James and Cliff

Hello! We’re James and Cliff. Thanks for taking the time to get to know us! We live in Hawai’i and feel incredibly lucky to call the islands our home, given their rich culture and deep connection to nature. We are honored and excited to grow our family through open adoption.

We met in 2015 in Chicago and quickly knew we had something special. What started as a few dates turned into building a life together: jogging and biking along the lakeshore, exploring the city’s restaurants and arts, supporting each other through graduate school and career changes, and eventually making the move to Hawai’i in 2018 when Cliff accepted a job here. We were married in 2020 and celebrated with our loved ones in 2022.

Our backgrounds are what make our family special. Cliff was born in the Philippines and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a large Filipino family, where gatherings, food, and caring for one another were just part of everyday life. James was born in Brazil and raised in Texas and Florida in a Brazilian-American household with the same spirit of togetherness. Those roots continue to shape how we see the world and the kind of home we want to create.

We work in careers we find deeply meaningful. James is a scientist working to develop greener, more efficient materials like metals, and Cliff is a social work professor who focuses on behavioral health and community advocacy. Outside of work, Cliff loves tending to our backyard garden, cooking, and bringing people together, while James is happiest on a long run, playing video games, or settling in for a movie night. Together, we love trying new restaurants, traveling, and spending time with family, friends, and our dogs (Flan and Pia), who keep life fun and full.

Family connections mean everything to us. Cliff grew up helping care for many cousins, and James has been a hands-on uncle to his niece and nephew. These relationships have shown us how meaningful it is to show up for a child, through the big moments and the ordinary ones. Cliff’s parents have lived in the Vancouver, Washington area for the past few decades, and we visit often, exploring the sights and sounds from the mountains to the coast. Trips to visit family in the Pacific Northwest are something we genuinely treasure and can’t wait to share with a child one day.

We are so excited to become parents. We hope to raise a child who feels safe being exactly who they are, encouraged to explore whatever lights them up, and surrounded by love and support every step of the way: family dinners, weekend adventures, after-school activities, holiday traditions, and all the quiet moments in between.

For our open adoption, we believe a child’s birth family is an important part of their story, and ours. We are committed to building a relationship that feels comfortable, honest, and supportive for everyone involved, whether through visits, communication, or shared updates. Our biggest hope is that our child grows up knowing where they come from and feeling loved by all the people in their corner.

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us. We look forward to the possibility of connecting with you.
With gratitude and aloha, James & Cliff