I grew up all over the country. My dad was an officer in the Air Force, which meant we moved when the government told us to, no matter whether we wanted to or not. And I can assure you that neither I nor any of my sisters wanted to move every time we did - but we did.
I've no doubt we were a tad bit bratty at times over some of those moves - I'm pretty sure we were, and I recall a certain time when I know I was. It just got to be really hard to move the older we were. Moving during high school years was the worst!
But, having said all that, wherever we lived, that was HOME to us. We lived mostly in base housing, and that was never all that special. What WAS special was the way my mom made each and every house that we called ours, for however a temporary time it was, OUR HOME.
No matter what base, no matter what state, no matter how nice or not-so-nice that house we got was, it was OUR HOME. My parents loved us so much, and made every effort in the world to provide my sisters and I with a place to call home - full of love, fun, family times, memories, and of course all the other growing up stuff that goes on - fights with each other, hair-pulling, you name it - we did it, just like most other siblings.
My mom made the most wonderful homes for us! We were very fortunate that my mom was a stay-at-home mom, which really is just about the hardest job in the world. We always had homecooked meals, made with loads of love, no matter what the food was. She took great care in caring for all of us - me, my sisters and my dad. She loved us fiercely, that's for sure.
By the time I graduated from high school, we had moved 15 times - FIFTEEN times. That meant boxes piled high, unpacking all that stuff, having to get adjusted to yet another new school, having to make new friends (which was very hard for me as I was painfully shy growing up, still am to some degree), getting settled in, and then moving again before we wanted to.
Sometimes those moves involved going back to a base where we'd already lived at one point. But even though we'd already lived there once, most of the people we knew then had been transferred, so we really started all over again with friends and adjusting.
All through every single one of those moves, my mom was a real trooper. Our HOME meant our mom and dad to us - they were there for us all the time, and we always knew that. No matter where we lived, no matter what we had done, they loved us through thick and thin. And we were quite the mischievous group of kids, individually and together.
Our HOME was home to a lot of our friends growing up, too. They all loved coming to our house to hang out, even if we weren't home. They just all seemed to love being around my mom. I can remember many a day when I'd finally get home from some after school thing, and there would be several of our friends, just hanging out with my mom.
What was HOME to us growing up - MY MOM, MY DAD, MY SISTERS - and ALL THAT LOVE...... no matter where in the country we were living. It still is that to each of us now, no matter where each of lives now.
HOME is NOT the four walls within which you live, HOME is all that makes up your life and who you share it with.
And we are the luckiest family in the world! Our HOME is with us wherever we are..........
Read more posts about What Makes a House a Home
Ann Cummings, Maine and New Hampshire REALTOR
RE/MAX Coast to Coast
Portsmouth NH
ann@anncummings.com
888-349-5678 x 3839
Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine 
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Ann~
As I read your post this morning, I knew I'd be able to take with me that special joie de vivre that shines through your account. This may be the life-juice that is at the heart of so many visionaries. Thank you.
Great tribute to your parents and family. In the older family photo which one are you?
Wow... 15 houses to make home is a huge undertaking, I was kicking around on the same piece of ground throughout my school years. Cannot image having to pick up and start over so often.
Maureen... You can tell by the eyes she's the tall blonde in the center.
Great post!! I was very lucky I was born and raised in the same house until I left for college
Ann what a great attitude - and thank you for being such a trooper - this is a great post
YOu brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful post. I couldn't agree more. People make a house a home.
Dan I guess you are right. I had ruled the two on the right out for some reason and was focusing on the two on the left for some reason. Those are Ann's eyes!
Ann,
Sounds like you have a wonderful family! Thanks for sharing with us!
Ann,
What a warm story and I love the photos. Great Post.
Hi Ann!
What a great tribute to everything you do and the person you are! Best regards and wishes to you in this super contest. You got our vote!
Home is where your heart is. Beautiful post, Ann!
Thanks for sharing!
Ann... I agree... great tribute to the parents. And you have me neat on the times that you moved. I had moved 7 times by the time I was 22. By the time that I graduated from HS, I had moved 4 times. Wow, so your number sounds huge at such an early age. Again, thanks for sharing this.
Hi, Ann! I would have HATED moving all those times! And just imagine, you became a Realtor and help people move! I bet you are VERY good at it. It made me tired just reading your post. LOL!
What a sweet bond you have with your parents! I bet it does make for a strong family unit when you move so often. That's a wonderful gift that lasts a lifetime.
Thanks for sharing!
great story!
you'd think that the Armed Forces would want to keep people stationary for a while to keep the morale up...
but extraordinary people like you survived and are better for the craziness you and your family had to go through!
WOW - just got back from all day meetings, and I find these really nice comments waiting for me!!
janeAnne - what a nice comment to find first in line! I love what you wrote - thank YOU!!
Maureen - in the older photo, I am the taller one in the middle of the back. I labeled my pictures so that if you put your cursor over them, you can see who is who in each of them. Thanks for your comment!
Dan, oh brother of mine - that was a lot of moving, not an easy undertaking with a bunch of kids, that's for sure. As I was growing up, and especially in high school, I used to dream of being able to live in the same house in the same town and having the same friends all through school......that was a dream I carried with me for many years. But, I wouldn't trade the way we grew up now for the world, and I think my sisters all feel the same way. When you grow up moving as we did, you're forced to adapt quickly, and that stands you through many things in life that you have yet to know are coming your way.
Matthew - thanks! You were lucky, but then again, so was I. And as I just wrote to Dan, none of us would trade our upbringing and the moving now for anything. Well there is one thing, but that can't happen.
Thesa - thank you for those really nice words, and thanks for reading!
Christy - I'm glad you were touched, and glad that you enjoyed this post that I loved writing. It did take me back down memory lane, that's for sure.
Maureen - yep, those are MY eyes in that picture! Good call, Dan! ;-)
Suzanne - I surely do, and wouldn't trade them for the world (most of the time!! ;-) ) You're very welcome, and thanks so much for reading!
Anna - thank you for reading and commenting - I'm glad you enjoyed this story of part of my life!
Lisa - thank YOU!!! Since I'm a judge in this contest, my post doesn't get thrown into the mix, but I love what you wrote all the same, and really appreciate your support!
Mariana - my little butterfly friend! Thank YOU!
Wayne & Lynda - thank you for reading!
Jeff - thank you! I probably have a lot of people beat on those moves! By the time I had graduated from college, I had added a summer in Spain living with a family over there before starting my freshman year in college, went to 3 different colleges, including a stint taking courses before I could be accepted to matriculate into the last college I went to and graduated from, and then I decided to go live in St. Thomas for about a year and a half. So, even though I thought I hated moving, I still did a bit more before settling in and making Portsmouth New Hampshire my home. We all still call Clermont Florida home, but it's most of our family that lives there and not each of us, except for my youngest sister, who lives near Clermont.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Your post about your family times together cemented this one in my mind. ;-)
Ann
Hi Sarah - believe me, we hated them, too, especially as we got into high school years. One of my sisters had to move to a new high school for her senior year - not a fun thing to do your last year in high school. I do know what it's like to move, that's for sure. I relate alot of my background to various clients, depending on their situation, and especially to those with kids who are concerned about how they'll adapt, etc.
We are a VERY strong family unit, and we've been through some very difficult and tough times over the last few years, with my mom and my grandfather (my mom's dad). But we just held it all together, and even though they're both gone now, we are as strong a family unit as ever. And we REALLY LIKE each other, too!! ;-)
David - the military does do their best to make the transfers during the summer, if they can, so that families have the summer time to get used to their new location, make friends, find out about the schools, etc. before the school year starts. Different military needs determine the moves and what positions were needed where. My dad was a pilot so he was sent where the various planes he flew were moved to.
I do believe we are better people because of the way we lived growing up - moving like that forces you to adapt very quickly in many ways, and that really does carry you forward through so many things in life.
Thanks for reading and for your comments!
Ann
Ann, no wonder you became a real estate professional! You can competely empathize with your clients. What a wonderful story. Sherry
Hi Sherry - what a nice comment - thank YOU for those kind words, and thank you for reading this post!!
Ann
Ann, good job on "What Makes a House..." post.
I thought I was going to see alot of killer Portsmouth pictures in here.
That's a lot of moving!
Is that a "Bear hug" in the lower picture?
Hey Sue - I thought about doing a Portsmouth Home post, but this one came to me and I just did it! That is, indeed, a "Bear hug" in that picture. I couldn't do a post about HOME with it being all about who you share you life with without including him!! ;-)
Thanks for reading!
Ann
I just noticed this was a featured post - thanks for my gold star!!
Ann a great post to include all you family with us. Sometimes we not only forget to thank the men and women that protect us, but we probably always forget to thank their family's as well. Because they serve our country as well.
Hi Danny - thank you for those comments. Some of my sisters and my dad periodically read my posts, and I know if they read this one, they will very much appreciate your sentiment. Thank YOU!
Ann
Thanks for sharing your memories with your other family in www.ActiveRain.Com
Hi Jim - I love that comment - my "other family" in Active Rain!! Thanks for reading!
Ann
Ann - you have such absolutely priceless memories and I do tell you that your definition of home is the ultimate one because you did move so much. Thanks for sharing....I never realized you guys were 4 girls....your mom was a brave woman, and your poor dad had to live through all those hormones.....OUCH!
Hi Ines - thanks for reading! We even had a girl dog and a girl cat, too - LOTS of girls in my family! My dad did get one concession - my youngest sister has his nickname as her middle name. ;-)
Ann
Ann,
Very nice. Did I already comment here?
wow ..I forgot ....any way very good post and it will be featured in my WIR localism this weekend..as long as you are a good little girl.
Ann...
I'm so sorry. I saw this on your blog yesterday and because of the pics I zoomed right by. I thought this was the Blog post you wrote for Mother's Day.
Boy. I really need to slow myself down :)
Really great post about "Home". Good luck in the contest.
TLW...ROAR!
Ann,
What a lovely post and wonderful family. No doubt you were blessed in many ways...a happy home and loving family. For me, it doesn't get any better than that, I appreciate the same good fortune myself.
Neal - thank you for that inclusion! And for your kind comments.
TLW - thanks for coming back! I did use a couple of the same pics on my Mother's Day post, so I can see how you'd think that's what you were looking at.
Lynda - thank you so much for your comments, and we are, indeed, very fortunate with these good fortunes, aren't we? Thanks for reading and commenting!
Ann
Ann - Once again you pay tribute to your family in such a loving way. Family is the essence of home for me!
Ann: Don't know how I didn't comment when I read it! Good thing I was checking out all submissions! I was a Navy Brat, Air Force dependent and all around military oriented being around all the military bases here and working with them...it sure is an experience...and now matter where I went ...ended up back here.....Hawaii is home...thanks again Ann for sharing your life!
Paula - thank you for that really nice comment! My family means the world to me, no matter where we all are.
Sally - glad you came back! Ah, another military brat! ;-) Thanks so much for reading.
Ann
I knew you'd moved around a lot but I had no clue how much! What a sweet post Ann and I love the picture of you and Bear.
Hey Monika - thanks for reading this post, and for the nice comments. Yep, we did move alot, and that's one of my favorite pictures of me and Bear. I couldn't do a post about HOME and those who make it home without including him!
Ann
Thanks for the nice story and photos... Great post.
Hi Gary - thanks for finding this post of mine and reading it, many thanks for the comments. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Ann