No More Moving.

I went to 14 different schools in 11 years of school.  I graduated from a high school in Kansas that I never actually attended because I had all the credits I needed!  My mom had always wanted to travel beyond the small world of Grand Junction, Colorado but her dad said "NO!" when she wanted to join the military out of high school.  So we moved around Colorado, then California, then Kansas.  As soon as I could, I moved myself back "home" to Colorado and went to college in Boulder. 

Anyway, Midland is the only place I have ever called home for longer than 5 years!  There are many habits and problems that come from moving so much.  First, they say 3 moves equals a fire in terms property loss, etc.  So I have very little of my childhood left.  I have our three stockings (Mark, Dana and Troy painted in silver glitter on very grubby felt) and I have three little stuffed reindeer (red, green and white) that my paternal grandmother gave us when I was about 5.  Mine is the red one with the little bracelet pinned around it's neck so everyone knows it is the girl deer!  That's it.  That is the entire collection from when I was a child.  And I only recently found the little deer in the attic.  They were still in a square "go-go boots" box!  How is THAT for making one feel old!!

So now I have a wonderful antique cedar chest that my mother gave me when I graduated from college and I call that my "Stuff My Kids Did Trunk".  I have everything in there from the outfits they wore home from the hospital to their graduation caps and gowns.  The second problem I have from moving every six months of my life is that I get restless if I am in one house too long.  Mike lived in 2 houses total until he was 18 and he told me right at the beginning of our marriage that we would NOT be moving every 6 months!  So now I just re-arrange furniture and paint walls. It's better, I don't have to pack!