Shannon Remembers~
I was sitting in my dorm room three days into my freshman year of college in the summer of 2002 when I looked out the window and saw the cutest guy I had ever seen wearing a bright red polo shirt. I was immediately taken with ‘Red Shirt Boy’ and I dare say it was love at first sight. A few days later I saw him at a party, our eyes locked, and I was one smitten kitten. As we became friends over the next few weeks, some of my first impressions of Daren were that first, he was a major catch, and second he was a nice, sweet, genuine guy. I couldn’t help hoping he would stick around!
Three weeks after meeting, Daren asked me out for a date and then after that we were inseparable. In January Daren submitted his mission papers and received a call to serve the Lord in Paraguay. I knew that for the next two years he wouldn’t be mine anymore, but that the Lord would take care of him. I would miss him terribly over the next few years, trying to find my way through my college experiences. I dated a bit, (as I should have!) but no one compared to my best friend Daren. As I prayed about him I always got the feeling that everything would work out.
I am happy to say it all did! Daren got home in May 2005 and we were married 3 months later! Having Daren as a best friend and an eternal companion has truly blessed my life. We have had both the best of times and the worst of times, but going through them without Daren would have been impossible. Being a family of two has taught us so much and brought us so close.
Daren Remembers~
The last seven years of being head over heels for Shan have been the best of my life so far. It is hard to remember what life was like before then. August ’09 marks our four-year anniversary. We were married August 20th, 2005 in the Redlands, California LDS Temple.
Life has brought more schooling for the both of us, I am continuing my bachelor’s at BYU-Idaho in business and Shannon is working on her master’s in literacy from ISU. We have had some wonderful job opportunities. Shannon teaches 1st graders and loves it. I have learned a lot while being a technician for a home security company and managing a service station. We have bought a comfy little house with lots of room to play and have had lots of fun fixing it up and turning it into a home. We have somehow adopted five furballs over the past two years and love our pets immensely. Our two dogs and 3 cats are probably the coolest animals ever.
Some things we love to do include camping, going to the movies, and being with family. I am really looking forward to having a little one be part of all of this!
Our Road To Adoption~
We have always looked forward to being parents. When we were unable to have children after two years of trying we sought medical help. We went to several doctors with various unexplained diagnosis and after a year and a half of tests finally got the answer that we shouldn't ever be able to have our own children. This was hard to say the least. We are good people who love children. Why shouldn't we be able to be parents. There was grief and feelings of loss. It was hard to wrap our heads around it because how can someone grieve the loss of children they never had? At the same time we had imagined them, discussed baby names, and done countless things to try to improve our chances of getting pregnant. This diagnosis should have signaled the end of a dream for us; however, because of a loving Heavenly Father, we were lead to the path of adoption.
We are blessed to belong to a church and follow a gospel that believes so much in Families. Our Church states:
“The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
It is this belief in family and a loving Heavenly Father that is helping us find our Birthparents and our little one. We hope that we find them soon!
