So, as you can guess, I've moved around quite a bit. It's truly shaped me as a person- but made a simple question so hard to answer. I still don't know how to answer that question, so I guess I'll let you guys figure it out at the end of this article by going through a timeline of my life.
First stop: Austin, Texas
I was born in Austin, Texas. The earliest memories of my childhood originated here, and pretty much all of those cute home movies were filmed in Austin. I learned how to walk, talk, and be alive in Austin. I also attended kindergarten and first grade here at Fern Bluff Elementary School. I can't say a lot about it considering I don't remember most of it. Then, after finishing the first grade, we moved to our second stop along the road trip of my life.
Second stop: Clayton, Missouri
You might be thinking: what a drastic change! And trust me, as a first-grader, I was thinking the exact same thing. You were telling me that I was going to move my entire life across the United States and leave all of my friends behind? Wack. We were moving so my father could attend Seminary. I stayed in Clayton from the 2nd to the 4th grade and actually had a blast. I remember meeting my first friends through their parents bringing them over to our small apartment while I was watching Fetch With Ruff Ruffman. It turned out that we all liked that show quite a bit- and thus our friendship was born. Honestly, being a seminary kid taught me that material things didn't hold a lot of value and friendships were honestly what you should hold on to. I also experienced a vast amount of freedom as a child in Missouri. It was like living on a college campus- but for families. Therefore, there was a baller playground that I was allowed to go to whenever I wanted (with permission). There was also a field day that was held for all of us during the summer and at the very end, a firetruck would come and make it rain over all of us. Seminary was a much more simple time that reminds me of bliss.
Third Stop: Cisco, Texas
I know you're probably thinking: where in the WORLD is that? Well, Cisco is a unique place. Imagine the whole "Friday Night Lights" vibes mixed with a two stoplight town. Basically, you are only important in that town if you can play sports. I've touched on this in previous articles before, but I am the least athletic person that I know. So, naturally, I wasn't all that important to the school and not all that popular either. I think Cisco is where my self-esteem truly plummeted. But, on the absolute plus side, I had some amazing friends. I think that without them, I would have been truly miserable. I also got to discover the local coffee shop, Waverly's, that honestly brought a sense of home to the town that didn't exist before. I was there through 5th-9th grade. It was not hard leaving the town itself, but it was extremely hard leaving the people there AND our overly-filtered selfies. (Sorry Baleigh, Shaylynn, Lyndsey, & Cheyenne!)
Fourth Stop: Mabank, Texas
We moved to Mabank the summer after my Freshman year of high school. Mabank is where I ended up graduating High School, and also where I made a few solid friends. Okay, I lied. I had a lot of friends. We were all the misfits and somehow just all found one another. I got to not feel ashamed for not being athletic when in Mabank and got really involved in the marching band. My self-esteem also picked up because I found myself in a happy relationship with the gym.
Final Stop: College Station, Texas
So, I chose to go to college at Texas A&M University. I am extremely happy here and I love being surrounded by the people that I love. This city feels like home and my community is full of people who support me. I could not be more grateful to have ended up in College Station. I am so blessed to have a job that I love and a church family that I love. A&M has given me so many opportunities to meet people and travel to amazing places.
