You’ve lived in how many homes in the last decade?

We have history of moving. A lot! Ever since we left our childhood homes in San Jose, California (Brett) and Newberg, Oregon (Laura), we’ve moved frequently for a variety of reasons. Job. Change of scenery. School. Most moves have been our decision, though, we’ve been more enthusiastic about some more than others.

So exactly how many places have we called home in the last decade? 17 to be exact.

We’ve lived in 17 homes in 12 cities in 3 states in 2 countries. Whereas moving to a new location within a city isn’t very much fun, it’s always been an exciting adventure to move from one city to another city or state or country.

This Labor Day will mark our one year anniversary in the Seattle area. It’s hard to imagine living in a spot for more than two years since we haven’t done so since we met each other. Most of our moves have been without children which generally made relocating easy. Ethan was born in Eugene in 2007. He’s called four houses home, while Autumn is still on one (slacker). We truly love living in the Seattle area. It has a ton to offer in terms of recreation, events, culture, and more. I look west to see the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. I turn east to view the mighty Cascade Mountain range. I love my job and people I work with on a daily basis. There are many opportunities for Laura to attend graduate school and find work when the time comes. Ethan and Autumn have many learning experiences awaiting them here.

Of course, I think children bring a new perspective on moving. While we want them to have the opportunity to develop roots in an area, have a place to call their childhood home, and develop deep childhood relationships as we were given in our childhood; we also want them to have the opportunity to travel and experience the world and to understand new cultures, lifestyles, people, and religion.  Having lived overseas for a year and half, we believe that the only way to truly experience a place is to live there for an extended period of time. Throughout our travels we strive to develop a sense of culture, understanding of people, and embrace society. This balancing act as we move will be our  forward.

Though Laura and I started this decade in two different states, with two different paths in front of us, we’ve carved our (constant moving) niche in life and found happiness in the present….or in the present as we think of what the future holds.

We recommend that you view the Cities We’ve Called Home (Birth to Present) Map on our Google My Maps.

[Click on an image to view some of our homes and moving experiences.]

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