Welcome! Meet:

Owen + Anna

Knights of Columbus Field Agent / Fertility Care Practitioner

Ohio

Caucasian

Catholic

All About Owen & Anna
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Owen & Anna

Hello! We are honored that you would take a moment to learn more about our family. We don’t know you yet, but we already know you are strong and brave. Please know that you are loved and cherished by us. You are important simply because you exist.

About Us

We are Owen, Anna, & Zelie Shaffer. Here’s our story in a nutshell:

2015 – Owen & Anna meet online and have their first date at Lockview in Akron.

2016 – Just 5 months later, Owen proposes! (When you know, you know!)

2017 – We get married!

Later in 2017 – We commit to becoming full-time missionaries for 1 year in Louisiana and move down south.

2018 – Owen is offered a great job back in Akron and we finally get pregnant after 2 years of trying to conceive.

2019 – We buy our first home in Akron & Zelie is born!

NOW – After years of praying, we feel God has given us the “green light” to pursue growing

our family through adoption.

Some things we love:

Jesus, family jam sessions, inside jokes, tickle fights, ice cream for lunch, dance parties, praying together, big birthday celebrations, reading books, barefoot river walks, road-tripping to see friends, movie nights with snacks, rolling down hills, going to the zoo, hanging with grandparents & family, donuts after church, and family traditions.

Fun facts:

– Owen has 1 tattoo and Anna has 7. They’d both like to get more.

– Anna did mission work in Mexico and India after her first trip to Romania.

– Everyone in the Shaffer family puts ketchup on their mac + cheese.

– Owen has one brother and Anna has one brother & one sister – they all love being aunts and uncles!

Why Adoption?

One of the first conversations we had when dating was about how many children we wanted to have. Both of us agreed: LOTS. As many as God would grant us. Adoption was always on the table - especially since Anna had served in missions and built relationships with children awaiting adoption. We just weren't sure when God would ask us to move forward with the adoption process. We assumed right after we got married... but then he called us into missions. Then we thought we'd get pregnant, and we struggled for several years - wading through doctors and treatments, all the while praying for a miracle.

Eventually, we did conceive and have a healthy baby girl, but our desire to grow our family through adoption didn't go away, even if we were able to have as many biological children as we wanted. So we prayed some more… and in the years after having Zelie, no more biological children have yet come.

That's when, finally, the Lord told us it was time to get serious about adopting - about honoring a mother and her child and providing a home for a baby that we would love with all of our hearts.

And so now we step out in faith, knowing that God works all things for good for those who love Him!

Family & Home

Owen grew up here in Akron, about 10 minutes away from where we live, and Anna grew up 20 minutes north. Both Owen’s and Anna’s parents live within 20 minutes of us and we see both families several times a week. They love taking Zelie for adventures! Our favorite part of living in Akron is having family so close and being 5 houses down from our church! We also love that our house was built in the 1920s and has a fully fenced backyard – great for dogs and kiddos!

We have two furry friends at home: Ollie & Goose. Ollie (a 3 yo cat), has 3 legs and definitely believes he is the alpha of the family. Goose (still a puppy, just a year old!) is a sweet, crazy fur ball who’s favorite past-times seem to be taking long naps and then running full speed through the house with Zelie.

We feel extremely blessed to have a large and vibrant community of family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, Church members - some literally on our street, some on the other side of the world, and many in between!

How others describe me

The 2 best words to describe Owen: Goofy and kind. (And thoughtful and wise. 2 is just not enough words!)

Owen has a degree in accounting from the University of Akron and works as a life insurance agent (from home!) for the Knights of Columbus. He plays the Irish accordion (for real!) professionally & recreationally. This is a family tradition – his grandfather taught him when he was 5 years old! His perfect Saturday afternoon would include grilling outside with the family & listening to Cajun music. Owen’s favorite thing about his family of origin is how LARGE and close it is – he has a gazillion cousins and grew up around them all. He hopes for the same for his kids.

The 2 best words to describe Anna: passionate and warm.

Anna has a degree in theology from Franciscan University & teaches women how to chart their cycles and advocate medically using a Fertility Awareness Method called Creighton. She loves to sing & play guitar, and her favorite band to blast throughout the house is Maverick City Music. One of her favorite things to do is eat a big brunch and then take long a nap – the ultimate little luxury!

How We Met

We met ONLINE! (and still sort of can’t believe it!) After living only several miles apart for most of our lives and having several friends in common, we finally met in our senior years of college on Catholic Match! We both wanted pretty specific things in our future spouse, so it made the most sense to join a dating site that made sure we’d be able to narrow in on those characteristics fairly quick.

Advice to Future Child

You are loved. You are so incredibly loved by so many people. We are determined to make sure you are seen, known, safe, and feel appreciated for exactly who you are, because being the person you were created to be is what will set the world on FIRE! Life will throw you curveballs - some hard, some wonderful, and we want to walk with you through them all. You will never be alone.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

From our perspective, the more people there are to love a child, the better! We are very hopeful that, if chosen, we would be able to love on an adoptive child WITH his or her first Mom or family, as much as is healthy for everyone.

Favorites

Owen

Favorite Movie: Goodfellas
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. My Grandpa used to read it to us every year, and I cherish those memories. When he passed away my Grandmother asked me to take over the reading, and I feel humbled every year I get to do it.
Hobbies/Interests: playing accordion, finding cool whiskies, and cuddling the dog
Dream Vacation: Ireland, of course
If I Could Choose a Superpower: invincibility

Anna

Favorite Movie: I have so many! Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, and Braveheart… to name just a few.
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Anything Christmas! Chopping down a Christmas tree, finding a horse-drawn carriage to ride in, our special family Christmas meals - I love it all!
Hobbies/Interests: drawing, playing guitar, and running
Dream Vacation: I’ve always dreamed of visiting Israel or somewhere really historical!
If I Could Choose a Superpower: Shooting spaghetti from my fingertips. I know it sounds weird but just think about it.