Andie & Zeph
We both love to read, are Los Angeles natives, and love to write. We travel a lot and often bring our dog with us. We could eat Mexican food for every meal.
W
Hi there!
e can’t imagine what it must be like for you to choose the family you want to raise your child. Only you can know what’s best and we hope that this letter will help you decide whether or not we are the right fit. More than anything else, we want to be parents. We are committed to offering your child a life of unconditional love and constant nurturing in the hopes of guiding her or him to become the very best person possible. We believe the origins of your child should not be a mystery, and that she or he should always know and feel your love. We look forward to sending you pictures and email over the years to keep in touch, if that is what you want. We would love to share any information about you and your family that you would like. We have a deep respect for you and the decisions you’re making and really appreciate you considering us as parents for your baby. Right: Just married!
Fun at a barbecue!
Our Love Story When we first met, we weren’t interested in one another. As we began to notice each other at the same events, we slowly grew a friendship which then evolved into a deep and abiding romance.
Our favorite presents—books!
There is nothing more important than the shared life we are creating together. We take this seriously, although we can also be very silly. We secretly make up songs for each other and for our pets, and often have sing-alongs.
We love to travel!
We married in 2008 and have never looked back.
meet Andie
from A to Z
Zeph: Andie is currently a librarian in a middle school in West Los Angeles. She has decorated the library with some of her Wizard of Oz collection that she’s been collecting since she was a little girl. She taught seventh grade English for eleven years and made the move to the library three years ago at the same school. Andie loves her students and is passionate about helping them learn to love to read! Additionally, she teaches an after school intervention program, helping students at her school improve their reading and writing abilities. She also crochets, and sometimes teaches her students this craft. Andie enjoys gardening, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with our dog, Casey. She is quite the ham, and loves being on stage—be it teaching in front of students or singing karaoke. Her absolute favorites to rock out to are Natalie Merchant, the Dixie Chicks, and Adele. Whimsical and fun, Andie is an open-minded world traveler who has interacted with all sorts of people from all sorts of places and walks of life. She enjoys new ideas and has a strong sense of community.
Reading to her students
Right: Off to see the wizard!
Exploring a glacier
Five things Zeph Loves about Andie
1. She always stays true to herself
2.
She inspires so many young people to do the very best they can We always have fun, no
3. matter what we’re doing She makes me look forward
4. to coming home at the end of the day
5. I can always count on her to help me out of a jam
Five things Andie Loves about Zeph
1. His ability to always be the bigger person
2. He’s so kind and gentle He makes me want to be a
3. better person
4.
He’s fun to just hang out with—I like that we can climb Greek ruins or stay home and read on the couch together and it’s always a good time He is my best friend and I
5. know he will be a fun, loving father
meet zeph
Andie: Zeph is the reserved one. He’s quiet when you first meet him but once you get to know him, he can be quite silly and fun. As a young boy he was fascinated with computers, and now he manages and supports computers at a law firm. From an early age he was drawn to peer through a telescope at the night sky and still enjoys stargazing. A quiet moment with a good book
In his free time he likes to camp and hike in the wilderness, especially the High Sierra south of Yosemite in California. He reads a great deal and occasionally writes, and loves to take long walks around the neighborhood or in the nearby mountains with his best buddy, Casey. Zeph has a leadership role in his spiritual community where he shares his zeal for selfgrowth with others. He really wants everyone around him to always learn, evolve, and keep discovering who they really are.
Snuggled up on a camping trip
Our Pets O
ur animals are definitely a part of our family! Casey is a delightful 3-year old Jack Russell mix that we rescued from a shelter in 2011. Athen is a shy grey and white cat who spends most of his time hidden among Andie’s shoes in the closet, although he comes out for cuddling whenever he gets up the nerve. Kobe is an adventurous, outspoken orange cat who loves being outside so much that we bought her a small “cat” house!
Casey! A.K.A. Puppy Love, Doggle, The Boo Good natured, jolly dog Wants to spend all his time with us
Athen! A.K.A. Cat Boy Cat, The Grey Cat, Cattus the Cat Cat Cat Authentic scaredy cat Sleeps on Andie’s pillow
Kobe! A.K.A. Kobis Aurillius, The Red Cat, Kobe Cat Independent Cannot usually be bothered to hang out with humans
Andie’s
Favorites
> Singing » Reading » Anything from The Wizard of Oz » Old books
Top to bottom: Zeph & Casey about to go on a hike; Athen snuggling with Andie; Athen sleeping; A cat (& dog) nap; Kobe’s cat house
» TV Shows: Glee, Doctor Who, & Big Bang Theory » Movies: Shawshank Redemption & Ever After
our home
Our Home W
e live in a book filled home with a white picket fence in West Los Angeles. It has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. We have already started putting together the cutest nursery in our middle bedroom! Casey spends his days in the back yard while we are at work, but he enjoys greeting passersby in the front yard while we are at home. Less than a mile from our home, a walking and bike path follows a bird-filled creek to the ocean. Trees, children, and neighbors walking dogs fill the streets of our neighborhood. Our home is near the beach and sometimes in the evenings we can smell the ocean. An ice cream truck crawls down the quiet street most weekdays, and there is a park with a playground four blocks away. We even have an elementary school and a middle school within walking distance.
Andie loves to garden!
Left: One of Andie’s beautiful sunflowers
Zeph’s
Favorites
» Computers » Hiking in the mountains » Coffee » Video games
» TV Shows: The Office, X-Files, & Battlestar Galactica » Movies: The Matrix 2001: A Space Odyssey, & Open Your Eyes
our village They say it takes a village to raise a child. Meet ours!
O our friends, so we frequently have them over ur home is perfect for hosting gatherings for
for game days or just dinner. Our kitchen is often filled with Andie’s girlfriends cooking and talking, and generally spending time together. Since the environment and giving back is important, her girlfriends often get together for clothing swaps, and any unswapped clothing is given to charity! Andie’s parents are retired educators and live four miles away from our home. They both generously volunteer in her library once a week! (Awesome grandparents, right?!) They own a timeshare in Hawaii, so every two years the family meets there in the summer. This is particularly useful, because Andie’s brother Evan and his fiancée Penny live in Australia, and this gives our whole family the opportunity to see each other at least once every two years.
Andie & her brother
Zeph’s family visiting grandma
Zeph’s family
Zeph & our niece
Zeph’s father is still working as an accountant at his own company and his mother has always been a stay at home mom. They live only twenty minutes away. Zeph’s sister, Stephanie, her husband Alan, and their three children Alec, Brandon, and Lauren also live near us. We spend many Friday nights at their home for dinner and family time. Between our two sets of parents, they have over ninety years of marriage. Coming from such stable homes makes us both understand the importance of family and marriage. Additionally, each of our families has taken the other in with no reservations. In fact, our parents like each other so much that they sometimes get together without us!
Andie & her mom
Zeph with family friends
We each have extended family in the Los Angeles area that meets for holidays and other occasions. We have many, many friends, at least three of whom have offered (begged!) to be honorary aunties and uncles. Our whole “village” is very excited at the thought of our new addition!
Out for a spin on vacation
Andie & Zeph Andie holding a brand new friend
from A to Z
A is for Andie! Andie loves Zeph and will make a wonderful mother! B is for Baby! We can’t wait to have one! C is for Cats! We have two cats, Athen and Kobe, and they have very different personalities.
D is for Dog! Casey is our very first dog. E is for Education! A good education is important. As a teacher, Andie cannot stress that enough!
F is for Friends and Family! We have such an amazing support system! G is for Garden! Andie has a green thumb and loves to make our garden beautiful. H is for Hiking and Hotels! Zeph sometimes goes out into the wilderness, hiking and camping for days, while Andie prefers “camping” in hotels with very soft pillows.
I is for Individual! We believe in being who you are and celebrate individuality! J is for Journey! Our journey together is wonderful, and will be even more fulfilled with a child.
K is for Kooky! We love to have fun and not take life too seriously! L is for Laughter! Our house is always filled with laughter! M is for Movies! Andie prefers romantic comedies while Zeph likes science fiction. N is for Nature! We love to be out in nature. O is for Open! We are very open to what life brings and will support whatever interests your child chooses to explore.
P is for Play! Playing is such an important part of life! We have never stopped playing and want to instill in your child the importance of play A family gathering, the dogs included!
Q is for Quiet! There really is nothing like a quiet night with your family. R is for Reading! We both love reading. Every room in the house, including our nursery, is filled with books!
S is for Spirituality! Our spirituality is very important to us. T is for Teacher! As a teacher, Andie loves working with kids! U is for Unconditional Love! We have so much in our home, and can’t wait to share it with your baby!
V is for Values! We pride ourselves on good values! W is for Wizard of Oz! This is Andie’s favorite movie and she has been collecting mementos since she was a little girl.
Hawaiian vacation
X is for “X-cellent”! Zeph is an “x-cellent” cook and enjoys creating nutritious meals. Y is for You! You are a critical part of this process, and we will honor you! Z is for Zeph! Zeph loves Andie and will make a wonderful father!
Honeymooning in Greece
we love adventures
B we met; Andie worked as an assistant oth of us traveled the world before
cruise director on a cruise ship and traveled the seas for three years, and Zeph spent a year backpacking throughout South Asia. It was incredibly exciting when Andie won a honeymoon to Barbados at a wedding expo, but after the excitement calmed down we realized we really wanted to go to Greece. So we took both honeymoons! We travel to Hawaii with Andie’s parents every other year, and every winter our holiday gift with them is to spend our vacation time together.
A wild ride at Disneyland
We love to explore, whether on a European vacation, a weekend getaway up the coast, or just trying a new restaurant for a mid-week adventure.
We also love the theater and see many live shows together. Some of our favorites have been Wicked (of course!), Pulp Shakespeare, and Les Miserables. Living near the theater district in Hollywood is helpful for this!
Hiking together
T
thank you!
hank you for taking the time to read this letter. We hope you have a sense of the happiness, love, and joy that we have to share with a child. We know that this is a monumental decision for you and we would like you to truly know that there is no doubt in our minds that we are ready to be parents. Your child will be loved and guided to their best ability with us. There is nothing that we can say that will make this process easier for you. We suggest that you go with your heart, and if that’s us, we would really love to hear from you! -Andie & Zeph
If you would like to know more about us or how to get in contact with us, please contact an Adoption Advisor by calling AdoptHelp at 1-800-637-7999.