We are Joel and Reena!

Thank You from Joel and Reena!

Dear Birth Parent(s),

We admire you so much for making this brave decision for yourself and your child. As you are searching for the right family to raise your little one, we are so honored to give you a glimpse into our family! We want you to know that regardless of the decision you make, our prayers are with you.

My name is Reena and my Husband is Joel. Joel and I met each other in Latin Dancing Classes (Salsa, Bachata, Cumbia, Cha Cha). While dating, we continued dancing, traveled, and spent time with each other’s families. We also attended church together. With Joel’s support, I became a Catholic. Joel proposed a year after we started dating and Our Wedding Day was a joyous occasion full of lots of Love, Family, and Dancing!

Shortly after we were married, we purchased a beautiful townhome that we felt would be perfect for raising our family. After a difficult journey through infertility, we leaned on one another and found joy in bringing home our sweet puppy, Cocoa. After two years of much prayer, reflection, and counsel God has led us to work with Legacy Adoption Services. Our good friends had adopted their son a few years back and they have been our mentors through this beautiful process.

We live a nice townhome with a view of a playground and a quick walk away from a second toddler playground. We are located in an excellent school district, with plenty of Catholic school options.

We look forward to growing our family and creating wonderful new family traditions together! We look forward to nurturing a child’s talents and passions by enrolling them in any sporting activities, clubs, or classes that they enjoy. Our parents and siblings all live within 30 minutes of our home and are very excited to welcome a child into our family! We live in a diverse community full of many other children to play with. We have an abundance of Parks and Walking Trails around us that we will enjoy exploring together. We would attend Catholic church every Sunday. Our neighborhood is very racially diverse with Asian, Caucasian, Latino, European, and African American families.

We are so excited to become parents and are so honored that you are considering us! Again, our prayers are with you as you go through this process to make your decision. We are happy to answer any questions that you have! Thank you and God Bless You!

Sincerely,

Reena and Joel

Read Our Adoptive Family Booklet

Learn more about us by watching our video below!

About Us

Our Love Story

We first met at a Salsa Dancing Social. After months of dancing and getting to know each other, we had our first date. As we learned more about each other, we realized how we felt at home with one another. It was the Halloween season, so we enjoyed getting dressed up and attending Halloween salsa socials and family friend Halloween parties. We were falling in Love.

At Thanksgiving time, Reena began talking about Joel with her other family members with so much excitement. Reena introduced Joel to her brother, and they hit it off immediately. When Reena invited Joel to meet her parents, Mom gave Reena the Thumbs up. It was Christmas time and there is a cute little ornament with Reena’s picture that Reena had made at school in the first grade. We were decorating our Christmas tree, and Joel took that ornament and placed it at the very top of the tree. Reena’s heart melted and her family invited Joel to our larger family Christmas party where he was immediately welcomed with open arms.

That same Christmas, Joel had invited Reena to his family’s church for their annual Simbang Gabi Mass. This is a Christmas tradition within the Filipino community where Joel’s whole family was present. It was so wonderful to meet Joel’s family in such a beautiful setting. Shortly after, Joel and Reena would attend Joel’s family church on Sunday’s after Dance class, and then meet at his parent’s home for Sunday Dinners.

The following Easter, Joel took Reena to the Easter Vigil, which is the Saturday before Easter Sunday. She learned about the RCIA process where she could learn about the Catholic Faith and be confirmed as a Catholic. That fall, she enrolled in the program and Joel sponsored her. As they went through this beautiful journey together, Joel proposed that following Fall. The following Easter, Reena was confirmed as a Catholic, and Reena and Joel were married that Summer.

Our Happy Life!

During the week, Joel and I both work hard at our jobs, and when we come home, that is when we spend time with our Dog Cocoa for “Family Time”. We make sure to spend time playing soccer and fetch with Cocoa and give her lots of pets and love. After Dinner, we take long family walks together and enjoy chit chatting with the other neighbors and Cocoa enjoys visiting with the other neighborhood Dogs.

We will usually start off our weekend by taking Cocoa in the car, picking up some breakfast, and bringing it to the park for a nice picnic and walk around the lake. Then we’ll use the weekend to catch up with chores around the house and meal prep for the week. Sometimes our friends and family will come over for dinner or we’ll meet out at a local restaurant. It is not unusual that we will take Cocoa and visit our family and friends around town.

Dancing is our favorite Hobby! We enjoy signing up for dance classes and attending socials to practice what we have learned. If we are not in the mood to go out to dance, we are just as happy dancing at home on our wooden floors. When we are in the mood to relax, the three of us will snuggle and watch movies together.

We attend Catholic Church every week at the church where we were married. We always look forward to the Easter and Christmas Holiday Seasons where we’ll decorate our home inside and out, and host/visit various family members and friends! Our own tradition is to attend Midnight Mass at Christmas and attend the services leading up to the Easter Vigil at Easter time.

When we are in the mood for a getaway, we will drive into different towns in the area and find unique stores to go shopping or find some fun and unique restaurants. Reena’s parents or brother are always happy to take Cocoa for a bit while we enjoy some Husband/Wife time.

When God blesses us with a child, we look forward to creating new and memorable traditions together with our little one! On our family walks, there will be plenty of children playing at the playground where a child can join in and make lifelong friends. We would enjoy church and visits with our families on Sunday. The Holidays would be even more magical with trick or treating at Halloween, a visit to Santa at Christmas, and Easter Egg Hunts at Easter. We would support him/her in their passions and drive them to any sporting or artistic activities that they would like to be involved in throughout the week and on the weekends.

Our Blessings...

Our Loving and Supportive Family and Friends
Our Amazing Church Community
Our Dog-Friendly & Child-Friendly Neighborhood
Our Creative and Passionate Dance Community
Our 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom townhome with plenty of room for dinners, dance, play, and family traditions.

Our Family

Joel always enjoyed taking us to different neighborhoods to look at the Beautiful Christmas lights. Now that we have Cocoa, we bring Cocoa along to explore the various decorations. We can't wait to explore with a little child and see their face light up just like ours do at all the creativity!

Our Parents and Siblings

We are very fortunate that our parents and siblings live close by.

Joel's sister and her husband live 30 minutes away. She has 2 children that are enrolled in college and one child in High School. They are very supportive of our decision to grow our family through adoption. Cocoa has always gotten along well with their family, and their dog Luna. Joel's Mother lives in a retirement community 10 minutes away. We like to get together for special occasions, like recently when Joel's nephew became an Eagle Scout. We also enjoy getting together for the Holidays, either Christmas Brunch at one of our favorite restaurants, or a fun meal at home. Joel's extended family also lives in the area and will gather together for special occasions such as baptisms, holidays, and birthdays.

Reena is very close to her Mother, Step-Father, Brother, and Step-Father's Side of the Family. They all live in close by and frequently get together for special occasions. Reena has always been particularly fond of her Aunt. She has always looked up to her and we get together with her family more frequently. She is married with 3 children. Reena's Step-Grandmother lives 10 min drive away and we tend to stop by from time to time to visit as well. Cocoa loves playing in her backyard. Reena's Parents and Brother only live 30 minutes away. We frequently visit each other for impromptu meals and gatherings. We love to get together to watch sporting events and they love to keep Cocoa for the evening whenever we need our date night.

Thanksgiving at Reena's extended family's house is a very large and festive gathering with 20-25 family members, usually at her Aunt's house. It is a huge opportunity to catch up with each other, watch football, and pick names for the secret Santa in preparation for Christmas! Some Thanksgivings we have hosted a smaller feast at our home with our immediate families.

Things to Know About Us

1. God is always the front and center of our relationship.
2. Reena grew up attending church. She became a confirmed Catholic when Joel walked through the RCIA process with her.
3. We enjoy Salsa Dancing and we find it is a great way to relax. Even if we don’t go out, we will move our furniture to the side and dance at home.
4. We are so grateful that our families live close by.