Angelica
{ and } Eric
Our
Story
Sharing a kiss in a Santorini
sunset
r
e
h
t
o
m
h
Birt
Hell o, we are Eri.c
Thank you for
taking a moment
and Angelica
We are
excited to tell
you our story
We
We first met at work when Eric began a new
position as a financial advisor, where Angelica was
executive assistant to the company president.
We
began by spending time as friends, going
jogging along Santa Monica beach and eating
lunch together at the office. We connected over our
shared love of family, desire to travel and try new
foods. Our friendship quickly grew into a relationship.
Four years later, we got engaged in Santa Monica, right
along the same beach where our love first blossomed.
to get to know us.
And two years after that, back again in Santa Monica,
surrounded by our family and closest friends, we became
hope to share the warmth and
husband and wife. We fulfilled many of our travel desires
love that we have to offer, and
(although there are so many more places to see!),
how truly important family is to us.
bought a house in a lovely community directly across the
From the time that we began dating, we
street from the elementary school, and now we hope to
dreamed of having children together and
fulfill our dream of becoming mom and dad.
growing a family of our own. We both have
incredibly loving and supportive families,
and they (along with our pups, Buster and
Piper) are all excited for the possibility of
a new addition to the family. We hope this
process brings us together, but whatever
your decision may be, we wish you all the
love and support that you need. We have
so much respect and admiration for the
Yay we did it!
courage that it takes to consider adoption
for your child.
r cake topper
Kissing behind ou
Our journey to become parents hasn’t been without
challenges. We both feel that facing those challenges
together has only brought us closer, and clarified our
Our adorable little family!
feelings and confidence that there is nothing more
important to us than becoming parents.
Our trip to Niagra Falls
Adoption in our Lives
We
are fortunate to have
we are very close to them and
many close friends
are always included in each
who have adopted children,
other’s family gatherings. The
including Eric’s cousin. Also,
love and close bond that we
the daughters of the family
see in their family has served
that Eric grew up next door to
as part of our inspiration to
were both adopted. Growing
pursue adoption.
up, that family was like a
second family, and still today
When in Rome...
Growing Up
a
c
i
l
e
g
n
A
t
Abou
A
ngelica was born in the Philippines, the youngest of four
kids. Her mom was still pregnant with Angelica when her
dad passed away. Suddenly faced with the reality of raising four
kids by herself, Angelica’s mom made tremendous sacrifices to
t hr ough Eric’s
eyes
ensure that all of her kids could attend good schools. She moved
the family to Southern California when Angelica was 12, where
Angelica and her siblings have built happy and successful lives,
serving as a testament to what an incredible mother and role
model their mom continues to be.
With Racquel playing on the iPad
Nephew Daniel
looking cool
in his
shades
Meet Angelica, she will be an amazing mom
Ready for zip-lining adventures in Kauai
Ready for an
ev
ening out in M
A
onaco
ngelica is the most caring, thoughtful person I have
ever known. She has always dreamed of being a
Kissing an elephant in Thailand!
mom. Whether it’s our nieces or nephews, or friends’
kids, they are always drawn to her. Kids just somehow know
that she’s someone who will play with them, teach them, and
care for them.
One of the things that I love about Angelica is her desire to
learn all of the family recipes, both my family’s and hers. It’s
such a thoughtful way to show love and continue our family
Donating hair to
Locks of Love
traditions. Her mom’s desserts are legendary among family and
friends. Angelica has perfected her mom’s leche flan and pecan
tarts. Also, there’s a Japanese dish that is not well known,
even in parts of Japan, called chawanmushi. It’s best described
as a savory egg custard soup. It’s my dad’s all time favorite
dish. It’s delicate and flavorful. It also takes a long time to
make because each bowl is separately prepared and steamed.
My mom makes this dish for my dad two times a year: on his
birthday and Father’s Day. Recently, Angelica learned to make
chawanmushi, and prepared it for my birthday. It was easily
the most memorable gift I have ever been given. I can’t wait to
introduce traditions like these to our children.
Cooking school in
Barcelona with a
new friend
Eric
can’t wait
for Angelica’s
dream of being a
M
o
m
to come true!
About Eric
t hr ough t he eyes
of Angelica
Eric
is easy-going, has a
More About
Eric
great sense of humor,
and is a great cook!
Eric has always loved reading,
excels at math and enjoys
working with people. When
he was in high school, he took
an interest in finance and began
subscribing to The Wall Street
Journal. It is no wonder that his
career as a financial planner is
a perfect fit for him. He enjoys
teaching people how to manage
Making a call at a London photo booth
their money and retire comfortably.
Eric is also amazing with our
nieces and nephews. He loves
W
hat I admire most about him is his intelligence, sensitivity, loving, and caring qualities
that he has for his family. He is always there to help any way he can in times of need. I am
grateful to his parents for raising a wonderful son whose number one priority is his family.
As a baby, Eric had the cutest chubby cheeks and baby fat rolls in his thighs. He also had an
infectious smile. He loved playing with his Star Wars and Incredible Hulk toys. When Eric was five
years old, he had a dog named Coco. Soon after, his parents realized he was allergic to dogs. Years
later, when we met, Eric had still not outgrown his allergy. This was a problem because I had
two big dogs! But his allergy didn’t stop him from coming over to see me. That’s what I
call true love! As a bonus, being around my dogs helped him overcome his allergy. Now
we have two loving dogs (Piper and Buster)!
to build legos or play catch and
always looks forward to playing
dolls with our niece, Racquel.
He is a great uncle and will be a
wonderful father to our children.
Eric has supported me throughout
Reading to
Daniel &
Racquel
my career change and going to
With nephew
s Trenton & G
nursing school full time. He has
avin at Grand
ma’s
been my rock during our times of
unsuccessful attempts to conceive.
It’s a journey that we have gone
through together, which has made
our relationship even stronger.
Together we are a good team,
but I know that he will be an
incredible dad to our children. I
could have not asked for a better
partner to share this new chapter
in our lives.
Playing barbies with our niece, Racquel
At Thailand cooking
school
3.
2.
Our garden in full bloom
1.
Our Home
Buster hanging out in our living room
Our backyard patio
Hiking at Yose
mite
o
d
o
t
e
v
o
L
e
s
W
g
Thin
We live in a
The front view of our home
quiet, residential
NEIGHBORHOOD
in a suburban area of Los Angeles
known as the South Bay. This is the
1. C ooking classes:
Our favorite activity when we
travel! The most memorable was Thai food at Chiang Mai
Thailand
2. Home Decor & Remodeling: D.I.Y. small projects
around our house. We recently added decking, a
pergola and new furniture to our backyard.
3. H iking: Locally in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Santa
Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains or
while we travel, especially in Thailand, Kauai, Yosemite,
or the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado
4. W
atching Sports: Eric is the real sports fan, but we both
graduated from USC and are big fans of Trojan Football!
5.
his parents still live just two blocks
weekend, we can be found taking our dogs to the
away. We’re directly across the street
Farmer’s Market, out for a hike or at the dog park.
from the local elementary school,
which is part of an award winning
6. Vegetable Gardening: Eric’s dad is a gardener by trade.
Our guest room/future baby room
Each year we enjoy amazing home grown tomatoes,
remodeled home. When we bought
our house, it was important to us that
7. P lanning family gatherings and dinner parties:
we didn’t overextend our budget. We
We love to host dinner parties and family gatherings.
8. Musicals/Theater: One of our first trips together was
to Chicago to catch a showing of Les Miserables, Eric’s all
time favorite. We have season tickets to the Ahmanson
6.
our backyard, adding wood decking,
Our house is a charming mid-century
directly from the garden!
They’re always full of laughter and great conversations.
school district. We recently remodeled
a pergola and new patio furniture.
squash, beets, salad greens, and other fresh vegetables
Theater.
4.
community where Eric grew up, and
5. C aring for and playing with our dogs: On a typical
wanted to make sure that we had the
our
freedom to grow and enjoy our family.
Day
Jobs
Angelica: Angelica
is very smart and hard
working, which has served her well
in her career, but she has chosen to
put family ahead of career ambition.
After we married, she left her career in
finance and attended nursing school. She
was always drawn to nursing, plus she
felt that it is a career that would offer
a much more flexible schedule to care
for children. She is now a Registered
Nurse at a highly regarded hospital less
than ten minutes from our house! It
couldn’t have been a better decision.
She is such a natural nurse, combining
the understanding of the science with
her tremendous heart and passion for
helping and teaching her patients.
Eric: Eric is a partner at a firm that
provides investment and financial
planning services to families who want
to plan for their futures. Eric’s office is in
nearby Redondo Beach, and has very
family friendly policies, including the
flexibility to work from home. While
Eric’s academic interests were in finance
and accounting, he has a strong desire
to help and educate people. Eric loves
helping families organize their financial
lives, and learn to make good decisions
with their money.
Meet
y
l
i
m
a
F
r
u
o
er teht m o t h e r
M
Bi
re
our families a
loving & supportive
We were both dog lovers since we were kids. One of
W
the first things we did after buying our house was to
e are lucky to have all of our
immediate family right here in
Southern California. Eric’s parents
are just two blocks away. His sister,
along with her husband and two boys,
are also just a few blocks away. For
over ten years, our family has had a
tradition of Monday dinners at Eric’s
parents’ house. Even though we see our
nephews virtually every Monday night,
it feels as though they are growing
before our eyes!
At the park with Angelica’s family
t with
Drinking from a coconu
d
Angelica’s mom & stepda
Eric’s family on Mother’s
day
Though not quite walking distance,
Angelica’s family are all nearby. We
make it a point to get together
with them at least once a month,
along with special occasions such as
birthdays and holidays. Angelica’s
brother, Dan, and his wife have a son
and a daughter. We are extremely
close with their family and especially
our niece and nephew. We love to play
legos with our nephew, Daniel, and
Barbie with our niece, Racquel.
Our families are very excited
for the possibility of a
new addition.
Hiking at Yosemite with Eric’s family
Lego fun with Angelica’s brother, sister-inlaw, nephew and niece
Buster and Piper
Eric with
nephews at
his brother’s
wedding
Angelica with her mom & sister on the
beach
The men of Eric’s family
rescue Piper from the Long Beach animal shelter. She is
Buster cooling off in the kiddie pool
an adorable sixteen pound terrier mix. A year later, we
brought home Buster, a playful, gentle golden retriever.
Piper is the smallest member of the household, but she
knows that she’s the boss! If you have treats, she will
shake your hand, roll over or give you a high five! Buster
loves attention! He will follow you around the house
and nestle at your feet when you sit down. He loves ice
cubes and will come running across the house when he
hears the ice maker in the kitchen.
Both dogs love kids, are gentle and playful. Our niece,
Racquel, calls Piper her dog, and named her stuffed
animals Piper and Buster! They bring tremendous joy
to our house. No question, they will be companions,
playmates and guardians over our baby.
Trenton & Gavin with Buster as a puppy
our fav or ite
J
apanese New Year’s
Day traditionally means
opening your house to
guests all day, and preparing
an intricate feast of foods that
all have symbolic meaning. The
centerpiece is a soup called Ozoni,
which symbolizes strength, prosperity
and good fortune. Eric’s dad had always prepared a
large pot for the family and neighbors. After we began
hosting New Year’s Day, Eric learned how to prepare
the soup. The third year that we hosted it, Eric’s dad
tried the soup and declared it as good as his own. It
was a proud moment! The passing of the torch. We
also incorporated Filipino New Year’s dishes such as
Pancit noodles, which symbolizes long life. We spend
the better part of three days before the end of the
year preparing for this feast. Starting the year off well,
surrounded by family and close friends, makes it all
worthwhile.
Holiday
Tradition
Reading on our backyard
couch
with our dogs
Our nephew playing Horsey
with Buster
Piper taking a nap with Daniel
and Racquel
s
e
p
o
H
r
u
O
W
e dream of having a large family. We are both the youngest of multiple
siblings and cherish the relationships that we have with our brothers and
sisters to this day. Our siblings were our playmates, babysitters, back to
school shopping fashionistas, and fellow mischief makers. We want our kids to
have that same type of relationship with their siblings.
& Dreams
If you have any questions for us or would like to speak with us about adopting your
child, please call your adoption advisor at AdoptHelp at 1-800-637-7999.
Things we will
Teach Our
Kids
• Love of reading, learning and
exploring - We will read to them regularly
and encourage them to explore their
natural curiosity.
• Appreciation of a variety of music, arts,
and theater.
• Enjoyment of watching and playing
sports, but always be a good sport. Win
with class and lose with dignity.
• The joy of an active, healthy lifestyle.
Playing sports, jogging, hiking, swimming.
Eating healthy, nourishing, flavorful foods.
• Kindness and love to animals and other
people.
• That our love and support of them is
infinite and unconditional.
• To never stop dreaming and working
hard to make those dreams come true.