We are a multicultural family. My husband was born and raised in Wisconsin, and his ancestors are from Germany, Poland and Belgium. His great-grandparents emigrated from Germany four generations ago. I was born in the U.S., as my parents moved to the mainland from Puerto Rico before I was born.

I remember when our older son Gabriel was just a few weeks old. I used to wrap him up snugly inside the baby wrap and walk around our neighborhood until he fell asleep. I think he loved hearing the sounds of the leaves in the wind, the cars slowly driving by and the smell of fresh air.

Several years ago, I heard a very inspiring speaker share part of his life story along with his groundbreaking work in urban farming at an agricultural conference here in Wisconsin. I was profoundly impacted by his view on agriculture, culture, politics, economics and how all of these play a role in the success of our communities. Not too long after our first son Gabriel's birth, I realized that Milwaukee was the home of the speaker I heard years ago: Will Allen of Growing Power. We finally were able to adventure there as a family this September!