Picture this: You're five years old, at the doctor with your mom, and the nice woman in white is asking you: "Does your family have any medical history with high blood pressure?" Dumbfounded, you turn your head to your mother while still staring at this lady. "Mom?" you ask, like, duh- I don't know about my family medical history yet, who cares?

Now imagine a stranger asking, "Where are you from?" Easy one. "Madeupville, Idaho," you answer. But for me, that question always brought on the same response as a medical professional asking crazy questions. I'd look at my parents, and they would say "We're most recently from Fort Knox, Kentucky." For a split second, in between me pausing, and my mom or dad saving me, that stranger would turn to my parents, all patient and understanding, like, "Aw, cute kid, doesn't even know where she's from." And it was in those moments I knew I was very different from most people I encountered.

I have no notches in my walls to signify my growth, I rely on my GPS to get around my city, and I can't call any one place home, but I would venture to say I've been gifted with a pretty incredible life thus far. I am an army brat, and these are my confessions.

#1: I don't feel sorry for myself... Not at all.

I have lived in nine states, with a total of thirteen moves. Chances are, my mother's yorkie has probably moved more than you. It's my weird fact that I've used for every get-to-know-you activity ever. I don't get why people offer up condolences, though.

I'm humbled by the amount of fascinating, selfless people I've gotten to know, the fact that I've lived all over the U.S. before my twentieth birthday, and my dad's admirable career with the army. I seriously can not imagine how different I would be without my adventurous upbringing.

#2: Making new friends wasn't exactly a challenge.

None of us had time to be picky. The moment my family and I moved to Fort Knox, Kentucky, I realized I was automatically accepted, and best friends with every kid on my street. Consequently, I had also lost all privacy.

An Australian girl next door quickly made it clear we were going to be tight. She marched through the front door and invited me to play, and that was that. I mean, we were both girls, and we were roughly the same age, so why wouldn't we be besties? And for a time, we were.

New friends brought new toys- boxes. We played in boxes, almost constantly. One of my first thoughts upon exploring my new territory was, "Why isn't there an adult telling that kid to stop swinging in a box???" Literally, our neighbor Kenny was squished inside a moving box, his brother pushing him harder and higher while he rattled around in there, clinging on for dear life. We made mazes, castles, and forts out of the always available moving boxes.

#3: I hid from the cops in third grade.

On an army base, most adults are in the army, or an army spouse, so it was pretty safe (besides the damage us kids did to each other), so there were no adults watching us most of the time. One day, my dad went to get gas and left his work phone (he was a lieutenant colonel when he retired) and it started ringing. Just trying to help, I answered the call thinking it was my mom or someone I knew. The voice on the other line was one of the police at Fort Knox, so naturally I freaked, grabbed my brother, and hid. A few minutes later, a few police cars showed up outside, and we heard a knock on the door. "Mr. Baker, are you okay?" Minutes passed as the confused policemen waited and pondered what to do. Thankfully, my dad came home, and cleared everything up, but not before giving us a talk about touching his work phone.

#4: Middle school for an army brat is comparable to a varsity volleyball player enjoying a game of sand volleyball with seventh graders.

Fun, a little awkward here and there, but I wasn't uncomfortable. In middle school, everyone starts over, and starting over was my forte. Even though I moved halfway through sixth grade, people were nice and well-receiving. I was used to the friend-making process and had a pretty decent time.

#5: I don't miss people.

Not terribly, at least. This sounds harsh, but hear me out. I knew from a young age that I never owned anyone.

In Fort Knox, (my favorite place I have lived) we were a herd- a friendly, rambunctious little herd- and the entire base was our stomping ground. Every few months we lost some, and we gained some. No one mourned, and the adventure continued. They were still with us, in our stories, in their contributions to the tree fort. When we heard, "the Reynolds moved to Texas," we were so excited for them, maybe even jealous of the new adventure. We celebrated new arrivals, even though we all had expiration dates. Each new family brought to the table new recipes, new stories, new places, new games, new friends.

I was blessed with someone's company, we became the best of friends, and then we went our separate ways. And they probably didn't look back once.

#6: My roots lie in my faith and my family.

While I am so grateful to my dad for his humble choice of careers, without my belief in God, I could have chosen to focus on the downsides. My father's service took a toll on our family, my parents' relationship, and even my own sense of belonging. It took a lot of getting over myself to have faith that I was always right where I needed to be, and that I had something good to bring to the table. Even still, there is a certain depth to lifelong friendships that takes time, I know this because I have them with my family. Growing up from state to state, there is not always time for these connections, and I have certainly wondered who I would be if I had grown up with the same group of people. I have envied these bonds, but I am blessed to have a few best friends who make me feel like we've known each other forever.

I moved my senior year, and I tease my friends and say, "I'm gonna make so many people feel bad for forgetting who I am in ten years," when in reality, I got to know very few of them.

I consider myself so, so blessed to have seen my Dad serve and lead, to have my roots set in a perfect savior, and to have gotten to know and love hundreds of unique souls over such a short period. I still have confidence in the men and women who defend our freedom, and there will always be a special place in my heart for my fellow army brats. Oh, and I still think boxes are super fun. *HOOAH!*

Matthew 22:36-40, Romans 12:9-12