Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Brad and Kristin
How We Met
We live in a very small community in the upper Midwest. We are about 20 miles from the Canadian border in a small community of about 25 people. Because of our small community our neighbors are like family.
We met nearly 8 years ago in the summer right after Brad’s birthday. He lived about two blocks from the home I was renting at the time. I was into my brand new job, fresh out of college when I ran into him one evening in a neighboring community. After talking a bit, we found out we had a lot in common. In not too much longer, we were spending evenings, weekends and every other spare moment together. We both grew up on a farms, so with that in common, we spend a lot of time together. Some of the things that we did on our “dates” were baling hay, checking cows, and moving equipment for harvest. Besides that, we enjoyed having friends over for supper, going out for suppers, and spending time with family. We dated about 1 ½ years before Brad proposed to me on a Ferry between Seattle and Victoria Canada on our vacation out West to visit his brother. Being a farm kid, I did not expect him to propose on a ferry, away from home, or in another country! Needless to say we were both so excited that we left our dog (Toby) and our pickup on the deck below upon coming to shore!
In November we celebrated our first 5 years of marriage. We are looking forward to start a new chapter in beginning a family through adoption, and could not be happier about it! We both come from large families; have a lot of the same interests, and just flat out love spending time together. We are at a place where we’re so anxious to start a family that we are very excited to adopt!
About Kristin – By Kristin
I am the oldest of 7 children, 3 girls and 4 boys! Now that we’re all grown, we have a great time getting together. My sister Kelsey has 2 girls that are ages 4 and 5. My brothers are great uncles that love hugs and kisses, enjoy teasing the kids, and have just as much fun playing as the girls! My youngest sister Kyleen is a senior in high school and she does her part of making them look, think and act like 16 year old princesses.
We realized the true blessing of family when my Dad passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 49. That really opened our young eyes as a family to make the best of every day. My mom is grateful that we are all fairly close to the farm. It’s amazing that she still overkills on the food at holidays. We just laugh, as she’s always serving enough for an army, and there’s always plenty of leftovers!
I was a crop scout for 4 1/2 years after completing a Bachelors Degree in Ag Business. I had the opportunity to take a step up about 3 ½ years ago working in the Insurance Industry. Our office has a very friendly and motivating atmosphere, which I absolutely love! I still deal with farmers, but get to hang out in an office instead of in the dirt. I also work better hours, allowing more time to start a family and enjoy the things that we most like to do! I have a boss that is very flexible in needing time off. I do have the ability to work from home from time to time if need be. I enjoy what I do.
Away from work I love tinkering outdoors in the summertime. I enjoy planting garden, doing yard work, cleaning up neighboring lots, and raising baby chicks each spring. In the winter I like to do home improvements and reading a good book in my spare time. Brad can attest that I don’t put anything on hold! I’ve taken walls down in the time that it takes him to make a 2 hour drive out to the farm and back! We also love playing games and spending time with family and friends. I love to keep busy!
About Brad – By Kristin
Brad is the third of four boys in his family. The boys all get along great. It’s been a nice change, as all four of them are within about an hour of our home, so it leaves for lots of family time. He’s got a way of charming people with his sense of humor that sometimes catches people off guard. He actually comes off pretty shy at first! Brad loves his animals, especially his pigs and cows. We live in town and he keeps teasing me he’s going to keep baby pigs in our back little garage--he hasn’t won yet! He enjoys getting out in the fall of the year and doing some hunting. His brothers, nieces and us girls all get together at deer hunting time to walk tree rows and tall grass! He usually teases about his knee or ankle so that he gets out of walking!
There are 2 nephews and 4 nieces on the Kersten side, which makes for some eventful times when we get together! The ages run from 16 down to 6 years old. Brad has a special place for his nieces! He loves hanging out with them and even getting into the “girly” details. He is a basketball fan and is expected to be at the home games. He also gets into teaching them about the good times and tear jerking moments on the farm. The nephews enjoy riding the tractors and combines, make-believing they own 2/3 of the cows and calves at the farm, and having fun playing in the barn with the calves, dogs and kittens!
Brad has worked Construction for the past 3 years, as a loader operator. He puts in long hours during the weekdays, but gets weekends off. Prior to starting in the construction business he spent many years working on his family’s grain farm. Brad is looking forward to getting to spend quality time with someone other than the dog during the winters when he’s able to take time off of work. He’ll make a great Daddy!
Away from work Brad enjoys going out to the farm to check cows. He loves the spring of the year when the baby calves are born. He spends hours in the barn tending to the mothers and just watching the calves jump and play. He also likes hunting, fishing and getting together with friends and family.
A Child’s Best Friend – Toby LeRoy
Toby is our cocker spaniel puppy that was Brad’s birthday present nearly 7 years ago now! It’s funny how he knows work days from weekends, loves to go to Grandma’s and LOVES children! He is the only dog we know that gets Christmas presents from Brad’s mom. He knows when weekdays from weekends and thinks he’s a cow dog when he gets to go to the farm. He watches children when we babysit and even guards the door when they sleep… he protects them!
Holidays –n- Family
Holidays are a fun time of year! On Kristin’s side we still get together with aunts, uncles, Grandma’s and Grandpas as well as immediate family. We’re grateful that Grandma and Grandpa are still in fairly good health and have a large open floor plan that can accommodate the crowds that seem to find their way for the holidays! There is a lot of excitement with card games, board games and some tricks played along the way too!
On Brad’s side we get spoiled by his Dad and Mom’s excellent cooking on Holidays. His dad does Prime Rib to the 9’s, and makes batches and batches of homemade noodles that are to die for! His mom makes a killer macaroni salad that the community requires at every gathering we have. There’s lots of excitement when all the nieces and nephews get together too. There’s never a dull moment!
We are looking forward to a family reunion on Brad’s side of the family this summer. This will be at the Lake just about an hour from our house. We’ve been together for over eight years now, and there are still relatives that Kristin has yet to meet, so we’re excited for that!
Our Home and Community
We are excited and can not wait to start our family through adoption! We both came from large families and would also love to have a big family! We have lots of love extending from our home, our community and the homes of many aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents!
We have an excellent school in the community that Kristin works in, just blocks from the school. We were both very active in extra curricular activities, and will support your child in being involved in church, school and other activities that they are interested in. We are open to helping your child find what interests them, and offer encouragement and love to no end! We have a loving and friendly home environment! We look forward to the challenge of raising a baby in today’s world.
Once again, Thank you for your time, and hopefully you can see a little glimpse into our lives.
Warmly,
Brad & Kristin
If you have any questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the “Contact Us” button below.
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