When I Came Around

My name is Karen, and I was born on July 4th, 1988. When I was born, my mother, Christine, was a teacher at Pinole valley High School in Rodeo, California, and she had an affair with one of her very young students. When Mom died in 2006, I found a box with my name it in the attic. In the box I found a picture of Mom with a young boy, maybe around 15 or 16, and on the back was an address in Oakland, California. I left my drunk stepfather, and my home, in Gainesville, Florida, and drove across the country to this address.

I met Adrienne Armstrong, her two sons, and her husband Billie, who was the boy in the photo. After one simple glance, Billie knew I was his daughter, the DNA test just confirmed it. I lived with the Armstrongs, got to know them, their family, and their friends. It was almost as if I had lived with them my entire life.

My story is full of many twists and turns, much love, some loss, and a lot of adventure.