Our love story, nuestra historia, is more “organic” than others. We did not meet online but on a bus traveling from our college to visit our friends and family. Who would have thought a simple “may I sit here?” would lead to 11 happy years together? In 2016, we both proposed to each other in charming ways. Miguel chose the romantic route and proposed by a lake in Boston to our song “All of Me” by John Legend. While Oscar chose the creative route and proposed through an "Amazing Race" ending with the same song from the Gay Men’s Chorus. We got married the same year, celebrating our wedding/boda with our chosen family.  
 
Even before we met each other, we knew we wanted to have our own unique, loving, and fun family. We cannot wait to grow our family, nuestra familia, by welcoming a beautiful child into our hearts through adoption!  

Quote from Miguel about himself: 
“I have always thought of myself as a kid at heart. Curious, courageous, and creative, I am always trying to find the silver lining and work toward compromises that will work for everyone. I hope to instill these traits and mindset in my future child. I want to teach them that there is never enough positivity in our world, and it is up to us to keep adding to it.” 
 
Quote from Oscar about Miguel: 
“Empathy! That’s definitely Miguel’s best quality. I’ll always remember when we visited Colombia together for the first time. Not knowing anyone from my extended family didn’t stop him from keeping an eye on one of our oldest relatives. He was her companion and listened to her stories with lots of care and respect. His capacity to listen, to help at the exact moment, and being a sounding board have taught me to put myself in others’ shoes, open up my perspective, and embrace difference.” 

Quote from Miguel about Oscar: 
“Oscar is loving, loyal, and above all else, selfless. In 2020, I had a surgery that temporarily limited my movement for a few months. Without hesitation, he spent every night with me at the hospital, drove back and forth from home to take care of our dogs, then took care of everything around the house; cooked, cleaned, doggy sat, and did laundry. Though I have recovered, he still fusses over me, making sure I am as comfortable as possible!” 
 
Quote from Oscar about himself: 
“Growing up, I was always planning and organizing what to do. That is still the case today, which has helped us to work step by step toward growing our family. I love history, art, literature, and what I consider my weakness: Good food! Planning local indoor or outdoor activities and short or long getaways definitely fulfills my love for learning in the company of my loved ones - I can’t wait for us to plan and enjoy many adventures with our child!” 

Part of our parental planning was to get a home/casita in a family-friendly neighborhood, centrally located, near high-quality schools and recreational parks, and still close to the city. Our home is a recently remodeled split foyer built in the 60s with a modern kitchen (which we love and use frequently!), wood flooring, and a spacious backyard (loved by our dogs Terra and Ventus). Many of our walls have been left bare on purpose so we can fill them with cherished memories we will build with our future child.  
 
We’ve always favored the suburban lifestyle for its quaint, quiet, and family-oriented feel; our neighborhood checks all the marks! The community activities range from the Independence day parade, Halloween haunted houses, Christmas parties, summer food trucks, and swimming clubs. Definitely, plenty of fun things to keep our family entertained. Everyone even keeps in touch via our community-ran social media group.  

We both grew up in a caring, affectionate, and sometimes loud familia Latina / Latino family. There was always a reason to gather and celebrate with tasty food, music, dancing, and joy from all of our grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and those friends that are just as close to be called family. Though we don’t live in the same countries anymore, our family is excited to warmly welcome a new member to the ever-growing tribe.   
 
In the absence of our biological family, we now share that warmth with our chosen family, whom we call the “United Nations.” We have friends from all over the world, and we all share our cultures, traditions, food, ideals, and language with each other. They’re already preparing for their roles as tíos and tías / aunts and uncles by giving us books, helping us with home improvements, and starting a diaper fund.     
 
Also, eagerly awaiting the newest member(s) of our Miranda-Herrera pack are Terra and Ventus. Terra is a friendly and laid-back 6-year-old beagle mix who we sometimes suspect to be a cat in a dog’s body. Ventus is a sweet but shy 4-year-old black lab mix who would play catch for hours then doze off on your lap - though he is too big to be a lap dog.  

Our interests have always lied more in the “abstract” than the material. For example, Oscar’s biggest joy is traveling and experiencing new cities, historical landmarks, museums, and cultural shows. Our most recent trip to Barcelona left him in awe when he saw all the architecture from the Gothic Quarter! Meanwhile, Miguel sparks joy by keeping his mind active, and the best way he does so is by learning and playing a variety of games:

• Board/card games for strategy
• Social games for interpersonal skills
• Videogames for keeping the mind sharp

This love led him to create a local gaming group of over 100 members that share his passion. 

Something we like to do together is explore different recipes and enjoy them with our friends. We started a tradition/tradición with our chosen family where we would pick a theme and do a friendly cooking competition. Themes can range from using a single ingredient, to a whole cooking style, to a country’s signature dish. We want to continue this tradition with our children, showing them that food and nutrition can be fun and the importance of sharing a meal with loved ones.       

Thank you and gracias for taking the time to look at our story, and thank you for bringing this beautiful baby into the world. We acknowledge your bravery and love for your baby, and promise to give your baby all the love we have to offer.  

We also promise to educate them, to teach them empathy, to respect their heritage and that of others, to lift them up when they’re down, to celebrate all their victories, and to embarrass them with love whenever we can!

Regardless of the level of openness you prefer, we will always remind the child of your courage to ensure that they can have the life that they deserve.  We can hardly contain our excitement as we write to you. We wish you all the love and luck in the upcoming days and we hope to meet you soon! 

With Love,

Oscar & Miguel