Traveling Gypsy

One of the many, many places I have lived...

It's hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the holidays, which means that the year is coming to a close.  And when the year ends, our lease ends.  There's always the possibility of renewing the lease and staying here longer - and we do love our apartment - but it's expensive and downgrading to something smaller seems to be much wiser.

But it's such a hassle to move, isn't it?  Brian and I have accumulated a lot of furniture since we've been in this apartment, and the thought of packing it all up makes me want to vomit.  We just recently switched rooms when we added our fourth roommate, and even moving from one side of the apartment to the other was tough.  Let alone having to move all of our stuff across town!

And if we do move, it'll be my fourth address since living in Utah!  The third one in Salt Lake City!  Which caused me to reflect on all of the many times I have moved in my life... which is a lot.  Much more than the average person.  While talking with my mom on the phone today, we came up with the grand list of all the times I have moved since the day I was born.  Prepare to be shocked.

1. Although I was born in the hospital of Culver City, my mom and dad were actually living in Upland, California at the time of my birth.  So from August 20, 1986 until the end of that year, that was my first home.
2. For some strange, bizarre reason my parents decided to move up north to Bellingham, Washington.  We lived there from December '86 to February '87 before heading back to California.
3. While hunting for a new apartment, we stayed with my paternal grandparents in Baldwin Park, California.  We were there for a couple of months.
4. From April '87 to September '87 we lived in Rancho Cucamonga, California.  It was there that I had my first birthday.
5. Not sure what happened, but we ended up staying with my grandparents again in Baldwin Park, California.  We were there for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.
6. In February of 1988 my parents were back on their own two feet again, living in an apartment of their own in Fontana, California.
7. After 7 months we moved to Pamona, California in September of 1988.  We stayed there for about 6 months.
8. In March of '89 we moved back to Upland, California (different apartment this time) and it was there that I turned three years old.  In April 1990 a dead body was discovered in the laundry room ceiling, and out of fear we packed up and left.
9. We found ourselves in Vista, California and stayed there for a surprisingly long time.  Just shy of two years.  Oh, and my brother Daniel was born during this time on July 11, 1991.  
10. In February of 1992 we moved within Vista from an apartment to a house.
11. Just four months later in June, my parents separated and moved to separate apartments.  Daniel and I lived with my mom, and my dad lived by himself.  We were still in Vista and I started my first grade school year.
12. My parents decided to patch things up and the four of us all moved to Lake Elsinore, California in January of 1993.
13. In April of that year we moved back to Vista.  I finished my first grade year there.  That's right, I had three first grade teachers.  I'm surprised I learned to read!
14. My parents' relationship was still rocky.  A change of scenery was a possible solution, so we moved to Rocky Ford, Colorado in July of 1993.
15. We lived in a small duplex for maybe a month before moving to another part of Rocky Ford where my Grandpa Garcia owned a rental house.  On September 28,1993 my sister Renee was born.  Less than three years later my parents decided to divorce.  I was almost ten years old.
16. In May of 1996 my mom moved to Cheraw, Colorado with the three of us kids.  I went to fifth grade there.
17. My mom decided to move us back to the Rocky Ford house a year later in 1997.  My mom was working in La Junta, Colorado (maybe 15 minutes away) so I attended middle school in La Junta.  It was during this time that Steve Davis moved to La Junta from Kansas.  He was teaching at an alternative school in Rocky Ford.  He and my mom met at church.
18. They were married and we moved into a small house in La Junta in May of '98.  Steve started teaching in Ordway, Colorado and Daniel drove out there with him for school.  I was still going to school in La Junta.
19. In October of 1999 Steve and my mom bought a house in Ordway.  This was our first time owning vs. renting, and we lived there for the longest time ever.  Ordway is where I went to high school.  It's also where I got my first real job.
20. After I graduated in May '04, I moved out on my own.  Kinda'.  My dad had recently divorced from his second marriage and was living in the old Rocky Ford house.  I decided to move in with him there since it was located exactly between my job in Ordway and my studies at Otero Junior College in La Junta.  He eventually moved out and my grandpa took his place.
21. I was called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, so I went in to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah September 2005.  My companion was Elder Carr.
22. Two months later I went to my first area in Curico, Chile.  I was there from roughly November '05 through January '06 with Elder Barron and then Elder Juarez.
23. I was transferred to Concepcion, Chile and stayed there until about June 2006 with Elder Ramirez and then Elder Orellana.
24. So in June I moved to the small town of San Clemente with Elder Potter, who was replaced with Elder Medina, then Elder James, and then Elder Carter.  That's a lot of companions in just four months!
25. October '06 found me in Molina, Chile where I spent time with Elder Auccapuclla, Elder Boyle, and Elder Meza.  Boyle and I even threw a Christmas Concert in the downtown plaza!
26. In February 2007 I moved to Talca, Chile and was there with Elder Fernandez and Elder Carrasco.  It was there that I wrote, directed, and produced "Arboleda" a play about faith.
27. Just three months later, in May, I packed up all my luggage and headed out to Chillan, Chile.  I was a Zone Leader there with Elder Bazalar, followed by Elder Stringham.
28. My last move in Chile was to Talca again, but in a different area.  I trained a new missionary, Elder Silva, and I was only there for 6 weeks.
29. In September 2007 I finished my mission and went to live with my family again.  While I was gone they had moved to Burlington, Colorado, and I lived there with them until the end of December.
30. Ringing in the New Year '08 I had moved in with my friends Edward and Michael Mayhoffer in La Junta, Colorado.  I had one semester left to get my Associates Degree at Otero Junior College.
31. I moved to Provo, Utah in September 2008 so that I could attend Brigham Young University.  I lived at Branbury Apartments with roommates Jason, Tanner, and Griffin.  During this time I met Brian and dropped out of BYU.
32. Brian and I wanted to move in together, so we went to Sky Harbor Apartments in Salt Lake City, Utah sometime in March of 2009.  Our friend Tess moved in with us to help with the rent.  Our apartment had cockroaches and a leak in the ceiling, so we left at the end of the year.
33. And here we are now at Citifront Apartments just blocks from our last place.  The apartment is almost double the size of the last one, and much nicer.  We've lived here with our friend Mesun since January of this year, and Ryan and her kitty Cinders joined us in August.

Are you shocked?  Can you believe that I have moved 32 times?  That this is my 33rd home?  Well, I can't believe it either.  It's pretty sad, considering I'm only 24 years old.  On average, I've lived in each place for about 9 months.

My mother joked, "No wonder you're so messed up!"  Yep, that's me.  I'm just a traveling gypsy.