Molly is always asked if she is a Military Brat because of all the times she moved growing up. The truth is that her Dad worked for the same insurance company all of Molly's life, starting at the bottom of the food chain and accepting every promotion he was offered along the way until he ended up as an executive in the Home Office. Her parents joke that Molly's first word was Roadway because of all the Roadway moving vans and boxes she saw as a little girl. Here is a chronological list of all the places her family dragged her to over the years, and the places she then dragged herself because she couldn't shake the habit. Having gotten all that moving out of her system, Molly has vowed not to do it again - although she does miss warmer weather - but that's what vacations are for now...
1. Charlotte, NC ~ both of Molly's parents are from NC so the majority of the extended family on both sides is located there. Her father is from Dale Earnhardt's hometown of Kannapolis, just north of Charlotte, while her mother is from the western mountains. They met at UNC Charlotte, got married and stayed in the area. Until Molly came along and they promptly decided to accept that first promotion and called Roadway.
2. Raleigh, NC ~ the family only stayed in the Triangle section Northeast of Charlotte for a couple of years. It is also known as Tobacco Road in College Basketball - the center of sports for UNC, NC State, Duke & Wake Forest. Molly was raised a Tarheel and learned to despise Duke as a toddler. She was also taught how to taunt her uncle who was a member of the Wolfpack. Because of course, if God wasn't a UNC fan, he wouldn't have made the sky Carolina blue.
3. Asheville, NC ~ the family headed west for Molly's mom's neck of the woods to the beautiful mountain community of Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Molly is rather bummed that she didn't get to spend more than a couple of years living in that beautiful spot. Instead, her only memory is of sledding with her Dad on about an inch of snow. At the time she thought snow was cool - that would change.
4. Columbia, SC ~ Molly's Dad convinced the family to move out of state as Molly was approaching Kindergarten. Seemed harmless enough - and not too far away from home. Molly's brother was born in Columbia so memories from here are primarily of asking for a lock on her door to keep the pest out. Happier memories included the only pet dog Molly ever had (cats are easier to move with) - finding her first best friend, taking tap lessons and learning to blow bubble gum. After a couple of years Roadway showed up again and took Molly far away from the pretty palm trees and warm weather.
5. Little Silver, NJ ~ All of a sudden Molly became an alien who the neighborhood kids stood on top of the picnic table in the backyard to hear her talk funny. Fun times were spent at the Beach Club learning to swim all summer. Molly also went to her first baseball game at Yankee Stadium - and her Mom taught her brother to say "Yankees Stink." But then winter came along in the form of REAL snow via the Blizzard of '78. Molly thought it snowed like that every year in New Jersey so when Roadway showed up again after a couple of years she wasn't too sad.
6. Bay Village, OH ~ No more ocean. Lake Erie was at the end of the road instead. Fireworks on the lake and learning to ride an Evil Knievel bike to the pool and library all summer was loads of fun. Finding her pet kitten smushed by a car and being scared by a lightening strike on the telephone pole in the backyard wasn't fun at all. Before barely having time to make friends, Roadway showed up again. Molly learned later that George Steinbrenner was once a resident so she is glad his Yankee ways didn't rub off on her.
7. Pittsford, NY ~ When Molly's parents told her they were moving to NY she thought that NY meant NYC. So she was very happy when she discovered that the Pittsford suburb of Rochester near Lake Ontario was not in fact a big, noisy, dirty city. Molly spent a full 4 years in Pittsford during the crux of her childhood and built strong friendships in an idyllic setting when kids were still able to play alone outside all day long without worry. There were however whiteouts and lake effect snow in the winter - which is WAY worse than regular snow. Molly became a NY Giants fan because the Social Studies teacher she hated rooted for the Buffalo Bills. She also became a St. Louis Cardinals fan because they had better uniforms than the Mets who were always on TV. She was heartbroken when her Dad took her out for lunch and told her Roadway would be pulling up again to tear her away from her friends just before the start of High School.
8. Avon, CT ~ Avon is a suburb of Hartford, the "insurance capital of the world," which meant that Roadway days were done. Dad had made it to the Home Office so no more transfers. Molly took one look at her new home and vowed to graduate early and reunite with her best friends back in Pittsford ASAP. But instead she became comfortable with the mix of old farms and new home developments and spent the next 4 years of High School making the friendships that last her through to today. Her brother spent the majority of his life in Avon whereas Molly only spent 4 years there. She still finds it odd that for her it was a stepping stone while for him it is where he is from. Her parents still live there.
9. Boston/Allston, MA ~ Molly bolted for Boston for college at Boston University. This was the first time she had ever been the one to decide where she would be moving to and couldn't wait to meet her new home. City life was exciting, but the city was small enough to not be overwhelming. She lived in Kenmore Square and the Fens bordering Fenway Park and fell in love with the Red Sox. She also spent time in eclectic and diverse Allston just down the T. She loved meeting all kinds of people from all over the country in the colleges and universities crammed into the city - including Andy. She found time to graduate in between parties, bars, restaurants, concerts, museums and lazy days along the Charles River or in Boston Common. She did not enjoy the wind tunnels the city creates in winter. Brrrr - wind chill factor!
10. Edgartown, MA ~ One summer in college Molly and her friends moved to Martha's Vineyard and rented a small Cape house. The Vineyard gets pretty damn small when you rely on a ferry to get off. But the beaches were beautiful and the setting was quaint. Lots of bonding took place and it was awesome. The problem was that Molly didn't have a job lined up in advance and the one she found wasn't quite enough to cover the rent so she had to bail earlier than planned.
11. Cromwell, CT ~ This is where Molly landed after graduation since Mom & Dad weren't paying Boston rents anymore. So she moved in with some old buddies from High School who needed a roomate in their condo which was not far down the road from Hartford. It is home to a PGA tournament which is a lot of fun every summer. Other than that - there isn't much of a draw. Molly worked her butt off temping at - what else - an insurance company in Hartford and saved as much as she could to pay her way back to Boston.
12. Belmont/Waltham/Arlington, MA ~ These are the years where Molly bounced around apartments with friends and a boyfriend along the way. Working (at the same job she still holds all these years later) to earn enough to have fun doing much of the same things she did in college - while making car payments, rent, utilities and other grown-up expenses. Learning to be this grown-up just outside of Boston was a lot of fun. Shoveling driveways was not.
13. Westwood/South Natick/Natick, MA ~ When Molly & Andy finally crossed the line from friends to dating it wasn't long before they sought out their own digs. Their first apartment was tiny and cheap in a very nice suburb in Westwood south of Boston. They lived there longer than Molly had ever lived anywhere else in one place. In fact it was where they got engaged. In the midst of planning the wedding, Molly felt a move would be the perfect thing to do so they headed to the Metro West area of Boston by upgrading to a nicer apartment in an old house in South Natick with a view of a farm. After getting married however, a new psycho neighbor moved in upstairs so they took their savings and finally bought a home of their own - in Natick proper. South Natick is too expensive. After upgrading this old house with an addition they are broke and here to stay. The old Roadway moving company isn't around anymore anyway.
Andy has never used Roadway - growing up entirely in Walpole, MA before moving in and around the Boston area in his college years. Natick is just a few towns over from Walpole.
2. Raleigh, NC ~ the family only stayed in the Triangle section Northeast of Charlotte for a couple of years. It is also known as Tobacco Road in College Basketball - the center of sports for UNC, NC State, Duke & Wake Forest. Molly was raised a Tarheel and learned to despise Duke as a toddler. She was also taught how to taunt her uncle who was a member of the Wolfpack. Because of course, if God wasn't a UNC fan, he wouldn't have made the sky Carolina blue.
3. Asheville, NC ~ the family headed west for Molly's mom's neck of the woods to the beautiful mountain community of Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Molly is rather bummed that she didn't get to spend more than a couple of years living in that beautiful spot. Instead, her only memory is of sledding with her Dad on about an inch of snow. At the time she thought snow was cool - that would change.
4. Columbia, SC ~ Molly's Dad convinced the family to move out of state as Molly was approaching Kindergarten. Seemed harmless enough - and not too far away from home. Molly's brother was born in Columbia so memories from here are primarily of asking for a lock on her door to keep the pest out. Happier memories included the only pet dog Molly ever had (cats are easier to move with) - finding her first best friend, taking tap lessons and learning to blow bubble gum. After a couple of years Roadway showed up again and took Molly far away from the pretty palm trees and warm weather.
5. Little Silver, NJ ~ All of a sudden Molly became an alien who the neighborhood kids stood on top of the picnic table in the backyard to hear her talk funny. Fun times were spent at the Beach Club learning to swim all summer. Molly also went to her first baseball game at Yankee Stadium - and her Mom taught her brother to say "Yankees Stink." But then winter came along in the form of REAL snow via the Blizzard of '78. Molly thought it snowed like that every year in New Jersey so when Roadway showed up again after a couple of years she wasn't too sad.
6. Bay Village, OH ~ No more ocean. Lake Erie was at the end of the road instead. Fireworks on the lake and learning to ride an Evil Knievel bike to the pool and library all summer was loads of fun. Finding her pet kitten smushed by a car and being scared by a lightening strike on the telephone pole in the backyard wasn't fun at all. Before barely having time to make friends, Roadway showed up again. Molly learned later that George Steinbrenner was once a resident so she is glad his Yankee ways didn't rub off on her.
7. Pittsford, NY ~ When Molly's parents told her they were moving to NY she thought that NY meant NYC. So she was very happy when she discovered that the Pittsford suburb of Rochester near Lake Ontario was not in fact a big, noisy, dirty city. Molly spent a full 4 years in Pittsford during the crux of her childhood and built strong friendships in an idyllic setting when kids were still able to play alone outside all day long without worry. There were however whiteouts and lake effect snow in the winter - which is WAY worse than regular snow. Molly became a NY Giants fan because the Social Studies teacher she hated rooted for the Buffalo Bills. She also became a St. Louis Cardinals fan because they had better uniforms than the Mets who were always on TV. She was heartbroken when her Dad took her out for lunch and told her Roadway would be pulling up again to tear her away from her friends just before the start of High School.
8. Avon, CT ~ Avon is a suburb of Hartford, the "insurance capital of the world," which meant that Roadway days were done. Dad had made it to the Home Office so no more transfers. Molly took one look at her new home and vowed to graduate early and reunite with her best friends back in Pittsford ASAP. But instead she became comfortable with the mix of old farms and new home developments and spent the next 4 years of High School making the friendships that last her through to today. Her brother spent the majority of his life in Avon whereas Molly only spent 4 years there. She still finds it odd that for her it was a stepping stone while for him it is where he is from. Her parents still live there.
9. Boston/Allston, MA ~ Molly bolted for Boston for college at Boston University. This was the first time she had ever been the one to decide where she would be moving to and couldn't wait to meet her new home. City life was exciting, but the city was small enough to not be overwhelming. She lived in Kenmore Square and the Fens bordering Fenway Park and fell in love with the Red Sox. She also spent time in eclectic and diverse Allston just down the T. She loved meeting all kinds of people from all over the country in the colleges and universities crammed into the city - including Andy. She found time to graduate in between parties, bars, restaurants, concerts, museums and lazy days along the Charles River or in Boston Common. She did not enjoy the wind tunnels the city creates in winter. Brrrr - wind chill factor!
10. Edgartown, MA ~ One summer in college Molly and her friends moved to Martha's Vineyard and rented a small Cape house. The Vineyard gets pretty damn small when you rely on a ferry to get off. But the beaches were beautiful and the setting was quaint. Lots of bonding took place and it was awesome. The problem was that Molly didn't have a job lined up in advance and the one she found wasn't quite enough to cover the rent so she had to bail earlier than planned.
11. Cromwell, CT ~ This is where Molly landed after graduation since Mom & Dad weren't paying Boston rents anymore. So she moved in with some old buddies from High School who needed a roomate in their condo which was not far down the road from Hartford. It is home to a PGA tournament which is a lot of fun every summer. Other than that - there isn't much of a draw. Molly worked her butt off temping at - what else - an insurance company in Hartford and saved as much as she could to pay her way back to Boston.
12. Belmont/Waltham/Arlington, MA ~ These are the years where Molly bounced around apartments with friends and a boyfriend along the way. Working (at the same job she still holds all these years later) to earn enough to have fun doing much of the same things she did in college - while making car payments, rent, utilities and other grown-up expenses. Learning to be this grown-up just outside of Boston was a lot of fun. Shoveling driveways was not.
13. Westwood/South Natick/Natick, MA ~ When Molly & Andy finally crossed the line from friends to dating it wasn't long before they sought out their own digs. Their first apartment was tiny and cheap in a very nice suburb in Westwood south of Boston. They lived there longer than Molly had ever lived anywhere else in one place. In fact it was where they got engaged. In the midst of planning the wedding, Molly felt a move would be the perfect thing to do so they headed to the Metro West area of Boston by upgrading to a nicer apartment in an old house in South Natick with a view of a farm. After getting married however, a new psycho neighbor moved in upstairs so they took their savings and finally bought a home of their own - in Natick proper. South Natick is too expensive. After upgrading this old house with an addition they are broke and here to stay. The old Roadway moving company isn't around anymore anyway.
Andy has never used Roadway - growing up entirely in Walpole, MA before moving in and around the Boston area in his college years. Natick is just a few towns over from Walpole.
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22 comments:
That is a lot of moving. Of course, if you never made it West of the Mississippi it doesn't count *grin*.
Interesting note about the sky being UNC blue...in Denver, people say that if God's not a Broncos fan, why are sunsets blue and orange? :)
wow it is nice to know there are people who moved around more than i did as a kid. even if you did end up in Boston because of BU...isn't Boston simply the best.
I can't imagine moving that often, although I know many do. I stayed kerplunked on my little farm in Indiana until I went to college! One thing though, Molly stayed an East Coast girl! I love Asheville.
I always thought it would be wonderful to live in the New England area of the USA....and then go south a bit along the coast where all the southern plantations are....
My thirteen is now posted...come join me? Happy Thursday.
As a former military brat, I can completely understand the Roadway thing, only mine was Mayflower! I still get the itch to move every 2 or 3 years. I usually end up rearranging the furniture instead.
That is a lot of moving, but I think it makes you really well-rounded!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
I always envied people who moved around alot. I lived in the same city until I flew the coop at 15. Thanks for the peek into your past. Happy T13!
My second to the favorite boyfriend graduated from NC State :-)
Wow, you've moved a lot. You're probably an expert packer by now. Happy TT!
Wow!! Lots of packing up for you guys! The good news is, Molly must have enjoyed it since she moved a lot too!! All the best to Molly and Andy!
I moved a lot before I started school; but from second grade through college I lived in one house. I have a cousin who moved like Molly, I think it would have driven me crazy.
Tabbikat's Thoughts
i moved around a lot as a kid because my mom was military but it wasn't nearly this much. i still am full of wanderlust and will be moving soon. :)
That's an amazing list, makes me feel a little better about my oldest's complaints. You see my ex had a bad moving bug & in 8 years we moved 10 times, a few were even within 6 weeks of one another & 4 were MA to VA back & forths. I've been here in VA for almost 12 years & don't expect to move ever again (knock on wood)
Hey,I havent commented in a long while..sorry about that :( Anyway that is alot of places to live,I wish I'd had that experience,I think it makes who a person is :)
That's a lot of places!
I spent the first 17 years living in the same town. Went to college 2500 miles away for 5 years. Back to a town 200 miles away from my home town. I've been here for 19 years. I think I could use a little more variety in my life. I'm sure all that moving made you an interesting person.
Wow, that's plenty of upheaval. Looks like to go far in his company, Molly's father's literally had to go far.
Lots of moving. Asheville is a beautiful city; we visited it in June last year. If I were to move, I'd seriously consider that location.
You have a really nice blog. I enjoyed reading about your life on the move.
Wow! You certainly made the rounds... Here's a question... If Roadway WAS still around, would you use them?
That's a lot of moving -- but moving can be really fun sometimes.
I should look into this Thursday meme.
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