Dear Birthmother,

   Hi, we’re Caren and Dan and we’re thankful for the opportunity to tell you a bit about us. We hope this brief letter can give you a glimpse into our lives and show you who we are as parents. We know we can’t fully understand what you are going through but we do believe that you are very courageous and we truly admire your unselfish love for your child in considering adoption. Thank you for reading this letter.
Caren & Dan

We met...
10 years ago while Dan was doing a summer internship at Caren’s company and we immediately became friends. When the summer came to an end, Dan returned to graduate school and although neither of us admitted it at the time, both of us felt that there was something special about the connection we had made. Over the distance, we started sharing e-mails which soon developed into daily phone calls. It was during this time we realized there was something more. This was confirmed on our first date and as they say, the rest is history. We were married three years later in an outdoor wedding on a beach north of Boston with family, friends and children all around us. That day we set off on life’s adventure as a couple and as best friends. Life together continues to amaze us as we become even closer over time.

Our deepest desire is to have a family... to raise children in a loving family so that they can experience all the joys and wonders that life has to offer. Early in our marriage, we were pregnant and excitedly expecting our first child. In the final week we learned that we had lost her. Although this was the most devastating event of our lives, some unexpected gifts came of it. First, we gained a deeper appreciation for life. Life is so precious and we will never take each other or anything in life for granted. We also gained an even stronger marriage. We could not have gotten through that without each other. We grieved, cried and healed together. We know life can be difficult, but we’ve grown closer though this experience. Friends and family often comment on the strength of our marriage. And we were more eager than ever to be parents. We felt that adopting was the route we were meant to take to realize our dream, and through the wonderful process of adoption, we were blessed with our son Cole. Being parents is the greatest joy in our lives, and it is our highest priority. Our lives are so much richer now that we are parents. We have a strong circle of friends that include a number who have adopted their children. They are an amazing resource for us and our children will grow up with many friends who are also adopted. We always dreamed of having children who are best friends; growing up close in age, learning, playing and experiencing life together. Being parents to an active and wonderful son (Cole) has come so naturally and we are ready and excited to adopt another baby to join our family.

We both love adventure!
We enjoy traveling and have visited some wonderful places like France, Spain, England, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. We also love the mountains, spending time every summer hiking near our home. Every year we train for and ride a 200 mile bike event to raise money for cancer research. Dan, who has always been a cyclist, helped Caren train and rode with her the entire ride her first year!

We love to ski (snow or water) and have taught our nieces and nephews (and soon Cole too!) how to water ski at our family cabin near Lake Tahoe. Another of our passions is fly-fishing. We have a family reunion every August in Montana where we raft on the rivers, hike and fish. Our weekends in summer and fall are usually spent bike riding, going to the beach or having picnics with friends. In the winter we are often off snow shoeing or skiing. Cole too loves to be outdoors and goes everywhere with us, whether in a backpack, sled or trailer. We want to introduce our children to all these activities so that they can see the beauty in this world as we play together as a family. And as much as we love fun and adventure, we also love our quiet time together at home playing in our family room or in the yard, taking walks with our dog Max and having a BBQ night each week. Watching our children learn and grow is and will be our greatest joy.

Dan about Caren
Energy – that’s the first word that comes to mind when I think about Caren. That energy and her passion for life are what originally drew me to her and continue to today. She is always smiling and always looking for the positive in everything. She loves to laugh and constantly keeps me laughing and guessing what’s next from her. Caren is meant to be a Mom and she is an amazing one – she devotes herself fully to Cole with play groups, music classes and other daily adventures like trips to the aquarium or Children’s museum. They enjoy exploring local parks and playgrounds. Caren loves teaching Cole new things whether it be to crawl, to walk, to sing….and I have never seen her so happy as she is being a mom. She can’t wait to bring another child into our family.

Caren grew up in Northern California as the youngest of six children and was always surrounded by adventure. She grew up camping, fishing, sailing, and hiking; activities that she continues to love today. Caren has carried the sense of adventure that she learned as a child throughout her life. Whether it be her move across country to Boston for college or her move to France for work after graduation, Caren is always pursuing what life has to offer.

Caren devotes herself to others by giving of her time and energy whenever she can. After college, she lived and worked in France running high school and college programs for US students coming to experience a new culture and to learn French. Caren loved working with the kids and spent countless days teaching French or taking them on hikes and trips to the local markets. France and European culture are still close to Caren’s heart. She can’t wait to share this spirit of adventure and her love for experiencing other places and cultures with her children.

Caren’s hobbies include anything outdoors: fly fishing, hiking, biking, gardening. She is very athletic and healthy but she also has a definite feminine side and can be found playing dress up and “doing hair” for hours with nieces or her friends’ daughters.

Family is incredibly important to Caren. Although her family is spread out in California, New York, Montana, and Oregon, they are very close and get together for family events several times a year. Whatever Caren does, she does completely, remaining committed to her goals. Her #1 goal is to be a great mom, and she makes it look easy. Before Cole was born, Caren left a successful career so that she would be able to be a full-time Mom. She loved her career but her desire to be a Mom, to love and raise her children, is far more important. Caren is a wonderful Mom. She is caring and gives 100% of her energy and time. Her patience, unconditional love and guidance will help her children feel loved and supported in whatever they choose to pursue. Caren’s dreams are big and she will teach her children to dream big, see the beauty in this world, and live life to its’ fullest.

Caren about Dan
Dan is one of the most caring and funny men I know. He made me laugh the first time I met him and no matter how tough a day might be, he finds a way to make me laugh. Dan is a responsible, strong and honest person. He is fairly laid-back and a calm influence on all those around him. From the time we started dating I knew his patience would make him a great Dad and it does!! He is our rock! As a father and husband, Dan puts family first in his life. He is a deeply Christian man who would do anything to help a friend in need. Dan is patient and loving with Cole and his great sense of humor has them both laughing most of the time. He always dreamed of having two or more children to love, support and teach about the world.

Dan also grew up in Northern California near San Francisco with two great sisters. He is the middle child and I always say was trained by his sisters and Mom to understand women. He went to college in California and then pursued a business degree (MBA) so that he could work in the field he was passionate about – the healthcare industry. After getting his MBA, he moved to Boston so that he could be closer to Caren and to join a great biotech company where he’s been for 10 years. Dan has a stable job where he is respected for his loyalty and hard work. But Dan’s passions are outside of work. He works hard for us as a family so that he can spend time doing the things he really loves. Dan has a great sense of balance in life and will not sacrifice family time. Somehow he finds time for it all. One of his real passions is cycling. He has loved cycling since he got his first bike as a kid. In college, he raced on the school’s team and continued for years after graduating. Today he rides every day of the year he can (except in the snow) and loves to go to races in New England. Dan can’t wait to ride his kids around in a bike trailer on the bike paths in our town.

Dan also loves to spend time out of doors taking walks with Cole and our dog Max, working in the garden or biking. Each summer when we go to the family cabin near Lake Tahoe he spends hours on the boat teaching his nieces and nephews how to water ski. This usually involves lots of patience but is always rewarded with many laughs. I can see him devoting days to teaching our children sports, games or math with that wonderful patience and a sense of humor. Dan is very close with his family and we see them often. Together we have three nieces and four nephews between the ages of 1 and 13. They adore Cole and are so excited to have a new cousin to play with. Dan is the favorite “adult” and usually has at least 2 kids hanging on him. When we are with our nieces and nephews he is the first one to start a game with them which usually goes for hours. He seems to connect so well with kids and they flock to him when we visit. Dan
is a kid at heart!

About Cole...
Cole is a happy and adventurous child who smiles at everyone he meets and loves to explore. He is best friends with our dog Max and loves to play hide and seek with him. Cole loves to play in the water whether it be a pool, the ocean or the sprinklers. He is also sweet and affectionate and we know he will be a wonderful big brother. We were blessed to be chosen by his birth parents with whom we continue to communicate. We respect them so much for their decision and their love for Cole. We are in regular contact sending pictures and updates often and continue to be amazed at the gift they have given us. Should we be fortunate enough to be chosen by you, we will always respect your desires and let you decide on the level of openness you wish to have with us. What we promise is to let your child know about you and how wonderful and loving you are.

Our Home, Our Community...
We live in a small community outside of Boston that has quiet neighborhoods, many parks and playgrounds, and one of the best school systems in the state. The town is well known for its bike paths and parks, which we use all of the time. A typical day in our neighborhood means yards filled with children and dogs playing. Our street is a welcoming street where families host block parties or kids fairs throughout the year.

Our driveway happens to be one of the favorite areas for riding bikes and Big Wheels. Our house is large and welcoming with plenty of room for kids to play. We have a black lab, Max, who loves to play with Cole and is also very protective of him as well. Dan and I believe we have so much to offer children. We both grew up with strong values of honesty, family, compassion, unconditional love and faith. We were both raised as Christians and continue to love our church and will raise our children to know and find strength in God. We feel that we are meant to adopt children and feel blessed by all the things we have in life –especially Cole and our marriage. The strength in our marriage comes from our deep love and respect for each other and our commitment to each others’ happiness. This commitment now also focuses on the happiness of children and they will be brought up in household of love, respect, integrity and fun.

We have been blessed in so many ways. We both had the opportunity to receive a solid education as well as to experience many of the things that the world has to offer. We believe that these two factors provide the foundation from which a child can choose what they want to become in life. For this reason, we will support every opportunity for our child to get a good education and we are already saving for this. God has blessed us financially and we feel we will be able to offer our children many opportunities in life. We hope to instill in our children a life-long love of learning and we will help them become whatever they dream to be.

We can’t possibly understand all that you are feeling right now and can only guess how difficult this decision must be. Please know that you are giving the greatest gift of all to your child by choosing to bring him or her into this world, the gift of love. Please know that we will honor that love throughout our lives so that this child will know of the love and courage that you showed. We want our child to grow up knowing who you are and if you are comfortable, we will keep in contact with you so that you will always know that you chose a family who will love your child unconditionally.

If something in this letter touches you, we would enjoy the chance to speak with you to tell you more about us. If so, please contact Cindy Simonson (anytime) at A Act of Caring (800) 556-5635.

Thank you for taking the time to hear our story.
We wish you luck and love as you make this decision.

Caren and Dan