Hey DMB readers!
I am Katie. I am Metro Detroit Area born, raised, and now raising my own family.
I grew up in Redford. I am the middle of seven siblings. That’s right. That’s no typo … SEVEN! I loved it! It was chaotic and boring and hilarious, all at the same time. Somehow my parents kept it all together. I have always been family oriented and a homebody. I commuted to college at Madonna University, where I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice (and a Certificate in Private Security). All through high school and my first three years of college, I had the ambition of becoming a lawyer. Until one day in my Juvenile Justice class. A speaker came in and talked about how she helped teenagers who are in the “system.” I knew at that moment that I needed to help those kids too.
Shortly after college, I got a job doing corporate security. This was challenging and exciting and … not quite what I wanted to spend my life doing. While there, I happened to meet a guy who I thought was the man of my dreams. We fell in love deeply and quickly. We dated for about a year and a half before getting married. He was everything I could have hoped for in a partner … until he wasn’t.
In December 2010, I left the corporate security job to take a major pay cut doing a job I knew from day one I would love. I am an adoption specialist for children in foster care. Over the past few years, I’ve learned different aspects of the job. But I have found my niche as an “unmatched” worker. Unmatched means that a child does not have an identified adoptive family. It’s my job to find one for them before they age out of the system. It is a difficult and rewarding job. I love being an advocate for these kids.
I welcomed my first child, Lily, in October 2013. I had a very difficult pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. Lily is now five years old and she has the most incredible heart. She is compassionate and kind. She is brave and strong. She loves easily and hard (just like her mama). I am blown away by who she has become in just five years. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.
My second child is my mini-me. Henry was born in August 2015, on my 30th birthday, and I love that we will always have this day to share together. This pregnancy, delivery, and recovery was a breeze in comparison to my first. He has strong emotions. He is incredibly smart. Henry impresses me every day with the things that he learns and says. He is adventurous; he jumps, climbs, and runs. He is also fiercely loyal. He is very cautious in new places and with new people; but once he’s comfortable, he’s like a whole different kid.
Shortly after Henry was born, life got hard. Between demanding jobs, two children, and all the stresses that life can throw at people, marriage required some real effort from both parties. And, unfortunately, we couldn’t make it work. My divorce was finalized in November 2016. My kids and I moved in with my parents; which is not exactly where I saw my life as a 30-something year old. But it turned out to be a blessing. My parents provided me with support, encouragement, motivation, and strength. In April 2017, following a heartbreaking divorce, with my two beautiful children, navigating this world as a single mom, co-parenting with a stranger I once loved … I bought a home. And with that, I took control of my story. Every day brings a new challenge. But it also brings a new blessing.
