The Girl From Everywhere

Ahhh the dreaded, "What's your hometown?" question.  I'm always at a loss of how to answer this.  Do I tell them where I went to high school?  Or maybe where I live now?  Or even where I was born?  Which answer represents me the best?

I used to despise moving around all the time.  It seems like we would pack everything up just as soon as I had made friends and gotten comfortable.  I can't say that I have a childhood best friend who I still keep in touch with.  And moving to a new town meant having to make friends all over again; something which gets exponentially more difficult the older you get.  When we moved to Safford, I made my Dad promise that I could finish high school here.  Two years before my graduation, he accepted a job in Tucson, AZ, which was two hours away.  He made good on his promise and commuted back and forth, staying in Tucson during the week and coming back to Safford on weekends.  Because of the failing housing market, we got out from under our house in Safford the start of my senior year and spent the rest of it living out of a camper.

Sure, my experiences may have been less that ideal, but looking back, I'm so glad for them.  Living in a camper taught you to value counter space in the kitchen, walls that were thicker than an inch, and mostly, bathtubs.  Moving around taught me that you have to make the most of what you have and that you need to do so quickly.  But the most important asset I garnered was the ability to get up and move.  I'm not afraid to go where is best for me and to deal with new people and places, because it's nothing new.

I've also had the opportunity to live in some amazing places and see some great things.  I've lived within an hour of Mount Rushmore, I've seen the Grand Canyon, I've hiked mountains, seen 40 mph winds take trampolines right off the ground, I've watched some of the best sunsets imaginable and walked in the same paths as men like Geronimo.  Living all these different places has given me chances to travel, and to experience cultures I once took for granted.  In addition to having lived all over, I've been blessed enough to travel frequently and have family that live in different states.

I am just now beginning to realize how valuable this upbringing has been.  I know people whose families have lived in the same home for over 100 years, all growing up in the same town and going to the same schools.  There are people that have never even left the state!  I simply can't imagine it.  I've been ingrained with a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world.

So in response to when I'm asked "Where are you from?" I just smile and say, "everywhere."