Tara In Ohio

My name is Tara, and I am a single, twenty five year old applicant from Ohio. I am a published author of many fictional books and have my degree as a Medical Transcriptionist, as well as hold credentials as an RHDS- Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist. I spend my free time blogging about books, reading and reviewing books, baking new recipes, playing the piano and spending time with my family. I’m a believer in Christ and actively read my Bible, attend church and worship God. I also enjoy painting, doing makeup, playing video games and binge watching medical dramas, singing shows and Disney. I shamelessly know all the words to all the Disney movie songs, as well as a large amount of Broadway productions and musicals. For those who are familiar with the sixteen different personality types, and wish to know more about me, I am an INFJ-T, also known as “The Advocate”. There’s information available online about the different personalities, and my personality test result is SPOT ON!

My love for children and animals is evident in the research I do for their health and growth, activities, presents and surprises I create for my nieces and nephews, as well as the countless amount of time and effort I put into cuddling, playing with and caring for them and my pets. One of my favorite activities to do is gift them books and read to them or help them read along with me. Because of my position as an author and a book reviewer, I often have opportunities to get newly released children’s books for free, which I then gift, read and review with them.

I did well in school and college and graduated both with honors, finishing college with a 4.0. I am willing to take the time to make education a priority for my child, as well as personally help them or seek additional help if they happen to struggle in any area academically. My child’s grades will not influence my opinion of the child or my love for them, as their value is worth exceptionally more than a letter on a report card.

I’m a transplant recipient and survivor and I make it a goal of mine not to be limited or defined by other’s opinions and ideas of what I can and cannot do. I’m a firm believer in striving for your dreams and being ambitious! I focus on introspection often and brainstorm plans on how I can better myself, grow, educate myself further or be a better person today than I was yesterday. Strive for progress, not perfection, and day by day I believe I will see a positive difference in all areas of life. With this mindset and personality, I have achieved and accomplished more than ever expected, and doctors call me a “walking miracle”.

Our family has pets, and we view them as members of the family! We have four dogs. My German shepherd is named Riku. He is the gentlest teddy bear and is my service dog. He alerts me to when my blood sugar is low. Even though he is big, he wouldn’t harm a fly.

The other three dogs are all small; two girls and one boy. Bandit is my mom’s dog and is the oldest. He is a black and white shih tzu who mostly sleeps and loves to eat tasty food. Kandi Kisses is my grandma’s dog, and she is a brown and white shih tzu with a comical personality and the goofiest smile! Last is my pet Lolli, short for Lollipup (like Lollipop, but with a pun!) She is a black/gray and white Chinese Crested, AKC registered. Lolli loves to play and has lots of energy to keep up with all of my nieces and nephews, but at the end of the day, she loves her pajamas and cuddles.

I come from a town that is very quaint and homey. It’s so small it’s considered a “village”, and everyone pretty much knows everyone. It’s a friendly community with slow to no traffic, sidewalks and paths for biking and walking, small, family-owned restaurants and shops and traditional, kind people. The street I live on is practically all my family! My aunt and uncle live right beside us in the house next door, my brother and his family live directly across the street from them, and one of my sisters and her family live in the house directly behind him. My oldest sister lives five minutes away, and my grandma Helen lives the furthest from us, only forty-five minutes away. Plenty of my nieces and nephews live nearby, so my child would never lack a playmate!

I live in the same house I’ve lived in my whole life, with my mother Kim, and my grandma Linda. Our house has four bedrooms, a library, a playroom, three and a half bathrooms, and an upstairs and basement both for storage. I have a room designated for the nursery. The theme for the nursery is jungle safari, so it will have lots of cute animals, furniture, clothing and decorations!

Our home sits on an acre of land, and our backyard is not wooded or uncared for. We don’t have any safety hazards in the yard like swimming pools, holes, etc., and our property is fenced in as a means of protecting both our pets and children. We have a front and back porch (with porch swings), a deck out back, and a patio. My nieces and nephews (like my siblings and I, when we were little) love using the patio as a place to ride scooters and bikes, as well as have a giant canvas to use sidewalk chalk on!

Our yard has several trees, and beautiful flowering plants during the spring and summer seasons. I even have plans of potentially getting raised garden beds and growing my own fruits, vegetables and herbs at home! This is a hobby I think would be enjoyable for me, and I’d love to share that with my child in the future, once they are old enough. It would be a good skill and something for us to learn and bond with as we embark on exploring a new hobby together.

Our district offers both public school and homeschool, with the closest school being under five minutes away. The church we attend is also about five minutes from home, and we are within walking or short driving distance from gas stations, shops, a Dollar General, grocery stores, baseball and soccer fields, parks, playgrounds, library, and a fitness and swimming center. The closest college to us is within a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive.

My family and I also enjoy playing Pokémon Go in our neighborhood because there are lots of places and gyms for “spins” on the game here and many people in our neighborhood play the game too.

In winter, our neighborhood does a good job of decorating the streets and houses with Christmas décor and lights! In summer, carnival type games and rides are set up, as well as food booths for Homecoming. We have several parades throughout the year where kids have opportunities to walk in or ride on floats, or if they are watching the parade, they can collect candy that the participants in the parade throw out to the observers! There are several nearby pumpkin patches and apple orchards for the fall season. We have Amish country and petting zoos within reasonable driving distance, as well as rollercoaster parks and a wildlife zoo. We are about an hour away from big cities.

In terms of safety, our house is within less than five minutes of a police station, as well as a fire/ ambulance station. There is a doctor’s office directly down the street.

I come from a large, loving family. In my household specifically are myself, my mother Kim, and my grandma Linda. However, the rest of my family is all less than an hour away from me, with 90% of them being less than five minutes away!

I’m the youngest of four children. The oldest is my brother Kyle, followed by my sister LeAnne, and my sister Lindsey. Kyle is married with two boys, LeAnne is married with a girl and a boy, and Lindsey is married with a baby girl. All my nieces and nephews range from ages seven months-five years old. That being said, when I adopt a child, they will never be lonely and have plenty of options for playmates who live on the same street as them!

All of my family are excited and cannot wait for me to welcome my own baby into the mix. I know my adopted child will fit in seamlessly, and will be treated just the same as the biologically related family members. Everyone is accepting of my decision to adopt, and my mom and grandma are willing and ready to be supportive and help care for my child as well.

My family is of the Christian faith, and our focus on God is of high importance and priority to us. I plan on raising my child in the Church with loving and caring pastors and members. The church has pre-k as well as Sunday school for the children, and has a gymnasium with a batting cage, basketball court, etc. for the youth to play in. There is a youth group for ages 12-18. So it is very kid-friendly and has lots of opportunities for them to meet other kids, as well as go to a church youth camp.

My family also is big on traditions and holidays, especially me! My future child will have tons of baked goods, Christmas cookies, Thanksgiving dinner, presents and all the holiday experiences and traditions we love to take part in, including carving pumpkins and dyeing Easter eggs! I believe in enjoying every special moment to the fullest!

Most of all, my family centers itself on a strong foundation based on faith, unconditional love, support, and affection. My child will never feel unloved or have any doubts where they stand in the family or who is there for them when they need a hug or a shoulder to cry on. My goal is for them to wake up every day knowing how much they are loved and cherished, and what a blessing they are to me and my life.

Over our lives, my family has been through great times of both highs and lows, blessings and struggles. The important thing is we always pray, trust in God and stick together no matter what to work through it and find a way to make things better. I believe because of the losses and obstacles we’ve overcome that it has only served to make us stronger, more compassionate, empathetic, loving, supportive and understanding.

Due to the struggles with my childhood disability, I have learned that God can get me through anything. I’ve learned patience, understanding, not to take anything for granted, and I have a deeply gentle and caring heart for those who are disabled. Because of this, I have decided that I am also open to adopting a child with special needs, whether it is present before, during or after birth. I believe I have the right mindset and personality to handle those situations appropriately and better than most, and my family and I have experience in the medical field and in caring for a variety of special needs while continuing to treat the individual like a person. It is so important not to let their condition define them, or to limit them.

I have always wanted to be a mother, and adoption has always been an option in my heart and mind. I’ve always been drawn to it. Now that I am an adult, it has become apparent that having biological children of my own may be detrimental to my own health and would be a high-risk delivery situation. There’s also a chance of passing a genetic illness on to a biological born baby. Therefore, adoption is the safest option for me. But even before this was known, I began to feel led to adoption. I now have recognized it as God’s calling for me and feel that it is my mission and purpose in life to pursue adoption.

This will fulfill me immensely, achieve one of my highest goals in life, and I believe will prove to be incredibly beneficial for both me and my adoptive child. I cannot wait to welcome such a blessing and miracle into my life, and offer them my unconditional love, support and nurturance. Through adoption, I believe that I will be able to make a difference in a child’s life and have much to offer them. The idea of that warms my heart and makes me so happy!