Calvin a.k.a. Dad

Calvin is a fun-loving, happy guy. There is very little that upsets him and much that makes him happy.

He was raised the 4th child (out of 8) in a small town in central Wyoming. He had a fun, carefree youth, where he was taught how to work hard and play hard. He and his brothers worked at the family butcher shop and grocery store. When they weren't working, they were goofing off -- digging big holes in the hopes of reaching China, floating the river on inner tubes, and swimming in natural hot springs that are in his town. (Unfortunately, you don't have the time to hear of all his exploits as a child/teen!!) Their family was never rich, but they were loved and they loved each other.

When he turned 19, he served a mission for our church in Winnepeg, Canada. He worked in the Manitoba area for two years and was honorably released in November 1986.

January of 1987 through present shows his ever present work ethic and his love for fun. He graduated from college with a degree in accounting (1992) and has worked in health care finances ever since -- working in small hospitals along the way.

Recently, he purchased a boat and that has been one of his greatest joys. During the months when the weather is warm, he comes home from work, puts on his shorts, grabs his life vest and a package of Oreos and says, "Let's Go!" He has named the boat 'Makin' Memories' and that has become the family motto. He (and Michelle) understand that the amount of time they have with the children is very short and they want to create the best possible memories for them to carry throughout their lives.

Some other activities he enjoys are: camping, hiking, biking, working out at the gym, flying (he earned his private pilots licence) and computers. He is a great dad and has always enjoyed playing Candyland or Chutes and Ladders with the kids. He is a good husband and treats Michelle like... well... a Queen. For their anniversary he always buys her roses; one for each year. He likes to surprise her with an occasional weekend away.

For a good story, ask us about how his nose got broken!

How We Came To Be

First of all, we'd like to introduce you to our little family:

Calvin and Michelle have been married for 22 years!! We met while we were in college, Calvin had just returned from spending two years serving a mission for the LDS church in Canada and Michelle had just finished her first semester of college.

We like to say that it was "friendship at first sight." Calvin was intrigued by Michelle's ability to have fun and her infectious laugh. Michelle was intrigued by Calvin's hilarious sense of humor. She often teases him that he was the skinniest person she'd ever laid eyes on. They spent a lot of time together, just being friends, and it is that friendship that their relationship is now based.

Calvin was such a good friend, that even though he had started to feel some attraction to Michelle, he was the person that delivered a dance request to another boy for her!! (It was a Girl's Choice Dance.) Michelle was such a good friend that when Calvin promised his brother to go on a double date and he couldn't find someone, she spent lots of time on the phone, calling friends and acquaintances trying to make a connection for him. Finally, after many fruitless attempts to find Calvin a date, they decided that if he was going to help his brother out, he'd take Michelle. So, the story they tell now is; Calvin asked Michelle out on their first date because he was desperate and Michelle felt sorry for him, so she said yes. ;-)

(An attempt at humor.)

From that moment on, they spent every every moment together that they could, enjoying each other's company and building a solid relationship.

Introduction

This is the first posting in a blog that I hope to create that introduces our family to birth parents, hoping that somewhere, somehow a match can be made. We would like to use this format to aid us in the search for a child that is looking for a loving, forever family.

As we create this site, we hope to show how our family interacts with each other, how we love each other and how our family dynamics can be increased and improved with the addition of another person to love.

Stay tuned to meet our family: Calvin (Dad), Michelle (Mom), Aly (age 17), Adam (age), and Lola the dog.