Hi, my name is Liz! I live in beautiful Western Massachusetts. I am a coach, graphic designer, adventurer, athlete, creator, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, and I find value in all those roles. I was raised outside of Boston, went to college in Colorado, and lived for many years in Oregon. I’ve even traveled to Europe, Africa, and Australia, so when I say Western Massachusetts is a beautiful place, you can know I’ve done my research! I moved back east in 2013 to be closer to family and old friends and I love the community I’ve created.

I’ve long been an avid outdoor enthusiast. I get outside every day for walks in the woods with my dog. I also like to travel, mountain bike, ski, kayak, and snowshoe (but not all at the same time!) and I’m excited to introduce a child to these great activities. The world is such an exciting place!

While 20 years ago I wouldn’t have expected to be pursuing adoption as a single parent, I feel very confident that I am meant to be a mom and that adoption is the right path for me. I am now in a place where I have the financial resources and the community around me to help support a child. I can’t wait to bring a baby into my home.

I have been coaching high school and college sports for over 13 years now, and my favorite part of the job is the relationships I’m able to develop with my athletes. I feel caring and protective of my players, but I also want to see them become strong, confident, and able to meet life’s challenges. I have learned a lot about communication, guidance, leadership, and teaching by being a coach, and I hope I can bring those lessons to my future role as parent. I also regularly get schooled in whatever music is most popular on Spotify. In fact, I have come to learn that there is a Taylor Swift song for every occasion!

I am also a professional graphic designer. In my free time, I love crafting and creating art. I like to make handmade gifts and cards for friends, bake food to share with my team, and work on needlepoint when I watch movies. Early on in the pandemic, I started making masks for family and friends. I kept up the project and ended up making and donating over 600 masks to local organizations, which felt like a really meaningful way to use my time.

Note From My Coworker and Friend: “Liz is incredible at building trust and respect with student-athletes. She takes the extra time to get to know each one individually and truly cares about them as a person. This allows her to hold them accountable and teach them life lessons when they hit a road bump. She lives by her strong values and models them for our student-athletes every day.”

I own a lovely home with a large yard. It’s big enough that I now have a riding mower, which actually makes mowing the lawn fun! It’s a quiet street, surrounded by trees and friendly neighbors, and I love to see the kids from up the road zoom past my house on their bikes.

I share my home with my dog, Lemon. I adopted her in August of 2020 when she was around 5-6 months old and she keeps me smiling every day! She loves to go on walks and adventures and is always excited to play with other dogs.

Lemon patrols our fenced-in yard every day to make sure the squirrels and chipmunks are getting their exercise and gets very excited when the neighbor dogs come out to visit. She greets everyone with enthusiasm and is especially curious about small children. She loves to give soft kisses to their faces and hands. I really love having a dog in my home for the companionship, the love, the laughs, and the energy they provide.

I’m very fortunate to have loving parents who are still married after 45 years. They live close enough for frequent visits. My father moved to the United States from England in his 20’s and has lived here ever since. My mom, on the other hand, is originally from New Jersey. While I was growing up they always encouraged me to explore all my interests, to value my education, and to be a good friend. My mom was even the parent that would show up to EVERY game I played in high school and was known among my teammates for bringing rice krispie treats for the team!

My parents absolutely love being “Nona and Poppa,” to my nephew. Even during this pandemic, when they can’t see their grandson regularly in person, they never miss eating lunch over Zoom with him on Saturdays. They couldn’t be more excited about my decision to adopt, and can’t wait to play a loving role in the life of this child.

I have an older sister, who lives in New Jersey with her husband and son. I really admire my sister and brother-in-law’s patient, warm, and fun approach to parenting. My five-year-old nephew is a sweet, funny, smart, playful, and imaginative kid. Most importantly, his parents are raising him to be a kind person; he even sets up games to make sure everyone wins!

Note From My Sister: “My sister, Liz, has always been a caregiver – to her family, her friends, in prior work caring for animals (and her own adopted animals), to the numerous students of all ages that she has coached. While she is my younger sister, Liz has always felt like my “big sister” – giving great advice, making me laugh, supporting me through challenges. I see the love and care she gives everyone in her life, and know what an incredible mom she will be. The child she adopts will grow up in a home filled with love, support, respect, stability and a deep sense of family.

Note From My Brother-in-Law: Liz is a tremendous person. Kind, funny, easy to get along with. My son is so comfortable around her. I think it is because Liz actually listens to him, which is hard for some adults to do. She hears what he is saying and what he is not saying. She takes the time to understand him and that allows her to help him, or amuse him, or just have fun with him. Whatever he needs at the moment, she provides.”

My Nephew Says “Aunt Liz” Would Be a Good Mommy Because:

She has a great time keeping people safe.
She likes me.
She does a good job feeding Lemon.
She let me go up a mountain with her.
She let me go with her to a restaurant.

Since returning to Massachusetts, I have found a wonderful community of people living in my area and reconnected with close friends who I’ve known since high school. I love being “auntie” to my friends’ children and having people nearby who drop in to say hi or call me when they need a hand. I know that the child I adopt will be surrounded by loving people who are so excited to help provide a lifelong community for them.

Note From My Close Friends: “When we wrote our will, we had to think the unthinkable: about dying before our kids. We asked Liz to be their guardian. We knew that she would be fiercely loyal, patient, reflective, and loving. We knew that she would honor our kids and their relationships with extended family, and be responsive to our stated wishes. More importantly, we knew she would have their best interest, their emotions, and their health as her absolute primary concern. We deeply trust her judgment, compassion, and ability to love and care for them as she would see fit. Liz is the best “auntie” to our girls we could ever ask for. Our six-year-old calls her “aunt Liz” and our two-year-old calls her “my Liz.”  When setting the table recently, I handed our youngest too many napkins. “For Liz!” she said.”