This is more about me, and part of why I called this blog "I once was someone else."

I was relinquished at birth and spent 9 months in 3 different foster homes before finally being placed with the parents that raised me. They told me I was adopted on my 10th birthday. They passed away shortly after I graduated from college. After their deaths I searched for and found my biological/birth/first parents and extended family members. We have been in reunion for 20 years.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what having a different name - Holly - for the first nine months of my life, having different caregivers, and different parents means for me. How has that/does that affect me? My own parenting? My other relationships?

Can't wait for the World Cup this summer

Any opportunity to watch Rooney is a good one! I didn't appreciate his mad soccer skills in 2006, but surely do now.

On the U.S. side, I am a big fan of Landon Donovan since watching him really step up on the U.S. team. He was huge in the qualifier I watched in person in SLC, though I'm so glad he choked on that PK against RSL for the MLS Cup!!!

The favourites
England: The Three Lions have never won the FIFA World Cup on foreign soil but travel to South Africa believing the adventure will go beyond the quarter-finals this time. Confidence is high after an impressive qualifying campaign from Fabio Capello's side who finished as 34-goal top scorers in the European Zone, winning nine of ten matches. Wayne Rooney hit nine goals and can have a galvanising effect – indeed, while his World Cup bow four years ago ended with a red card against Portugal the same thing happened to Diego Maradona and look how he responded. Add the Capello factor – the Italian has brought discipline and focus – and England will expect to win this group and prosper.

USA: The United States contest their sixth successive finals and will fancy their chances of advancing from the group stage for the first time since their quarter-final run in 2002. Bob Bradley's team can also take heart from their efforts at the FIFA Confederations Cup on South African soil in 2009 – they stunned Spain in the semi-finals and led Brazil 2-0 in the final before succumbing 3-2. They will hope centre-back Oguchi Onyewu will have recovered from his knee injury in time to join a squad that will again look to Landon Donovan for attacking inspiration in his third FIFA World Cup.