Moving Yet Again

As I sit here looking at the collection of moving boxes in my living room, I can't help but think of the number of times I have moved in my life. However, more that that, I think of the number of schools I have attended because of it. Majority of my friends and family can say that they have attended only one elementary, one middle school, and one high school. Of course, they all linked together. I, on the other hand, have attended eight elementary schools, three middle schools, and five high schools (three in one year).

Whenever someone hears, for the first time, the number of schools I've attended, they immediately assume that I was a "military brat". I was not. All or our moves (except one) took place in San Antonio, TX or small surrounding cities. Our family simply had to move for various reasons. It truly did not bother me or effect me as much as it probably should have. Every move felt like a new beginning, and boy did I feel like I needed them! Each move I would tell myself "this time things will be different." or "this time I will do this!". Sometimes I did manage to make small changes and other times would be a complete FAIL. I was never too concerned about leaving friends or making new ones. This came easily for me. I have always attracted the right type of friends without even trying, you know, the kind that meets Mother's approval (she trusted me so much that it was never her concern, but I already knew...love you Mommie.... with an ie, not a y).

To this day, I stay in touch with friends from elementary (and I don't mean just the occasional "hi" on facebook, although it helps). I mean we will get in touch, back out, and back in again. Each times it feels as though we picked up where we left off. Moving around so much has also helped me broaden my horizons when it comes to social groups. It has given me an understanding of people and why we react the way we do to certain situations. It has allowed me to become a chameleon and adapt to every situation quickly. I often joke that I can be a Mexican, a hood girl, or even corporate! I have so many accents that I forgot which is my true speaking voice and they can be heard at various times when I speak, lol. The other day I was speaking with my husband about business.When I speak business I automatically use my corporate voice (especially when I get excited about something), the conversation turned into something we saw on television. Suddenly my husband burst out in laughter, because I went from sounding like a corporate executive to a  having true Texan accent.

Basically, I would not be who I am today without the constant moving around, and I love who I am! There is one downside I can think of when it came to constantly moving and changing schools; the curriculum varies from school to school. At times I was ahead of the curriculum and at others I was behind. However, being behind in school just forced me work harder. I eventually caught up with the rest of my classmates and I still graduated high school on time.

Now I am thirty. I have three children and this fall, my oldest child will began the 2nd grade at her 2nd school. I have mixed feeling about it. We are moving because it is more reasonable for us financially and commute wise. When I stare at the boxes that are in front of me at this moment, they are just a reminder that I am not keeping the promise I made to myself before I even had children. I had promised myself that my children will only attend one elementary, one middle school and one high school. I don't feel that moving around has harmed me in anyway, but I did not want to take a risk that it would with my children. Moving is also a reminder that I am not where I want to be right now, in my own home and financially sound. But this is a new beginning again and an opportunity for us to rethink our finances and grow from here. I am getting it together, each day, piece by piece.