shari & chris - center for family · shari staining the stair railing in the summer we love to...
TRANSCRIPT
Fast Facts: Names: Shari & Chris
Home: Hawthorn Woods, IL
Married 8 years, no kids
Personalities: outgoing, social
Interests: Travel, home projects
Careers: Shari – apparel sales
Chris – food broker
Hello!
We are so honored that you are reading our profile. We hope we can give you an understanding as to who we are.
We feel we can offer your child a warm, loving and nurturing household surrounded by our extended families who are overjoyed that we are going through the adoption process.
We are Shari and Chris and we cannot wait to start the journey of parenthood. We very much want to have children and have been unsuccessful with fertility treatments.
It’s been a long path to get to this point but neither one of us can imagine our lives without children.
Our story: We have been together since 2000. We actually met in college but the timing was not right. Surprisingly we met again on an internet dating website and this time the spark ignited! It was obvious right away that we had a lot of personality similarities and passions.
We dated for a few years and then Chris proposed in Paris under the Eiffel Tower! (Perfect
setting since Shari loves all things that are French.) We were married on June 5, 2004 and our love for each other continues to grow each day!
We both love working on houses – Chris is quite the handyman and knows how to build, wire, plumb, tile and Shari has a passion for decorating. We’re a great match!
You’ll find us most weekends working on house projects as seen in these
photos.
Chris applying venetian plaster
Shari staining the stair railing
In the summer we love to be on the water whether
it’s boating or water skiing or swimming. We can do this either in TN at Shari’s parents or in IN at Chris’s family cottage. We love to entertain and Chris is an amazing cook so we frequently host dinners or small gatherings for our friends and their families.
We just finished building our dream house which has a big back yard with lots of trees, flowers, birds and butterflies. We planted our first vegetable garden this spring and plan on finishing the basement this year which will include a big
playroom for kids! There are also two empty bedrooms just waiting to be occupied by little ones.
Our sister and brothers have kids ranging from 6 months to 11 years so needless to say our nieces and nephews cannot wait to have another cousin to play with!
Meet Shari:
I was raised on a farm in rural Ohio. My father Robert is a retired veterinarian and my mother Ann is a
homemaker. We had a couple of horses, my dog Benji and various cats that my dad would rescue. They
retired to Tennessee and live on the Tennessee River between Knoxville and Chattanooga. I am the oldest
and after years of begging for a sibling my brother Jason was born when I was 9. Despite our age
difference we have always been close. Jason followed in my father’s footsteps and is a veterinarian and
lives outside Nashville, TN. He is married to Leah and they have two children, Ava (5 years) and Jack (6
months). I see my family as often as possible and we talk on the phone every week.
Growing up both sets of my grandparents
were farmers and lived minutes away. I
was always used to lots of family being
around. My parents were strict and that
early discipline formed the positive work
ethic I have today. My parents always
made holidays and birthdays special.
When I was in the sixth grade, my parents
bought a boat and built a small cottage
on a nearby lake. We were thrilled to be
able to boat and water ski in the summers
and snowmobile in the winters.
From left to right: Jason, Leah, Robert, Ann, Shari, Grandma & Grandpa
I studied fashion merchandising at Bowling Green State University which offered a unique opportunity for me to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City my senior year. New
York City was a huge change after small town Ohio and I loved it! After college I moved to Chicago. I was ready to continue living life in the city after years on a farm! Over the years I’ve worked at Bloomingdale’s, Arrow Dress
Shirts and Calvin Klein Underwear in some variety of sales. My current job is an account executive for HUE where I manage the legwear and sleepwear areas for Bon Ton (Carson’s)
and Von Maur. I work from home which I love because it offers so much flexibility. I plan to take a family leave after the baby is born.
Since I am 9 years older than my brother I took a more active role in his upbringing . . . I was a built in baby sitter for my parents! I think that early exposure makes it easy for
me to be with children and they always feel comfortable being with me. When we go see our friends who have kids they always stop what they are doing and come running over to us because they are so excited to see us! I adore all my nieces
and nephews and always cherish the time we get to spend together.
Shari reading with nephew Matt & niece Melanie
Meet Chris: I was born in Chicago to parents Harry and Joanne. When I was 9 my parents divorced and both remarried, which provided me many more brothers and sisters. I have a sister Cathy and three step-brothers and two step-sisters. I grew up in Glen Ellyn, IL and went to Glenbard West H.S. As I got older I split time between
my parents at holidays, breaks, and events. We did a lot of swimming at my dad’s house in FL during the summers. In the winters skiing was a favorite with friends and my siblings. My parents were both handy at building and decorating and a lot of the building trades I know today I learned from them. I had good close friends growing up and we were always getting into mischief or adventuring somewhere. My mom was a homemaker and I would always help her in the kitchen, hence my culinary skills!
I earned my Bachelors of Applied Sciences from Bowling Green State University. It was a 4
½ year program since you have to do a hands-on internship and I did mine for the Hyatt Hotel chain in Hilton Head, SC. I originally wanted to be a Chef (thanks Mom) and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. As fate would have it, in my
internship at Hyatt, I had to be on the line cooking and I learned that 16 hour days over a hot steam table was not for me.
Chris cooking breakfast for us!
Luckily I had the chance to work in purchasing during the internship rotation and learned about industrial food brokerage. My current employer is DMH Ingredients which imports and distributes food ingredients for the food manufacturing industry. I have been very fortunate to be with just one employer now for so long.
I have a unique job that allows me to create, design and manufacture food ingredients that provide solutions to the food industry and advances technological developments in food science. I am branching out and starting to mark investment opportunities in developing a real estate portfolio of properties for rent and investment (the second career).
I have always been around kids now for
many years as some of my friends started having children early. I was thrilled that they always wanted to play with Uncle Chris! When I was younger I frequently babysat my little sister, as well as other kids around the neighborhood. My sister Cathy is married to another
Chris and has two children, Matt (11 years) and Melanie (8 years). I am honored to be Melanie’s godfather.
Chris with Melanie when she was 8 months
Chris talks about Shari: Shari comes from a very close and wonderful family. It shows in the person I know today. Lots of people describe
her as a very classy woman and I could not agree more. Educated, intelligent, warm, comforting, funny, bright, insightful are just some of my adjectives I would use.
One of things I always feel when I’m with her is an indescribable level of comfort and inner peace. Shari is a level headed, low key person who is happy in the place she is with life, work, friends,
and family. I would say I am more of the “live wire” between us . . . always looking to make a mark on everything, learn more, do more, be more, a never ending entrepreneur. Similarly we both take pride in accomplishments in our life,
work successes, good friends, family, and building a house.
I can’t think of another woman who could be a mother like Shari, such warmth and caring and love she has for children, kids love playing with her. She’s going to be a great mother!
Shari painting with niece Ava
Shari talks about Chris: I was initially attracted to Chris because of his zest for life. He is always willing to try anything and loves to find the next adventure whether it’s for recreation or in business. He was the only man I ever dated who planned our next date while we were on the current
date. (That planner in him still exists today as he plans our next vacation sometimes even before we go on our first vacation.)
From our very first date I just felt like I was “at home” when I was with him. To this day he still amazes me with his creativity and ingenuity. He is very talented
whether he’s building a kitchen or cooking in a kitchen! I fell in love with him for his passion, openness, ambition, humor, sensitivity and warmth. He is not only my husband, he is my best friend!
If Chris wasn’t a sales man I could see him as a teacher. I look forward to watching him with a child as he shows her or him how to ride a bike or swim in the water. He will be a loving but firm father but at the same time he will be playful and silly!
From left to right: Chris, Shari, Chris’s step-dad
Bob, Chris’s mom Joanne, Chris’s sister Cathy &
her husband Chris
On Parenting:
We believe parenting is the most important job in the world and it would bring us the greatest joy to be able to raise a child. We want to instill confidence, compassion, respect and a sense of adventure in our child. We envision sitting down to dinner as a family every night and reading stories together before bedtime. We want to carry on the positive work ethic that our parents instilled in us and teach how to
work towards your dreams. We want to expose them to the arts at an early age and encourage them to be whatever they dream. If they want to play soccer or the piano or dance or wrestle we will support them regardless of their desire.
Arts & crafts with Ava
We support an open adoption and will work with you to reach a level of contact and communication that is comfortable for all of us. We want our child to grow up knowing that you made a loving adoption plan. We will always want what is best for the child.
We believe adoption is an amazing gift and we would be honored to be your child’s adoptive parents. We hope we have revealed to you a bit about who we are and we look forward to getting to know you!
If you would like to know more about us we can be reached at:
Toll free 1-800-378-2596
Or
Maggie Benz, Adoption Counselor 1-800-869-1005
We wish you all the best.
Warmly,
Shari & Chris
Chris saying “goo-goo-gah-gah” with Jack