Hello! We are Anna & Mike from Southern California! We want to thank you for taking time to read about us. We cannot imagine what a difficult decision you are facing, and to make time to consider us is incredibly humbling. Words cannot express how grateful we are that you are considering us as part of your journey.

The selfless, loving gift of adoption is already a part of our family story as Mike and his sister, Christine, are also adopted. While adoption has changed so much since they were adopted, Mike feels that through adoption, his birth parents gave him opportunities and choices he may not have otherwise had.

Being parents is something we have both always wanted and see it as a way to make the world a better place through the love and kindness only a parent can give. We are not sure if we are able to conceive or not, however we choose the gift of adoption as the means to start our family. Again, thank you for considering us and we look forward to meeting you.

We started at the same company on the same day but nearly 100 miles away from one another in different cities. Less than 2 months later, we attended the same conference and Anna immediately caught Mike’s attention with her sarcasm and humor. Our friendship quickly solidified over dinner with friends from the same conference…one of whom would end up being our wedding officiant!

Of course, there’s more to the story than that. We spent the first 3 years as friends, spending time together when possible despite the distance. Our friendship developed into a deeper relationship, and...Mike proposed with a treasure hunt that ended with the ring!

I grew up as an only child in Long Beach, California. It was exciting to be one of the few kids who celebrated Christmas and Hannukah! I am the first in my family to go to college, earning a Master of Social Work degree. Currently, I am the director of a program serving those living with mental illness. Helping others is not just a career but my life’s purpose.

Between flexibility to work from home and generous time off, I will be able to spend the first several months at home. My love for reading started in childhood and the library has always been one of my favorite places to go. I look forward to supporting my child’s interests and passions, whatever they may be.

A very special gift from my mom is a collection of 11 notebooks that she wrote in as a diary for me from the time I was one year old and continued for 35 years until she passed away. I intend to continue this tradition for our future child to document their life adventures.

Anna has been one of my best friends from the day we met. Every day she makes me laugh with her wit, intentionally awkward dances, and the banter we’ve developed over the years. She also has a great inner child: pairing her Mickey ears to every Disneyland trip based on the season, running around my parent’s backyard when it was snowing, throwing herself into my ridiculous level of Halloween decorations, and getting excited every weekend when I make pancakes and put them in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head. It’s easy to picture her sharing this sort of joy and excitement with a child.

More than this, I love her kindness and warm heart. Her heart melts with every dog we see, her smile lights up around every child, and she has dedicated her life to helping others, whether it’s her professional life as a social worker or her passion for rescue animals. She is one of the most tender hearted, sensitive, and loving people I have ever known, and any child would be lucky to learn from her giving and warm heart.

Both my sister and I were adopted, and growing up, people usually thought we came from the same birth parents. We are still very close, and I think we’ll both share a really special bond with our adopted child.

I grew up in Denver, Colorado and although I miss the mountains, snow, and slower pace of life, I love San Diego, California and all it has to offer. After a few professional stops out of college, including real estate and a radio station (yes, I was on air), I realized helping people was my passion, so I got my Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. I help advocate for others by working in mental health administration.

Music is a passion of mine. I play several instruments. I love seeking out new music and going to live shows. I enjoy playing or singing with friends or for work events.

I’ve always enjoyed reading especially biographies, science fiction, and horror. Video games, running, hiking, cooking, and more are all reasons I wish there were more hours in a day, and I look forward to sharing these with my future child, or whatever interests they discover.

I confess, I had a huge crush on Mike from the day that we met, and I was over the moon when our friendship developed into a romantic relationship. Not only is Mike handsome but he has an amazing voice and I adore the sound of his laughter. He is accepting and encouraging of others to be themselves, offering the rare gift of unconditional love. Seeing Mike with his niece, Riley, makes my heart soar and I have no doubt he would be an amazing role model. I am one lucky woman to be married to my best friend who also happens to be an amazing cook and makes me laugh every day.

We currently live in a family-friendly neighborhood in Oceanside, California which offers coastal living and excellent schools. Not only is San Diego county diverse, there’s lots to do including parks, beaches and hiking as well as close to one of our favorite places – Disneyland!

We share our home with two rescued cats, who couldn’t be more different but enrich our lives every day. Pets were very important to both of our families growing up, and pets will be always be part of our lives.

Gabby was shy and skittish when we rescued her. Gabby has become quite the lap cat, and loves snuggles!

Talia is playful, social, and energetic. She loves to play with toys, shake hands, and cuddle.

We love the holidays! We enjoy decorating our home for Halloween and Christmas/Hanukah every year. Making latkes (potato pancakes) is a must-have yummy tradition from Anna’s side of the family. We visit Mike’s family in Colorado every summer and winter. We look forward to the 4th of July and picking out fireworks with our niece, Riley and nephew, Colby. Anna’s dad continues to live in the home Anna grew up in and we frequently see him as well; Disneyland is one of our meet up spots.

Our friends are like family! We are very fortunate to have a diverse set of friends spread across multiple states, coming from many walks of life and backgrounds. Game nights, escape rooms, get togethers, finding and exploring new restaurants, and our annual Halloween party are just some of the ways we love to share life with the people closest to us.

Thank you for your bravery and consideration. We hope our profile has given you the chance to get to know a little bit about us. We are so grateful to you for taking the time to learn about us and the possibility of making our dreams of parenthood come true! Please know that we share the same goal: to provide your child with all the love, care and support they need to be happy and thrive in the world.

Anna & Mike