How many times have you moved in your life?

[Tazzy]

We are beginning to move next week .. won't actually be moving the big furniture until Dec 9. I will be between places with access to the internet / computer set up being dismantled this week so won't be online until we reconnect everything.

I was figuring out how many times I've moved and was curious about other's moving histories....

And now I'm going to tell you how old I am (since I just posted on the avatar thread that I wasn't gonna tell ya...... -- really I don't care -- most people think I look much younger than I am and are surprised by my age (which I don't understand) but then I don't think of myself as more than in my 20's, I still feel so very inexperienced and naive in most areas of life, and I forget when I'm talking to the 20 somethings in my hall, pioneers, etc that I'm NOT 20 something! Weird!)

Okay, enough now, to the point:

In 45 years, I've moved 14 x's, lived in 15 different homes. My son is 19 and this will be his 8th home. My daughter 15, also her 8th.

In the past 7 years (2005 - 2011 inclusive), this next move is our 5th move. (lots of reasons)

This will be my 8th congregation in 42 years (as my parents got the truth when I was 3)

Some of the congregation moves have been due to boundary changes not moving and sometimes, I moved back to an area and went back to the same congregation. Since congregations are always changing it felt like 'new' to me with just a core of the old gang there. In total, 12 congregation moves.

[GrumpysWife]

When I was a child I went to 21 different schools. I don't know how many times we moved then. After I got married we moved 9 times. We have lived in our present home for 24 yrs.

[ava]

I lived in 3 homes while living with my parents, 6 different schools.

Then I moved out into my own place and lived there for a short time after I got married.

Since I got married, I have lived in 4 different places. Where we live now is probably permanent as we have lived in this home since 2001.

My kids are 13 and 15. The 15 year old has lived in 5 places, the 13 year old has lived in 3 places.

[Kimberly Melten]

Compared to you, I'm boring...

I was born in the same house I grew up in until I was 11, we moved within the city, when I turned 18 I moved in with my husband, also within the city.

After 2 years we moved to a bungalow parc, this was within the province about 45 min. away from our old house, had 3 houses in that parc within 2 years time, before we moved to the center of the city. Im 23 now and biginning next month Ive lived here for a year. I hope this'll be our last move till after Armageddon!

[pinkpopcorn]

I have moved 10 times in 60 years. Mike & I have been in this house 30 years, Shaun (28), was born in this house. My daughter, Julie, died in this house. Maybe it's time to move. LOL

[Kalli]

I didn't think I had moved that much, but guess I have. I have moved 11 times in 40 years. I have been a member of 3 different congregations.

We have been in our current home for 7+ years, and in our current congregation for over 8 1/2 years.

[tekmantwo]

I am finding it difficult to type and count on my fingers at the same time---I'll be back...

(untying boots, removing socks...)

ok, .............18 times, in 57+ years......but I may have missed one or two........memory, ya know.........

[Willow]

41 - I have moved 41 times in 51 years of being alive. 36 of them I have racked up myself since moving out from my parents, so I can't even blame it on a military upbringing... That's unbelievable to me! I had to count it 3 times 'cuz I couldn't believe it myself! Once, I moved from one apt. to another in the same complex. Another time, I moved to the house across the street from me and just carried my junk over... I used to tell people who inquired why I moved so much that I didn't like to do "spring cleaning" so I'd just move instead! (It's so much easier to completely clean an EMPTY house!) I don't know why I move so much. I guess I get bored and want to see what's going on in someone else's house! I've only ever owned my own home once - when I was 23 and I immediately felt TRAPPED! I know I'm odd but I define stability as being able to leave on a moment's notice... (are you getting the idea I've done some hard living???) (That's me - bouncing from 1 place to another!)

[Josie]

Wow! Willow that's a LOT of packing and upacking!!

I've lived in my present house the whole of my married life (32 years). I can remember living in 3 different houses during my childhood/adolescence (I was married at 19).

[Brother_Bliss]

It was interesting looking back.

I have moved 9 times. Once as a child when my parents moved, and the rest in my adulthood. I even counted the time I went crawling back to my parents after life had kicked me in the arse

I love the house I am in now, and hope at the present time to stay indefinitely.

[CK]

In my entire life I have moved 20+ times, member of more than 10 congregations, and have attended 6 different schools. In my case, I have come to know a lot of brothers and sisters on a personal basis. Somehow it is good, i dont know about others.

[rocket]

In my entire life I have moved 22 times. Only 6 of those in childhood. I have been rooted in our present home 22 years.

[kalada]

I am 46 yr old and lived in 20 different houses. The last time i moved 2 months a go. Been in 2 congregations the first one was when i found the truth at 18 and left at 21. The second and present one about 3 years ago when i returned.

[Tazzy]

Wow! I find it reassuing that people do move around and it's not just me!!!

I hate the thought of moving (the packing, getting settled, finding a new routine to things (where stuff is - everyone always asking MOM where stuff is now), etc) but I LIKE the new start, finding a better way of organizing, downsizing and sorting, decluttering that comes with moving.

I DON'T particularly like getting used to a new routine as I find it comforting (easier on the anxiety) to just do the same thing getting ready in the morning, having a set place for personal study, office / business set up, etc. It takes me about a year to feel comfortable in a new home, feel like I'm home again.

We have a two year lease at our new place and I hope we'll be able to extend that if it turns out to be a nice place to live.

We had a three year lease at this place we are leaving but a 1 1/2 ago the landlord told me she'd be selling in January 2011 so I should start looking for a new place. Then she changed her mind regularly right up to when I gave her my notice. She had asked me to get out in 3 weeks time in April 2011 because she had friends looking to rent. I hadn't been looking for a place since she'd changed her mind about selling and told me I would have to complete my lease term (to April 2012) so I told her I needed time to look. Then, she said don't bother the people need the place right away. Then in late Sept again she came to show the place to 'friends' and told me to find a place before the end of Dec 2011. She now decided she wanted to rent it before April 2012 as she'd be out of the courntry then. I started looking in earnest, found a place, gave my notice, signed a lease at the new place and THEN the landlord tells me she doesn't think it's a good time for her to find a new tenant so I would be held to my lease until April 2012! I told her I'm out of here as she just keeps changing her mind and that because she told me to get out so many times, I'm pretty sure a judge would not think I was amiss to go look for a place. She finally accepted my notice so I'm out of here December 19, 2011.

This place was a nightmare due to the landlord - she does no upkeep and hates to spend money, complaining that this was an investment gift from her parents to her. We signed the lease without meeting the landlord (done thru realty agency) and I learned a HUGE lesson! We've had so much stuff go wrong here :

birds in the venting, including dead ones in the bathroom fan which left it not working and I had to discover it myself when I heard chirping up there

birds in a nest in the stove fan exhaust (above where I'd been cooking for a month before I discovered that one also! YUCK! );

racoons in the attic;

wasps in the basement;

squirrels in the attic;

dryer has never dried stuff; venting is the issue (too long / not to code) and she won't repair it so we've been drying clothes all over the house

oven didn't work right for a full year - finally the landlord's son replaced it while she was out of the country!;

electrical issues in the basement lighting and main floor plugs;

plumbing gave way in upstairs laundry, leaking thru to main floor powder room (rusty faucet that just let go at one point shortly after I moved in);

showers and plumbing in toilets, sinks drains not working;

furnace thermostat stopped working and furnace ran non - stop in middle of winter

I can't wait to get out of here!

The last tenant left her high and dry, moved out in the middle of the night AND took the front door hardware, plus owed her months rent.

Now I know WHY!!!!!!

I'm OUT of here! Yeah!!!!!

[Cherie]

I hope your next place is nice and normal Beth. Starting from when I have memories, I can recall 13 homes while young. When I was 20 I moved out on my own, and lived in 9 places, but since getting married, I've lived in this house for 28 years. That means my daughters got to stay put all their lives until they got married. I still have keys I can't identify, but I'm reluctant to throw them out.

21 schools Vernalee! You had to be the new kid over and over again. What didn't kill you made you stronger, huh?

[LeslieDean]

29 times and holding. Hope this is the last move before A!

[Tazzy]

29 times and holding. Hope this is the last move before A!

I say that everytime I move!

Wow! People do move a lot.....

We are hooked up at the new house with phone / internet / cable and it actually works after just 3 phone calls to the company!

My parents and us are going to be sharing this house so I keep my dad from trying to move boxes by putting him on to the phone company...

Still lots to move / do so little time to be online.

So far so good!

[Willow]

GREAT NEWS, Bitzy-Tazzy! That phone thing has really gotten out of hand. Last time I moved it took about 4 hours of my time and 2 different phone companies to actually receive service! Now - DON'T OVERDO IT!

When I noticed people were mentioning how many congregations they've been in, it made me think - my publisher card has resided at 7 different congregations. But I have visited (partly due to ones that I tip-toed into for the Memorial while I was in the world and partly due to extended travel) at least 23 that i can recall. I have to admit that I do love visiting and getting to know the friends from different congs.

[LeslieDean]

I think we should have traveling publishers!

[Willow]

Sign me up!