Khavong & Mang In California

We met through Khavong's godbrother in 2003 on MSN messenger and instantly connected while chatting about our daily events and music. After dating for 2 years, we got married in Stockton, CA, and have been married for 15 years. We are now living in Sacramento, CA where we recently purchased our first home together.

Mang was born in Thailand and emigrated to the US with her family in 1993. She is the fourth child of seven and grew up in Stockton, CA. Her parents still live in Stockton and we visit them regularly. She is also close to her siblings. Mang earned her Associate Degree in Cosmetology and Nail Technology from Sacramento City College. She manages a small business in the reptile industry with Khavong.

Khavong was also born in Thailand and emigrated to the US with his parents in 1987. He is the youngest child of seven and grew up in Banning, CA. He continued on to earn his Bachelor Degree at California State University and his Doctorate Degree at University of California. Khavong is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California and is running a small business with Mang.

We enjoy having unplanned date nights, movie nights and game nights. We also enjoy taking short road trips to nearby events like Lantern Festival and Pumpkin Nights Festival. We love to travel and have taken a cruise to Mexico and vacationed in Hawaii. Our future travel plans include visiting each state, as well as traveling to different countries, such as Thailand, France, Australia and Aruba. Finally, we enjoy spending time with our friends bowling, having dinner and shopping together.

We live in a spacious single-story home with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 car garage located on the corner lot of a cul-de-sac. The house has a spacious, fenced in backyard with RV access and parking. The future nursery room is across from our bedroom and is well lit with natural lighting. Our home is located in a neighborhood with diversified, friendly neighbors. There is a park less than a mile away, as well as various grocery stores and shopping centers nearby. The schools are in a good district and are less than 6 miles away.

Living near family is really important for us and allows us to socialize with them on a regular basis. It also allows us to give and receive social support to each other in times of need. Despite a few of our siblings living farther away in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Australia, we are always in contact with them over the phone, through various social media platforms and/or texting. We also see most of them about once a year when we travel to family events.

Khavong's parents live with us. They helped Khavong's siblings raise their children by babysitting, walking/ driving them to and from school, and teaching them right from wrong. They have been waiting for a long time to have another grandchild that they can help raise, support and shower with love.

We are always surrounded by children from our immediate and extended families that range from 2 years old - 13 years old. We helped raise Khavong's two nieces since birth. They are currently 11 and 12 years old. Having two girls generating chaos with their foods, drinks, toys, electronics and clothes are sights we enjoy dealing with on a daily basis. The noises, laughter, cries and screams of the two girls generate a sense of warmth in our house and they help make the day shorter. Helping raise Khavong's two nieces was what solidified our desires to keep trying to build our own family.

We have multiple gatherings annually for the celebration of the Hmong New Year. Our aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends join in at these events to ring in the new year. We hold an annual BBQ where we have friends and family over before the summer ends. We also have joint celebrations for birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas with Khavong's cousin, James, and his family. We do gift exchanges, play games, such as video games, board games, cards and gift exchange games, and enjoy various food cuisines.

We have been ready to be parents for the past 10 years; however, we struggled with infertility. We are constantly surrounded by children that we shower with love, provide guidance and provide support. Our decision to adopt a child was solidified when we helped Khavong’s sister raise her two daughters, who are now 11 and 12 years old. We understand that a being family is much more than just being biologically related, and we are ready to start our family through adoption.