This summer, I'll be moving into my twelfth place. At only 26, that's a lot of different spaces to call "home." I've been lucky enough to live in a multitude of places, in Ontario, Canada, and California, and now Illinois. I spent some time sketching each of the places I've lived, which made me realize just how special each place was. Since I've lived in so many places, I thought it'd be fun to share a little piece of each home with you.
HOME #1: CEDAR DRIVE in ORANGEVILLE, ONTARIO, CAN (1992-1996)
This is the house both my sister and I started our lives in. I moved out of this house when I was 4, so I don't remember much of it. The only thing I do remember is having a giant bedroom. The previous owners had knocked the wall down between two rooms, so it was huge. Running and jumping onto the bed was a fun pastime of mine.
HOME #2: ALANAVALE DRIVE in CALENDON, ONTARIO, CAN (1996-2000)
The backyard in this house was insane. We had an acre of land with two sheds and a giant jungle-gym. I used to practice my tap routines in one of the sheds, trying so hard to memorize all the names of the steps. If you ask my parents, I think they'd tell you this is one of their favorite houses.
HOME #3: VIA ZARAGOZA in YORBA LINDA, CALIFORNIA (2000-2003)
This was our first California house and it was perfect. I lived so close to all of my friends, so we could easily bike to one another's houses. The three girls that I met while living there are still three of my best friends. Although we've all moved to different states now, this place will always hold a special place in my heart. This house was the foundation for those friendships.
HOME #4: SUZANNE STREET in LASALLE, ONTARIO, CAN (2003-2006)
This move was hard. I had the best of friends in Yorba Linda, as did my parents, but my dad was starting a new opportunity that took us back to Canada. My parents our house in the middle of building, so they got to customize everything in it. It was new, but so homey. The town we lived in was fairly small, so I remember biking all over the place with friends, usually ending up at Frosty's for ice cream.
HOME #5: ROYAL MEADOW LANE in SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA (2006-2010)
This house was everything. Moving to San Jose was by far one of the best things to ever happen to me. I met lifelong friends, found a doctor who helped determine my illness, and ultimately became a Christian. My friends and I spent more time at my house than anywhere else, so it was always full of people. Royal Meadow felt the most like home, probably because I spent so much time in it. Saying goodbye to this house when my parents left California in 2014 was really hard.
HOME #6: LABEN RESIDENCE HALL in DAVIS, CALIFORNIA (2010-2011)
This was actually my second residence hall at UC Davis. For my first quarter, I was in Kearney, right across from Laben. I had to take a quarter off due to my health, so had to completely move out in January, just to move back in April. This turned out to be the biggest blessing! Living in Laben solidified my best friends and helped me love college.
HOME #7: TANGLEWOOD APARTMENTS in DAVIS, CALIFORNIA (2011-2012)
My first apartment was so cute! I think this was the first time my friends realized just hoe organized I am. I created a spreadsheet with everything we'd need for our apartment and then listed off who had what and what we still needed to purchase. It sounds crazy, but it helped so much! We made some great memories in this place. It was the first time we were all truly on our own, in our own place, so we spent a lot of time in the apartment.
HOME #8: THE COLLEGES AT LA RUE in DAVIS, CALIFORNIA (2012-2014)
We weren't planning on moving out of Tanglewood, but some changed circumstances forced us to. There were a lot of uphill battles that happened while living here, but our friendships were strengthened beyond measure. Plus, as a huge upside, we lived right across from campus, making our commute to class that much faster.
HOME #9: HUCKLEBERRY CIRCLE in WEST SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (2014-2015)
Most of my friends graduated university after four years, but I still had a full fifth year to complete my degrees. Because of this, we decided to move a little farther away from campus, but close enough that I could commute. This house was the perfect distance for everyone; we all had about a 20 minute commute to either work or class. We were in a home, not an apartment, so we had a lot more space. It was a great transition home from school to work life.
HOME #10: SOUTH COLER AVENUE in URBANA, ILLINOIS (2015-2017)
This is the home I shared with my sister when I first moved to Illinois. We never thought we'd find ourselves living in the same house again, but man were we lucky that we had that chance. We had a blast together! It was an experience I'll cherish forever. We always joked that we were best friends, sisters, business partners, and roommates, but somehow weren't sick of each other.
HOME #11: WINBERIE COURT in NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS (2017-Present)
I also never thought I'd end up living with my parents again. Although my parents had been in this house for three years, I had never lived there; it was never my home. That, I think, was the biggest adjustment. But, thankfully, I had my own space in the house to make my own. I spent a long time decorating my bedroom, and now that it's finished, I'm in love with it. This move was seamless. I really love living with my parents, so I'll be sad to leave. Plus, having my dogs around 24/7 is a huge plus!
HOME #12: SOMEWHERE IN CHICAGO (Summer 2018)
This summer, I'll be relocating again, this time to Chicago. Two friends and I are moving in together and I can't wait!
Here's to all the places I've lived - and all the places I'll go.
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