This is where I came from - Initial visual aspects at least!!

There has to be a reason I ended up in Auckland - Never thought I'd ever make it back to living in NZ, but this side of the world was always going to be home eventually...(it was meant to be Sydney, which had been the closest to home previously, with a great deal of my "family" group developing there).

I didn't quite get to meet Isobel unfortunately, but Trish her best friend, and now another part of my crew, has made sure I got all necessary to know her - My whole life I've been called everything from some skinny (but fun lol) kid Ferris Bueller, Maori, Greek, Lebanese etc etc, but in all honesty I never quite saw it?! When they sent me the first pic I kinda knew then, but after hearing all the stories, and receiving 5 cases and boxes of images and letters, it all fell into place. Three days of "scrapbooking" to learn a little only, of a life that mine follows really closely - it's quite bizarre in fact how close, but those are more stories for another moment or few in this little piece of me... btw have to say she had the looks too... (obviously they were passed down also lol!)

Reality is, it seems that it's not just the physical attributes we garner from the generation prior, but now I know that my being in general owes a lot to the fun loving, adventuresome woman pictured, who had me at a time when life meant you had to live with (and pay for) your mistakes - these days the govt has recognised that all doesn't necessarily follow the storybook line, and some Mum's do need a little help to get by.... my heart goes out to all those others who feel the need to know, and don't get the same opportunity I did to "find" their roots, but it's only a part of y'all, and inside you still know yourself best - now to show that "best" to all you hope to!

Last, but by no means least, I have to speak on the "growing up" I actually got to have - I grew up with the best Mum and Dad 4 adopted brats could hope for that I love dearly and am thankful for every day, a lifestyle many would dream of ( not financially necessarily ), and got all we needed and more, to grow into people they'd be proud of - I have to hope that's the case, they never let us think otherwise eh! (more of that, and them, to come!)