brings smarts, charm and humor. She has already taught me so much about how to be a better partner and person. I can only imagine the kind of life she will provide for our future child.

Beyond her great energy, Caroline is incredibly kind and caring. She is always tending to everyone around her. This led her into a profession of caring. She is a physician that specializes in helping people with chronic medical conditions. She is known by her colleagues to go above and beyond in helping her patients heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

FAVORITES
• Family tradition: Helping my mom cook a feast with both American and Taiwanese dishes for Thanksgiving dinner
• Childhood hobby: Ballet
• Place to take a child: Aquarium
• Children’s Book: Where the Wild Things Are

What Makes Caroline Happy
• Kevin
• Spending time with our family
• Sunday brunch with friends
• Outdoor concerts under the stars
• Running with our dogs on the beach

We live in Southern California. We live in a lovely area of Long Beach, about 25 miles from Los Angeles but with a very different “small-town” feel.

Our house is a 3-bedroom classic Craftsman with a fenced backyard and a playroom above the garage. We fell in love with this house because we could imagine frequent dinner parties with friends and family who live nearby, and hosting loved ones from out of town for holidays and special weekends.

The surrounding neighborhood is safe, friendly and diverse and is right next to parks, playgrounds, and the beach. We love that we can walk or bike often to restaurants or the grocery store but can also get in our car to get to Los Angeles to see a concert or go to a museum.

We have 2 adorable dogs. Zorro is a 6-year-old Yorkie mix who loves to nap in one of our laps and run along the off-leash beach near our house. Inkblot (or “Blotto” for short, named for his black-and-white spotted coat) is a silly, loving 1-year-old Sheepadoodle (half Old English sheepdog and half-poodle) who lives to chase toys and snuggle at your feet. Both dogs have been around kids and are gentle and loving with them.

INTRODUCING OUR FAMILY

We each are incredibly close with our families – and feel so lucky that the two families clicked right away and enjoy spending time with each other.

Caroline’s family lives nearby in Los Angeles, so we get together often – nearly every Sunday for either potlucks or Caroline’s mom’s delicious home-cooked meals. Many a weekend, we also take Caroline’s adorable niece and nephew (2-year-old Ava and 4-year-old Kou) to the park, zoo or aquarium.

Kevin’s family lives on the beautiful Oregon coast and we look forward to visits to their charming town several times a year. He loves being an uncle to his two nieces (16-year- old Moira and 21-year-old Rowan)—amazing young women who are very artistic, fun, and love kids.

Recently, we have begun a tradition where both of our families spend a long weekend together. This year, we will all be staying in wood cabins by a lake in upstate Minnesota (near where Kevin grew up) to kayak, swim, and BBQ.