I did not get into my first choice college. Granted, my first choice was a 'reach' school for me, but I felt that I still had a halfway decent shot. Instead, I was accepted into a very nice college - albeit my second choice.

And then I got psyched. I read more about the college I'd be attending. I got in touch with current and former students. I started to map out which clubs and organizations I'd be joining, and what places were nearby for me to explore on the weekends.

Most importantly, when people asked me where I was going, I did not say "Well I applied to this amazing school and was rejected. I'm crushed. Oh - and I guess I'll just have to go to this other school that I don't want to go to, but it's the only way I'll get a college education."

Do you see where I'm going here? I'm tired of people saying how adoption was their last resort. Maybe it was - let's all be realistic. Many - if not most - people go through treatments for infertility first before turning to adoption. But one can both recognize the path you took to get to adoption and be excited at the same time. And choosing what words to describe how you got to adoption is important.

For example - go ahead and read this article I found. It's a perfectly fine article about three different families adopting through the same program. It focuses on the dads (timed for Father's Day). The article was pretty benign, until I read one line: "Adoption was our last choice."

Why even say that? Don't you think your kid might read that someday? Who wants to be a last choice?

Maybe I didn't go to the college that I had marked as my first choice, but I still went to a college that I chose. It was a place that I wanted to go to - even if it wasn't top on my list, something about it attracted me. And I got excited about going. I didn't go around saying it was my last choice.

I'm not one who is hugely sensitive about the ins and outs of adoption lingo - I think we all find our comfort zone and try to use our common sense. But this one bothers me. We still choose to adopt. We want to adopt. And even if it wasn't our first choice, it was still a choice. Something I got psyched about.