Wow, that is quite the tale. I think it is pretty awesome that the adoption agency did a bunch of the leg work for you. I am sure part of it was because they knew the screwed up or the state messed up, but anyway. I look forward to reading more about your trip and the time you have been away from Hive. It sounds like it was a great refresher for you.
It was a great refresher for me. I am just happier when I am out 'seeing' things. I was able to use my Nikon for something other than a paperweight which also makes me happy.
The adoption agency sorta 'adopted' me. When my folks applied for my brother they ran me through a battery of tests to see that I was well adapted and progressing normally. So I have records there, even though I wasn't adopted through them. They have always been very good to me.
It probably helps that one of the founders of the agency was the one that tested me and she loved me. We stayed in touch until her death in the late 90s. I was three and she asked me what my shoes were made of. I told her I didn't know. Did she? Then I took a shoe off and handed to her so she could tell me :) She was a welcome guest at my parents house for the rest of her life...
That is pretty awesome. Social workers and that sort get a lot of bad press these days. It is nice to hear about one who did things right.