Adopted To A New Life

Arizona is my home, but it's not where I began my life. Eighteen years ago, a young, single mother-to-be found herself in a daunting situation. Knowing that she could not provide for me financially, she selflessly placed me in an orphanage at birth, hoping that I would one day have a chance at a promising future as an adoptee. Little did she know that five months later, I was going to be placed with forever parents and a sister, in Chandler, Arizona. I now had a family that would love me always!

When I was adopted, I was to become the second daughter of Lee and Jayne Hendrickson and the younger sister to Jenny. Flagstaff has been our home for over eight years now, and of the three places I have lived in my life, it is definitely my favorite.

Flagstaff? Why do I feel so connected to this great city? As a little girl, I enjoyed the swimming pools in Chandler, and friends I made when we lived in Texas for four years, and then back to Arizona. Flagstaff is special to me because of many things, the climate: four seasons, snowboarding, skiing, snowball fights and sliding down Mars Hill. I love the smell of pines and the fresh, clean air...the changing leaves in the fall and the crispy crunch of pinecones at my feet. I like the location of Flagstaff, too. It's only about 2 1/2 hours north of Phoenix and about 7 hours to San Diego, maybe 7 hours to the beaches of Rocky Point, Mexico and let’s not forget the Grand Canyon, which is about 80 miles from where I live.

During my years playing volleyball in high school, it was always great to go away on road trips and be known as the Flagstaff Team. Saying I was from Flagstaff sometimes seemed to make opposing teams just a little bit envious, or at least I thought so. I was proud of my high school, (one of three high schools in town) and my team; we were just as tough as any team in the state, despite our size. Flagstaff, with the beautiful San Francisco Peaks, where the Arizona Snow Bowl is located, brings in many skiers from the Valley of the Sun and surrounding cities.

In the summertime, thousands of tourists pass through my city on their way to see the sights of the Grand Canyon, many of them driving along Route 66 and then exiting. The beautiful and well-respected Northern Arizona University is also in our city. It is so popular with students (especially those that want to escape the heat of the “Valley” that this year there is an actual dormitory shortage). My well-meaning parents wanted me to try living life away from home the first year of college, as they both did, and so far, I guess it has been a good idea, living with my best friend Acacia. I can see the usefulness of this idea, but someday I will be attending college at Northern Arizona University.

Yes, I am so lucky to live in Flagstaff. I have made long-lasting friendships here and was taught in the public school system since I was nine years old. As I begin college, majoring in Psychology, I feel lucky to experience the best of both worlds, the heat and the snow. If you have never been to Flagstaff, I think you should visit. There are a lot of shops and different places to eat to the appeal to all tastes, lots of hiking trails to explore in the winter and the summer, and there is always a concert or game going on at the college. I think you would like it here...who knows? You may want to call it your home too.