About Us
The moment we met, we knew the connection was real. Over many romantic dinners (cooked by Andrew), we made the decision to marry, leave Australia and start our lives together in the United States.

We have been married 12 years and our love for each other continues to grow stronger through every day. We are not only husband and wife but also best friends. We love our time together, whether it is quietly at home cooking dinner, taking a long bike ride, hiking, playing tennis, or spending the day with our family or friends. We also love to travel and have been too many different parts of the world. In fact, it was through our travels that we met in 1995 in Australia where Andrew was working as a chef and Juliana was exploring the beauty of the country.

From the beginning of our marriage, there was never a question that our life together would include children. We even discussed adoption prior to knowing that we would be unable to have a child by birth. We are fortunate to have many examples of adoption in our family. Both of our families have adopted children, Andrew’s niece, Juliana’s brother and her mother was also adopted. We understand that family is not reserved to blood relations but through the love and trust you build.

Our family also includes two dogs. Kiko is a 10-year-old golden retriever, Buddy is a 9-year-old mixed breed rescue dog. They have been around lots of kids and love children! We both grew up with animals and look forward to raising a child with pets.

We moved to Southern California 6 years ago to be near Juliana’s family and pursue our goal of owning our own restaurant. Juliana is the youngest of three kids with 2 older brothers. Her family lives 15 minutes away, we see them at least once a week and talk almost daily. Her mom and dad can’t wait to have another grandchild. They will be very involved with this child. Like Juliana, Andrew is also the youngest of three with two older brothers. Unfortunately, Andrew no longer has parents to share in our joy but we maintain a close bond with his brothers and their children.

Owning our own restaurant has given us a lot of flexibility and financial security. We close the restaurant every summer for 6 weeks. Each summer we pick a new place to visit, often friends and family join us on our vacation. We cannot wait to share these experiences and the joy and appreciation for different cultures and exploring the United States.

We are very active in our community both through our business and through our love of sports. We really enjoy playing tennis and golf at our local tennis club and hiking and sking in the surrounding mountains . It is through these activities that we have met and developed strong friendships. Several of our close friends have also recently adopted and have shared their joy with us.

About Juliana, (Written by Andrew)
It is so easy for me to describe Juliana, apart from being an incredibly loving wife she is undoubtedly my best friend.

When I met Juliana I was immediately taken by her beautiful blue eyes and her cute American accent but I quickly discovered her openness and energetic personality. She is the kind of person who makes you feel like you have known her forever. Juliana is sensitive, warm and is very witty. She is extremely passionate about anything she puts her mind to; she is very smart, business savvy and social. We moved to our community 6 years ago and I am pretty sure that she knows nearly everybody. She is really friendly and loves to chat with everyone.

I love playing sports with Juliana; she is a great athlete and I am really proud to say she is one of the best tennis players at our club. She also really enjoys hiking and all water sports. The other side of Juliana is that she loves old movies; the I Love Lucy Show is her favorite, a good book and baking at home. I can’t wait to see her making her Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast, Easter baskets and her grandmothers chocolate drop cookies with a little helper by her side.

About Andrew (written by Juliana)
Recently I was asked by the local paper who is my mentor and why, that was very easy for me to answer. My husband Andrew is my mentor and best friend.

Andrew is from a small village in the north of England and is the youngest of 3 boys. He always had a passion for cooking (and soccer) and wanted to become a great chef. To accomplish this, he delivered milk to homes early each morning before going to school to help pay his way to London and culinary school. Between his hard work and creative ability he has accomplished this dream. I really admire the drive and determination it took for a young boy to work so tirelessly to achieve his goals and dreams, that is why he will always be my mentor.

Aside from his obvious commitment to his work, Andrew is passionate about many things in life and everything he does. He really enjoys the outdoors, his favorite pastimes are tennis, racquet ball, and cycling and he loves boating. And like so many English people he has an intense passion for his favorite British soccer team. He is genuine, smart, affectionate, respectful, always makes people laugh (especially me) and his sparkling blue eyes aren’t too bad to look at either!

The best thing about Andrew is his enormous heart. I know without a doubt how much he loves me and I know how excited he is about becoming a father. He has said many times that he can’t wait to give back to a child everything that his stepfather gave to him, unconditional love, caring, support and to make a child feel like the most special person in the world.

Our Promise
We are very affectionate and we long for the joy of being parents. We look forward to introducing a child to our own childhood traditions as well as establishing new family rituals. We will ensure that their interests and talents whatever they may be are nurtured. We look forward to traveling, and cheering him or her on in sports and other activities.

We promise to provide a loving, nurturing, and stable home full of fun and laughter. We will devote ourselves to raising a child who knows love and who learns to treat others with compassion and respect. We will provide an environment full of opportunities for exploration, education and creativity, so they can become the person they want to be and build a fulfilling and stable future. We want you to always know that he or she will always be safe, happy and loved. We admire and respect the courage it takes to consider adoption, and we would be honored if you thought of us as possible parents for your child. If you would like to learn more about us or speak to us on the phone, please contact Cindy at A Loving Alternative, 800-556-5635.

With respect,
Andrew and Juliana