We met on an online dating website in 2003—20 years ago. Mike reached out through email to ask about my artwork (at the time, I was painting and sketching), and I was so fascinated with Mike’s love of cooking. Once we spoke on the phone, it was love at first sound. Mike lived in Los Angeles, and I lived in New York. We talked daily for months, spent many long hours on the phone, and loved each other before meeting in person. After five months, I flew to Los Angeles, and that was the beginning of our journey together. After two years of long distance, I moved to Los Angeles because Mike was in an intense culinary program; I landed in Los Angeles, and the rest was history. We married on March 21, 2010, and have built a beautiful life together. We’re best friends and great partners in all that we do. We’ve lived in New York City for about ten years and in our house in New Rochelle, NY, with our sweet dog Gracie for five years. We tried to have a child for over 13 years since we married. After two rounds of unsuccessful IVF treatments in 2020, we knew it was time to consider our next options to be parents. We always talked about adoption even before we tried to have children. We explored many adoption routes and decided that open adoption is the best choice, so our child will know their entire self and who is their birth mother. We can’t wait to start our family and this wonderful journey together!
About Johanna
Job Description
Senior Marketing Director
Hobbies
Hiking, walking, music and movies, self care- manicures and facials-anything artistic or creative, going to galleries and museums, sketching, and gardening
Fun Fact
“I used to paint and sketch often. I even had an art gallery showing back in 1999 and sold two paintings. I’ve been trying to get back into it over the last couple years.”
About Mike
Job Description
Executive Chef
Hobbies
Fishing, golf, disc golf, surfing, bird watching, hiking, gardening (mostly plants and flowers), camping, cooking, music and movies
Fun Fact
“I love to forage for greens, I love cooking outside over a live fire especially in nature since I also love birdwatching.”
Our Life
We love to spend our time outdoors, whether hiking, going for walks, camping, sitting in our backyard, going to the beach, or disc golfing. We get out a few times weekly, especially on our days off. We also love spending time with family. We have a big family who lives nearby in New Rochelle and Long Island. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, and other events together. We love to cook and try new restaurants and activities like kayaking or paddle boarding. When we are home, whether together or alone with our dog Gracie, we are typically cooking with music, watching movies, or spending time outside in our backyard (when it’s warm).
Our Family
We have a beautiful big, and diverse family. Mike was born in California and grew up in Carson City, NV. Mike’s Mom and Dad are divorced – Dad has been married for over 20 years to Mike’s stepmother and lives in Pioneer, CA, and his Mom is unmarried and lives in Big Pine, CA. Both are retired and visit us in N.Y. as much as possible, especially during the summer and holidays. Mike has one brother, Billy, who lives in Grass Valley, CA. They are very close, and he and his girlfriend visit at least once a year. Mike has five cousins who are also married with children, and he’s close to all of them. We try to visit everyone in C.A. at least once a year. I was born in Haiti and came to the U.S. at about two years old. I’m the youngest of five siblings, two brothers, and two sisters. My Mom was a single parent. We are all very close and live in proximity – two siblings, Nadja and Clark, live in New Rochelle. My mom lives with Clark and his family. My sister Sandra lives in Islip Terrace, and my brother Martin lives in Bayshore in Long Island, close to each other. I have nine nieces (4) and nephews (5). We see each other often, and we have always been such a huge support system for one another. We are God- Parents to two of my nieces, Sumi and Anisa. We love to spend time with our nieces and nephews, and the younger ones typically stay with us for a week every summer.
Final Thoughts
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude as you make this difficult decision, and we’re forever grateful to you for being part of this journey with us. Our home is filled with love, laughter, amazing cooking, art, music, and endless support. We are so excited to become parents to share our life with our child, and we are honored for the responsibility. We will always provide a loving, compassionate, safe, and nurturing home. Thank you.
–Michael and Johanna
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