DNA Diaries

hello all, this is my first blog and i am not too familiar with how this all goes, so bear with me.

before i go much further, i want to send out my most sincere thanks to gershom and jane, the two of you have proven to be the most amazing friends. without your guidence and support lori and i would still be mucking around in the cyber-world. sending you much love. >>mmwa<<

let me give you some background on myself. i am Rachael, daughter, mother, sister, aunt. a simple factory rat trying to make a life for my family and still after almost 36 years trying to put myself in my niche in the world. in other words, just like you probably.

by the way, did i mention i am an adoptee? i was adopted practically at birth, i believe mom and dad said i was about 6 weeks when i came home. a mop of hair on my head and a clear personality already. i was more than they bargained for, but that is another story i will save for later.

Lori was a young teen from a troubled family. i will let her share her story, it is hers after all. but i will say, from where she came from the fact that she is the strong, passionate, sane woman is amazing. she met my bfather young and fell head over heels for him. he was a wild Vietnam vet with a dark side. but they loved each other. more than either of them probably realized at the time.
i think they were both looking for someone to accept them as they were, no hidden agendas, no expectations, no fronts. just each of them being who they were. and with one another they found that. then *poof* along came me.

i have always known i was adopted, it was never hidden from me. there was no one day i found out, no "gotcha day" celebrations, no grand commotion to remind me i was adopted. i was just me. adoption was and is just a part of who i am. same as my broad hands and unique nose.
i was raised in the closest thing to the 'leave it to beaver' household the real world had to offer. dad worked, mom stayed home and ran the house. i had my own room, we had a pool, lots of room to play, several pets and a comfortable home. we went to church every Sunday, were active in the 4H program and were just a normal family. i had one sister (their biological). just 'normal'.

except for me. i was not like them. i was wild, loud, rock and roll and black leather. they were quiet, never rocked the boat, fine upstanding citizens. very country. they honestly thought i was crazy. maybe i was. maybe i am, who can truly say? but i was definitely a square peg in a round hole. they loved me, supported me, but simply didn't understand me. overall, i had a wonderful life.
i am not angry about my adoption, i harbor no hard feelings or pain toward Lori or my bfather. i actually love them even more for what they gave me. their lives at the time of my birth was no place to raise a child. they saw that and what would almost certainly become of me and they chose to stop that. they gave me more than just the blood in my veins and air in my lungs, they gave me a chance. one that not many get, and even fewer have work in their favor.
at times i feel i am the luckiest woman on earth. i have 4 parents that love me, would sacrifice for me and think the world of me. forgive me if i gloat, i honestly appreciate what i have and know how it could have been. sometimes the underdog really does come out on top.

i will write more later. as of right now, i am exhausted. work is at full tilt and i am averaging 64-70 hours a week. i am currently at week with no days off. my children think i am just a figment of their imagination. so for now i must sleep.

thank you all for checking in. i hope you find our story interesting and return. so until that time, live life and enjoy!

-Rachael