SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Someday she would like to be a published author, and she's only 12 years old. Another dream Abbey has is to become a veterinarian. Abbey has big dreams and a lot of talent and what she needs to help her down the path to success is a forever family.
Twelve-year-old Abbey has a vivid imagination. She loves to draw, and is currently writing a book to go along with her illustrations.
"The book I'm writing, it's about sky hearts, only about dragons. It has nothing to do with humans, it's about dragons. The main character's name is River and I'm only on the beginning of chapter one," she said.
If Abbey could write her own life story, it would include a family with a pet. Her current foster home has several.
"They have a lot of animals, they have a pony," she said. "And we got a goat, eight chickens, a new puppy -- he found us, we didn't find him. And they have two older dogs," she said.
Abbey says she doesn't have to have a whole farm, but she'd like at least one furry friend.
"The home I want to be in, it has to have an animal I could at least pet. I love animals so much. I'm not even scared of any animal, unless it's a bug, because I don't like bugs," she said.
So it's no surprise that Abbey, who's in seventh grade, wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She's hoping to find a family to call her own.
"Well first of all, I'm diabetic, so they have to know how to do my diabetes stuff. It would be really cool if I got a vet for a mom because I'd be able to play with all these animals," she said.
Abbey also likes exploring the outdoors.
"I love going to the desert. I haven't learned how to ride a quad, I haven't learned how to ride a bike, so but I think quad might be easier," Abbey said.
Though Abbey is living in a foster home right now, she spent five months in an emergency children's shelter. And unlike most Adopt 8 kids who say it's a tough place to live, Abbey was surprisingly optimistic.
"It wasn't really that hard actually. It was really funny, they would go out for movies a lot. It's really clean, and I really liked it there," she said.
But perhaps that's because Abbey doesn't know what it's like to be part of a loving forever family, so she has nothing to compare it to. Abbey is yearning for that one-on-one attention she is missing.
"But I do want at least one other kid in the house," she saidl "If it's a brother I want him to be a little older. But I prefer a little sister or a little little kid, because I'm really good with babies and stuff."
And though Abbey still doesn't know how her mythical masterpiece will end, what she deserves is a fairy tale ending in her real life with a forever family to support her as she spreads her own winds through adolescence and beyond.
If you're interested in adopting or becoming a foster family, call 1-877-I-ADOPT-U.
We'd like to thank Boomers in Kearny Mesa for inviting our Adopt 8 kids to spend a fun afternoon there. We would also like to thank local photographer Rae Stella with Silent Stories Photography for donating her time to take the beautiful photos in this story.