“Sometimes the thing you never would choose for your life, chooses you for a reason. And the thing that you’d never pick. Picks you to become brave. And sometimes… you get what you need — by walking through what you never wanted — and the thing you never wanted, may turn out to be be the thing you need most.
I hadn’t known but now believe: the thing that may make you fall a bit apart, may be part of what one day holds you a bit together. And I’m finding that the only way to the abundant life is to accept discomfort in your life. The way to what we want — is often through what we don’t want. Painfully hard things are part of the price of admission to a purposeful, holy life.
But always believe it: Grace can strike when you are in great pain and light you with the greatest hope.” – Ann Voskamp
Adoption was the path that led us to Vivienne, our daughter, born in March of 2018. The journey was hard: 2 lost pregnancies, infertility, endometrial cancer, doctor’s visits, lab draws, surgeries etc., etc. Grief over thoughts of not having children that would look like Tim and me or have our characteristics.
Yet, God had chosen adoption for our family. He made it clear to both of us before Vivienne was born. Nothing about her is short of miraculous. How God formed her in her mother’s womb, yet chose her for our family. We were chosen. She was chosen.
And now it’s clear, a 2nd time, as we wait for our next little miracle to enter our lives.
What Brought You Together?
Tim: Andrea and I were in our early 30’s when we met. Andrea is a Physical Therapist and one of my friends happened to be seeing her as a patient. The friend thought Andrea and I should meet so she played matchmaker; I’m so glad she did!
At the time I was hosting monthly movie nights that I called “Indy Movie Night.” I would make friends dinner and we would watch, as the name implies, an independent film. This friend of mine invited Andrea to Indy Movie Night, and even though it was a theme party that night Andrea wasn’t scared away.
When I answered the door and saw Andrea for the first time I thought “WOW!” We went on our first date later that week and were married about a year later!
Andrea has a sweet spirit, loves the Lord, enjoys adventure, thoroughly enjoys the outdoors, she is incredibly smart, and beautiful to boot. We are still having a blast and yes, we still love to host theme parties.
Andrea: Tim and I met on a blind date – but it wasn’t just the two of us. I came to a party he hosted at his house. It was a theme party. He was wearing short shorts and he has great legs! He made the food. He said grace. He facilitated conversation. He called me within 15 minutes of leaving his door and picked up me for our first date later that week. I loved every single thing about that.
Tim is easy going, smart, creative, confident. He is handsome. He loves Jesus and he accepts people that look and act differently than he does. He has a presence as a police office that instills peace, order, safety. His love of music, art, and photography is infectious. These things are just the tip of the iceberg that led my heart to quickly fall in love with Tim.
We dated for 7 months and were married after a 5-month engagement. Meeting Tim and falling in love taught me that God’s timeline is perfect even when I don’t see the big story.
Why Now?
Vivienne has been a tremendous blessing to us. She is incredibly fun and has has this contagious joy about her. Vivienne loves being with other children, so we cannot help but imagine her being a big sister. Plus Andrea and I have siblings which makes us want that experience for her as well.
Nothing about her is short of miraculous. How God formed her in her mother's womb, yet chose her for our family. We were chosen. She was chosen.
Andrea
I’m a physical therapist and center manager of a busy outpatient orthopedic clinic. I love helping patients improve their quality of life. My job allows for me to get to know my patients over weeks, months and years. I love the relational aspect.
I thrive with time spent outside and with friends and family. Whether it’s hiking, camping, backpacking or going for a bike ride…my heart sings when I’m outside. I love reading, cards/games, farmer’s markets, lawn games, fire pits, happy hours and theme parties.
Traveling has a been a large part of my life. I like the quote from René Descartes – “Traveling is almost like talking with men of other centuries.”
Seeing life and people in other cultures and countries has opened my eyes to the abundance we are offered as Americans; that joy stems not from how much you have but who you are surrounded by, and that we can see Jesus in people all around the world. A dream of mine is to see all of the 7 World Wonders.
Our adoption journey has taught me that patience is hard, but I want to make the hardship count. May it be that I am more loving, more patient, more thoughtful and kind because of our journey.
Tim
I grew up in California and I’m the oldest of five kids. I’m the only one from my family that doesn’t live in California. Living here in Colorado, Andrea and I spend our time off enjoying the outdoors. We hike, bike, camp, backpack and I hunt as well.
In addition to our outdoor adventures, I’m a photographer with an eye for travel photography. Andrea and I love going on date nights to try out new restaurants but we thoroughly enjoy cooking too!
One of my greatest accomplishments happened in the summer of 2017 when I rode my bicycle across Colorado from Wyoming to New Mexico over four days to support a charity. One of my other loves is music – it has a special way of motivating, uplifting and soothing me.
What do I do? I’m a Police Officer and I’ve worked for the Colorado Springs Police Department for over 15 years. For the last almost 6 years I’ve been serving the less fortunate on the Homeless Outreach Team.
This family hasn't added any updates yet. Check back soon!
