Welcome! Meet:

Michael + Tiana

Consultant / Attorney

New York

Hispanic / African American

Jewish / Christian

All About Michael & Tiana
Video
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Michael & Tiana

We were married in September of 2021 after having dated for almost five years. At the time that we first met, Michael lived in New Jersey and Tiana lived in New York City. Tiana convinced Michael to move from New Jersey to Brooklyn, where Tiana has made her home for over 20 years. It helped that Michael was born in Brooklyn and had lived there for several years after graduating from college. Our small family unit consists of us and our dog Luna! Since living together in Brooklyn, we enjoy as many activities as possible. We like to go listen to music and try to attend concerts, shows, and performances in the park and all around New York City with friends and their children. We have not found a museum that we do not like. And in fact, we like to take long walks in different neighborhoods all over Brooklyn. One of our favorite places to go is the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which we visit several times a year with family and friends. We also have a very active social life where we are surrounded by family and friends, many of whom have small children. We look forward to playdates with our children, hanging at the playgrounds in our neighborhood and spending relaxing dinners and BBQs and picnics with our close friends and family members. Michael works primarily from home while Tiana commutes into the city for work. Tiana has met some of her best friends in law school and then in her career. They are her east coast family. Michael has friends all over the country from college and his sales consulting. We spend as much time with our friends and their families as we can.

Why Adoption?

Even before we were engaged and then married, we have always wanted to start a family together. Before we met each other, Tiana had undergone several egg freezing cycles for a time in the future when she would hopefully be able to fertilize the eggs and start a family. Unfortunately, after we were engaged we started the process of creating embryos that ultimately failed. Because of a variety of factors, we decided that our best path forward was adoption instead of trying to do another round of invitro-fertilization. We felt that there were people out there, such as yourself, who are strong and loving and would consider adoption as an option. Tiana and I have always wanted children together and it is important to both of us to be able to share ourselves and our lives with a young child. We hope to do so many of the things we grew up doing and the activities and cultures we have explored in childhood and beyond. We will always do our best for your child and cannot wait to share our lives with him or her.

Family & Home

We live in a brownstone building in Brooklyn, NY across from a park. We’re within 5 miles of Manhattan. It’s homey and welcoming. There are so many things to see and do where we live. In addition to the museums, theaters, parks, zoos, botanical gardens and restaurants that are nearby, the ocean is also less than an hour away as are the mountains. We take advantage of all of those things. We love to go see live music, hike through the woods and swim at the beach. Barely a week goes by without us getting together with friends and family. We also stay active in our community with Michael coaching little league baseball and Tiana facilitating and coordinating a charity event every year that raises money for a community-based organization and veteran groups. Tiana is very close to her parents and her younger brother. Although they are spread out a bit over the world (her parents and aunts and uncles and grandmother are in California while her brother is in Texas and her nephew is in Germany) they meet up somewhere in the country at least twice a year for family holidays and vacations. Michael, on the other hand, has two daughters from his first marriage who live and work in the city and who we see almost every week. Being born and raised in New York, Michael’s siblings remain nearby and we see his brother and sister and nieces and nephews regularly.

How others describe me

We always joke with each other that we are two halves of a whole. Tiana is kind, compassionate, loves organization and planning, is fiercely loyal to her friends and family and has a warm sense of humor. Michael, on the other hand, could best be described as spontaneous, full of life and character, who is always willing to laugh out loud and spread joy and happiness everywhere he goes. Between the two of us, our personalities, although different, means that Michael has great ideas for fun activities and wonderful outings to attend and Tiana makes sure that the car is packed up, the reservations are made and the snacks are in the cooler for the drive!

How We Met

We were introduced by a mutual friend, Tiana’s hair stylist who is also Michael’s client! One day, while Tiana was getting her hair done, her stylist, Kim, said “I know your next husband”. She said to Michael “I know your next wife.” Kim gave Michael Tiana’s phone number and he called. They spoke on the phone for two weeks before meeting for the first time. Tiana and Michael always joke that they had a long-distance relationship and were each “geographically undesirable” because when they started dating, Tiana lived in New York and Michael lived in New Jersey. Michael proposed on Christmas day in California with her parents, her brother Dorian, her sister-in-law Daniela and her nephew Elijah all there to share in the happy occasion.

Advice to Future Child

Trust your gut. Be adventurous. Be bold. Maintain your independence and freedom of thought. Find the humor in everything. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Read. Make lasting friendships. See what the world has to offer you. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or fail. Just keep trying.

"Live with Intention. Walk to the edge. Listen Hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Love as if that's all there is."

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Michael lives by this.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We have been lucky to personally know people who have been adopted by their parents and who have had the privilege to adopt children, including Michael, who was adopted by his father. With that information and insight, having an open adoption seemed the most natural action that we could take. We want our child to have a connection to their roots and to also enjoy new perspectives and traditions with our families and us. We want to be a source of knowledge and support for our child and having an open adoption, hopefully, will allow our child the comfort of growing up knowing where they came from and knowing how truly loved they are.

Favorites

Michael

Favorite Movie: Stand By Me
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: I love the traditions of Passover and Christmas. Since we observe both Christian and Jewish holidays, we get the best of both worlds.
Hobbies/Interests: I play softball and football. I coached little league last year.
Dream Vacation: travel throughout Europe
If I Could Choose a Superpower: Is preventing the world from being hungry a superpower?

Tiana

Favorite Movie: The Color Purple
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas is my favorite holiday. Every year we (my family) decorate the tree and the house to holiday music and sing along to all of the Christmas classics.
Hobbies/Interests: reading, travel, movies
Dream Vacation: traveling to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji
If I Could Choose a Superpower: to have people speak the truth