The hardest part.

We love adventure.

We have made the unknown our lifestyle for over a decade now, and have had 5 children born in 4 different states, with our oldest living in 5 states before she turned 8. Life is definitely anything but boring over here.

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Here is what I love about this life:

Our marriage. Moving brings John and I closer, as it reminds us that a house is only a house, but we create the home for each other. We can tackle just about anything together, and exploring new places always gives us a rush.

Our family’s bond. I am biased, but these kids of ours are pretty darn cool. They are supportive of one another, look out for each other, and are truly best friends. Watching their relationships develop as we move is inspiring and makes my heart sing.

New friendships. I believe that people are brought into your life at certain points for certain reasons. I have collected several friends who I will cherish for all of my life – but I never would have met them if it weren’t for being relocated every few years. 

New houses. I can’t lie, it’s fun to reuse furniture and decor in a new space. It makes everything feel new. It’s also fun to find new pieces for each house to make it feel like ours. We love putting our touch on each place while also creating memories. We’ll eventually frame a picture of each house we called home.

Purging. We have about zero attachment to many tangible items. We purge things easier than most. Art projects? trash. Toys? gone. 

Freedom to start over. Do you ever just wish that you could start fresh? We actually get to every 2-3 years. This freedom comes with so much happiness, just as you would imagine. 

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Here is what is hard:

Packing and Unpacking (Selling and Buying). Yes, movers move us, but it doesn’t come without crazy amounts of organizing things. And just like any trip the worst part is unpacking. Trying to make a new place a home as fast as possible is hard. 

Friendships. Finding friends as an adult is HARD. Mix into that my natural-minded stance on life, homeschooling 5 kids, and working from home, and most women run away from me. 

Kids’ Friends. As hard as it is for me to find new friends, watching my children leave their friends and try to start from zero again is heartbreaking. I know that it makes them strong and confident. They know no different and love having friends all over, but it doesn’t make anything easier.

Kid Sports. I am devastated over moving away from Emmett’s club soccer team here. They have played together for over 2 years and have become an unbelievable family (and force to be reckoned with on the field). When we move, he will be at the age that he will be trying out for travel/club teams that have been playing together since age 5/6…  Then there is winter wrestling, spring baseball, basketball, dance studios, and every other sport these kids want to play. 

Other Activities. I have to find new speech therapists, enroll kids into the school system to receive free therapies, find scout troops, musical theater groups, homeschool coops, museums, memberships, etc.

Miscellaneous Crap. New doctors, chiropractor, dentist, happy hour spots, grocery stores, shopping, etc. EVERYTHING is new.

Finding a Babysitter. This is almost the hardest part of moving when the kids are still at babysitting ages. 

But the hardest part… the hardest part is:

Anxiety.

We have no idea when we will be moved or where we will be moved to. The entire United States is a possibility for us. This is extremely exciting, but a small town BFE town in poe-dunk, USA is NOT where I want to be… I want a say, and I don’t really get one. I suffer from the high highs of adventure, but also from the lows of knowing that time is up but having no say over what is next. I am the one who handles 98% of life at home and the stress is REAL for the 6 moths before an inevitable move occurs….

Can you tell that we are within that move window?

Well, we have about 6-8 months left with no idea what is next.