The many places I call home

Planning a move to a different state isn't anything new for me.  I have had quite a few moves in my short lifetime so far.  I would like to think that I am an expert at packing boxes and fitting everything into a tiny little car.

I was born in Kentucky, but I experienced moving even before I was even born.  My parents found out they were pregnant right before they were going to be leaving Cleveland, Ohio.

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Well technically they didn't actually live in Cleveland.  They lived in the suburbs outside of the city. But since we have family all over the Cleveland area it is much easier to refer to it as Cleveland.

So, that was Move #1 - Cleveland to Florence, KY.

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Yes, that is a water tower that says "Florence Y'all".  No, I have never actually, seriously used the word "Y'all."

My family lived in Florence for 13 years.  I spent most of my adolescent years in Kentucky.

We had two houses.  So I guess that would be Move #2 - House 1 in Florence to House 2 in Florence.  Not a big move, but I think it still counts.

At the beginning of 7th grade, my Dad went job searching and accepted a job in CT.  At the end of the school year we moved there, after spending the whole year building our house.

Move #3 - Florence, KY to Middletown, CT.

We were not in CT very long before my Dad, unhappy with his job, went looking for another.  He found one in Rockland County, New York.  It was half way through my 8th grade year that our family moved to New York.

Move #4 - Middletown, CT to Goshen, NY.

While in Goshen, I finished up middle school and went to high school.  However, before I could finish high school, my family relocated again.  Since my dad was in charge of the company, he made the decision to move it back to Kentucky at the end of my junior year.  Lucky for me, my parents were willing to negotiate with me, and allowed me to stay for my senior year of high school.  I moved in with a friend the next town over, while my family went back to Florence.

Move #5 - Goshen, NY to Middletown, NY.

At the end of my senior year I moved back with my parents before I started college.

Move #6 - Middletown, NY to Florence, KY.

I only was in Kentucky for the summer.  That fall I started college at The Ohio State University.

Move #7 - Florence, KY to Columbus, OH.

There at college, I didn't stay in the same place my whole 3.5 years.  I moved almost every year.  I lived in 3 dorm rooms, 1 apartment, and moved back to my parent's house during a few summers.

At the end of college, I moved with my then fiance to Missouri where he was going to graduate school and working as an graduate assistant athletic trainer.

Move #8 - Columbus, OH to Columbia, MO.

This brings us up to present times.  We have lived here for almost two years, the longest I have stayed in one place in quite some time.  Now in a month we are headed to Wilson, NC.

Move #9 - Columbia, MO to Wilson, NC.  This is hopefully what our new place will be.

Yesterday our application was approved and we are almost ready to sign a lease!

Sometimes I think about all the moves I have made in my life, and how each time I grow more and more as a person.  It really is a great learning experience.  You meet new people, explore new areas, and adapt to new circumstances.  I know that am I the person I am today because of the lesson I learned from moving.  There is no real place that I call home.  Just many places that have shaped my life in a multitude of ways.

I can't wait to see what this upcoming move holds for our future!