Hello

I’m Kristen from San Francisco, California. I very much respect and admire that you are considering open adoption for your child.  I can imagine that you have a lot to think about and appreciate you taking the time to learn about me.  I am beyond thrilled to start my family through open adoption. I have friends who have adopted or who are adopted, so adoption is part of my life and close to my heart.  I was raised by wonderful single mom who is my role model, and has shown me that you can raise children as a single parent and do an amazing job!

I hope that by reading through my profile, you will come to understand that I am entirely committed to providing a safe and happy home full of love, laughter, and support and to honoring your decision and journey.

My City, My Home, My Passions

I feel fortunate to call the beautiful city of San Francisco my home for the last 18 years.  I’m originally from the east coast, but came out to the Bay Area to attend graduate school at Berkeley.  I fell in love with the Bay Area and the diverse community here.  I live in a peaceful area of the city that is 2 blocks away from a beautiful park and close to the ocean.  I’m really lucky to live and work in the same community and definitely appreciate my 5 minute commute to work.

My home is filled with a lot of natural light and I can see the Pacific Ocean and sunsets from my large living room window.  Although I am very active, I enjoy spending time in my comfortable apartment.  There is usually always music on in the background.  I love to dance and if I don’t go out dancing, will sing and dance in my kitchen to the sounds of African drums or Latin beats.  I can’t wait to welcome a little dance partner in the kitchen with me!

I take advantage of the natural light in my home or my beautiful backyard to escape with a great book.  I pour through books and have been in a book club with close friends for over 4 year now.  Though the reading material will change, my book club can’t wait to add our new little member!

I love to cook and bake, especially for others.  I really enjoy going to the local farmer’s market just a few blocks away from my home and coming up with new recipes with what I find for that week.  I try to eat healthy, but I do love my sweets. I make my friends and family a cake for their birthdays and every year for Christmas, my sister and I bake hundreds of cookies. 

My home is two blocks away from the beautiful Golden Gate Park where I love to hike in nature It also has wonderful things for children to explore and I am excited to show my child all the beauty found in the park.   It’s also important for me to be near the ocean or water as I swim several times a week and it’s one of the ways that I relax.  I have been a certified scuba diver for 15 years and have explored the oceans all over the world. 

In my summers off from work, I often go to explore other countries.  I love to immerse myself in other cultures and feel fortunate to have a job that provides so much vacation time.  I’m really looking forward to traveling with my child and exposing him or her to the beauties of this world.

It Takes a Village

I truly believe that it “takes a village” to raise a child, and I am grateful to say that I have that village.  I am extremely close to my mom, 2 sisters, 2 nieces and nephew.  My sister, Kelly, lives in San Francisco and we talk or see each other nearly every day.  Although the rest of my family is on the east coast, I go home to visit often and they love coming to San Francisco.  My nieces have visited me every summer for the last 11 years.  I was raised by a single mom who taught her children unconditional love and acceptance.  My mom is my role model and a pillar of strength and has also shown me that you can raise children as a single parent and do a wonderful job at it!

I also have an amazing, diverse community of friends.  Many of my friends are teachers, social workers, or advocates who also strive to make this world a better place.  Several of these friends have adopted or are in the process of adopting.  I also have a few friends who live all over the world, so I am fortunate to have places to stay in Mexico, Indonesia, Colombia and Spain.  Some of my closest friends have children whom I have been close to since birth and they consider me their “auntie”.  My family and friends are so excited to add to our loving village and have always said “Kristen, you will be an amazing mother someday”.

Me...as Described by my Loved Ones

Kristen is a rare gem. She is incredibly smart, kind and caring. She has a huge heart and loves children. I see how she lights up when she’s with my kids (all kids) and they light up too when they are with her.  Each year for their birthdays, instead of getting them useless toys that they already have, Kristen takes my children to special outings and events tailored to each kids interests.

Kristen is the person I turn to for support and guidance.  She always is so grounded and supportive. She was really there for me after I experienced a great loss, through visits, food, and sometimes just silently holding my hand.  Somehow she instinctively knew what I needed even when sometimes I didn’t.

I have the pleasure of being Kristen’s friend and coworker.  At work, she is able to perfectly balance having healthy boundaries and structure with the students along with compassion and support. Kristen is a safe person for many of the students at school who do not feel safe with anyone else. She has a warmth about her that makes her easy to approach and trust.  The students (and staff!) just adore her!

Kristen is so warm and generous.  Every year for my birthday, she makes me a special cake.  She also has this ability to write the most touching birthday cards that make me so happy that I cry!

Kristen is really fun and loves to laugh.  She is a great travel companion and is always up for an adventure.  We explored traveled together,  and Kristen was great about being up for anything that involved hiking, exploring, swimming, dancing, food, or meeting the locals-we had so much fun!  She also organizes Halloween each year and our themed costumes-she is really creative!

Grateful to Get Paid to do What I Love

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and I specialize in working with children and families.  I am very passionate about the work that I do-I feel like it’s my calling.  I have worked in the San Francisco public schools since 2001. When people ask if I have kids, I usually say that I have over 2,000!  Although I dream of answering that same question someday soon, with “Yes, I have a beautiful son or daughter.”   I really do feel that I have helped to shape children’s lives.  Many of the students whom I have worked with in the past have reached out to me to let me know that I was a positive influence on them often during difficult times.

Currently I run a Wellness Center at a large high school.  I love working with teenagers; they keep me on my toes and I am never, ever bored.  I feel incredibly fortunate that teenagers will open up and share with me very personal things and that they trust that I will guide them and keep them safe.  Even though the work can be hard, I get so much joy from working with my students.

My Dream to Parent

When one of my closest friends asked her 8 year old son to describe me the first thing that he said was “loving”.  When she asked her 12 year old daughter that question, she became a little more reflective and said “well, Kiki (my nickname) has always been there for me, and I know that she always will be”. 

If my own child can describe me as both loving and unconditionally supportive, then I know that I have done a good job as a parent.  In helping to “raise” my students, nieces, nephew, and other children in my life, I believe that I am compassionate, fair, true to my word, firm when I set a limit, and also very fun.

I am ready and will raise my child to care about making a difference in the world, to value education, to honor diversity, to love and appreciate their culture, to recognize the little things that make life wonderful, to know and appreciate their journey, and to honor your journey in whatever way you are comfortable in sharing.

Thank You!

I appreciate you taking the time to get to know me and I hope that you can see that I am so ready to have a child in my life. I would love to learn about your story too.  Please know that I will honor and respect your wishes about the level of contact you have, and that you will always be a part of our child’s story and will always have a place in our hearts. 

With Deepest Respect,

Kristen