Where to start…
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Cayuga Creek - Williamsville, New York |
I was ambitious last January and signed up
for both real estate classes and the Hello Soul Hello Business online course. I
did pretty well keeping up with both at first, but I just could not keep up the
level of attention needed in the Hello Soul Hello Business course. I am so
happy that a small group of us will be repeating the course again in 2013. After
quite a few court dates my divorce was finalized. I hit my 6 year of cancer survivorship. I participated in my first Balboa Island Art Walk, finished
three Real Estate courses and passed my CA Real Estate test. I now have my salesperson
license. I entered the dating world, that could be another blog in and of
itself! I have been going country line dancing and learning the two step… I love
it. My work was published in the OC Register. I collected my 6th
strand of pink beads at the Komen Race for the Cure. I joined the group Women
Helping One Another and I have met an amazing group of creative women. I completed
20 hours of continuing education credits for the renewal of my California
Interior Designer Certification. I went to my first Medium… so interesting. I
have met so many new people and many have become good friends already. I have
reconnected with some old friends that either I lost touch with or we drifted
apart. My tumor markers are still normal… a big cheer for that news. My son has
adjusted to middle school fairly well.
The biggest and probably the most positive experience of the
year has been finding and meeting Nina’s Birth Mother. Nina and I had a
wonderful trip back East in October. I was so happy to be back for the Autumn
colors and a chance to meet up with some friends. Eat the great Buffalo food
that I miss and visit Williamsville and our old home there.
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Our former home circa 1900... |
So many people expressed how nervous they were for both of
us. There are so many bad stories of children meeting their Birth Parents. I
was nervous about finding her Birth Mother until I read that she had never forgotten
about her and had been searching for a few years to find Nina. Literally at
that moment all my fear subsided and it was just pure excitement.
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The Honorable Judge Mattina and our Attorney Joe Matteliano |
The day we went to court to sign the adoption papers and take an oath before Judge Mattina, he told us that Nina’s Birth Mother was a
beautiful sweet girl. He was so right. Melanie is a beautiful sweet woman now. She
made a difficult, self-sacrificing decision to place her baby for adoption… I
am so thankful she chose us. I will leave you with the first meeting of Birth
Mother and Birth Daughter after 19 years… Enjoy and bring on 2013!