July 13, 2012 is the day my life changed forever and for the better. It felt like a dream. Even though I was only four years old, not really knowing everything about what was going on, I remember that day. I remember where I was and the gift I got.  That day my brother, my sister, and I finally got welcomed into a couple’s home permanently. This couple became my fathers—Angel and Dennis. Now, eleven years later, seeing the city courthouse feels unreal. It gives me flashbacks. I see little me running up and down the courthouse stairs and laughing with joy because I was gaining a permanent family.

Before I was adopted, me and my siblings were in a foster home. I hated it. We hated it. Kids screaming, hitting each other, foster parents yelling at all the children for the littlest things. We got hit for the littlest things. The foster mother would let her biological kids yell at us. I remember eating a filled bowl of cereal in bed and spilt a little bit of my cereal, the foster mom saw, yelled and hit me. I remember the foster mother would let the little kids hit each other and pull each other's hair. Kids would always pull my hair and hit my head. I'm guessing that's why I’m so tender headed now and absolutely hate when people pull my hair. I will NEVER in my life ever give those people in the foster home the label of “my family.” Living in the foster home sucked, but without being in THAT specific foster home, I don’t think I would be where I’m at today. As much as I hate to say this, I’m glad I went through all that hell because the outcome was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

Coming to my new home I felt so much joy. I had never had the feeling of having parents in this way, and I had this feeling with my dads. It felt as if I had been with my dads since birth. I felt so much love from both of them. They accepted me as their child even before the adoption was finalized, when they would pick me and my siblings up from the foster care and take us out for a day and do fun things with us. Their family felt like a true family to me, even everyone outside of my dads like my aunts, uncles and cousins accepted us as their family and as if we weren’t new to the family. It was like we knew this family all our lives since we were born. Home with my dads was a place I could genuinely call Home.

Growing up some classmates seemed to be bothered that I had two dads.  But my family is just a normal regular family. Not just normal, but wonderful. Growing up my brother, sister and my parents and I always hung out with each other all the time. We played Nintendo WII and card games, cooked and baked, and we went to the beach together. Having two dads that I can call my heroes felt and still feels amazing and unreal. Being able to feel accepted by two loving parents is the best feeling in the world.

When I was eight years old, unfortunately my dads separated and got divorced. I remember the day one of my dads left. I thought I would never see him again and that day made me feel like I was losing a part of myself. I was scared that he would never come see me or my siblings again and I thought he was gone forever, luckily that was not the case. Now I live with my father Angel and his new partner. My other father Dennis lives in New York with his fiancé. I love his fiancé and I love that my father has someone to take care of him when we, his kids are far away. Every school vacation my dad in New York drives up to pick me up so that I can spend some time with him.

Even though my life has changed in many ways since the day I was first adopted. I still love everyone that gave me this life and I will never forget that first day. There will never be a day where I wish that my life story was different. My fathers—Angel and Dennis—will be my fathers and family for eternity.

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