Well, it all starts off April 25, 1975 in Hollywood, FL at 8:33 am. I was given the name Leslie Sue King. My birhmother's name is Mari King, she is the daughter of the late Joyce H. King who died exactly one year after my birth of breast cancer. I was in the care of Joyce due the fact that my birth mother had a serious mental illness and I was taken away from her at birth and put into foster care. A few days later my maternal grandmother, Joyce, stepped forth and took me to live with her and her boyfriend, Ira Kingsley.
Prior to my grandmas death in 4/76 I lived with her and her boyfriend Ira Kingsly in a house in Astor, FL. After Joyce died I was left to Ira, who had grown to love me very much. He wanted to keep me in the family so he called his sister in St. Louis, Loreta Pardieck to come and see his little jewel he called Charlie. She came and fell in love with me and promised Ira she would take the very best care of me. So off we went to STL. But the adjustment was scary for me and I would always cry for Ira. This hurt my amother and she put me and my lamby on a plane and sent me back to FL with a huff. It wasnt long before she followed and brought me back. I was told this routine was repeated several times before I finally accepted my new mother.
My amom was 56 when she began the process to adopt me. She was told by her children and especially the courts that she was too old to keep me. For a short time she entertained the idea of her youngest daughter, Marianne who had just married adopting me. But after a while she put a stop to the plan, she just had to have me. When I was real little I thought adoption was a dirty word. It made me feel rejected and worst of all not part of my mother who I loved so much. Now as I look back I feel the most special when I think about that time in my life. I had three people loving me, wanting to adopt me and looking at what was in my best interest. I just wish I could have shared my recent discoveries with my mother before she died in 93.
During the nine year haul before I offically became Charlie Pardieck my amother went through many hard times. She lost her husband and had many medical problems. However she still managed to provide me with the very best and raised me to be a duplicate of herself, which was a very strong, independant, fire filled woman - one that can stand on her own nomatter what happended. In the future I will also be adding my mothers memorial to my site. Five years after her death, I have finally grown past feelings of guilt enough to search where I came from. Before I would have never heard of it. In fact I think if Marnie popped into my life prior to my amoms death, I would have laughed and her and gave her nothing but a polite thank you for giving me life. But one day I just felt it was time to search, as if my amom whispered in my ear, go ahead, its okay. Since then I have been blessed with online friendships such as that of my official Florida "Search Buddy", Deanna, who replyed to my post on Adoption.com when I first started. Also there has been my other sources guiding the way like, Jodi and look out every body! I have found the page of all pages the work on this page UNBELIEVEABLE-meet my new friend LIA. But hay! Dont forget to sign my book before you get all involved in Lia's place! Another break through for me was recently telling my sisters, Marianne and Carol about my search, who in turn extended their support and help. This was such a relief because I feared for such a long time that my desire to search would hurt them and they would say I was going against my mother.
UPDATE 9/4/98:
I received the death certificut of Joyce H. King. This is a major turning point in my search and I am very pleased. When I first began my search I traced a Joyce King that turned out not to be my grandmother, and it was very disheartening. (Kind of how I accidently deleated my webpage just right after I got it perfect!!)Finding the right Joyce King was made possible when I joined the VSN , there I was able to meet many kind people who wanted to help me. One of the volunteers, Cindy is the search angel who actually did the legwork and found the right Joyce for me. When she sent me the e-mail I was in tears and my hands were shaking, I felt like it was the right Joyce even before I mailed away for the death certificut. I hope I have alot more happy updates to post in the future.

Update 8/29/99
(wooooo long time gap right? go easy on my Im still learning!!) Not alot has happened in my search except that I got my birth grand mothers death certificate and it had very limited information for me to go on, and I promise I exausted all my avenues within a few days of receiving the document. I did learn from the dcert that she died suddenly when I was just a year old of breast cancer. And the dcert also had the address of the house that Ira, Joyce and I lived together in Astor but that has not done me much good. I have met other good people that have helped me fill out documents and submitt them to the judge in the county I was born in requesting the release of my records. I sent those off almost a year ago and have yet to hear from someone. I also have come in touch with a social worker in STL who is working on locating Marnie for me...(I dont like being so negative but I trust her about as far as I can throw her) She claims that all my records regarding my birth were destroyed, phhhhhhhhh! But Im not going to let her get me down. I will send letter after letter to the judge in Broward if I have to. Who knows? Maybe the next time I come on to update I will have located Marnie...that would be cool~~~~~

UPDATE 02-03-00
I SPOKE TO MY BIRTHMOTHER TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 24 YRS!! It was a wonderful conversation. She remembered me, which was a suprise sense she has indeed spent more than my entire life in and out of mental hospitals with various mental drugs and shock treatments. Her mind is very fragil. Personally, I think mine would be too after even one shock treatment! She knew me when I asked her if my birthdate ment anything to her. We both cried first thing and exchanged "I LOVE YOU's". She asked about Ira which told me her mind was not too far gone. She wants to see me and I want to see her. She asked me to bring any used cloths with me for her if I have any which may seem weird to you...but then at the same time made me smile. Right away we have something in common. My favorite pass time is going to garage sales, and almost ALL of my closet is made of other peoples used cloths! I am planning a trip to see her in the residental home she lives in Daytona Beach real soon. I look forward to placing reunion pictures on my page. For those of you wondering how I found her, I owe it all to my search angel in GA who worked and worked for a solid week until she was able to hand me my birth mothers phone number. What got it all started is MO courts suggested that to me that I mail a request to FL court asking for my paperwork that they had on me when I was in their jurisdiction. A nice court clerk in FL who got my request was happy to ablidge and send my 13 pages of info to me. In that paperwork she sent me I found my bms full name, "Marie Elaine King" ...I had been going after the WRONG name for a year! I was looking for Marnie which is what I had remembered her name to be. The docs also had a list of every single mental home she spent time in from age 15 right up until my birth. There was no birthdate anywhere in the paperwork, just a clue of what year she was born in "she was 15 years old in 1969". And we went from there. When I posted my info on VSN a wonderful search angel replied with her birthdate! Imagine how happy I was when I got that email! During our many calls all over FL we were able to befriend a nice lady in a hospital that my bmother had been a patient in a while back. That nice lady knew Mari personally and understood my position. She directed me right to the place that Mari now lives! In just a few days time she was just a phone call away! It all went so fast, my head is still spinning!! It was such a wonderful call. I feel like a big black hole in my life is just not so dark anymore.

Update 07-22-00
My husband and I ventured out to see Mari a couple months ago. It did not go as great as I had hoped. I viewed her as a TOTAL stranger when I first saw her (one that looked like me a little) and I felt very distant from her. There was no instant connection at all the way I have heard other adoptees talk about. She was very happy to see me...I had surprised her on her birthday without telling her I was coming. I was happy I could bring a little joy to her. Seeing her and spending time with her made me very thankful that I was adopted and raised the way I was. I really wanted to find her to ensure that she was ok and to possibly find my birthfather and any possible birth siblings that I may have from his side. No such luck. Mari "could not remember" who got her pregnant, but at least she said it was not Ira. At least now I have closure and have (somewhat) unsolved part of the mystery of where I came from. However, it is kinda disturbing to think that I have a birth father somewhere out in the world and possibly birth siblings that I will never get to meet. Mari writes me letters often and I plan on keeping in touch with her in case she ever needs me, she did give me life after all. Anyway, more than anything I am thankful that I was blessed enough to unsolve at least part of my adoption mystery...I know that is something that millions of adoptees live their entire lives to only pray for. Someday I may try to track Mari's father down in hopes of finding extended blood family, I have his name but Mari was no help on his birthday. Right now it makes me kinda sick to my stomach to imagine riding the adoption search roller coaster again. I will keep you updated on any further search efforts I make. At least now I have closure.


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