Lauren & Michael In Texas

We actually met through a mutual friend of ours who is an author! Since we lived states away, we actually “met” via social media as Lauren was supporting the PR efforts for their friend’s book tour. You’ll find out quickly that Lauren is the type to put her friends and family first, and she’ll run through a wall for them! Michael really liked her drive and tenacity, and she loved how much he cared about all of his friends and everyone she saw him encounter. We met in person at one of the book tour events and were friends for 4 years before Lauren finally wised up to needing Mike in her life. We’ve been together for more than 10 years, married for more than 7.

Lauren is a native Texan, and like many of them, is very proud to tell you this. She grew up in a very loving, but loud family who spent most weekends at swim meets with her and her sister. She loves animals and all kinds. No, really, she once sponsored a penguin off the coast of Antarctica, and has a dream of owning more than 75 acres and rescuing animals. Her mentality is very much about giving back to her community and strives to do volunteer work for causes that matter to her. She leads an amazing team of social media strategists who support pharma and healthcare executives with their content on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. With more than 17 years experience in the social media field, if she’s not working, she’s spending time with Michael or her tight group of girlfriends, who definitely also count as family.

Michael grew up in a small town in Northwest Ohio with a large family. This man is OBSESSED with football and baseball, especially Ohio State football. He is the balancing force in our family, and his more calm but focused demeanor means that most of our friends are always asking him for advice. You can usually find him in the gym with Lauren, as they both know that physical and mental health are extremely important to the life you live and the environment we can provide for a child. Our dogs know this very well, and you can usually find Mike playing in the backyard with them or watching sports with our lab, Jake. Can dogs be Ohio State fans? If so, Jake is definitely one! Michael is going to be a stay at home dad for the first few years after placement, and we both feel very strongly that this is the right path for our family. Side note: the penguin was sponsored in Mike's name.

There is diversity in our community and in our home. Living in Texas and where we are, it truly is a melting pot. We love that people are exposed to all sorts of cultures. We have a massive yard! The whole reason we purchased this house was the amount of space we’d have to create a backyard oasis where we could create a lot of memories and host our friends and family. The future nursery is a room right off our big game room, and we know both will work for enrichment and a secure home life. There are loads of parks and places to play in our community. Our friends routinely take their kids to the park where there is fishing, playgrounds and places to play ball for all ages. The school district we are zoned to is wonderful and consistently ranked across the state as top notch. We also have many friends who are teachers in the school district who look out for our friends kids, even if they aren’t their teacher for that year. We live in a suburb of a major city that is very much a melting pot of the world. We’re big fans of the museums, arts and theater here. Lauren’s mom is someone who loved taking her kids to plays and musicals when her and her sister were growing up, and this is a tradition that Lauren plans to continue!

Lauren was extremely fortunate to grow up in a family with grandparents who were married for more than 50 years, and parents who have been married now for more than 40. Her grandfather, a Cuban revolutionary, fled the country with his family in the 1950s for a better life for his family in the States. An engineer to his core, he and Lauren’s abuela were a guiding force her entire life until they both passed. They were extremely present while she was growing up, and much of her philosophies and approaches to life come from a deep respect of her family’s grit and determination.

A very Cuban family, they are loud and love to have fun - steeped in tradition of a proud culture and driven by the determination that you work hard for what you want, not expect it to just be given. She has one sister who was also a competitive swimmer growing up, and is the mom to the two cutest kids on the planet! Lauren’s friends are truly a part of her family; with the type of culture she grew up in, friends are just as integral as the immediate family. The community around us is unreal and we know that a child would be just as supported as we are. Everyone can’t wait!

Michael’s family comes from Ohio. His mom and dad were high school sweethearts and had 2 children, Michael and his younger sister. His dad is the youngest of 11 kids, and his mom is the oldest of 4. Michael’s mom was adopted as a young child by her mom’s husband. That grandpa was actually adopted as a young boy too, so adoption is a normal part of life and gives this family a unique perspective on the situation. Unfortunately, the high school sweethearts did not work out, so Michael’s mom remarried and has been with him for over 30 years, which also made Michael go from the oldest of 2 to the middle of 5 kids. Michael’s sister has 2 children of her own who absolutely love their Uncle Mike and Aunt Lauren.

Growing up, Michael was involved in every sport that was possible in his hometown - football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, bowling, swimming, etc. If it could be done, especially with the friends and/or family, he was there. This helped develop the personality traits that still define him, from being a natural leader to the person who does not allow others to fall behind and loves to help and coach them to succeed.

We have a big friend group that is definitely what we consider our extended family. We have traditions with them and love to just hang out with them all. Our friends are there for us through thick and thin and it’s very important for us to have that in our lives. We enjoy working out, reading, golfing and woodworking. Traveling and experiencing the world is very important to us; there is so much to see and learn from other cultures or even places in the US. Traveling with friends and our family is always fun! We both love football and baseball! Lauren also loves watching the Olympics for swimming.

After 7 years of infertility, we knew that we still wanted to build our family as we had a deep desire to be parents. After exploring all of our options, we knew that adoption would be the right fit for us. We have a lot of love and support to give!