I’m moving.

Again.

I hate moving.

This will be my 21^st move.

Yes.  It is a lot of moving.

When I Was Young

I moved three times as a child.

1. At the age of one month from Poughkeepsie, New York (where I was born) to Saugus, California (now a neighborhood in Santa Clarita).

Than two more times within the state of California.

2. At the age of five from Saugus (in Santa Clarita County) north to Sunnyvale (just north of San Jose).
3. At the age of 7 from Sunnyvale south to San Martin. I lived there for 10 years.

My father worked for IBM.  In those days, the joke was that it stood for “I’ve Been Moved”.

When I Got Married

I got married very young.  I was 16.  He was 17.  Just 10 days before my 17^th birthday and a month before he turned 18.

4. We moved in with his mother until he left for the Army.
5. I moved back home to my parents while Husband was in training.
6. I then moved to his 1^st posting Germany.

In Germany

We had moved into an apartment in a little town called Holtzgerlingen.  Just south of Stuttgart.  It was the bottom level of a 3-story brick house.  It was, however, only one bedroom, dark, and very damp.  Graham crackers got soggy in an hour just sitting on the counter.

7. Since there were now 3 of us we moved to a larger, nicer apartment in Bonlandon. Just east of Holtzgerlingen.
8. After 3 years in Germany we moved back to the states and back to Husband’s Mother’s house.

Back in the States

Husband was now out of the army and we were trying to figure out what to do next.  He wanted to go to school and would need a job.  We moved 5 times between Morgan Hill and San Martin in a little over a year.

9. His mother’s to his father’s because we had some issues with his mother.
10. His father’s to my parents after a fight with his brother.
11. Back to his father’s after things were settled.
12. Back to my parents. I forget why.
13. Then he got a job in law enforcement and we moved to a little place called Hawthorne, Nevada.

In Nevada

In 1988, Hawthorne was a very small town 85 miles into the middle of nowhere.  It was about a mile square.  It has six bars, a casino, and a grocery store.

14. After a couple of years, we moved north to a house Sparks.

We were there about a year.  Then our landlord decided that he wanted the house we were renting for one of his children and he gave us notice.  Husband and I decided that we could afford a house.

15. The children and I moved back to his mother’s in California while he house hunted.
16. We moved to a house in a neighborhood north of Reno, Nevada called Lemmon Valley.

We were in this house for about 5 years.

Divorce

Law enforcement is a difficult job and has a high divorce rate.  Unfortunately, our marriage didn’t survive.

17. The children and I then moved to Orem, Utah to live with my parents.

Remarried

After the divorce was final I met someone who I thought was nice.

18. We bought a house in Eagle Mountain, Utah

After five years I realized I had made a HUGE mistake and left him.

Divorced Again

19. I moved back into my parent’s home in Orem, Utah.

I lived there very happily for 13 years.

Death

When my father passed away we could no longer afford to live in that house.  It was about 6600 square feet on 1/3 of an acre.

It was also too large for me to care for on my own.  This was a bit traumatic because it happened so fast.  From putting it on the market to moved out was only 3½ weeks.

Youngest’s friends were so wonderful and caring as she mourned the loss of her grandfather I decided that we had to stay in the neighborhood.   This made it possible for her to stay in the same school.

20. Youngest and I moved into a dingy apartment in the same neighborhood.

Our apartment is small (900 square feet), old and dingy, but it was all that was available in our neighborhood.  It is where we needed to be for Youngest.  So many changes had happened in such a short time that some things had to remain the same.

It’s Time

When I moved into this apartment I was determined that I would not move until I had bought a house.  This did not happen, but life did.

We have been here, not very happily, for two years.  Then someone shot through her bedroom window and I decided we needed to find another place.

A friend of ours has a basement apartment that is a little bigger than ours.  It is only a couple of years old and has more natural light.  It also has a dishwasher that is not named Youngest.

Our rent will be the same as we are paying now.

It has not been a smooth move, but it is an easy move.  We have had time to pack and without rushing.

We were supposed to move last weekend, but there was an issue with the outside door to the apartment and we had to put it off another week.

21. On Saturday Youngest and I will be moving about a block to our new place.

Not My Favorite Thing

While I am really sick of all this moving, I’ve gotten really good at it.  Not very surprising.

I currently have attack boxes piled over 3 feet deep and can barely move through our small apartment.

Why do I call them attack boxes?  Talk to my toes, legs and arms.

This time I am paying someone to clean my apartment after I move.  I don’t feel like cleaning this apartment while unpacking in the new place.

I’ve Been Stressed

I have had a few times when I have felt overwhelmed, depressed, and a little like a failure.  I have wanted to climb in bed, pull the covers over my head, and stay there until all the moving was done.

Four of my six children own their own homes.  At 52, I am renting little places because I can’t afford otherwise.  Begin disabled can really be depressing and frustrating.

I’m just glad that I don’t have to start over in a new place.  I’ve done it so many times that I don’t know if I have the emotional wherewithal to do it again.

I have been in this neighborhood for 16 years now.  I have good friends who are glad that we are staying in the neighborhood.  So am I.

My friends have been supportive and helpful.  They have organized to help us move.  Besides my 5 local children there will be about 4-5 friends coming to help.

I’m glad because I can’t do much lifting or carrying.  I’ve already strained my back once.

I’ll have boxed up the house so all they have to do is load it onto the truck.  I will be at the new place putting things away as they bring it in.

I am off to pack my kitchen.  Have a great week.

Remember to cause a little trouble, have a lot of fun, and laugh until it hurts.

Also, pass the chocolate.

NOTE:  While I have tried to use the actual city websites there were some issues.  For those I have used Wikipedia simply for the information.