SISTERS!!!!!!! SWEET!!!!!!!!!!

For over 22 years I have been searching for my biological mother off and on. Sometimes seriously sometimes casually but it was always on my mind.
I tried going to the highschools in the area and looking at yearbooks for a blonde female with the right last name. I emailed the librarians (and some students) at all the highschools in ventura county and asked them to look thru their yearbooks for me. I tried petitioning the adoption agency and courts. I posted on lots of adoption search and find sites on the internet. OnceI went to the LDS family center to look thru their records. I even took a 4 hour ride on a train once to go to someones house to look thru their copy of the birth certificates on microfilm.

So how did I finally find them? Talk about simple. I wrote a letter from my adopted mother to a judge in Ventura County asking for all of the court documents pertaining to the adoption of my adult child. Then I had my mom get it notarized and mailed it off. 3 weeks later I had a copy of all the court documents including the ones that my biological mother signed! When I wrote to the same court a few years back I was told the records were searled. DUH!

The paperwork showed up while my family and I were on vacation in California for Christmas. So I actually got it on New Years Eve when we got home. By New Years Day I was fairly certain that we had found the right person in Las Vegas, Nevada. Patricia suggested that I let her call first and smooth the way for me. And as excited as I was I was also terrified so I told her to go ahead. So for 7 days I waited impatiently as Patricia called and called but got no where. Finally on January 8th I could take it no more and wrote a short letter to the lady telling her who I was and who I thought she was, with all my contact info and I sent it FedEx priority overnight. The next morning when I got to work I tracked it and knew as soon as it had been delivered. Then I just held my breath waiting for my home to ring. Well good thing I can hold my breath for a long time because my phone didn't ring until lunch time! I can only guess at the chaos I caused in her world that day!

I'll never forget that first phone call! My cellphone rang and it said Las Vegas next to the number, I knew who it was and almost couldn't answer it. What do I say? How should I answer it? Should I let it go to voicemail in case its bad news and then call back if its good? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA the Stress! Finally after a couple rings I just opened it and said "This is Jane..." The voice on the other end said "Hi Jane this is Stepheny" My heart felt like it was gonna explode! I asked "So did I find the right person?" and I finally heard the answer I have been waiting over 20 years for "YES!" I almost cried.

But then I really didn't know what to say and to be honest I don't remember alot of the rest of the conversation. But I do remember the part that changed my life the most. Stepheny said something about my 2 sisters being there at her house right now and I said "I have 2 half sisters?" She said "Oh... no, Your father was Elliot (Butch) McDowell and we got married 6 months after you were born and had 3 more kids together before we split up. You have a younger brother and 2 younger sisters." NO SHIT! SWEET, I always wanted a sister and now I have 2!

So then my youngest sister Cindy got on the phone and we haven't stopped talking yet! We either talk or text everyday.