Alex and Kristi Carapeti

We live in the small town of Arroyo Grande, California. Although we have absolutely no clue what you are feeling during this challenging time, we both want you to understand that we wish to be there for you and your baby. Alex was adopted by his grandparents in a closed adoption, and it was years before he knew who his birthmother was. Kristi’s step-brother and step-sister were also adopted as infants.

We fully support open adoption, and Alex plans on being a stay-at-home Daddy. We are extremely grateful that you have taken the time to read our letter, and we certainly would love to meet you and learn more about you since we may ultimately all become part of the same family!

We have known each other for 20 years. We met in college at California State University Northridge in 1991 and studied biology and chemistry together before Kristi started Veterinary Medical School at University of California Davis. We were married in the Redwood Forest in Klamath, California just over 12 years ago,and our dog (at that time) Caesar, was our ring-bearer. It was a small wedding with 22 people and 3 dogs.

Although we spend most of our free time traveling and exploring new territories with our dogs, our number one goal is building a close family. We maintain open communication regarding our feelings, and even after 20 years, this communication seems to be an important and ever-evolving aspect of our relationship. We are very honest with each other, and we have tremendous respect and admiration for one another.

OUR PERSONAL VALUES
When we started working together with animals, we always felt that it would be a perfect opportunity to start a family. Working for ourselves and having our family around us all the time would create a very steady and therapeutic environment in which to raise a child. We want to give a child a consistent and enriching environment to thrive in, and at the same time, enable that child to see both parents as much as possible.

Kristi has many animals that keep her busy, but she makes sure to take time off to travel to different places and experience new cultures, art, and cuisine. Family is extremely important to us, and every year we close the
Veterinary Clinic for 2 weeks at Christmas time to spend time with family and explore new places with Isis and Apollo. We think so far their favorite place is the Redwood Forest, but they also love Carmel Beach and the Sedona Dog Park. It is exciting to imagine what places will be our child’s favorite.

We truly desire to teach our child as much as possible about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. From making children aware of their surroundings to paying attention to their actions and behavior, we want to help them to understand between right and wrong. This nurturing should help build a respectful conscientiousness of self, others, mother nature, and animals. We want to encourage our children to strive to be well-rounded individuals without putting too much pressure on themselves and to care not only about being beautiful on the outside but also on the inside. We want our children to have self-confidence and be happy with who they are, to be able to have a relationship with a partner that will lead to enrichment of each other, and to think “outside the box” and not simply want to be like everyone else. Alex’s grandmother had shown him that there is unconditional love out there; that love we would show our child.

OUR HOME
We live in Arroyo Grande, which is a small town on the Central Coast of California in San Luis Obispo County (mid-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco). We live in a beautiful house on an acre of land on which Alex has spent much time planting trees and growing fruit and flowers in our courtyard. We also have a rabbit named Cassidy that explores the courtyard and plays with our cats, Lucy and Mia. We look forward to having summer picnics in the yard with our child.

We often take Isis and Apollo to Avila Beach for romping in the ocean surf, which is only about a 15 minute drive away. In chilly winter evenings, we sit by the fireplace in the family room and talk or watch a movie. Kristi’s brother Scott is a sixth grade teacher from San Diego, and he visits 3 to 4 times per year. He always brings games to play in the winter when it is too windy to go outside. We make several trips per year to see Scott and Kristi’s father, Richard, in Southern California, usually to see a baseball game at Dodger Stadium or watch the Lakers play at Staples Center. Since Kristi and her brother Scott have the same birthday (April 6), they celebrate together, usually by taking a long holiday at Disneyland. We look forward to including a child in all of these sports, amusement parks, and travel activities.

Kristi is a Veterinary Ophthalmologist, which basically means that she specializes in helping animals with eye problems. Alex worked for the US Army for almost 20 years, where he had served in dozens of missions and tours. He has a varied background with extensive experience and training in psychology and behavior. Much of the work Alex did in the military was classified information, and so Kristi was informed about Alex’s military experience at the end of 2008. This information has only made our relationship stronger.

Currently, we both work in the private Veterinary practice that Kristi started about 8 years ago. Kristi says it best, “On some days you help save the world, but on other days you are lucky enough to save an animal.”