We met in Savannah, Georgia in 1997, while Victor was completing his residency and Angie was teaching middle school. At first, we thought we were just too different to be compatible. After all, Angie was from a small town in middle Georgia, was Baptist, Southern to the core, and a Braves fan! Victor was an Italian Catholic, big-city Yankee (yes, St. Louis is really in the Midwest, but when you’re from Georgia, well…), and a Cardinals fan to boot! We decided that we could at least be friends and enjoy some fun during baseball playoffs. It didn’t take long for us to determine that we really had a lot in common. We have incredible, close-knit families, share a strong belief in God, and were brought up with similar value systems. We were married on August 1, 1998 and moved to Missouri the next year.

We always planned for our family to include children, but after a few years it became evident that we weren’t going to become pregnant, so we started considering our options. Our choices came down to trying in-vitro fertilization or pursuing adoption. We decided that international adoption was the best answer for us. At Sunday Mass in St. Louis with Victor’s parents, we saw a white couple with an Asian baby. Angie looked at Victor with tears in her eyes, and he said, “Let’s do it.” It just so happened that the adoption agency we were interested in using, Children’s Hope International, was holding an informational meeting later that day. We went to the meeting, and our journey began…

One of the best things Angie has learned from Victor and his family is a love for animals. She had outdoor pets growing up, but never indoor animals that were part of the family. Our family includes our two cats, Rocki and Jake, and our dog Maggie. Victor rescued Rocki from the Humane Society in Savannah, Georgia when she was ten months old. She is the matriarch of the animals, and will be 11 in September 2006. Jake was adopted from a rescue group in Missouri when he was a few months old and is now two and a half. Maggie has been a true joy for the family. She was rescued at 7 weeks old from the Humane Society, and will turn two in September 2006. Maggie and Jake have become best buddies.

Our immediate family also includes Victor’s parents and twin brother and sister-in-law in St. Louis, Missouri, and Angie’s parents in Milledgeville, Georgia. We are all anxiously awaiting the addition of Becca to our family. She will be the only grandchild on both sides of the family!