A Dozen Moves

I just realized that I have moved a dozen times in my life already and I am only in my 20s!

1986/1987 - Move Number One
Oppenheim. A bigger apartment for my Mama, my sister, and me. I was still in diapers and have to ask my Mama to verify the year. Not that I could remember...

1999 - Move Number Two
Oppenheim. From the apartment to my Mama's own house. I was 13 and learned how to lay down laminate flooring, PVC flooring, strip old wallpaper off walls, prime walls for new wallpaper, apply wallpaper, paint walls, and so much more. This was actually a lot of fun. Can you believe I laid down PVC flooring in my bedroom with a black and white cow pattern? Being 13 years old might explain that. I have to give my Mama credit for allowing such a thing. After all, we left the original hardwood floors underneath.

2005 - Move Number Three
Mainz-Marienborn. Out of the nest into a shared "apartment" (basement) with my friend Steffi. We were both 19 and pretty naive. This was a horrible learning experience, thanks to our wicked landlady. More on that later.

2005 - Move Number Four
Bodenheim. My own place. A small subterranean studio in the home of a really nice family.

2006 - Move Number Five
Nackenheim. A rental home with N whom I was dating at the time. This was a gradual move-in. He rented the home through the Army housing office and I stayed there with him. I still had my little studio but was never there.

2008 - Move Number Six
Wiesbaden. N had to go back to the US on military orders. The boys had to go, too, and stayed with their Grandma while N was deployed in Afghanistan. This was the hardest time in our family history. The deployment was hard enough, but not having the boys with me was the worst. Unfortunately there was no way for them to stay in Germany since I am not their biological Mom and there was not enough time for me to legally adopt them. The military orders came (almost) out of nowhere and were very short notice, because the post where N was stationed in Germany was being shut down. There had been rumors about the post being closed for a number of years, but it never happened. Well, it eventually did happen and N was one of the last soldiers at that post. I was staying in Germany for two reasons, one being that I was still in the process of getting my visa, two being that I was almost done with my professional training (I had less than a year left). I figured I should finish what I started and also gain some actual work experience before moving to the US. I moved into a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate to be closer to my workplace.

2009 - Move Number Seven
Frankfurt. After I finished my training and having commuted to Frankfurt (new job location within the same company) for almost half a year, I decided to move there. This was my own apartment in a high rise and actually pretty neat.

2010 - Move Number Eight
Fort Campbell. This was the big one. Leaving Germany and moving "across the big pond" to the United States. This move is what motivated me to start this blog.

2011 - Move Number Nine
San Antonio. After N got out of the Army, we moved in with his Mom until we would find work.

2012 - Move Number Ten
Live Oak. Our first rental (duplex) once we both had found jobs and sufficient income.

2013 - Move Number Eleven
Live Oak. A similar rental which was slightly better and slightly less expensive, yet still a duplex, just up the street from the previous one.

2014 - Move Number Twelve
San Antonio. Our current move to an actual single family house which is a lot nicer and slightly more expensive. This home is also literally across town. We are moving from the far northeast area of town to the far northwest area and back into the actual City of San Antonio.

Looking back, I realize that I have moved every single year since 2008. I guess I can say that I am a pro by now. I definitely learned how to prepare, pack, disassemble, load, unload, unpack, and deep clean a home. Am I tired of moving? I would say so, but the last place has become unbearable thanks to an extremely unprofessional, rude, and incompetent property manager. I am glad when we are gone and this ordeal is over with. I hope we will not have to take legal action because of some unresolved issues. Maybe she will come to her senses in time. I sure hope so.

The new place is very promising and I will post more details about it soon. We have already cleaned the new home, moved a bunch of boxes, and will move all the big stuff on Saturday with a rental truck. I cannot wait to be done. We are trying to finish it all up this weekend.