Our adoption story began about two years ago. I am a retired child psychotherapist and my husband is a retired Nationally Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. In our respective former marriages, we raised a total of 8 daughters to adulthood.

We thought we might be considered "too old" to adopt, but we were encouraged to apply. After interviews, homestudies, finger prints, FBI clearances, phone calls, questions, and tons of paperwork, we were approved and began our search. Using Adoptuskids, various state sites, and A Family For Every Child, We had expressed interest in children from all over the country.

There always seemed to be a catch that made a match seem less and less likely as time wore on. We knew as an older couple we didn't have what it takes to follow an energetic toddler around or stay up nights with an infant.

We would finally find an older child whose limited bio seemed a good match for our family, only to face the disappointment that a family had just been found for the child or that the child had violent behaviors or a psychotic illness. We stopped looking for a while, but then we made contact with Christy Obie-Barrett.

Although we were ready to accept there might not be a child that would match our family, Christy convinced us to hang in there. We are so glad we did. We found our daughter in October 2009 and the adoption was finalized last month.

She is a funny, lovable gem. She adds sparkle and purpose to our lives that no other type of retirement could. We would rather pay for her orthodontic braces, listen to her whine about her homework, and give her the love and stability she never had, but always deserved.

Trust, love, and respect takes time, but is very, very worth it.

We had a wonderful party to celebrate "It's a Girl" and "It's a Mom and a Dad". Our daughter had made D's and F's on her report cards prior to moving into our home and into our hearts. We are proud to report she made all A's and B's this grading period.

Thank you for your encouragement Christy! Perhaps our precious daughter expressed our feelings best when in court for finalization, as the judge pronounced us officially and legally a family, she shouted "BOOO YAH!!!"