Hello!
This is Andrew, Brianna, and Jessica. Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. We love adoption and it has already blessed our lives so much! Adoption is an incredibly brave choice, and one we don't take lightly in our home. We love Jessica's birth mom and are so thankful for her. We want you to know we are thinking of you and praying for you. We know that prayers are answered and that God will bless you with the decisions you are making; we hope you can feel His love and our love for you.
We adopted Jessica as an infant in 2010 and we are so grateful for her birth mom and our relationship with her. Our family grew because of adoption, and we see her birth family as a part of our family and we love them! Having them in our family has been a blessing for all of us. We hope to have an open adoption again with you because we have seen how incredible it truly is!
We want you to be able to get to know us a little, but it can be hard to describe your family in a letter. Instead, here are 10 random facts about us to help you get to know us:
1. Andrew considers our first date together as the one where his roommate asked me out and Andrew was with another girl. While canoeing, he said he realized he had the wrong girl in his canoe. We still like to go canoeing, but now, we are in the same canoe.
2. Brianna has been skydiving, which is pretty surprising because she is no daredevil and pretty cautious. Andrew thinks that is crazy because the idea of jumping out of an airplane sounds terrifying! (Side note from Brianna...I didn't jump, but the instructor strapped to me did, and he was big enough to pull me out of that plane with him. Never again!)
6. In our first home after we were married, we experienced almost every possible disaster! First, we had a septic tank/plumbing catastrophe, a flameless kitchen fire that filled the house and all our possessions with smoke, and a gas leak in the neighborhood which caused us to evacuate. We also had our phone lines ripped off the house by a garbage truck, a flood in the basement, and gale force winds that were tearing the roof off an old shed (don't worry...Andrew climbed up there in those winds to secure the roof). If you want the full scoop, check out the post here.
8. We have lived in all the “aska” states (Alaska and Nebraska). One of those was the most beautiful state in the country. Hint: It wasn’t Nebraska!
9. Jessica and Andrew love ketchup on a lot of weird things. Andrew puts it on chicken pot pie, and Jessica even likes it for dipping her apple slices into. Brianna likes ketchup too, on French fries, hamburgers, and normal things.
10. Andrew can do some pretty funny things with his face. He can move his eyebrows with precision and accuracy, he can make the biggest frown in the world, and he can make a crazy half-frown half-smile. You will have to see it some time! Jessica loves making faces with dad and he is teaching her how to move her eyebrows too!
That’s us in a nutshell but there is a whole lot more we would love to share with you. We would love to learn more about you as well. You can get to know us more by calling or texting us at 801-477-6621 or by sending us an email: andrewbrianna21 (at) gmail (dot) com. For now...keep reading!
Who are we?
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Age: 34
Height: 6’5”
Eyes: blue
Hair: brown
Hobbies & Interests: canoeing, singing, fishing, telling jokes, working with tools and fixing things, and watching movies in fast forward
Hobbies & Interests: canoeing, singing, fishing, telling jokes, working with tools and fixing things, and watching movies in fast forward
Education: Bachelor of Science—Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, BYU
Employment: Donor Liason, basically he does fundraising
I am the fourth of seven children and was raised in Alpine, Utah. We always had a lot of fun growing up and I still love to tell stories about those times today. I served a mission in the Canada Vancouver Mission in British Columbia. After my mission, I attended BYU and received my degree there and graduated in 2006. We then packed up everything we owned in a big U-Haul and moved to Colorado and I started working for the Boy Scouts. I worked for the BSA for ten years and we moved around the country a little bit. We have lived in Colorado, Nebraska, Alaska, and now Utah, and I just recently started a new career with LDS Philanthropies. I enjoy fishing and the outdoors. I love to sing and am a baritone; I have sung in choirs since I was in 9th grade. I like to work with tools, fix things, build stuff and work on projects. Humor is a big part of my life and I try to find something funny every day. Having a sense of humor makes life enjoyable.
I am the fourth of seven children and was raised in Alpine, Utah. We always had a lot of fun growing up and I still love to tell stories about those times today. I served a mission in the Canada Vancouver Mission in British Columbia. After my mission, I attended BYU and received my degree there and graduated in 2006. We then packed up everything we owned in a big U-Haul and moved to Colorado and I started working for the Boy Scouts. I worked for the BSA for ten years and we moved around the country a little bit. We have lived in Colorado, Nebraska, Alaska, and now Utah, and I just recently started a new career with LDS Philanthropies. I enjoy fishing and the outdoors. I love to sing and am a baritone; I have sung in choirs since I was in 9th grade. I like to work with tools, fix things, build stuff and work on projects. Humor is a big part of my life and I try to find something funny every day. Having a sense of humor makes life enjoyable.
What Brianna has to say about Andrew: So, obviously, I like Andrew because I married him, but honestly, pretty much everybody likes Andrew. I actually can't think of anyone who doesn't...but I don't know everyone in the world. He is such a people person, and can really make everyone feel comfortable. At the same time, he is brutally honest, but that just makes you like him more because you know he won't lie to you. Andrew is a great husband! He helps with the dishes, takes Jessica on daddy daughter dates, and likes to fix things whenever they aren't working quite right. When I am stressed, he helps me sort out my life and prioritize things. He is a great example of service and he serves well in the Church. He is a great dad too and Jessica loves him! You can often find her climbing on his back, jumping on him, sitting on his foot asking him to carry her around, or riding on his shoulders. He's great! Brianna
Age: 34
Height: 5’10”
Eyes: brown
Eyes: brown
Hair: brown
Hobbies & Interests: baking (especially breads and desserts), gardening, playing with Jessica, and reading
Education: Bachelor of Science—Marriage, Family, and Human Development, BYU
Employment: Stay at home Mom
I was born and raised in Centralia, Washington and am the fifth of nine children in my family. My family lived on a small farm where we occasionally had cows, horses, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, and dogs. Sometimes it meant a lot of work, but most of the time it was just a lot of fun. When I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I have an insulin pump, so I don’t have to give shots…I just can’t eat as much ice cream and chocolate as I would like to! Speaking of food, I love to cook and bake (especially breads and desserts...both things I shouldn't eat much of). I like to garden, although really, I don't know what I'm doing...it is just an adventure. I also like to read, work on crafts, start projects (I'm horrible at finishing), playing games, and watching movies. Jessica just started first grade so a lot of my spare time now is spent at the school helping, and I love it!
What Andrew has to say about Brianna: Brianna is amazing! She likes to bake, and she often experiments and find new recipes online and that is always fun. She has a good sense of humor and can be very witty. Through the years she has gotten use to my puns, and now whip them back at me with such speed and agility that sometimes it takes me a minute to think about them. Brianna also likes to make things look nice and decorates well for Christmas or other holidays. That is a good thing, because if it wasn't for her, I would probably wrap all our Christmas presents in newspaper. I am glad she likes to put bows and ribbons on things because it does make it look nice. We also like to watch movies together, and often times we stay up late watching a movie, even though sometimes she falls asleep after the first 15 minutes! She is a good mom and helps Jessica fix up her hair to make it look nice. She also spends a lot of time doing fun projects with Jessica whether it is making snow paint, baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, or planning up a tea party. Brianna is incredible and I am glad she married me!
Jessica
Age: 6
Hobbies & Interests: doing artwork and crafts, princesses, reading, playing LIFE, having play dates and planning tea parties
Daisy
We have had Daisy for almost three years, and got her from a family who wasn't able to care for her anymore. She was a good transition for us into the world of pets because Jessica was kind of scared of all animals when they moved. Daisy is a good little guinea pig who is starting to get older, but still squeaks at us plenty whenever we forget to feed her some lettuce.
Lady
Employment: Stay at home Mom
I was born and raised in Centralia, Washington and am the fifth of nine children in my family. My family lived on a small farm where we occasionally had cows, horses, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, and dogs. Sometimes it meant a lot of work, but most of the time it was just a lot of fun. When I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I have an insulin pump, so I don’t have to give shots…I just can’t eat as much ice cream and chocolate as I would like to! Speaking of food, I love to cook and bake (especially breads and desserts...both things I shouldn't eat much of). I like to garden, although really, I don't know what I'm doing...it is just an adventure. I also like to read, work on crafts, start projects (I'm horrible at finishing), playing games, and watching movies. Jessica just started first grade so a lot of my spare time now is spent at the school helping, and I love it!
What Andrew has to say about Brianna: Brianna is amazing! She likes to bake, and she often experiments and find new recipes online and that is always fun. She has a good sense of humor and can be very witty. Through the years she has gotten use to my puns, and now whip them back at me with such speed and agility that sometimes it takes me a minute to think about them. Brianna also likes to make things look nice and decorates well for Christmas or other holidays. That is a good thing, because if it wasn't for her, I would probably wrap all our Christmas presents in newspaper. I am glad she likes to put bows and ribbons on things because it does make it look nice. We also like to watch movies together, and often times we stay up late watching a movie, even though sometimes she falls asleep after the first 15 minutes! She is a good mom and helps Jessica fix up her hair to make it look nice. She also spends a lot of time doing fun projects with Jessica whether it is making snow paint, baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, or planning up a tea party. Brianna is incredible and I am glad she married me!
Jessica
Height: 4' (unless she's grown)
Eyes: brown
Eyes: brown
Hair: brown
Hobbies & Interests: doing artwork and crafts, princesses, reading, playing LIFE, having play dates and planning tea parties
Education: First grade
What her parents say about her: Jessica is amazing! She loves to be doing fun things; playing at the park or in the yard, dancing to the Hamsterdance song, or going sledding if it is snowy. But she also loves staying at home to color, snuggle on the couch and read, and watch movies. She loves pink and princesses, and dressing up. She is very kind and a good friend. She loves our dog Lady, and even calls her her sister. She cannot wait to adopt again, and she really, really wants a baby sister, but says she'd be happy with a baby brother too.
What her parents say about her: Jessica is amazing! She loves to be doing fun things; playing at the park or in the yard, dancing to the Hamsterdance song, or going sledding if it is snowy. But she also loves staying at home to color, snuggle on the couch and read, and watch movies. She loves pink and princesses, and dressing up. She is very kind and a good friend. She loves our dog Lady, and even calls her her sister. She cannot wait to adopt again, and she really, really wants a baby sister, but says she'd be happy with a baby brother too.
Our pets
Daisy
We have had Daisy for almost three years, and got her from a family who wasn't able to care for her anymore. She was a good transition for us into the world of pets because Jessica was kind of scared of all animals when they moved. Daisy is a good little guinea pig who is starting to get older, but still squeaks at us plenty whenever we forget to feed her some lettuce.
Lady is pretty much the best dog ever! We got her this last April, when her owners had to leave the state and couldn't take her with us. We are so glad to have her...she is seven now, so she is pretty mellow, and that's just the way we like it. She still gets excited enough to keep us busy with walks, but she doesn't run fast enough to wear us out.
Our home
We moved a lot during the first years of our married life, so it was kind of weird to actually feel like we would be in one place long enough to buy a home. We live in a pretty average home built in 1961, and mostly, we love it. We are on a super quiet street and a small block, so we actually are the only house on our block facing one way. We love that it isn't busy. We live a block away from a park, Jessica's school, and a great kid friendly sledding hill.
We've had to make some changes to our house and the biggest was redoing the basement. Andrew and his dad did most of the work and it is awesome now! Plus, it has a craft room, so really, it is great.