We feel so fortunate that you’ve taken a moment to learn a bit more about our growing family. However, before we get into ourselves, we want to acknowledge the journey you’ve taken to get to this booklet. We know that journey has likely been, at times, overwhelming and emotional, with complicated questions and daunting answers. We can’t even begin to imagine the whirlwind of emotions you must be feeling, but we have great empathy and are in awe of the strength it’s taken for you to walk this path thus far.

Our promise to you is that if you choose to place your child in our care, our love and support for them will know no bounds. They will be a part of a family that crosses two continents, will cheer them on during the good and the bad, and is unwaveringly devoted to love for each other. But, most of all, they’ll be part of a family that was built on warmth, empathy, support, and camaraderie. They will know of the great path that led them to us and the incredible people who made that possible.

We’ve been so excited to embark on this adoption journey! Ever since we began talking about expanding our family, adoption has been the primary topic of conversation. We feel so grateful for the opportunities we’ve been granted in life and we want to be able to share those opportunities with others.

We feel that family does not stop at blood and is made up of the community and people around us. Adoption, for us, is an extension of that belief and a meaningful way to grow our family.

We can’t wait to get started!

No one would’ve expected us to find each other in 2020, during COVID lockdown, living in two different cities. Yet, destiny prevailed and, through a chance placement at work, we both discovered our soulmates.

When we first met, we were assigned the same work team. We kept the conversation light and casual but got to know each other all the same. Raul liked superheroes and GIFS, Joey did too. After a few months of get-to-know-you chats, Joey left the team and an opportunity opened for a first date.

A first date (in which Raul commuted 2 hours!) turned into a second, into a third, and eventually into a serious relationship. We made each other laugh, there was an immediate sense of trust, conversation flowed easily and intensely, and it was so clear we were both bursting with happiness. The common relationship tests of vacations, extended family meetups, and moments of insecurities where one of us needed to lean on the other, all passed exceedingly well.

We lived together for 6 months before Raul had to move to Canada for work. Long distance, while challenging, proved to only strengthen our relationship – creating opportunities for travel, long phone calls before bed, and a chance to define our relationship by our feelings instead of proximity.

When he moved back to the US, we cemented our relationship with an engagement in 2023 and a wedding in 2024. Throughout all that time, we talked about how we wanted our future to look – two kids, two dogs, with a big house and a garden. What defined our relationship in the beginning still defines our relationship now – we both hold great respect for the other, have similar views of the world, and our interests, anxieties, hobbies, and hopes are complimentarily aligned. The spark that convinced Raul to commute 2 hours for a first date, that kept our relationship strong when it was separated by a country border, and that led us to marriage and a family, is still bright today. Our story is just beginning and adoption is the next chapter for us…

We hope this book offers a glimpse into our family, but we know that reading a few paragraphs from a book only scratches the surface of getting to know who we are as people and parents. There is not enough room to fully express how much love we have for a child placed into our care, but we’re not sure there will ever be enough pages to satisfy that.

Our promise to you and to our future family is that we will always act out of love, respect, support, and the best interest of our children. There will be moments of mistakes and frustration, but mostly warmth, understanding, and learning. Our family will travel the world, be immersed in Spanish and American culture, and stand hand-in-hand during the good times and the bad.

We promise to celebrate adoption in our home and the people who placed children in our care. We’d love to keep you up-to-date on all the milestones along the way and are open to exploring that relationship further.

Our home will be goofy, educational, affectionate, and inviting. But most of all, our home will be a safe space for our children to grow up and explore the world.