Amber

I have a very large and amazing extended family. I have five amazing brothers, with two of them living very close so I can spend lots of time with them. My mother lives very close and loves to come over to help take care of the animals; we have movie nights every Saturday evening. My stepdad has been such a rock in my life for over 25 years and is there anytime I need him. My father loves all of us very much and works very hard to get us all together for the holidays and tries to make them very special.

I have many cousins and uncles who live close by, but one of my cousins is my best friend. She and I do everything together, and she is like a sister to me. We push each other to be the best versions of ourselves. My whole family comes to my house in the summer for pool parties and family cookouts.

I have always been career driven and knew that I wanted to serve my country. I spent my early twenties deployed. Then I went back to school, eventually joined the National Guard, and made an attempt at the Olympics in judo. I deployed again, and that took me into my mid-thirties. I knew at that point I would go the route of adoption. I have wanted to have a big family for so many years, but my younger years are further behind. I want to be a mother so badly and adoption is how I see my family growing. I have a brother who was adopted and love him so much.

Growing up, my biggest influence in my life was my godfather. My mother was engaged to him for years but never married him, and he treated me as his own daughter. The bond we shared went deeper than any between my own parents. I knew that even though he wasn’t my father, he was still one of the greatest people in my life.