Right after marrying in 1994, my husband and I decided that we wanted to get out of Tucson.  I didn’t mind Tucson; it was fine, but I’ve always known I wanted to leave.  When we met, my husband worked in a bank and by the time he was accepted into the FBI, he was a branch manager but that wasn’t going to get us anywhere.

After this upcoming move, we will have relocated 6 times for the FBI (AZ to UT to AZ to VA to FL to OH and now, back to VA). I love it.  I get to purge truckloads of shit with every move.  It’s an organized person’s dream!  Some moves were harder than others.  The process stays exactly the same; what changes is what you’re leaving behind.

I am grateful to have experienced each and every place.  More importantly, I sincerely value the friendships I’ve managed to maintain with a select few from every place I’ve lived; true friends I never would have met if we had stayed in Tucson.

Most people don’t understand how we’ve been able to move approximately every 5 years.  I feel that exact incredulous disconnect when people tell me they’ve never left their hometown.  Seriously, though, whatever smokes your shorts.  Excuse me while I go organize my books and clothes to add to my donation pile…