14.

How crazy life can be.

Two weeks have passed. I have talked to Hank almost every day. If I haven't talked to Hank, I have talked to Hank's wife Maura, or B. Amy and Chip have called a couple times, and I've talked to Jackie a few times as well. I emailed Hank's mom last night; I haven't spoken to her much since this all started, just to catch up.

John and I bought a house a few days after the last post. So life has been new levels of crazy, but for once, it's good crazy. Our house is beautiful and we move in five weeks (pending nothing catastrophic happens).

Yesterday was another big day. I go on Ancestry every now and again to see if anyone new has popped up. I had a "cousin" pop up back in November on Anne's side, but I haven't been able to connect with him yet. I've recently given up social media for Lent (not religious anymore, but I was raised Catholic. Seemed like a good time to take a break), so Ancestry and Reddit have had some higher than normal levels of traffic from me.

A new cousin appeared on my match - new as of that day, and also on Anne's side of the family. So I sent my regular email, very nondescript and not threatening. I wasn't sure I'd hear back from her. I'm apprehensive, but I feel so much stronger this time.

Of course I internet researched her to the best of my ability, and it turns out she is close with the same people I already have names for, so I was excited. While I was researching her, I found out that Hank's other daughter, Rebecca, had reached out to me on Facebook. Since I've been away from social media for almost two weeks, I didn't know. I slipped onto Facebook to accept her friend request, and sent her a message.

We talked for a while yesterday. She, like her sister, is so sweet and kind. While B and I look similar, Rebecca and I seem to have more in common. She is a scientist, and she and I talked about that for a bit. She studies engineering and physics, and we giggled over our parents' lack of knowledge about FaceTime. I'm so happy she reached out, and I look forward to now having a couple half sisters to get to know.

So I'm riding this wave of happiness knowing that Rebecca reached out, things are moving along on our new home, and I'm just happy. That's when I noticed my cousin had responded to my message. She listed some family names, and I told her I recognized the names, but I'm adopted. She and I share great-grandparents. Her grandfather was my grandfather's brother. I told her a little bit about my background, and she related that she knows Anne, but is closer with Anne's mother. She asked if she could talk to her family about me. I fear causing a rift in her family, so I gave her the highlight reel of my story so she would have a little background before having any major conversations. Of course, she didn't know about me, and I tried to explain that I was a pretty guarded secret back in the 80's. She is only a couple years younger than me, but she was very excited and happy to know me. I look forward to getting to know this side of the family, as she is the first person on this side I have knowingly had a conversation with.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!