JOSHUA and ELMAR
- Chili Heeler (Bluey)
Hello!
IT’S A GREAT HONOR AND BLESSING TO “MEET” YOU.
With much joy in our hearts, we thank you for opening our profile book. Although this book only shows a snippet of our lives, we wrote this book as honestly as possible to share with you who we are: Elmar & Joshua. With this book, we hope to clearly convey our story and love for family and adventure. The excitement we feel about bringing a child into our lives is immeasurable. We want to take this opportunity in this book to show just how enthusiastic we are about growing our chosen family.
While it is true that we cannot begin to understand all the thoughts and feelings you may be going through at this time, we want to be as empathetic as possible. You may be reviewing many profiles like ours, but we hope ours speaks to you.
We hope that by the end of your time with us, you take one thing away: with us, love is never far, and neither is our passion for family. We thank you with all the gratitude in our hearts and hope you enjoy getting to know us, no matter your decision.
WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE,
JOSHUA and ELMAR
ourstory
OUR STORY BEGINS IN THE MAGICAL WORLD KNOWN AS DATING APPS.
Joshua first saw Elmar’s profile on an app called “Coffee Meets Bagel.” Though Joshua sent a hilarious message that would have normally resulted in a “LOL” back, Elmar’s account was dormant on that app, and no such response was sent. A few months after that doomed interaction, Elmar’s profile again appeared on Joshua’s page, this time on “okCupid.” Joshua tried one more time to get Elmar’s attention, and this time, it worked. What followed was a period of “dating on steroids” as we hunkered down together during a global pandemic. We came out the other side closer and stronger than ever.
When we went on our first long-distance trip together, Joshua got down on one knee to propose, and instead of responding, Elmar pulled a ring of his own out of his pocket! After a year’s engagement and a move to a new state, we tied the knot in the city where we met. The rest has been an adventure of a lifetime that gets better and better.
what led us to adoption?
We were brought up in big households that cherished the values of being a family.
Growing up, we both knew we wanted to build a family and be dads. Additionally, we understand that a chosen family is just as important as a blood-related one. Both are built on values of love, respect, and trust.
As members of the LGBTQ+ community, one of our options to grow our family is through adoption. Having friends who have adopted or are adoptees themselves, we were enlightened to know that adoption can create such beautiful bonds and relationships. We are excited to be fathers and build a beautiful home where a child can feel love, happiness, and support.
meetjoshua
According to Elmar
Joshua was born and raised in the great midwestern state of Indiana. He is the oldest of five boys, which means there is never a dull moment in his life. Because of his upbringing, Joshua strongly values and is committed to family, friends, and other loved ones. Although his love for family is very strong, he is also very passionate about performing arts and train travel. As a young man, Joshua loved to perform on stage in various drama productions. One of his favorite roles was playing Jean Passepartout in Around the World in 80 Days. Although we haven’t traveled the world in 80 days, Joshua loves train travel and always gets excited at the thought of traveling around the United States on the Amtrak. Nowadays, Joshua continues to progress in his career as an estate planning paralegal but he never forgets his passion for family, travel, and the arts.
"Joshua is a bright ray of sunshine, full of warmth and passion."
"Elmar is warm, dedicated and a friend to everyone he meets."
meetelmar
According to Joshua
Elmar has a knack for making any roof he finds himself under feel like home, and in turn, every home he has resided in has contributed to his warm, teddy bear personality. Elmar’s foundation is in his birth country and familial home, the Philippines. He is grounded by his commitment to family, being the oldest of five children and the caretaker of his mother. Elmar spent his formative years in Chicago, where he was actively involved in community building projects and cultural clubs. He’s incredibly proud of his time in these activities, going so far as to show me some of the performances of his Southeast Asian dance group on our second date. Elmar’s career eventually brought him to Indiana, where we met and began our relationship. (I will never forget the first time I opened my apartment door to a smile that instantly became my favorite sight in the world.) As we’ve journeyed through life together, there has always been one common feeling that Elmar has given me: wherever we are, be it Chicago, Indiana, or Georgia, I am home when I am by Elmar’s side. This feeling of belonging is what Elmar has instilled in me and, I have no doubt, what he will instill in your little one.
things we love
We love adding to our list of best Dim Sum restaurants across the country.
We love watching the world go by as we sip coffee or bubble tea in a new cafe.
We love sitting in our car with a James Brownie Jackhammer from Andy’s Frozen Custard.
We love experiencing new places and trying new things!
We love getting comfy on the couch to watch our favorite shows or YouTube channels.
things we love
We love to go on dates to the theater to watch our favorite Broadway musicals.
We love listening to music and attending our favorite artists' concerts.
We love attending pop culture events and conventions like the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
We love relaxing and walking in nature by bodies of water or within Japanese gardens.
We love making VLOGs and taking cute photos of all our pets and family.
ourtravels
ADVENTURE IS ALWAYS OUT THERE!
Living close to the world’s busiest airport comes with the perks of adventure. Visiting family and best friends, we frequently travel to cities such as Indianapolis, Chicago and Houston. These cities, in addition to the Atlanta area, have a special place in our hearts. Among the travels we had this year, Tokyo, Japan, and Phoenix, Arizona, were some of our favorites.
As we grow our family, we plan to reduce our trips to focus on your little one to ensure they get all the love and attention they need. Travel is a privilege, and we are excited to share our love for travel and sense of adventure as your little one gets older.
home sweethome
WE LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL FIVE-BEDROOM HOME IN GEORGIA.
Surrounded by trees, our property sits on 1.6 acres in a quiet subdivision with plenty of cul-de-sacs for your little one to learn how to ride a bike. Our neighborhood has a wide age range, with young kids coming door-to-door for trick-or-treating and elderly couples strolling the streets on cool summer nights. Our community also has some of the top-rated schools in Georgia!
We are eager to welcome your little one into our loving home. We can’t wait to spend time jumping into leaves with them in the fall, curling up with them in our basement to watch movies in the winter, playing “I spy” with them to the flowers and critters that come around in spring, and making trips to get ice cream at the local Andy’s on hot summer days.
four-legged family
MIKI is a 7-year-old domestic shorthair brown tabby. He is important to us because he came into our family the same month Elmar’s father passed, and Miki was the emotional support that our family needed.
MOCHI is a very shy six-year-old brown tabby-tuxedo mix with iconic white socks. A friend gifted Mochi to us when he was just a few weeks old because they trusted we would take good care of him.
BOWSER & LUCKY are inseparable 5-year-old twin beagles from the same litter of puppies. They never fail to make our home exciting. Being the hound dogs they are, they love to spend most of their days playing outside. Despite being twins, they have very different personalities; Bowser is relaxed while Lucky is our adventurer. Though both will never pass up the opportunity to howl at tree-climbing squirrels.
joshua's funfacts
I have traveled across and around the country by train, totaling over 14,000 miles on the rails.
One of my biggest hobbies is interior decorating and making my house feel like a home.
santa never gets to try my peanut butter cookies because my family eats them all before Christmas Eve.
I was the youngest person ever elected to my county’s council in Johnson County, Indiana.
I’m happiest when I’m next to any body of water. Lake, ocean, or river are all my happy places to soak in the vibes.
Elmar's funfacts
I graduated in 2022 with a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction, which means I work on fun projects related to making websites and mobile apps easier to use.
I have worked in the aerospace industry for almost 8 years, which has been a dream of mine since high school.
I like to use my creative muscles and crochet various things in my free time.
I am attempting to learn Japanese and Korean because I love watching Japanese anime and Korean dramas.
I have lived in 4 different cities: Chicago (IL), Indianapolis (IN), Fayetteville (GA), & Batangas in the Philippines.
extendedfamily
We both come from large families and are both the eldest child. Elmar has two brothers (ages 26 and 17) and two sisters (ages 28 and 15). Three of Elmar’s siblings have lived with us, along with his mother, since his father’s passing. Joshua has three younger brothers (ages 28, 25 and 24) and one younger stepbrother (age 29). All of Joshua’s family lives in Indiana, where we visit often. Both sides of our family are thrilled that we have chosen to grow our family through adoption. Your little one will have unending love and support from aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmothers.
We are already proud “guncles” (gay-uncles) as Elmar’s sister and brother-in-law, and Joshua’s stepbrother and sister-in-law both have kids of their own. Holidays are our favorite times of the year when we can spend time with our big, respective families all together.
our promises
ON A RAINY SPRING DAY IN INDIANAPOLIS, WE STOOD IN FRONT OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO MAKE PROMISES TO EACH OTHER. IN THAT SAME SPIRIT OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, WE HAVE TAKEN THOSE PROMISES AND MAKE THEM NOW TO YOU AND YOUR LITTLE ONE.
We promise to cherish your child every single second of our lives.
We promise to slay any dragon alongside your prince or princess – monsters under the bed, thunderstorms at night, or any problem life hands them.
We promise to be patient with your child and stand by them always. sing into the night with your child and dance with them like nobody's watching.
explore the world with your child and show them how beautiful life can be.
We promise to share in your child’s burdens, comfort them, and be vulnerable with them when life gets hard.
And finally, we promise to love your child with all our hearts to infinity and beyond.
As we move forward in this journey together, we want to make sure you share in your little one’s milestones. We commit to an open adoption where communication and love are always welcomed. Together, we will be an environment where love is chosen and the bonds of family go beyond blood.
With all the gratitude in our hearts, we thank you again for taking the time to get to know us. We hope you consider choosing to continue your journey with us.
All our love,
JOSHUA and ELMAR
