Our goal is to raise a confident, smart, successful and above all, happy child. We promise to enrich the life you give to us, and are fully aware that this is a gift of the highest order. We would like to share our promise to you that above all, your baby will be loved unconditionally and he or she will always know of the brave, yet difficult, decision that you made out of the purest kind of love. We hope you'll consider us to be the family who fulfills the many dreams you have for your child.

Doug Shelly Job Description Criminal Investigator Development & Fundraising Director for Non-profit Health Center Education Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Minor in Mathematics Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Minor in Early Childhood Education Favorites Disney Movie Toy Story Disney Movie The Little Mermaid Hobby Wood Working Hobby Pottery Sport to Play Skeet Shooting Sport to Play Mini Golf Subject in School Autoshop Subject in School Band Vacation Spot Alaska Vacation Spot Norway Children None

We are a financially secure family and are creative in finding opportunities to explore and do new things. We put ideas in a bag on the refrigerator and monthly pull out an activity and plan to try that new thing. A list of activities we enjoy would include: museums of all types from art to science, live music performances, parades, hockey games, zoos and aquariums, movies and the theatre. We also enjoy all types of outdoor activities, especially those activities we can include the dogs in, such as hiking, biking, going to the beach and skiing. We create opportunities to do things with our friends and family because we enjoy the easy, relaxed feeling we have with all of them. Life is especially enjoyable when surrounded by those we most admire and love.

We believe that we have civic responsibilities. This belief encourages us to volunteer our time and resources to help where we can within our community. Shelly is quite passionate about a local art gallery that provides art activities to children and families. In being a volunteer, Shelly has also had the great pleasure to assist in hanging up exhibits, hosting opening night events, showing her pieces and teaching the arts. Shelly has been employed with a non-profit healthcare facility, and through her, Doug has volunteered his time, expertise and knowledge to help teens and youth through various presentation and programs. He also volunteers with some basic heavy lifting when needed!

For the past four years, we have been involved with an international exchange program. We were fortunate to be ‘host parents’ to four engaging 17 year olds, 3 from Norway and one from France! The three Norwegians are from the same family and we are fortunate to have become a part of an extended Norwegian family! We also have had the exciting opportunity to share our culture, heritage and beliefs with them and their families but more importantly, we also got to learn from them. We enjoyed interacting with the teens, the high school and their friends and we participated in a variety of activities together. We spent many afternoons explaining homework, sitting on a bleacher bench, entertaining friends and trying new foods. Hosting the students gave us and our friends and family many opportunities to explore America and to see things through a different view point. We hope to open our home and lives again to hosting a student and would love to share that with the child. It is an opportunity for us and our family and friends to interact closely with another culture, to explore differences and similarities and to gain an understanding of humanity.

Our Dogs Peso and Puente

Our four pets “found” us when they needed homes! We have two dogs; Puente is a 7 year old border collie mix and Peso is an average 1 ½ year old Austrian Shepard mix. We also have 2 cats; Twitch and Tangles. All four of them bring us great amounts of comic relief, each with his or her personality and need for attention. Their unconditional devotion serves as a reminder that we should strive to be accepting and humble. The dogs especially are a huge part of our lifestyle in that we enjoy traveling and many outdoor activities with them. Puente & Peso are a welcome part of family gatherings and vacations and are gentle and patient around children and our elderly grandparents. Our pets provide us with a routine as well as offer us a sense of comfort and security. They are a happy diversion from the day to day stresses and struggles!