As most of our friends and family already know, Matt and I met each other in 1985, when we were 16 years old. I was walking into work in my Dairy Queen uniform and ponytail. He drove up in his blue camero with one of my friends. Little did I realize, this cute, blond haired, blue-eyed boy and I would spend the next ten years, occasionally bumping into each other and socializing with mutual friends. Then finally, he asked me out! Two rodeo tickets later, dinner at Hardee’s, and I knew this was a good thing! But, never in my wildest dreams did I realize the wonderful way my life would eventually be changed.
Marrying in 1995, we both knew that family was very important to us. We wanted to fill our home with the kind of love our parent’s showed us and to experience the moments of joy, excitement and wonder with our child. (And, even the moments of frustration that teach us all about life.)
After many years of trying to become parents, we stumbled upon an article about baby girls from China who needed families to love and care for them. We explored our options and researched our facts. Our hearts, minds, and souls, kept leading us to the same conclusion; we were meant to be the parents of a child who needs a family as much as we want to offer our love and lifetime commitment to be her parents.
Aerin Elizabeth Cockrum will be joining our family soon, and it’s hard to express the feelings of love we already have for this child we only know in our hearts. We are so grateful that we are going to be given the opportunity to parent this amazing little girl, and that God will watch over her until we get her home and then guide us through our life‘s journey.
