Where I've lived

I've lived in Martinsburg, WV ever since I fell in love with my wife and chased her out here. I moved into the little house she was living in when we got married in October, 1997. Conventional math would say that I've lived here over fifteen years. Both in Martinsburg, WV and in the same tiny little house, now twice as big with a looming house addition that we've almost got complete.

This is a very odd feeling for me, to claim one place as 'home' for so many years. I grew up with a father in the Air Force, and our moves were many and constant.

When I was going to high school in Fairfax, VA, it was common to run into other kids with this problem. Military families peppered Fairfax and Robinson High School because of the suburbs proximity to Washington D.C. I always admired my friend Matt Rusnak for this reason, as he had lived in the same house in Clifton for years. Even to this day that awesome Clifton house has an attic full of Matt's childhood toys. I envy him that.

But all the friends I've made here in West Virginia are unfamiliar with this idea. For the most part, they've all lived in the area for their whole lives. There are some sharp differences between a childhood on the move and one with strong roots. Extended family is the most obvious. We had grandparents in North Carolina and Pennsylvania that we only got to see once or twice a year. Aunts, uncles, and cousins that were distant and rare rather than ever present and down the street. In fact, our somewhat close proximity to Lorie's parents are what's kept us from looking for jobs outside of the immediate area.

When you move around constantly for awhile, you begin to mark events and years by where you lived when that event happened. We lived in Texas when I was born, New York when my sister Robyn was born, we lived in Fairfax when I graduated high school and left the house in 1988. Things like that.

Living in the same house for fifteen years has skewed my senses because of this method of marking time. Have we really accomplished so much? Have we really lived in the same place so long? I seem to be losing time.

Recently, I asked my parents for a list of the places we lived. It was to help me put my thoughts and memories into context for myself when writing blogs. I got two very interesting pieces, one from each of them.

First, my mother sent me this picture:


It's my grandmother Lomax's old address book entries for my family. How frustrating this method must have been for keeping track of such things and how quaint the idea seems today. A couple of observations hit me, the first being that there are entries for all of us individually. The second is that they're crossed out. We probably drove the poor woman nuts with entries in her address book. If only she had a spreadsheet system or online database!

Second, my father collected the addresses of our many houses and sent me a list, broken down by the months/years we lived there. You can check that out below. It might be a little boring to you, but I find it another interesting time machine method to take me back. Not only that... but with this information I can Google Earth the addresses and become more familiar with the places I grew up. Houses, towns, and communities that I'll probably never see again.

Thanks,
DCD

Dec 68-Mar 70 801 Marcy Dr., #14, Big Spring, TX 79720

Mar 70-Jun 70 Jet Stream Trailer Court, Panama City, FL 32401

Jun 70-Nov 70 1102A Lincoln, Big Spring, TX 79720

Nov 70-Apr 71 2509 Siminole Drive, Big Spring, TX 79720

Apr 71-May 73 83A Ent (Base Housing), Big Spring, TX 79720

Jun 73-Sept 73 Lot 122, Briarcliff Mobile Home Park, Dalzell, SC 29040

Oct 73-Oct 75 8327 Glen Breeze, San Antonio, TX 78239

Oct 75-Jul 77 106 Wayne Drive, Universal City, TX 78239

Jul 77-Aug 78 6236C Maryland Road, Plattsburgh AFB, NY 12903

Aug 78-Jul 81 12 Silver Street, Rochester, NH 03867

Jul 81-Jun 82 4000 Llyde Lane, Montgomery, AL 36106

Jun 82-May 88 9803 Ward Court, Fairfax, VA 22032

May 88-Sept 89 10041 Deadwood Drive, Ellsworth AFB, SD 57706

Oct 89-May 90 43 Cusack Road, Hampton, NH 03842