Moving Is So Hard

I'm not sure most people realize how hard it is to move, especially for pre-teen and teenage children. Of course, those of you who move around a lot like we do, get it.

celebrating our 20th anniversary 

My husband and I have been married for 30 years, and we tend to move every three to five years. No, we are not military, we just tend to move a lot due to my husband's job as a Mechanical Engineer in the pulp and paper business. Each time we move, we look at it as an adventure, and, for the most part, it has been; some bad, but mostly all good.

our youngest son enjoying the lake in Crossett, Arkansas

Moving so frequently really never was been an issue until our children got older. Well, not an issue for our kids. When we moved from Wilmington, North Carolina, my husband practically took me kicking and screaming. I loved that area, and I had some good friends too.

I loved going to the beach in Wilmington!

When we moved from Muncie, Indiana, that was when it was getting hard on our children. When we first moved to Indiana, it was quite the adjustment. Both my husband and I grew up in the South, and we are not a fan of the cold weather. The kids had a good time there, due to the snow they had never really been around. Well, around much...we would get a couple of inches in Crossett, Arkansas that would stay around for a tiny bit. Nothing like the feet we would sometimes get up in Muncie.

Moving to Monroe, Louisiana from Indiana, was when our kids really started to balk at moving. Bill and I were so glad to get back down to the South were it was warm, but all of us missed our friends in the North; and so did our children. Our daughter especially was upset, as she had to leave her boyfriend. It all worked out in the end...they are now married! See things work out for the best!

This last move from Louisiana to Western Kentucky was probably the hardest. We lived in Monroe longer than we had lived anywhere else--almost six years! I left behind some wonderful ladies and I truly miss them. I feel that we will be lifelong friends.  Our two youngest sons hated the move too. Especially our youngest--it was his Senior year. I said I would NEVER do that; move when we had a child still in high school. I learned to never say "NEVER."  But, it all worked out in the end. He finished high school early and started going to BYU-Idaho this past January. 

our youngest taking a stroll at Black Bayou in Monroe, Louisiana

As I said at the beginning of this blog, "I'm not sure people realize how hard it is to move..." is so true. I'm not going to mention any names or places, as I have met some great people in ALL the places we have lived, but there have been a few places we have been to where it was rough in the beginning. One place we had just moved to, I was told that, as a new person, it was MY responsibility to be the one to stand up and introduce myself. Well, first off, I tend to be VERY shy. I have come a long way since my high school years, but that shyness is still there, and it is very hard and awkward for me to be pushy and stand up and say, "Hey, I'm new!" Not sure how that would come off either when people are in their own little clicks and not paying much attention to others around them. 

I'd like to say, Kentucky is NOT the place this happened in. I have loved being here in Kentucky. Everyone is so nice and has welcomed our family with open arms. I am grateful for that! I just wish every place could be that way. Even with my shyness, I try to go up to people at church or at the YMCA, etc and introduce myself. It is hard for me, but I feel it is MY responsibility to go up to the newbie rather than them come to me.

at the park in our new town here in Western Kentucky

So, I would like to challenge everyone to seek out the new people you come in contact with at school, church, fitness center, the kid's ball games or dance lessons, work, etc, and welcome them. Who knows, you might just meet your best friend.