Monday

ABOUT US


Thank you for visiting our site. Our names are Mike and Minde. Our story together began about 14 years ago. Mike and I volunteered as missionaries for our church in Richmond, Virginia. We met for the first time in Williamsburg, Virginia but our acquaintance was brief and we didn't establish a relationship. After two years, Mike returned to California and Minde returned to Oregon. In separate states, we spent the next 12 years looking for love. Mike moved to Vancouver, Washington and Minde was living in Portland, Oregon. Several years later we were introduced for a second time at a barbecue. The next day we carpooled to the beach with several friends. We talked the entire way! Mike called Minde the next morning and invited her to walk along the river bank. After a two hour walk and great conversation Minde was hooked. We quickly fell in love. It didn’t take us long to realize that our meeting was a miracle. We wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We are happily married, and completely in love. We always make time for each other. We love to walk in the neighborhood, along the river, or on the beach. We love to take long drives, go camping, ride bikes, hike, and watch the sunsets. We also love date nights, miniature golf, playing games, or dancing in the living room. It doesn’t matter what we do… we do it together! We are very much a team. We laugh a lot and we talk a lot. We believe our coming together was a gift from a loving Heavenly Father that knows us and loved us. Our relationship is forever.

US AND ADOPTION

The two of us knew before we were married that we couldn't have children of our own. We have looked forward to adopting a child. We believe that adopted children are precious in the sight of God. Adoption is our miracle. It is a demonstration of unconditional love. We feel blessed to be part of this process and look forward to being parents. We do not forget the love, courage, and faith it takes to be a birth mother. We do not plan to keep from our child that he or she was adopted. We will teach our children of the love that their birth parents share for them. We know that life is precious. It is our responsibility as parents to teach, love and nurture our children. We want to give them all the love that life has to offer. We want our children to have opportunities. Education is a must, it will open doors. We believe in providing the best education we can for our children and subsequently live next to good schools. We also plan to assist them in preparing for college and teaching them the importance of a higher education. We will support them in whatever career paths they choose. We also hope to provide them with opportunities of discovering their talents, hobbies, and joys. We look forward to baseball games, swimming lessons, soccer practice, and dance recitals. We also look forward to drama productions, music concerts, art displays, and science fairs. What ever our children choose to take part in, we will support them in their activities. We want to get involved and cheer them on from the side-lines.

MINDE (THE MOM)


Minde is 36 years old. She is tiny in stature, but mighty in spirit. Minde has sandy blonde' hair and blue eyes. She lives life to the fullest. Minde is always on the go. She started running at a young age, and she hasn't slowed down much since. As a little girl, Minde hung out with all the boys. That is where she learned how to jump ditches and swing from branches. She's not afraid to put on a uniform, or a pair of jeans. Minde grew up participating in sports and other activities. She ran cross country, played softball, soccer, basketball, and dance. She will still kick around a soccer ball, throw a softball, or dance around the living room. Minde loves to go crabbing, hiking, and biking. Don't be fooled ~ she is all girl. Minde loves to wear dresses, curl her hair, and do all the things that girls love to do. She is very organized, and loves to create things. Minde is a great cook, and loves to bake. She is famous for her cookies, brownies, and cakes. Minde also loves to decorate. Things match perfectly around the house. She is a talented florist. Minde has helped with many weddings over the years, making several bridal bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. She just landscaped our back yard and it looks professional. She has her teaching certificate for floral and horticulture design. She also has two bachelor degrees in Business management, and Human Resources Management. Minde is the neighborhood mom. She pulls into the driveway after work, and all the kids come running. She bakes cookies with them, helps them with their homework, and patches up their bumps and bruises. We can’t walk through the neighborhood without kids yelling her name. As a little girl, Minde would sit for hours with her doll house, playing with her dolls. She is a loving, giving, and positive person capable of being a mother. Minde loves children. She will teach them, and love them. She has dreamed of the day she will become a mother.

Sunday

MIKE (THE DAD)

Mike is 35 years old. He is mighty in stature, but gentle in spirit. He has brown hair and blue eyes. Mike loves the sunshine! He tolerates Oregon’s rain for the green grass that grows in our yard. As a little boy he spent many hours swimming and fishing in the nearby lakes around Northern California. He also used to catch craw-dads with his sisters down at the riverbanks. Mike would spend hours riding his bike in the fields. He often got poison oak. Mike was the big brother, and still holds the protective title. He is always watching out for others. It is no surprise that he chose to work in the medical industry. He loves to care for other people. He is a certified polysomnographic technician (he works in a sleep lab at one of the near-by hospitals). He believes in good health and loves spending time at the gym. His favorite part of the work out is swimming and sitting in the hot-tub. Mike also believes in serving the community. He volunteers his time and service where he can. Mike is on the Park and Recreation board for our town. He volunteers his time assisting the city in planning public events that bring value to the families living in the community. He has several hobbies. Mike loves classic cars, anything to do with real-estate, and fish. He also loves camping and would spend each day sailing in the San Juan Islands if the opportunity presented itself. He can’t wait to be a dad. He looks forward to showing his child how to ride a bike, and will be involved in his or her life.

OUR FAMILIES

We both have wonderful families:

Minde was born and raised in Oregon. Her family still lives in the area. Her parents continue to watch their family grow. She is the youngest of 4 children with with two brothers and a sister. Each of her siblings are married and have children of their own. There are 11 nieces and nephews on Minde's side. Her brother and sister-in-law also adopted two children. Minde learned through this process, what a blessing adoption can be for families.

Mike is the second oldest of 7 children. He has 6 beautiful sisters that he loves to brag about. He also has two step-brothers, and one step sister. His family is spread throughout the United States. We would love for them to live closer, but do hope to use their living in other states as an opportunity to travel with our children. Several of his siblings are now married with children of their own. In the last year 7 new babies have been born into his family. He has a total of 16 nieces and nephews. His mother lives in Northern California, and his Father and Step-mother live in Southern California. Mike's brother lives here in Oregon, we enjoy spending time with he and his family.

We try to see our families often, both near and far. We also have extended family all over the United States. Our children will be blessed with a wonderful family. They will have supportive and loving grandparents, several aunts and uncles, and many cousins to play with.

OUR HOME AND NEIGHBORHOOD

We live in the Oregon coast range. Our neighborhood is tucked in a little valley, surrounded by rolling hills. Most of the land around us is farm land. We enjoy watching the horses run in the neighboring stables and on occasion the deer in the hills. We love the wild-life. Each morning we wake to the sound of birds and each night we lie down to the croaking of frogs. We picked this neighborhood because of the security it provides. We live in the only sub-division in our town. The neighborhood is very family friendly. The neighbors all have children. In fact, there are 17 children that live in our cul-de-sac. All the kids gather out front each afternoon. They ride their bikes, play games, and even have homework parties out on the lawn. It’s a pretty fun place to be. We live a ½ block from the elementary school. There are walking trails all around our neighborhood and a 5 acre park ½ block away. The park has one of the biggest play structures around. During the summer months, movie nights are sponsored in the park for the families in the neighborhood. The neighborhood also has other activities (such as Easter egg hunts) on special occasions. We truly love the neighborhood. It was the place where we wanted to raise a family. We have wonderful neighbors and beautiful scenery. We moved into our home in September 08. We love our home. We have been blessed with a beautiful 2 story palace. We have a fenced in back yard that includes a fish-pond with coy. We love to sit outside in the evenings and watch the stars. Our home is always clean and each room is decorated with a fun theme.

THE NURSERY

The baby’s room is under construction. We decided on an African Safari theme for the nursery. The crib and drawers are natural wood. The walls are being painted a light yellow, and a light green. The back wall is going to have a mural painted on it with two palm trees, a giraffe, a rhinoceros, and a frog. The bedding will be light green, yellow, and periwinkle blue. It will be beautiful ~ stay tuned; we will post pictures, when it is finished.