Writers Workshop: Home

Mama Kat has my Thursdays (well when I remember and when I have time - that is!) So this week I want to do two of the prompts but I probably will only do one.

I could have done three but I would have to pick ONE crazy dream and that would be hard because most of my dreams are crazy, strange and well.... down right weird. If I told you one you would want more and then I would have to start a new blog just about my dreams. Oh what would I name that one? Drama Mama Dreams - Scary!

Anyhow. I want to do #1 - developing a elevator pitch ( i/we have actually been thinking about something like that. I was totally unaware that there was such a name for it. That is what that little area above this post is for that says about us and under it says coming soon. That has been there for a long time - What? It takes time for developing a catchy sentence that encompasses what we write about, who we are and why you should LOVE us. Sometime at some point when there is free time to think - it will get done. *sigh*

Lady Di's suggestion was "Just two wild and crazy gals and all their drama" The hubs started to tell me one but I stopped listening after the word "old". We will keep working on our Elevator Pitch.

However I can do #4

"How many homes have you had? Write a journal entry about ALL the places you've called 'home' in your life."

I have had 13 homes. No. My Dad was not in the service. Wow, right? Even writing that seems so odd. 13 different places! I have though and each one holds a memory.

I was born in San Diego and lived somewhere down there for the first couple years of my life. Ok so I don't have a lot of memories (obviously) of that home. Then we moved next door to my Grandma (where I always felt at home and have so many memories). That home holds the first memory of my Dad. I was three and I remember it like yesterday. He wasn't my biological donor but he is my dad and I wouldn't change a thing.

Shortly after, when I was four, we moved to my home of 15 years. A ranch in Southern California. It is where I grew up, where I have most of my memories. We had horses, cows, pigs, sheep. 60 acres to roam and explore. In the course of 15 years we actually moved to two other places for circumstances that I was too young to totally understand. One was an apartment where I got my first puppy ( I was in third grade) and the other was a small house where I met on of my many best friends. I can't remember how long we stayed there until we moved back to the ranch, maybe a year. I just remember how nice it was that I had my best friend next door. Then it was back at the ranch until I was 18.

After I graduated high school, Lady Di and I moved to central California for junior college. In the course of 3 years, we moved 4 times. First we had our little apartment. Two rooms, one bath barely any furniture and a whole lot of memories. First time away from home and we had a blast. One very fond memory I have of that apartment is carrying Lady Di up the stairs after our first party and having a conversation about birds at 2:00am. Fun times.

After our apartment we rented a house with another friend - 3 bedrooms, 3 girls and 1 bath. I bought some seriously ugly furniture from an elderly lady for like 100 dollars and thought I scored big time. So many memories there. O my goodness. Let's just say there was more than once I would be sitting in class and here someone say, "Partay at 288 Birch". What? Di and I would look at each other and be like, "Dude that's our house!" *sigh* The local pd knew we were there and that we had many "get togethers" and they would watch out for us girls. Loved that town. .It had became home to me in so many ways. I met some of my most wonderful friends there including the hubs and while attending JC my parents had moved to Montana so home was redefined. After the house we moved back to the apartments we had started out at and then again to an even bigger apartment when the Hubs before he was The Hubs became mine and Di's roommate. That was such a nice apartment - 3 bedrooms, 3 bath with a big yard and tennis courts right outside our door.

After the hubs and I graduated JC we went to Fresno State and moved into a tiny single wide trailer in the middle of a walnut orchard. 2 rooms one bath. Poor college students - we didn't have enough money for propane and froze our tooshes off. It was so so cold in the winter. We had to get up at 4am to go to work at the college dairy. It was there the hubs proposed, where we were living when we got married and where we got preggers with the OP. I graduated college in that house and got my first big girl job. I miss that time in our lives as well.

We then moved out of town to a neighboring town about 45 minutes from Fresno. The hubs and I started our own business and it was there that we brought home the our first baby girl. I worked full time and was able to bring her with me to work. That was not much fun. Being full time first time mom and full time employee.

Fresno was home for 5 years and I cherish those memories so very much. I met and worked with some amazing people.

In 2004, the Hubs and I thought we would go on a new adventure and we moved to the Land of Nowhere in Arizona to a huge ranch. First we lived in a travel trailer, then a small one bedroom one bath caretakers home while our house was being finished. Our beautiful huge home: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and monstrous kitchen and two living rooms. It was the middle of nowhere but it was perfect in so many ways. We brought home two more girls. So many happy memories where made there and some sad ones too. I thought we would be there for a long time but things change and the Hubs got laid off and not only did he lose his job we lost our home because they were a packaged deal. I remember leaving thinking how sad it was to leave behind all those memories all those feelings. I brought home 2 babies and I lost a baby there too and a cherished pet. I didn't want to leave. I was angry and sad that the people who had given us so much took away even more. More than they realized.

So now we are here in Montana, freezing. We bought our very first home in October. 4 rooms, two bath . It is a new adventure. The hubs said recently, "that we are on auto pilot and forgot to look at our destination but we have terrain avoidance and all is going to be ok." That is exactly true. We have no idea where we are headed but for now we are here and we are safe and it is home.

I am not going to lie. It hasn't been easy being here. I have had some rough days and so has The Hubs and the girls. It is an adjustment but we are very blessed to have a roof over our head. We are very blessed to have such a healthy beautiful family. I recently bought this sign for our house. It hangs on the wall and reminds me that

"No Matter What, No Matter Where it's Always HOME if LOVE is There."

I read it every day and I remind myself how truly blessed we are and that it doesn't matter where home is because my memories are packed and stored in my heart. I take them where ever I am and where ever I go.

Thanks for the prompt Mama Kat and thanks for reading fellow bloggers. It was fun looking back.

13 homes and one huge heart packed full of cherished memories.