This weekend I had the absolute privilege of attending the Entrusted Network Conference, an annual weekend for foster and adoptive parents in the Hampton Roads area. I heard about it from two different people, and when I looked up the premise I was hooked. I know a few friends who have adopted, but I know nobody personally who is fostering children…more on that later. I immediately thought of another friend who we actually met at our adoption training and she came with me - it’s always better to bring a friend along to these things! I had pretty high expectations for the weekend, so I didn’t know how it would turn out.

Honestly, the conference far exceeded my expectations. The main speaker, Kyle Raney, has an incredible story involving 6 biological kids and 3 internationally adopted children…a story that is still unfolding and through which he is still processing. We had a few main sessions, three breakout sessions, and other events throughout, like a panel of adoptees (people who were adopted at some point in their childhood) to answer questions and talk about what their experiences were like. It’s different for everyone, but there were some common themes that tracked throughout…