About Karina — Written by Jorge

Karina has a wonderful way of bringing people together and making them feel cared for. As an only child, she has created a large circle of friends who have become family, which says so much about who she is. She loves music, reading, needlepoint, gardening, exploring Los Angeles, and finding a good farmers market or flea market. Some of my favorite moments with her are the simple ones, like having breakfast together on our patio or going for a bike ride. She is loving, dependable, and someone you can always count on. I can picture her reading bedtime stories, encouraging our child to explore their interests, and creating the same feeling of love and belonging that she gives the people in her life today.

About Jorge — Written by Karina

Jorge brings a sense of adventure and fun into my life. He grew up in Spain and loves being outdoors, discovering new trails, exploring small towns, and learning about the world. What I admire most about him is his kindness and the way he connects with people, especially children. As a teacher, he has a natural ability to meet children at their level, make them laugh, and get them excited about learning. I can already picture him teaching our child to ride a bicycle, taking them on little outdoor adventures, answering endless questions, and probably turning an ordinary afternoon into something fun. He is warm, patient, loving, and will be a wonderful dad.

Our Careers

Karina works in healthcare as a Director in Design and Construction, helping plan and build spaces where people receive care. She enjoys working with people, solving problems, and seeing projects become something meaningful. Jorge is a teacher and loves helping children learn, become curious, and gain confidence in themselves. Our careers are very different, but both have taught us the importance of patience, responsibility, teamwork, and caring for others. As parents, our family will always be our priority, and we look forward to making time for everyday family life, from breakfasts and school activities to homework, dinners, and weekends together.

Our Home & Community

We live in a townhome in Los Angeles, a city Karina has called home her entire life. Our community has a pool, which is especially fun because having a pool was something we both dreamed about as kids. At home, you might find Jorge in the garage working on a bicycle while Karina is gardening on the patio or competing with the squirrels for oranges from our tree! We are close to beaches, mountains, parks, museums, sports, and so many different cultures and experiences. Karina’s mom and many longtime friends live nearby, giving us a wonderful community to share with a child. We can picture pool days, bike rides, trips to museums, afternoons at the park, and plenty of family and friends coming through our home.

Our Family & Friends

Family to us is much bigger than the people who live nearby. Karina’s family is in North Carolina and Germany, and she is especially close to her mom, who lives nearby. They talk every day and see each other regularly. Karina’s parents also created a wonderful circle of friends who became like extended family, a tradition of “chosen family” that continues in our lives today. Jorge’s mom, sister, nephews, and extended family live in Spain, and we stay connected through calls, messages, and visits. We have both been welcomed into each other’s families with love. A child joining our family will have grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many honorary “aunts and uncles” ready to welcome them.

Our Interests & Adventures

We love exploring together, especially on two wheels! We have visited 26 national parks together and often bring our bicycles along on road trips. Between the two of us, we have traveled to more than 70 countries, and we both studied abroad, Karina in Germany and Jorge in the United Kingdom. We also love museums, live music, farmers markets, trivia nights, and discovering new places around Los Angeles. At home, Jorge is our everyday chef and loves inventing dishes, while Karina takes over for special occasions. We look forward to experiencing these things through a child’s eyes, whether that means their first national park, planting vegetables together, dancing at an outdoor concert, or discovering a favorite family recipe.

Our Values

Love, kindness, and respect are at the center of how we live and how we hope to parent. With our multifaceted backgrounds, our family brings together different cultures and experiences. Additionally, we both grew up in Christian traditions, Catholic and Lutheran, which helped shape our belief in compassion and caring for others. We want our child to be proud of who they are and where they come from. We hope to raise someone who is curious about the world, respectful of others, comfortable with differences, and confident enough to become their own person.

Openness & Adoption

We believe a child should know the truth about their adoption from the beginning. Adoption will never be something we hide or treat as a secret. Their story began before they became part of our family, and we want them to understand and feel proud of their whole story. We also want to understand what matters to you and, when possible, keep those people, traditions, values, and connections in your child’s life. We hope openness can be built on honesty, respect, and what is best for the child. Most importantly, we want our child to grow up knowing that there are many people and experiences that are part of who they are.

Thoughts on Parenting

We want to raise a child who feels loved, safe, and supported while also learning to believe in themselves. Life will have wonderful days and difficult ones, and we want to be there for all of them, from nighttime feedings and first days of school to disappointments, big decisions, and teenage challenges. We will be there to listen, comfort, guide, and sometimes simply give a hug. At the same time, we want our child to learn to make decisions, solve problems, and understand that while we cannot control everything in life, patience, effort, and determination can carry us through many challenges. More than anything, we want our child to always know that they can come to us.

In Closing

We are truly grateful you spent this time getting to know us. We have great admiration and respect for you and honor the decision you are considering. We know promises can sometimes feel like just words, so rather than promise a perfect life, we promise to give our best every day. We will love your child, care for them, support their dreams, and be there through the happy moments and the difficult ones. We will speak openly about their adoption, honor their story, and help them stay connected to where they come from. If something in our story connects with you, we would be honored to have the opportunity to get to know you.

‍