MikeandMargaret
Hello!
It is nice to meet you! We are Mike and Margaret, and we want to start out by letting you know how grateful we are that you are taking time to read about us.
We genuinely admire the strength, bravery and selflessness you have to begin this journey. You have our support and prayers as you continue the path. We cannot begin to understand what it’s like, but we pray that you have peace and certainty in all the choices you’ll be making.
This book is just a snapshot of our lives, but we hope that it gives you a clear picture of the love, safety, stability and fun we know we can offer as parents.
Our Story
Despite growing up just two miles away from one another in metro-Atlanta, we didn’t meet until a night out with friends in October of 2010. We began dating just a few months later and knew early on we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives. We got engaged on our one year dating anniversary, and tied the knot on April 14, 2013.
Our first picture together Mike’s college graduation 2011
Our wedding reception
The night we got engaged
Why Adoption?
From the early stages of our relationship, we knew we wanted to have a family someday. It was a strong value we shared. However, I (Margaret) was born with a rare heart condition. It had always been manageable in my youth, but that changed and I underwent open heart surgery. Thanks to modern medicine and a great team, I am strong and have a normal life expectancy. However, my cardiologists made it clear that pregnancy would be too high risk for me.
That did not deter us from our dream of one day having a child to love and cherish. Adoption is the path we know is right for us.
Love is what makes a family, not just biology!
Mike was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Georgia when he was two and a half, and he has lived here ever since. Mike graduated from college with a degree in communications in 2011. He currently works in logistics and has been in his position for many years. In his free time, Mike loves to work out and run. He has completed five marathons since 2020, as well as multiple half-marathons, trail races and obstacle course races. Mike is also a devout Catholic and serves on the Knights of Columbus, a church group that assists with various Mass duties and serves the community.
Meet Mike
Running a 10K in the cold
Volunteering at children’s camp
Age two
At the beach
Meet Mike IN MARGARET’S WORDS
Mike is the most genuine and earnest man anyone could ever imagine. That’s one of the first things that attracted me to him emotionally. He is always growing and learning about subjects that interest him, like his faith, philosophy, science and history. Mike is thoughtful, loyal and reliable. He is so patient and has the biggest heart. He’s the kind of guy who makes friends easily, and keeps friends for decades. Being married to him is an incredible blessing. I know that as a father, he would be involved, caring, protective, fun, and an excellent role model.
Meet Margaret
Margaret was born in Atlanta, and has lived in the metro area for her entire life. She has worked in undergraduate admissions for two major universities, and has been in the field for fourteen years. In her spare time, Margaret loves to do home decor and renovation projects. She has made over almost the entire house! She also loves attending concerts, going to movies and competing in trivia nights. Margaret is a strong Christian and served as a children’s Sunday school teacher for many years in the past.
At the Barbie movie
The Eras Tour
Age three
Christmas 2024
Margaret is the most wonderful person I have ever known. She is an absolute joy to be around. Her smile lights up the room, and her sense of humor fills our lives with fun and laughter. Margaret is kind, caring, and compassionate. She always supports my goals, cares for me when I’m sick, and always wants to help me with any struggle I may face. I love seeing her creative side as well, which she uses a lot for home projects that we have done together. She has always been loving and affectionate towards our pets, and has done a great job caring for them. Margaret is loyal and dedicated, and always there for her friends and family. I know she will be an amazing mother.
IN MIKE’S WORDS Meet Margaret
Things We Love
Celebrating holidays
Unique, immersive events, especially for TV shows!
Traveling
Attending Sporting Events
New York City
Disney World
Meet Bear
Bear is our sweet, precious dog. He is now ten years old, but forever a puppy at heart.
Bear is a terrier mix, so he has always had a lot of energy! We adopted him when he was only eight weeks old from the Humane Society. He loves to play fetch, go for walks, and bark at as many things he can out the window. Much like his mommy, Bear is VERY scared of bees and wasps, and will often freeze or move to the other side of the street when he encounters them on a walk. After a long day of patrolling the neighborhood and getting the zoomies, he loves to snuggle on our laps and take a good nap.
In Memoriam
MEET MARCO AND POLO
Marco and Polo were our beloved tuxedo cats. We wanted to include them because they taught us so much about caring for helpless ones. They were born in 2009 and were adopted at 4 months old from the humane society before I (Margaret) had even met Mike. They took to him immediately once he entered my life. They were litter mates available to adopt together, and I am so glad I kept them together. These two were best friends and were genuinely so sweet. They loved nothing more than cuddling with us or each other, getting cat nip, and eating.
As they aged and had various health issues, we stopped at nothing to do whatever they needed to feel comfortable, safe and loved. This included administering medicine twice daily, vet visits in the middle of the night, and even the use of cat diapers towards the end. Figuring out exactly how to help them strengthened our marriage and our teamwork. They prepared us for parenthood more than they could ever possibly understand. They each lived to their expected age, Polo at 14, Marco at 15. We keep their pictures framed all around our house. We loved them so much, and miss them daily.
Polo
Marco
Our Home
Our home is a three bedroom, two and a half bath traditional two story house. It was built in 2006, and we purchased it in 2019. We absolutely loved the amount of natural light that it gets, especially downstairs. The previous owners did a fantastic job taking care of the house and left a great canvas for us to put our own touch on things. Our neighborhood is small, but diverse. There are families with small children, families with teens older retired couples, and a few college students spread throughout. Every day, you ’ re bound to see people walking their dogs, playing basketball, riding their bikes, jogging, or doing yard work. Our neighborhood is trying to do more community events, such as a Halloween party this past year in one of the picnic areas,
Our Community
Our neighborhood is close driving distance to many shops, restaurants, parks and trails. We love going to the downtown area and eating at local establishments and taking Bear to the park or trails to walk him. We’ve lived in this area for most of our lives and have watched it grow and thrive. What had always been a rather cookie-cutter, suburban town now has art galleries, places for families to listen to live music, a free summer concert series at the amphitheater, and family friendly movies shown on the green.
Meet Margaret’s Family
My family consists of my mom, my dad and my sister. They all live nearby and are very involved in our lives. My parents provided a fun and loving home for my sister and me growing up. My dad is a musician and my mom is a writer, so our home was always filled with the sound of a guitar being played or my mom typing away on a novel.
Despite separating and divorcing after I turned 19, my family still gets along quite well. My parents are both incredibly excited at the idea of welcoming a new family member, and my sister embodies the idea of “cool aunt”.
Meet Mike’s Family
My family plays a huge role in our lives. My father and mother divorced when I was five but we have a close relationship with both. My mom lives nearby . We see her regularly for family dinners and special occasions. My dad and step mom live out of state but we talk frequently and visit when we get the chance.
I have one brother, three half brothers and two step brothers. I visited them yearly growing up and stay in contact with them.
Our Friends
Our friends are a huge part of our life. We see them very often and talk almost daily. We have a very diverse group! We love going to trivia nights, escape rooms, having game nights, attending concerts, going out to eat, attending sporting events, and so much more. Literally never a dull moment with this crowd! Everyone has been so supportive of our journey through adoption.
Our closest married couple friends. Fun fact: they met each other at our wedding!
Proof that friends you make at work can become your real life friends.
These girls have been in Margaret’s life for 25 years. They are sisters that grew up across the street and have been close with us the entire time.
Super Bowl party
At a Falcons game
Atlanta United game
Our Promise to You
It is important that you know we take the roles of mother and father very seriously, and would forever provide a safe and loving environment for a child. They would always be supported in everything, taught to be an empathetic and caring person, and most importantly, to be confident in who they authentically are. We would always let them know where they came from and that they were loved and cherished all along. We are open to keeping you updated on their lives, if that is something you are open to as well. We want to thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us better, and considering us for this amazing honor.
With Love,
MikeandMargaret