Vinny & Felicia

Felicia and Vinny met in December 2008 through a mutual friend in Murfreesboro, TN. Vinny was a Murfreesboro native and Felicia had moved there two years prior from Jackson, TN. After a month of dating, we began a relationship.

After several years of dating we moved in together in August 2013 and began to become solidified as a long-term couple. After graduating with a Master’s degree, Vinny soon after proposed to Felicia in December 2015.

With several years of co-habiting we knew we didn’t need a long engagement. We married in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado in July 2016. Naturally, we began discussing children soon after marriage.

However, Felicia has a younger brother with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a debilitating muscle disease that leads to chronic pain, loss of mobility, and premature death. After genetic testing in November 2016, Felicia was diagnosed as a carrier of DMD. Meaning she could pass the disease on to a son, making it too risky to have biological children.

During that time, we began discussing adoption to build our family. Since 2016, we began working toward the position to be able to start a family. In 2018, we bought our first house to free up money from expensive rent. In 2021, Vinny obtained a job that provides great health insurance, benefits, work life balance, and pay. In late 2022, Felicia transferred to a local library branch closer to our home. Working part-time will make it an easier transition to become a stay-at-home mom to provide complete childcare for our adopted child.

So here we are! You’re looking at over 7 years of preparation to be financially, emotionally, and physically prepared so we can truly be good parents to our child. We’re "slow and steady wins the race" kind of people. Our life goals are to live simply and focus on the love and warmth a household can generate when it’s not focused on things, but instead on family, quality time, and most importantly, unconditional love.