Our family is composed of Basti, who is 49, and Lucy, who is 44. We have been together for over four years and recently got married this year. Basti has three older biological children from a previous relationship: Bryan, who is 31; Hildaliz, who is 27; and Kevin, who is 24 and soon will become a dad himself.

Family is the heart of our lives, and we treasure every moment we can spend together. To us, family means everything—it’s where we find joy, laughter, and love. During the week, we stay busy with our full-time jobs, caring for our home, and doting on our fur babies. But when the weekend arrives, we slow down and savor the simple pleasures: sleeping in, sharing breakfast in bed, attending church, and discovering new restaurants. Whether we’re swimming, boating, shopping, exploring new places, or trying new foods, what matters most is being together. A new family tradition is finding new spots to visit or restaurants to try found on TikTok.

Basti is from Puerto Rico, her mother, Genoveva, and two older sisters, Nancy and Viviana, still live in Puerto Rico. Her younger sister Jessica lives in WI. Lucy’s family is from Guatemala City, Guatemala although Lucy was raised in Los Angeles, CA. Her mother, Aracely, and younger brother, Oscar, live in Florida.

We are a very family-oriented couple who enjoy celebrating all holidays and look for any excuse to gather as one big, happy family. Between both of our families, we have over 100 cousins spread across various states and countries—too many to keep track of!

During the holidays, we enjoy visiting our extended families and sharing new experiences together. In Puerto Rico during Christmas, we go from home to home signing Spanish Christmas carols which we call “a parranda”. We start in the designated home with guitars, maracas, drums and our voices of course and we sing throughout the night. In Guatemala we celebrate Christmas on the 24th and we open our gifts after the midnight service. We then party until the following day, and the kids stay up playing with their gifts.

We live in a suburb of Tampa, our single-story home spans 1,441 square feet and features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a pool, a two-car garage, and a beautifully maintained green yard.

While we reside within city limits, our little town has a charming, countryside feel rather than that of a bustling city. However, if we ever crave city life, we can easily drive to Tampa, Ocala, or even Orlando, which is not that far from us.

Our community is quiet and welcoming; we love taking our dogs out for walks throughout the day. Our fur babies named Chief, a six-year-old Westie, and Sadie, a 4 month old mini Goldendoodle enjoy saying hi to all the neighbors. Children can often be seen playing and riding their bikes around the neighborhood, which was one of the reasons we chose to move here.
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We are proud of our Latino heritage, which is deeply rooted in faith, family, and traditions. Spanish is our preferred language at home, though we’re fluent in English, and we often mix both—it makes conversations lively and fun! Whether it’s a holiday or simply an excuse to be together, sharing delicious meals, decorating, and of course, dancing. Our gatherings are full of laughter and joy, and they often last for hours because we truly enjoy each other’s company.

If a child was to come from a different culture or background, we would embrace that wholeheartedly. We’d learn about their traditions and incorporate them into ours because we want them to feel fully accepted and celebrated. For us, family means growing together, honoring differences, and loving without limits.