Approximately three years ago, while at work (my husband is an office manager for an Auto Repair Shop), a gentleman came in for an oil change.  They struck up a conversation that went something like this:  My husband, "What do you do for a living?" Brian (customer), "I am an advocate for children in the Pennsylvania foster system.  Did you know there are over 500,000 children in the foster system in the United States?"

We are active members in our church.  Our senior pastor has an adopted son, our pastor of biblical counseling has four adopted children, and even my brother and his wife have an adopted daughter. Therefore, adoption is not foreign to us - we just didn't think we would ever be called.

Soon after that, Brian came to speak at our church. From that point on, we were on a quest.   Not just for one child, but siblings.  My husband thought it would be comforting for a child to have a common bond with someone else in a strange (new) home.  In December 2008, I found Ben, Marrissa and Luis on the Lane County Heart Gallery website.  We went to committee in April 2009 and were selected as a match for these three kids.  It was a long road from the summer of 2008 to April 2009, but we were finally able to speak to them over the phone.  After that, we flew out to meet them and ended up bringing them home with us toward the end of May.  They have been with us ever since.

The road less traveled is usually a difficult one, and this is no exception.  It has not been easy, but we didn't expect it to be.  After almost 10 months, we are still settling in.  Our adoption was finalized on February 16, 2010.  Life now is hectic, full of drama, lots of private eye investigative work, laughs and love.  We wouldn't change a thing.  Our family is complete (maybe). We'll see...