Growing Up and Family

I was born in Florida and our family moved to New Jersey when I was about 4. We lived in a sweet little town about 45 minutes outside New York City which provided me with an extremely diverse upbringing and exposure to different family types, races, religions and ethnic backgrounds. Even our home life was diverse with a German, Protestant mother and American Jewish father.  

I have an amazing brother and three beautiful half-sisters, all who are big champions of this adoption process. Two sisters live here in L.A., one lives in Hawaii and my brother and his wife live in NYC. One teenage niece is anxiously waiting for a baby to join the family and another niece is arriving in October 2017. My father passed away in December 2014 and I miss him a lot but know he is watching over us.  My mom and stepdad Dale are also excited at the prospect of being grandparents.

College and Career

I headed north for college all the way up to the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. What an amazing experience and opportunity to figure out how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I majored in Early Childhood Education and minored in English. I've been able to take the passion I have for children and turn it into a very successful career. I held many different roles within several child care centers, working with infants up to Kindergartners.  For the last 11 years I have worked for r a non-profit organization that strives to make sure that children of all backgrounds have the same chance to succeed in school and in life by helping to improve the quality of their early learning environments. Specifically I help the organization finding funding and assist with developing new programs which can support children, families and teachers in the best way possible. I work with organizations all over California and the country to promote the importance of early childhood education.

Places I've Lived

After graduating from college several friends and I decided to move to Boston and my experience there so significantly shaped the person I've become. Jobs, friends, life experiences all contributed to learning about myself, my hopes and dreams. As grateful as I am for those times in 2006 it was time for me to spread my wings again...and get as far away from winter weather as possible. Los Angeles had many appealing qualities including the fact 2 of my sisters and my niece lived there. So my sold my condo, packed up my dog and I and began our new life in Southern California. I miss Boston very much and try to go back as much as possible. It's the place I consider home.

Hobbies and Things That Make Me Happy

I have a wide range of interests and have my parents to thank for encouraging me to explore and find the things that make me unique and most importantly happy.  Knowing the joy it has brought me I will do everything I can to nurture my child's talents and desires to explore whatever it is that brings them happiness.

• My mom taught me to knit and crochet when I was eight years old and it’s this hobby that brings me the most comfort. So excited to finally make something for Baby!

• I'm an obsessed New England sports fan especially for the Red Sox and Patriots! You don't spend almost 15 years in the area and not catch the bug!

• Baking treats for friends, family and co-workers makes me incredibly happy! Most weekends during the fall and winter you'll find me in the kitchen trying out new recipes and learning new techniques.

• Travelling has always been a big part of my life and I’ve been so lucky to have visited many places and I can’t wait to share the same experiences with my child. I've been so lucky for the opportunities to visit England, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic and many states throughout the US.

• In my downtime, you can often find me reading on the couch or every night before bed. My tastes range but mostly I enjoy fiction so I can escape into another world and lose myself. Reading with the baby will definitely be something we do everyday and I have quite a library of children's books already started.