We met in summer of 2006 through a mutual best friend. We started as friends. We took road trips and chatted online for two years building our friendship before we finally started dating. We were engaged in summer of 2011 and married in summer of 2013. We've built our lives together in North Central Texas and have built amazing and supportive relationships in our community. We both work in education and value learning and curiosity. We truly are best friends and we credit our loving, stable relationship with our sense of humor, communication and mutual respect.

Nubia has always known that she wants to grow her family through adoption. Having worked most of her life with small children from so many backgrounds, and seeing loving families built through adoption, it's never been a question for her. Jon has always wanted a family, so when we met and Nubia expressed her desire to adopt, Jon was onboard immediately.

Nubia is originally from South Florida but moved to Texas during her childhood. Nubia is proud to claim both as her homes. It was always important to go back to Florida as often as possible to spend time with extended family and keep Latin American customs and culture. Growing up hearing the amazing stories from her family members about their countries and how they came to live in the US inspired her to want to help people with language. Nubia is fluent in English and Spanish and has found a great passion with teaching children in a public school that focuses on Spanish immersion. She is looking forward to passing on the beauty of language and culture to our child.

What Jon Says about Nubia

Nubia is an absolutely beautiful person, inside and out. She is super caring and loving. One of my favorite things about her is she is not shy about showing her affection. Children adore her and she will be the best mother!

Jon was born on the West coast but grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where he loved playing in the snow as a kid. He has lived in Texas for most of his life, so he is now a bona-fide Texan.

Jon considers himself a home body and looks forward to relaxing at home with Nubia and Cora on the weekends (when not visiting family). Jon has worked at the same university for over 20 years and he plans to retire from there in roughly 12 years.

Jon cannot wait to be a dad! He has been working on his corny dad jokes his whole life.

What Nubia Says About Jon

Jon is so funny, so witty and so creative. He is nurturing and caring. He loves me and Cora. He's my favorite person to be around and talk to. He's my best friend!

Cora is part Beagle and part Dachshund. She was rescued by a local organization after being found on the street and having been hit by a car as a puppy. Because of her accident, she has a crooked smile that we are absolutely in love with. She doesn't always make the best first impression because she has a big bark for her bitty body, but she soon warms up and is the best cuddle buddy! She's a very sweet and loving pup. Her favorite things are to go on walks around the neighborhood with Jon, treats, laying out in the sun and curling up beside Nubia. She is so loved, not just by us, but by our families too. They love to love on her!

We love celebrating holidays and special occasions with family. Since our families don't live in the same city as us, we alternate major holidays between Jon's family and Nubia's family. Sometimes during the holiday season we will travel to spend it with extended family. A few special yearly traditions we enjoy are making a gingerbread house with one of our nieces at Christmastime, Jon's family going fishing for Father's Day, and we like to take trips to Walt Disney World as often as we can! Every couple of years, Jon's entire family will get together and make movies. We put on a full, months-long production and even have a "red carpet" premiere it at a local movie theater for our friends and family. One of the sweetest traditions was Jon taking our friend's daughter to the annual Daddy Daughter Dance for many years after her father passed away.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We hope this book reflects the love we have for each other and shows you the loving home we have built together to start our family. Please know that your child would grow up in a safe and comfortable environment. They will always be reminded of your courage and the love you have for them. We will encourage honesty and kindness. We will teach them to dream big, try new things, and express themselves openly. We will always support them and stand behind them whenever they need us. Most importantly, we will show them every day that they are loved, because we believe that love is essential to building a strong family.